President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed. The high court filing follows a brief order from a federal appeals court that kept in place a court order blocking the policy nationwide.
Also, state and local election officials from across the country are meeting to consider Trump’s executive order that seeks major changes to how elections are run, the first time those in charge of the nation’s voting will formally gather to weigh in on its implications.
Here's the latest:
Judge bars Trump from denying federal funds to ‘sanctuary’ cities that limit immigration cooperation
U.S. Judge William Orrick said a preliminary injunction was appropriate because the executive orders were unconstitutional just as they were in 2017 when Trump announced a similar order.
Orrick issued the injunction sought by San Francisco and more than a dozen other municipalities that sued over a pair of executive orders the Republican president issued targeting local municipalities that limit cooperation with federal immigration efforts.
Orrick, based in San Francisco, wrote that defendants are restrained and enjoined “from directly or indirectly taking any action to withhold, freeze, or condition federal funds” and the administration must provide written notice of his order to all federal departments and agencies by Monday.
▶ Read more about Trump and sanctuary cities
Trump science cuts roil university labs, targeting bird feeder research, AI literacy work and more
Hundreds of university researchers had their National Science Foundation funding abruptly canceled Friday to comply with Trump’s directives to end support of research on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the study of misinformation. It’s the latest front in Trump’s anti-DEI campaign that has also gone after university administrations, medical research and the private sector.
More than 380 grant projects have been cut so far, including work to combat internet censorship in China and Iran and a project consulting with Indigenous communities to understand environmental changes in Alaska’s Arctic region. One computer scientist was studying how artificial intelligence tools could mitigate bias in medical information, and others were trying to help people detect AI-generated deepfakes. A number of terminated grants sought to broaden the diversity of people studying science, technology and engineering.
NSF has a $9 billion budget that can be a lifeline for resource-strapped professors and the younger researchers they recruit to their teams. It has shifted priorities over time but it’s highly unusual to terminate so many midstream grants.
▶ Read more about National Science Foundation funding cuts
After criticism, Trump Organization ‘moving in a different direction’ on outside ethics adviser
The Trump Organization says it’s “moving in a different direction” with regard to its hand-picked outside ethics adviser following strong criticism from President Trump about the prominent lawyer who was selected for the role months ago.
Trump on Thursday lambasted William Burck, who is one of the lawyers representing Harvard University in a high-stakes court fight with the Trump administration. Burck was also named in January to serve as an outside ethics adviser for the Trump Organization to vet deals that could pose conflicts with public policy.
Trump in a Truth Social post said Burck “should therefore be forced to resign, immediately, or be fired.” He called on his sons, who now run the company, to part ways with Burck, though he didn’t mention the attorney by name. Soon after, Eric Trump said in a statement provided to The Associated Press that: “I view it as (a) conflict and I will be moving in a different direction.”
Trump asks Supreme Court to let ban on transgender members of military take effect
The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed.
The high court filing follows a brief order from a federal appeals court that kept in place a court order blocking the policy nationwide.
Trump signed an executive order a week into his term that claims the sexual identity of transgender service members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness.
In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service.
But in March, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma, Washington, ruled for several long-serving transgender military members who say the ban is insulting and discriminatory.
▶ Read more about the ban on transgender people in the military
Vance autographs the kegerator he used to pour beers
While serving beer on the air base, Vance was using a special kegerator which was constructed by Air Force Master Sgt. Anthony Davis.
After Vance had poured drafts from the kegerator — typically a small refrigerator modified to dispense beer from kegs — Davis asked the vice president to autograph it.
“To Anthony, this is great! A work of genius!! JD Vance,” he wrote while signing the contraption.
He used Davis’ kegerator to serve Benediktiner Hell lager beer.
Davis fundraised for and built the kegerator for an event for the 86th Maintenance Group at the base where Vance was on a refueling stop, Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Davis added that Vance said, “This thing is awesome” when Davis asked him to sign it.
Vice President JD Vance marks refueling stop in Germany by serving beer to US service members
Vance and is family are returning to Washington form a trip to Italy and India and stopped at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
“I have no idea what the hell day it is, what time it is,” Vance joked.
Service members around him were drinking beer and eating hot dogs, and Vance held up a classic German painted stein with a metal lid.
He joked that he should chug a beer but added, “That would go viral, and not in a good way, my friends.”
Instead, Vance took a regular sip before handing out cups of beer he served from a keg.
President criticizes lawyer who’s representing Harvard in its dispute with the White House
Trump is lambasting a lawyer who represents Harvard University in its dispute with the White House and who also was tapped by the president’s company to serve as an outside ethics adviser.
Trump did not name the attorney he was referring to in his Truth Social post Thursday but it was clear from the context that he was talking about William Burck.
In his post, he wrote that he hopes the Trump Organization, which is now run by his sons, “gets rid of him ASAP.”
Burck is one of the lawyers who sued the Trump administration this week on behalf of Harvard to halt a federal freeze of more than $2.2 billion. He’s well known inside the Trump orbit, having represented multiple Trump allies during special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to ‘meet soon’ with Trump to discuss strained relations
Ramaphosa said he’d spoken to Trump and the two leaders had also agreed to discuss the peace process in Ukraine and the end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
“We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths. We both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding U.S.-South Africa relations,″ Ramaphosa said in a post on social media platform X.
“We also spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries,” he added.
Ramaphosa did not indicate when the meeting with Trump was likely to take place.
Relations between South Africa and the U.S. have deteriorated since Trump took office earlier this year.
▶ Read more about relations between the U.S. and South Africa
China says there are no negotiations with the US over tariffs
China on Thursday denied Trump’s assertion that the two sides were involved in active negotiations over tariffs, saying any suggestion of progress in this matter was as groundless as “trying to catch the wind.”
China’s comments come after Trump said Tuesday that the final tariff rate on China’s exports would come down “substantially” from the current 145%.
“China’s position is consistent and we are open to consultations and dialogues, but any form of consultations and negotiations must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and in an equal manner,” said Ministry of Commerce spokesman He Yadong. “Any claims about the progress of China-U.S. trade negotiations are groundless as trying to catch the wind and have no factual basis.”
Trump had told reporters earlier in the week that “everything’s active” when asked if he was engaging with China, although his Treasury Secretary had said there were no formal negotiations.
▶ Read more about tariffs between the U.S. and China
NATO’s Secretary General arrives at the Pentagon as Signal questions linger for Hegseth
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived Thursday morning for a day of meetings as the White House has signaled it’s lost patience with peace talks between Ukraine and Russia and is prepared to step away from the table.
At the Pentagon, Rutte met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine, and he’s scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz later in the day.
Rutte’s meetings at the Pentagon come at a time that Hegseth’s use of the Signal app to discuss military operations remains under scrutiny. Hegseth did not answer a shouted question as to whether he was still using the Signal app in his daily duties.
IMF chief urges countries to move ‘swiftly’ to resolve trade tensions that threaten global growth
The head of the International Monetary Fund urged countries to move “swiftly’’ to resolve trade disputes that threaten global economic growth.
IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said the unpredictability arising from Trump’s aggressive campaign of taxes on foreign imports is causing companies to delay investments and consumers to hold off on spending.
“Uncertainty is bad for business,’’ she told reporters Thursday in a briefing during the spring meetings of the IMF and its sister agency, the World Bank.
Georgieva’s comments came two days after the IMF downgraded the outlook for world economic growth this year.
▶ Read more about the International Monetary Fund and the global economy
In rare criticism of Putin, Trump urges the Russian leader to ‘STOP!’ after a deadly attack on Kyiv
“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying,” Trump said Thursday in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”
Russia struck Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones. At least nine people were killed and more than 70 injured in the deadliest assault on the city since last July. The strikes took place just as peace efforts are coming to a head.
▶ Read more about Trump and the war in Ukraine
Trump’s Thursday schedule
On Trump’s public schedule today, he will greet and then have lunch with the Prime Minister of Norway, who’s visiting Washington, at noon. They will then have a meeting in the Oval Office at 1 p.m.
At 4:30 p.m., he will sign more executive orders.
Later this evening, at 6:30 p.m., Trump will travel to his golf club in Washington, D.C., where he will attend a MAGA Inc. dinner.
Election officials from across the US meet to consider Trump’s order overhauling election operations
State and local election officials from across the country are meeting Thursday to consider Trump’s executive order that seeks major changes to how elections are run, the first time those in charge of the nation’s voting will formally gather to weigh in on its implications.
The U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s Standards Board, which is holding a public hearing in North Carolina, is a bipartisan advisory group of election officials from every state that meets annually.
The commission, an independent federal agency, is at the center of Trump’s executive order. The March 25 order directs the commission to update the national voter registration form to include a proof-of-citizenship requirement, revise guidelines for voting systems and withhold federal money from any state that continues to accept ballots after Election Day.
▶ Read more about the meeting of election officials
Trump is putting his ‘touches’ on the White House with flagpoles, art and an Oval Office overhaul
Trump is putting his “touches” on the White House with new flagpoles, new artwork, an overhaul of the Oval Office decor and possibly covering up the lawn in the Rose Garden.
Trump, a former real estate developer and hotelier, said Wednesday that he’s adding two “beautiful” flagpoles to the grounds to fly the American flag in about a week.
He recently hung new artworks featuring himself, including a rendering of him with his fist raised after last year’s attempted assassination in Pennsylvania. He has redecorated the Oval Office by adding portraits of all of his predecessors and a wall-mounted copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Trump has also talked about paving over the lawn in the Kennedy-era Rose Garden.
He even remarked on the grass on Wednesday, telling reporters he recalled a recent event where “the grass was very wet and it was very hard for people to stand on the grass. They got their shoes all ruined.”
▶Read more about Trump’s personal “touches” on the White House
Trump will hold a rally in Michigan next week to mark his first 100 days in office
Trump will mark his first 100 days in office next week with a rally in Michigan, his first since returning to the White House earlier this year.
Trump will visit Macomb County on Tuesday, the White House press secretary said. The region just north of Detroit is known as an automotive hub.
“President Trump is excited to return to the great state of Michigan next Tuesday, where he will rally in Macomb County to celebrate the FIRST 100 DAYS!” Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday on social media.
The rally will take place one day before Trump’s 100th day in office — a traditional early milestone in which a president’s progress is measured against campaign promises. Michigan was one of the key battleground states Trump flipped last year from Democrats on his path back to the White House.
Trump has not traveled much since taking office, outside of personal weekend trips. His only other official trip in his second term was during the first week, when he visited disaster zones in North Carolina and California and held an event in Las Vegas to promote his plan to eliminate taxes on tips.
▶ Read more about Trump’s upcoming rally
Trump signs executive orders targeting colleges, plus schools’ equity efforts
Trump has ordered sharper scrutiny of America’s colleges and the accreditors that oversee them, part of his escalating campaign to end what he calls “ wokeness ” and diversity efforts in education.
In a series of executive actions signed Wednesday, Trump targeted universities that he views as liberal adversaries to his political agenda. One order called for harder enforcement of a federal law requiring colleges to disclose their financial ties with foreign sources, while another called for a shakeup of the accrediting bodies that decide whether colleges can accept federal financial aid awarded to students.
Trump also ordered the Education Department to root out efforts to ensure equity in discipline in the nation’s K-12 schools. Previous guidance from Democratic administrations directed schools not to disproportionately punish underrepresented minorities such as Black and Native American students. The administration says equity efforts amount to racial discrimination.
▶ Read more about Trump’s latest executive order targeting education
Most Americans expect higher prices as a result of Trump’s tariffs, a new AP-NORC poll finds
Americans’ trust in Trump to bolster the U.S. economy appears to be faltering, with a new poll showing that many people fear the country is being steered into a recession and that the president’s broad and haphazardly enforced tariffs will cause prices to rise.
Roughly half of U.S. adults say that Trump’s trade policies will increase prices “a lot” and another 3 in 10 think prices could go up “somewhat,” according to the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
About half of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the possibility of the U.S. economy going into a recession in the next few months.
While skepticism about tariffs is increasing modestly, that doesn’t mean the public is automatically rejecting Trump or his approach to trade. However, the wariness could cause problems for a president who promised voters he could quickly fix inflation.
▶ Read more about the latest AP-NORC poll
The Associated Press
