President Donald Trump on Friday floated cutting tariffs on China to 80% ahead of a weekend meeting as he looks to de-escalate the trade war.
Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland in the first major talks between the two nations since sparked a trade war with stiff on imports.
Here's the latest:
White House dismisses conflict of interest concerns about Trump鈥檚 upcoming dinner with memecoin investors
The White House is dismissing conflict of interest concerns about Trump promoting an upcoming dinner for top investors in .
Trump will attend a May 22 dinner at his Virginia golf for the largest investors in the memecoin $TRUMP, and has used his social media site to drum up interest.
Pressed on whether some might invest to try and influence Trump鈥檚 policy decisions, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, 鈥淚 can assure you, the president acts with only the interests of the American public in mind.鈥�
She said Trump is abiding by 鈥渁ll conflict of interest laws鈥� and has 鈥渉as been incredibly transparent with his own personal, financial obligation throughout the years.鈥�
JUST IN: Pentagon directs military to pull, review library books that address anti-racism and gender issues in new DEI action
White House sidesteps question on the new pope鈥檚 social media
Before Robert Prevost became Pope Leo XIV, he of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on social media, particularly when it comes to immigration policy.
But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt didn鈥檛 directly address the issue when asked about it on Friday.
It was a rare instance of the administration holding fire when faced with criticism.
Leavitt said having an American pope is 鈥渁 great thing for the United States of America and the world, and we are praying for him.鈥�
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White House calls Newark air traffic controllers losing communication a 鈥榞litch鈥�
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the 鈥済litch this morning at Newark鈥� airport was caused by the same issues as last week, but that it didn鈥檛 disrupt flights.
Air traffic controllers who guide planes landing and taking off at New Liberty International Airport briefly lost radar and communication with aircraft Friday morning.
鈥淭hat glitch was caused by the same telecoms and software issues that were raised last week,鈥� Leavitt said. But she added, 鈥淓verything went back online after the brief outage and there was no operational impact.鈥�
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Iran can鈥檛 be allowed to enrich uranium, Witkoff says ahead of talks
U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff said ahead of a new round of nuclear talks with Iran this weekend that the Trump administration wouldn鈥檛 allow the country to maintain a domestic uranium enrichment program.
That鈥檚 a main criticism of the 2015 nuclear deal Trump left in his first term.
鈥淎n enrichment program can never exist in the state of Iran ever again,鈥� Witkoff told the conservative outlet Breitbart News in an interview published Friday. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our red line.鈥�
In the talks, Witkoff said Iran had reiterated that it didn鈥檛 want to acquire a nuclear weapon, something Iranian officials have said for years.
He added that if the new talks on Sunday weren鈥檛 productive, 鈥渢hen they won鈥檛 continue, and we鈥檒l have to take a different route.鈥�
White House spokeswoman says US trade deal with UK is essentially finished, though negotiators say otherwise
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the trade deal with the United Kingdom is effectively completed.
When asked why President Donald Trump presented a deal on Thursday that wasn鈥檛 finished and ready to be signed, Leavitt said: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not true.鈥�
But that鈥檚 not quite accurate as Trump himself said the final details still need to be negotiated. She later walked back that statement somewhat by saying that trade deals operate by being announced and then negotiators make sure that the 鈥濃�榯鈥檚鈥� have to be crossed and the 鈥榠鈥檚鈥� have to be dotted.鈥�
The framework鈥檚 origins preceded Trump鈥檚 April 2 announcement of broad universal tariffs and British officials hope to find ways to lower Trump鈥檚 10% baseline tariff rate.
Judge releases Rumeysa Ozturk, the Turkish Tufts University student who was detained by ICE
U.S. District Judge William Sessions in Burlington pending a final decision on her claim that she鈥檚 been illegally detained.
Ozturk, detailing her growing asthma attacks in detention and her desire to finish her doctorate degree focusing on children and social media, appeared at a bail hearing remotely from the Louisiana center.
Lawyers for Ozturk, 30, said her detention violates her constitutional rights, including free speech and due process.
Ozturk was released Friday on her own recognizance with no travel restrictions, Sessions said. He said she is not a danger to the community or a flight risk, but that he might amend his release order to consider any specific conditions by ICE.
White House says Trump鈥檚 trip will promote a 鈥榩roud, prosperous and successful鈥� Middle East
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says of next week鈥檚 trip that Trump is making a 鈥渉istoric return to the Middle East.鈥�
Trump leaves Monday and plans stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Leavitt said during her briefing with reporters that the White House wants to promote a 鈥減roud, prosperous and successful Middle East.鈥�
鈥淭his trip ultimately highlights how we stand on the brink of the golden age鈥� for both that region and the U.S., Leavitt said.
Most Americans disapprove of Trump鈥檚 treatment of colleges, a new AP-NORC poll finds
A majority of U.S. adults disapprove of President Donald Trump鈥檚 handling of issues related to colleges and universities, according to a new poll.
The survey from comes as Trump鈥檚 administration ramps up threats to unless schools comply with his political agenda.
More than half of Americans, 56%, disapprove of the Republican president鈥檚 approach on higher education, according to the poll. About 4 in 10 approve with Trump鈥檚 approach, which is in line with his overall job approval.
Since taking office in January, Trump has tried to force change at universities he says have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism. The spotlight most recently has been on , where Trump鈥檚 administration has frozen more than $2.2 billion in federal grants, threatened to strip the school鈥檚 , and demanded broad policy changes.
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Pull climate and other funding from richer nations to keep millions alive after aid cuts, group says
Leading aid organizations are reallocating where they鈥檙e sending resources as countries including the U.S. funnel less money to foreign assistance.
It鈥檚 time to pull some donor funding for programs in better-off countries that target everything from climate change to refugee resettlement so that millions of people in the most vulnerable countries get what they need to survive, according to David Miliband, head of the International Rescue Committee.
Miliband told The Associated Press this week that it鈥檚 time to change priorities to move at least half of the world鈥檚 aid budget to the poorest and most conflict-ridden places. Currently, a quarter of total aid goes to such places.
The shifting of resources shows the impact of the Trump administration鈥檚 decision to pull the U.S. back from being the world鈥檚 single largest aid donor.
Transgender veteran says purging the military could cause a lot of problems
A transgender Marine veteran says poses a problem for several reasons.
It could make the military less prepared, and it would disrupt life for the ousted service members and their families, said Sarah Klim, who served for 23 years but never openly because she retired in 2016, right as the end to the ban on transgender troops was announced.
Klimm, who is now a policy analyst for Minority Veterans of America, is also concerned about what happens to medical treatment for ousted troops as the Department of Veterans Affairs phases out gender-affirming care for transgender vets.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have a warm and fuzzy feeling about being taken care of by the VA,鈥� she said.
Proposal to triple the state and local tax deduction is 鈥榠nsulting,鈥� some GOP lawmakers say
Congressional Republicans from New York say a House proposal that would triple the cap on state and local tax deductions is 鈥渋nsulting鈥� and would threaten the chances to extend the individual tax cuts passed in President Donald Trump鈥檚 first term.
The tax cut package passed in Trump鈥檚 first term placed a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions. Lawmakers from New York, California and New Jersey are leading efforts to lift the cap.
Rep. Nick LaLota tweeted a joint statement from he and three other New York Republicans who say Speaker Mike Johnson and members of the House Ways and Means Committee unilaterally proposed a $30,000 cap. They say that was an amount 鈥渢hey already knew would fall short of earning our support.鈥�
Separately, Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., tweeted that she and one of the four New York Republicans, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, remain committed to a fair deal and that 鈥渢his isn鈥檛 an offer 鈥� it鈥檚 a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers we represent.鈥�
The protests signal the difficulties Republicans will have in getting their tax cut and border security package through the House before Johnson鈥檚 goal of Memorial Day.
After flirting with raising the tax rate for the wealthiest, Trump is backing off 鈥� sort of
He noted on social media Friday morning that hiking taxes on anyone, even the rich, could stir a political backlash, although he didn鈥檛 completely discourage Republican lawmakers from pursuing that option as they write their massive tax package.
鈥淭he problem with even a 鈥楾INY鈥� tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, 鈥楻ead my lips,鈥欌�� Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
The president is referring to an infamous quote by George H.W. Bush during the 1988 presidential campaign, when he pledged not to implement any new taxes as president.
Trump has mused about a higher rate for millionaires for months and revived his request in private talks this week.
Trump will formally nominate Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as federal prosecutor for Washington
That鈥檚 according a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity Friday to disclose plans not yet made public.
Trump announced on social media Thursday that he鈥檚 appointing Pirro to be interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Nominating her for the job on a more permanent basis makes her subject to Senate confirmation.
Trump picked Pirro after pulling his nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin Jr., who鈥檚 been acting U.S. Attorney since January. Trump withdrew Martin from consideration after a key Republican senator said he couldn鈥檛 support Martin for the job due to his defense of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Pirro has significantly more courtroom experience than Martin, who鈥檇 never worked as a prosecutor or tried a case. She was elected as a judge and a district attorney in New York鈥檚 Westchester County years before joining Fox News.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who publicly opposed Martin鈥檚 nomination, expressed support for Pirro鈥檚 selection on social media.
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Senator blasts Trump action on grant program to improve online access
Sen. Patty Murray, the sponsor of legislation aimed at helping more Americans have access to affordable high-speed internet, is blasting Trump鈥檚 announcement that he was ending the program.
Trump said on Truth Social: 鈥淣o more woke handouts based on race!鈥�
Murray, a Democrat from Washington state, said in a statement that her legislation, the Digital Equity Act, passed as part of a bipartisan infrastructure package during Joe Biden鈥檚 presidency. It was designed to close the digital divide in America.
She says funding went to 鈥渉elp red and blue communities鈥� with money going to school districts, libraries and workforce training programs, among other things.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about making sure seniors can get online and equipping every student in every classroom with the tools they need to succeed, whether that鈥檚 a hotspot to take home or a laptop,鈥� Murray said.
She said the funding 鈥渨ill be illegally blocked because the President doesn鈥檛 like the word equity.鈥�
Rights groups sue to free Venezuelans deported from the US and held in El Salvador
International human rights organizations filed the lawsuit Friday with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights asking that the commission order El Salvador鈥檚 government to release the Venezuelans deported from the United States and held in a .
In March, the U.S. government alleged to have ties to the to El Salvador, paying the Salvadoran government to imprison them.
Since then, or ability to communicate with their families. Neither the U.S. nor Salvadoran governments have said how the men could eventually regain their freedom.
鈥淭hese individuals have been stripped from their families and subject to a state-sponsored enforced disappearance regime, effectively, completely against the law,鈥� said Bella Mosselmans, director of the Global Strategic Litigation Council, which helped bring the suit. 鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that this case might help put pressure on El Salvador to put basic guardrails in place.鈥�
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Fishermen battling with changing oceans chart new course after Trump鈥檚 push to deregulate
Virginia Olsen has pulled lobsters from Maine鈥檚 chilly Atlantic waters for decades while watching threats to the state鈥檚 lifeblood industry mount.
Trade imbalances with , tight regulations on fisheries and offshore wind farms towering like skyscrapers on open water pose three of those threats, said Olsen, part of the fifth generation in her family to make a living in the lobster trade.
That鈥檚 why she was encouraged last month when President Trump signed an that promises to restore American fisheries to their former glory. The order promises to shred fishing regulations, and Olsen said that will allow fishermen to do what they do best 鈥� fish.
That will make a huge difference in communities like her home of Stonington, the busiest lobster fishing port in the country, Olsen said.
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Trump鈥檚 Friday schedule, according to the White House
The first thing on the president鈥檚 public schedule for Friday is at 4 p.m., when he will sign executive orders.
At 1 p.m., Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a press briefing.
Wall Street drifts higher as it counts down to a highly anticipated US-China meeting on trade
U.S. stocks are drifting higher Friday as Wall Street heads toward the end of an unusually quiet week.
The S&P 500 was up 0.4% in early trading and on track to erase what had been a small loss for the week. This may be the first week in seven where the index at the heart of many 401(k) accounts moves by less than 1.5%, after getting rocked first by fears about Trump鈥檚 trade war and then by hopes that he鈥檒l relent on some of his tariffs.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 127 points, or 0.3%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher.
The big event for the week is likely coming Saturday, when trading will be closed in financial markets. That鈥檚 when high-level U.S. and Chinese officials for their first talks since Trump launched an escalating trade war between the world鈥檚 two largest economies.
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New York Mayor Eric Adams says he鈥檒l meet with Trump on Friday to discuss city鈥檚 鈥榩riorities鈥�
Adams provided few other details about the meeting in Washington, which comes a month after a federal judge to dismiss the criminal corruption case against the mayor.
Adams was accused last year by former President Joe Biden鈥檚 administration of accepting illegal campaign contributions and travel discounts from a Turkish official and others, in exchange for helping Turkey open a diplomatic building without passing fire inspections, among other things. He pleaded not guilty and a trial was set for April.
But Trump鈥檚 Justice Department moved to drop the charges so Adams could assist with the president鈥檚 .
Danish leader says 鈥榶ou cannot spy against an ally鈥� after reports of US gathering intel on Greenland
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told The Associated Press 鈥測ou cannot spy against an ally鈥� after , a semi-autonomous Danish territory coveted by Trump.
Frederiksen鈥檚 comments Friday are the latest in the spat between Denmark, Greenland and the United States because Trump seeks to annex the strategic Arctic island. Denmark and Greenland insist the mineral-rich island is not for sale, while Trump hasn鈥檛 ruled out taking it by military force even though Denmark is a NATO ally.
The Danish prime minister spoke to the AP the day after Denmark summoned the top American diplomat in the country for an explanation following a Wall Street Journal report which said several high-ranking officials under the U.S. director of national intelligence, , had directed intelligence agency heads to learn more about independence movement and sentiment about U.S. resource extraction there.
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Trump is failing to give 鈥榗ritically needed leadership鈥� in Gaza, Democrats say
The Trump administration is failing to provide 鈥渃ritically needed leadership鈥� to end the growing crisis in Gaza after the collapse of a ceasefire there, the senior Senate Democrats say in their joint letter to Trump.
The Associated Press obtained the letter Thursday night.
The Democrats argued that a new proposal that would U.S. security contractors in a dramatic overhaul of future aid to Gaza was 鈥渘ot viable.鈥� And an Israeli proposal for long-term control within Gaza would only take matters farther away from Trump鈥檚 goals for a permanent resolution to the Israeli-Hamas conflict and for improved Israeli security, the Democratic senators said.
Leading Senate Democrats urge Trump to push Israel to let aid back into Gaza
And the two dozen leading Senate Democrats also urged the president to push Israel to forgo any permanent Israeli reoccupation of Gaza.
Senators made the appeal in a letter sent Thursday night to the White House, ahead of Trump鈥檚 Middle East trip next week. Aid groups also expect a global monitor to release an update next week detailing the worsening food crisis in Gaza amid Israeli aid restrictions.
Senior Democrats among those signing include Sens. Chris Coons, Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, Cory Booker, Tim Kaine, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen.
Trump fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden
Trump abruptly fired Carla Hayden on Thursday as the White House continues to purge the federal government of those perceived to oppose the president and his agenda.
Hayden was notified in an email late Thursday from the White House鈥檚 Presidential Personnel Office, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press. , Hayden was the first woman and the first African American to be librarian of Congress.
Hayden, whose 10-year term was set to expire next year, had come under backlash from a that had vowed to root out those standing in the way of Trump鈥檚 agenda. The group, American Accountability Foundation, accused her and other library leaders of promoting children鈥檚 books with 鈥渞adical鈥� content and literary material authored by Trump opponents.
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Up to 1,000 transgender troops are being moved out of the military in new Pentagon order
The Pentagon will immediately begin moving as many as 1,000 openly identifying transgender service members out of the military and give others 30 days to self-identify under a new directive issued Thursday.
Buoyed by Tuesday鈥檚 allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender individuals in the military, the Defense Department will begin going through medical records to identify others who haven鈥檛 come forward.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who issued the latest memo, made his views clear after the court鈥檚 decision.
鈥淣o More Trans @ DoD,鈥� Hegseth wrote in a post on X. Earlier in the day, before the court acted, Hegseth said that his department is leaving wokeness and weakness behind.
鈥淣o more pronouns,鈥� he told a special operations forces conference in Tampa. 鈥淣o more dudes in dresses. We鈥檙e done with that s---.鈥�
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Trump floats cutting China tariffs to 80% ahead of meeting as he looks to deescalate trade war
Trump on Friday floated cutting tariffs on China to 80% ahead of a weekend meeting as he looks to de-escalate the trade war.
Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland in the first major talks between the two nations since sparked a trade war with stiff on imports.
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The Associated Press
