says Wednesday will be 鈥 when he plans to roll out a he promises will free the United States from foreign goods.
The details of Trump鈥檚 next round of import taxes are still sketchy. Most economic analyses say average U.S. families would have to absorb the cost of his tariffs in the form of higher prices and lower incomes. But an undeterred Trump is inviting CEOs to the White House to say they're investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new projects to avoid the import taxes.
Here's the latest:
House committee weighs proof of citizenship proposal for voter registration
The House Committee on Rules is considering the , known as the SAVE Act.
Voting by noncitizens is , but Republican Rep. Bryan Steil told the committee that 鈥渙ne noncitizen voting in U.S. elections is too much.鈥 Top Republicans have said the SAVE Act 鈥渃ements into law鈥 Trump鈥檚 that seeks a proof of citizenship requirement. A lawsuit challenging the order Monday.
Democratic Rep. Joe Morelle spoke against the bill, saying it would force Americans into a 鈥減aperwork nightmare.鈥
Voting rights groups gathered in Washington, D.C., on Monday to highlight that millions of Americans do not have easy access to their birth certificates, only about half have U.S. passports, and married women would need multiple documents if they have changed their name.
Trump says administration likely will roll back auto efficiency requirements to 2020 standards
Trump said the subject came up when he met Monday with the chairman of automaker Stellantis, calling the 2020 requirements 鈥渁 strong standard鈥 and that tightening under President Joe Biden made 鈥渋t impossible for people to build cars.鈥
Biden prioritized improving efficiency as to cut back on harmful greenhouse gas emissions and to encourage automakers to transition to electric vehicles. Trump asserts the standards change would make no difference for the environment.
Trump says he鈥檚 鈥榟appy鈥 that former daughter-in-law and Tiger Woods are dating
Trump said Woods had called to tell him about the relationship with Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., and the mother of their five children.
The golfer recently confirmed the once-secret relationship in a social media post.
Asked about the possibility of Woods becoming a member of the Trump family, the president said, 鈥淟et 鈥檈m both be happy. They鈥檙e both great.鈥
鈥淗e told me about it, and I said, 鈥楾iger, that鈥檚 good. That鈥檚 good.鈥 And I鈥檓 very happy for both,鈥 Trump said.
Top Democrats say Senate GOP is using accounting gimmick to cover cost of Trump tax cuts
鈥淓nacting tax cuts for the wealthy will mean the Treasury has to borrow trillions of dollars more than it otherwise would, and billionaires win while working families pay the price,鈥 wrote Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the ranking Democrats on the Budget and Finance committees in a letter to GOP leadership.
As Senate Republicans push their framework forward, the Democrats said it is 鈥渁n obscene fraud and the American people won鈥檛 stand for it.鈥
Trump previews first foreign trip
Trump says the trip will include stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and possibly the United Arab Emirates and 鈥渙ther places also.鈥
Trump previewed the trip, which could come as soon as May, saying he wants to reward Saudi Arabia for its investment in the U.S. and says all three Gulf countries would be making commitments to creating jobs in the U.S. during his trip. He didn鈥檛 detail the other potential stops.
Trump decries France鈥檚 Marine Le Pen sentence and conviction
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big deal. That鈥檚 a very big deal,鈥 Trump said of the conviction and sentencing of the far-right leader in France. 鈥淚 know all about it. And a lot of people thought she wasn鈥檛 going to be convicted of anything.鈥
A French court on Monday convicted of embezzlement and barred her from seeking public office for five years 鈥 a to her presidential hopes and an earthquake for French politics.
鈥淚t sounds like this country,鈥 Trump said.
Trump discusses who he鈥檚 considering for UN ambassador nomination
Trump says he鈥檚 considering nominating former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and his special envoy Ric Grenell among others to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the UN.
Trump pulled Rep. Elise Stefanik鈥檚 nomination last week over concerns for Republicans holding their narrow majority in the House. Trump says he鈥檚 had a lot of interest from people seeking to fill the role, calling it 鈥渁 star-making position.鈥
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley served in the role at the beginning of Trump鈥檚 first term in office. She later unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Trump says his administration has opened a line of communication with North Korea
Trump, who met with leader Kim Jong Un three times in his first term, said Monday 鈥渢here is communication鈥 between the two countries. He called the line of dialog 鈥渋mportant鈥 because the North is a nuclear power, and said he and Kim would 鈥減robably do something at some point.鈥
The isolated country previously refused outreach from President Joe Biden鈥檚 administration.
Judge pauses Trump administration plans to end temporary legal protections for Venezuelans
The order by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco is a relief whose Temporary Protected Status was scheduled to expire April 7. The lawsuit was filed by lawyers for the National TPS Alliance and TPS holders across the country.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also announced the end of TPS for an estimated 250,000 additional Venezuelans in September.
Chen said in his ruling that the action by Noem 鈥渢hreatens to: inflict irreparable harm on hundreds of thousands of persons whose lives, families, and livelihoods will be severely disrupted, cost the United States billions in economic activity, and injure public health and safety in communities throughout the United States.鈥
鈻 Read more about
Trump says he鈥檇 鈥榣ove鈥 to run against Obama
The hypothetical matchup would require repealing the 22nd Amendment 鈥 which limits presidents to two terms 鈥 to bring about in reality.
The remarks come as Trump continues to muse about seeking a third term in office. 鈥淭hey do say there鈥檚 a way you can do it, but I don鈥檛 know about that, but I have not looked into it,鈥 Trump told reporters about seeking a third term in the Oval Office.
He said of facing off against former President Barack Obama: 鈥淭hat would be a good one.鈥
Trump gets boost from Kid Rock for executive order on ticket sales
Trump introduced Kid Rock as his friend, and said he鈥檚 sometimes known as 鈥淏ob.鈥
Trump said he didn鈥檛 know too much about the issue, 鈥渂ut I checked it out and it is a big problem,鈥 he told reporters in the Oval Office.
The president signed an executive order Monday that he says will help curb ticket scalping and bring 鈥渃ommon-sense鈥 changes to the pricing for live entertainment events.
Kid Rock, whose real name is Bob Ritchie, wore a bedazzled red suit with American flag and eagle motifs. He said artists never see any of that money and that the issue isn鈥檛 political.
Treasury Secretary meets with GOP senators at the Capitol on Trump tax cuts
Secretary Scott Bessent and the White House鈥檚 chair of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett arrived on Capitol Hill for an evening huddle as Republicans try to resolve differences on what the president has called a 鈥渂ig, beautiful bill.鈥
GOP leaders are pushing this week to launch initial voting on a framework of some $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. But they are at odds over various provisions, including how much to offset the costs with spending cuts.
Hegseth orders fitness standards to be gender neutral for combat jobs. Many already are
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the military to make fitness standards for all combat jobs gender neutral, formalizing for many of those jobs already.
In a new memo, Hegseth told leaders of the military branches to distinguish which jobs are considered combat arms 鈥 such as special operations or infantry that require 鈥渉eightened entry level and sustained physical fitness鈥 鈥 and which are not.
The new order reflects Hegseth鈥檚 public complaints about fitness standards well before he took on the Pentagon job. While working as a Fox News commentator, Hegseth spoke about his and his belief that standards were lowered to accommodate women.
The order, however, could require some complicated assessments as all the services try to determine which jobs are classified as combat. Should all intelligence officers who often serve on the front lines count? Or should all sailors on a warship that鈥檚 under fire be considered combat arms? The services have 60 days to come up with answers.
Nonprofit watchdogs sue Trump administration over election executive order
The Campaign Legal Center and the State Democracy Defenders Fund are suing the Trump administration over his sweeping executive order to overhaul the nation鈥檚 elections, including through a proof-of-citizenship requirement and new mail ballot deadline restrictions.
The lawsuit argues Trump鈥檚 order is unconstitutional and asks a court to block its implementation.
The lawsuit names three nonprofit plaintiffs it alleges are harmed by Trump鈥檚 demands: the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Secure Families Initiative and the Arizona Students鈥 Association.
This marks the first major legal challenge to last week鈥檚 executive order, which election lawyers have warned may violate the Constitution and assert power the president doesn鈥檛 have over an independent agency.
Trump and his supporters have maintained the order is necessary to secure U.S. elections.
Trump task force to review Harvard鈥檚 funding after Columbia bows to federal demands
Harvard University has become the latest target in the Trump administration鈥檚 approach to , with the announcement of a new 鈥渃omprehensive review鈥 that could jeopardize billions of dollars for the Ivy League college.
A federal antisemitism task force is reviewing more than $255 million in contracts between Harvard and the federal government to make sure the school is following civil rights laws, the administration announced Monday. The government also will examine $8.7 billion in grant commitments.
The same task force and threatened to slash billions more if it refused a list of demands from Trump鈥檚 administration. Columbia agreed to many of the changes this month.
鈻 Read more about
EPA administrator closes agency museum
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin says he is closing a one-room museum at the agency鈥檚 Washington headquarters, saving taxpayers about $600,000 a year.
Zeldin, who has vowed to slash agency spending, said in a video posted Monday that the museum cost $4 million to build and attracted fewer than 2,000 visitors since it opened last year.
The museum is 鈥測et another example of waste by the Biden administration,鈥 he said in the video, which was filmed in the museum. The project was overly focused on environmental justice and climate change, two Biden administration priorities, Zeldin said.
While admission is free, the museum鈥檚 operating costs 鈥 coupled with low attendance 鈥 means it costs taxpayers about $315 per visitor, he said.
鈥淭his shrine to EJ (environmental justice) and climate change will now be shut down for good,鈥 Zeldin said.
鈻 Read more about
White House abruptly fires 2 career Justice Department prosecutors in latest norm-shattering move
The move is a sign of Trump鈥檚 tightening grip over a law enforcement agency known for its
On Friday, an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles was fired without explanation in a terse email from the White House Presidential Personnel Office shortly after a right-wing activist posted about him on social media, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were concerned about potential retribution.
That followed the White House鈥檚 firing last week of a longtime prosecutor who had been serving as acting U.S. attorney in Memphis.
Justice Department political appointees typically turn over with a new administration, but rank-and-file career prosecutors remain with the department across presidential administrations and have civil service protections designed to shield them from being fired for political reasons. The breadth of terminations this year far outpaces the turnover typically seen inside the Justice Department.
鈻 Read more about
___
Associated Press reporter Alanna Durkin Richer contributed.
Trump to sign executive order targeting ticket reselling
The executive order he is set to sign Monday would direct federal authorities to prioritize cracking down on ticket scalpers and others who profit from reselling entertainment tickets to consumers at a markup.
The White House says Trump will call on the Federal Trade Commission to enforce an Obama-era law that outlawed the use of bots to purchase a large number of tickets for the purpose of resale. He鈥檚 also calling for price transparency in the ticketing industry, so consumers will know the true value of what they鈥檙e purchasing on the secondary market.
It鈥檚 one area where Trump and his predecessor, President Joe Biden, have agreed, as the Democrat sought to crack down on so-called 鈥渏unk fees鈥 across industries during his term in office.
Senate GOP Leader says Trump just having 鈥榮ome fun鈥 with idea of 3rd term
鈥淵ou guys keep asking the question,鈥 Majority Leader John Thune said. And Trump is just 鈥渉aving some fun with it,鈥 he said, 鈥減robably messing with you.鈥
All Institute of Museum and Library Services employees have been placed on administrative leave
The IMLS provides hundreds of millions of dollars each year in grants to libraries, museums and other cultural and educational institutions. According to a statement from the union representing the 77 IMLS employees, 鈥渁ll work processing 2025 applications has ended鈥 and the status of previous grants is unclear.
The institute was among several agencies targeted earlier this month in Trump鈥檚 executive order that called for cutting federal organizations the president has 鈥渄etermined are unnecessary.鈥
On March 20, Trump replaced the institute鈥檚 acting director, Cyndee Landrum, with Keith Sonderling, who had recently been confirmed as deputy secretary of the Department of Labor. Sonderling said in a statement at the time that he was committed to 鈥渟teering this organization in lockstep with this Administration.鈥
The move to place IMLS employees on administrative leave was first reported by the independent journalist Marisa Kabas.
Rubio to attend NATO foreign ministers meeting in Belgium
Top agenda items for the meeting this week in Brussels include the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. efforts to end the conflict, European security and threats from China.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will leave Wednesday to attend the NATO meeting and hold separate bilateral talks with allied counterparts on Thursday and Friday, the State Department said Monday. Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the conversation would also include security priorities for the alliance and preparations for the upcoming NATO leaders summit to be held in the Netherlands this summer.
Trump has alarmed European allies by suggesting that NATO is obsolete and threatening not to defend them unless they meet minimum defense spending criteria.
Trump鈥檚 reciprocal tariffs will overturn decades of trade policy
President Trump is taking a blowtorch to the rules that have governed world trade for decades. The he鈥檚 expected to announce Wednesday are likely to create chaos for global businesses and conflict with America鈥檚 allies and adversaries alike.
Since the 1960s, tariffs 鈥 鈥 have emerged from negotiations between dozens of countries. Trump wants to seize the process.
鈥淥bviously, it disrupts the way that things have been done for a very long time,鈥欌 said Richard Mojica, a trade attorney at Miller & Chevalier. 鈥淭rump is throwing that out the window ... Clearly this is ripping up trade. There are going to have to be adjustments all over the place.鈥欌
Pointing to America鈥檚 massive and persistent trade deficits 鈥 not since 1975 has the U.S. sold the rest of the world more than it鈥檚 bought 鈥 Trump charges that the playing field is tilted against U.S. companies. A big reason for that, he and his advisers say, is because other countries usually tax American exports at a higher rate than America taxes theirs.
Trump has a fix: He鈥檚 raising U.S. tariffs to match what other countries charge.
鈻 Read more about
Fire at New Mexico Republican Party headquarters under investigation as arson
No suspect has been named in the Sunday morning blaze in Albuquerque that鈥檚 under investigation by local authorities, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Incendiary materials were found on the scene, according to an ATF spokesperson. Spray paint on the side of the building read 鈥淚CE=KKK,鈥 said Lt. Jason Fejer with Albuquerque Fire Rescue. Fejer said federal officials were taking over the arson investigation.
Republican leaders described the fire as a deliberate attack. The building had extensive smoke damage, which Republican party spokesperson Ash Soular said left the offices uninhabitable.
The weekend fire followed across the U.S. in recent weeks targeting dealerships for Tesla, the electric car company owned by , who鈥檚 leading Trump鈥檚 efforts to slash the federal workforce.
鈻 Read more about
And Trump pardons a man whose sentence already was commuted for convictions stemming from Jan. 6
Thomas Caldwell, a retired Navy intelligence officer, was tried alongside Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes but acquitted of seditious conspiracy 鈥 the most serious charge brought in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Caldwell鈥檚 pardon is dated March 20. Defense attorney David Fischer said he informed Caldwell of the pardon Monday after learning about it from news reports.
鈥淎nd he鈥檚 elated,鈥 Fischer added.
A jury convicted Caldwell of obstructing Congress on Jan. 6 and of obstructing justice for tampering with documents after the riot. One of those convictions was dismissed .
On Jan. 10, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta to time served with no supervised release. Prosecutors had recommended for Caldwell.
Ten days later, on his first day back in the White House, Trump issued a to all 1,500-plus people charged in the Capitol riot. Trump commuted the sentences of several defendants who were leaders and members of the Oath Keepers or Proud Boys extremist groups.
Trump commutes the prison sentence of a man who says he was a business partner of Hunter Biden
Jason Galanis, who was serving a lengthy prison sentence for various fraud schemes, is the second Hunter Biden associate to get clemency from Trump. Last week, he pardoned Devon Archer, a onetime business partner of the son of former President Joe Biden.
Galanis testified via video last year in the House impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. Galanis told lawmakers he expected to make 鈥渂illions鈥 with Hunter Biden and other associates, using the Biden family name in their foreign business dealings.
Galanis described a particular time in May 2014 when Hunter Biden put his father on speakerphone for a brief chat with potential foreign business partners 鈥 a Russian oligarch and her husband 鈥 during a party at a New York restaurant.
But Hunter Biden directly rebuffed involvement with Galanis in his own deposition, testifying he met Galanis for about 30 minutes 10 years ago.
In earlier testimony, Galanis acknowledged he unsuccessfully sought a pardon in the final days of Trump鈥檚 first term.
US sanctions six Beijing and Hong Kong officials over role in implementing security law
Those six sanctioned by the State Department on Monday include Hong Kong鈥檚 secretary of justice and its police commissioner.
The sanctions are over their role in the extraterritorial enforcement of a security law that鈥檚 targeted nearly 20 pro-democracy activists, including one U.S. citizen and four other U.S. residents. The U.S. government said the six sanctioned officials 鈥渉ave engaged in actions or policies that threaten to further erode the autonomy of Hong Kong in contravention of China鈥檚 commitments, and in connection with acts of transnational repression.鈥
Also sanctioned were two assistant police commissioners, the Beijing official heading the Hong Kong office on safeguarding national security, and a top Hong Kong official serving on the committee of safeguarding national security. The sanctioned officials will see their property and interests in the U.S. blocked from transactions.
The Hong Kong police in 2023 issued arrest warrants for five overseas-based activists and offered rewards of 1 million Hong Kong dollars ($128,000) for information leading to each of their arrests.
Newark, New Jersey, mayor files complaint over a new immigration detention center
The mayor of New Jersey鈥檚 largest city filed the complaint in state court Monday saying the Trump administration and the private company GEO Group moved ahead with opening a new 1,000-bed immigration detention center without getting the proper permits.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement that the administration and the company failed to get construction and other permits in violation of city ordinances and state law. Immigration and Customs Enforcement the opening of a detention center in Newark, saying it would be the first to open under the president鈥檚 second administration.
Baraka is one of six Democrats running for governor in New Jersey this year. Messages seeking comment were left with ICE and GEO Group.
Trump keeps talking about running for a third term. The US Constitution says that can鈥檛 happen
President Trump has just started his second term, his last one permitted under the U.S. Constitution. But he鈥檚 already started .
鈥淭here are methods which you can do it,鈥 Trump insisted to NBC News in a telephone interview Sunday.
That follows months of Trump making quips about a third term, despite the clear constitutional prohibition on it. 鈥淎m I allowed to run again?鈥 during a House Republican retreat in Florida in January. Just a week after he won election last fall, in a meeting with House Republicans that he might want to stick around after his second term was over.
Trump鈥檚 musings often spark alarm among his critics even when they鈥檙e legally impossible, given that he to overturn his and has since supporters who the U.S. Capitol on .
But Trump, who when his term ends, has also repeatedly said this will be his last term. Trying for another also would flatly violate the Constitution.
鈻 Read more about
White House says it鈥檚 鈥榗ased closed鈥 on Signal chat amid calls for investigations
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said National Security Adviser Mike Waltz continues to have Trump鈥檚 confidence and that it was done discussing the embarrassing matter of senior officials communicating about plans for an airstrike against the Houthis in Yemen on a commercial messaging app.
鈥淭his case has been closed here at the White House as far as we are concerned,鈥 Leavitt said.
Waltz added a journalist to the sensitive group chat on the platform Signal, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth divulged operational details on the strike and Vice President JD Vance discussed his reservations about the operation.
Leavitt said 鈥渢here have been steps made to ensure that something like that can, obviously, not happen again,鈥 but did not provide any clarity on what those steps were. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have called for an investigation into the sensitive conversation playing out on Signal.
Trump will unveil plans to place reciprocal tariffs on nearly all US trading partners Wednesday
He鈥檒l be joined in the Rose Garden by his Cabinet, press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Monday.
Leavitt said Trump believes 鈥渋t鈥檚 time for reciprocity鈥 but said the details of the announcement 鈥 which have roiled the financial markets 鈥 are up to Trump to announce. She said Trump had been presented with several proposals by his advisers but the president would make a final decision and, right now, Trump wasn鈥檛 contemplating any country-wide exemptions from the tariffs.
Trump administration says it鈥檚 deported 17 more 鈥榗riminals鈥 from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs
The State Department said in a statement Monday that they were removed Sunday night and that the group included murderers and rapists.
The statement didn鈥檛 give nationalities, but the office of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said Salvadorans and Venezuelans were among the prisoners.
The men were transported to El Salvador鈥檚 , where they changed into the standard white T-shirts and shorts and had their heads shaved. Hundreds of migrants facing deportation were sent there earlier this month.
Some schools won鈥檛 get the last of their federal COVID relief
The Trump administration is pulling back a final round of from schools across the country, saying the money wasn鈥檛 being spent on academic recovery.
States were notified Friday that the Education Department will not disburse the remainder of the federal aid passed by Congress, although the vast majority has already been sent to schools.
The department didn鈥檛 say how much money is left of the total $189 billion approved by Congress, though officials said it鈥檚 in the billions. As of Feb. 19, the department said there was $4.4 billion left, or about 2%.
A senior department official said the money was being misused on costs including astroturf fields and 鈥渟ets of bouncy glow balls.鈥 The agency said it will consider requests for individual projects related to .
Schools were supposed to spend the last of the relief by January, but the Biden administration allowed schools to request extensions.
The Council of Chief State School Officers urged the department to rethink the decision, saying schools have already spent the money for pandemic recovery efforts and were promised reimbursement.
A DOGE employee is put in charge of the US Institute of Peace, a federal court filing alleges
The U.S. Institute of Peace is a congressionally created and funded think tank .
Two board members of the institute have authorized replacing its temporary president with Nate Cavanaugh, the filing says. They ordered him, it says, to transfer the institute鈥檚 property to the General Services Administration, the federal government鈥檚 real estate manager, which is terminating hundreds of leases at the behest of Elon Musk鈥檚 Department of Government Efficiency.
The court filing asks U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington to stop the action or schedule a status conference to address the issues as soon as 鈥減racticable.鈥
The White House didn鈥檛 immediately respond to a request for comment.
The action follows a Friday night of nearly all of the institute鈥檚 300 employees.
鈻 Read more about
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates make final push amid high spending and voting
preferred candidate for and his Democratic-backed challenger made a final blitz across the state Monday, the day before voting concludes in a race where early turnout has surged and spending is nearing $100 million.
Billionaire , a top Trump adviser, in Green Bay on Sunday night , a Waukesha County judge and former Republican attorney general. He faces Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge and former attorney who fought for abortion rights and to protect union power.
Liberals currently hold a 4-3 advantage on the court, but the retirement of a liberal justice this year put the ideological balance in play. The court in battleground Wisconsin is expected to rule on , , and voting regulations in the coming years.
鈻 Read more about
Comic Amber Ruffin cut from White House correspondents鈥 event after angering Trump team
The White House Correspondents Association says it canceled her from performing at its annual dinner because it wants to refocus the event on journalistic excellence.
The association鈥檚 announcement over the weekend made no mention of Ruffin鈥檚 appearance on a podcast by the Daily Beast last week in which she referred to the Trump administration as 鈥渒ind of a bunch of murderers.鈥
Ruffin, a writer for NBC鈥檚 Seth Meyers and formerly a host of a Peacock talk show, also said she wouldn鈥檛 try to make sure her jokes would target politicians of different stripes, as she was told by the correspondents鈥 association.
Her comments drew angry responses from the Trump administration. The president isn鈥檛 expected to attend the April event, which in past years has featured comics such as Stephen Colbert and Colin Jost. The last time a comedian did not perform at the dinner was in 2019, when historian Ron Chernow spoke.
鈻 Read more about
From a lavish prison, Tren de Aragua ran a transnational gang. Now, it鈥檚 a favorite Trump target
Tocor贸n once had it all. A nightclub, swimming pools, tigers, a lavish suite and plenty of food. This wasn鈥檛 a Las Vegas-style resort, but it felt like it for some of the thousands who until recently lived in luxury in this sprawling prison in northern Venezuela.
Here, between parties, concerts and weeks-long visits from wives and children, is the birthplace of the Tren de Aragua, a dangerous gang that has gained global notoriety after Trump put it at the center of his anti-immigrant narrative.
But kidnappings, extorsion and other crimes were planned, ordered or committed from this prison long before Trump鈥檚 rhetoric.
The tiny, impoverished town where the Aragua Penitentiary Center is used to bustle with residents selling food, renting phone chargers and storing bags for prison visitors. Now, the prison is back under government control, and streets in the town, also called Tocor贸n, are mostly deserted.
鈻 Read more about
Justice Department instructed to dismiss legal challenge to Georgia election law
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday instructed the Justice Department to dismiss the . Georgia Republican lawmakers passed the sweeping in the wake of Trump鈥檚 2020 election loss in the state.
The lawsuit, filed in June 2021 under former President Joe Biden, alleged the Georgia law was intended to deny Black voters equal access to the ballot. Bondi said the Biden administration was pushing 鈥渇alse claims of suppression.鈥
鈥淕eorgians deserve secure elections, not fabricated claims of false voter suppression meant to divide us,鈥 she said.
The law was part of a trend of Republican-backed measures that tightened rules around voting, passed in the months after Trump to Biden, that voter fraud cost him victory.
鈻 Read more about
More than 1,900 US scientists sign open letter warning how Trump administration is damaging research
The letter 鈥 released Monday 鈥 was penned by a group from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which was created in 1863 to provide expert guidance to the government.
Up to 19 Nobel laureates signed Monday鈥檚 , which described how the administration is slashing funding for scientific agencies, terminating grants to scientists, defunding their laboratories and hampering international scientific collaboration. Those moves will increasingly put the United States at a disadvantage against other countries, the letter predicted.
The signees said they鈥檙e speaking up for colleagues who 鈥渉ave kept silent to avoid antagonizing the administration and jeopardizing their funding.鈥
Under the Trump administration, this year鈥檚 Transgender Day of Visibility has a different tenor
, Trump used contentiousness around transgender people鈥檚 access to sports and bathrooms to fire up conservative voters and sway undecideds. And in his first months back in office, Trump has pushed the issue further, of transgender people on government and and trying to .
For transgender people 鈥 along with several against Trump in response to legal challenges 鈥 it鈥檚 a matter of civil rights for a small group. But many Americans believe those rights had grown too expansive.
Trump鈥檚 spotlight is giving Monday鈥檚 Transgender Day of Visibility a different tenor this year.
鈥淲hat he wants is to scare us into being invisible again,鈥 said Rachel Crandall Crocker, the executive director of Transgender Michigan who organized the first Day of Visibility 16 years ago. 鈥淲e have to show him we won鈥檛 go back.鈥
鈻 Read more about
Stock markets around the world tumble as Trump鈥檚 鈥楲iberation Day鈥 approaches
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 was down 1.3% following of the past couple of years Friday. It鈥檚 on track to finish the first three months of the year with a loss of 6.4%, which would make this its worst quarter in .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 295 points, or 0.7%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 2.3% lower.
The U.S. stock market鈥檚 drops followed a sell-off that spanned the world earlier Monday as worries build that coming Wednesday from Trump will worsen and grind down for economies. Trump has said he鈥檚 plowing ahead in part because he wants more manufacturing jobs back in the United States.
In Japan, the Nikkei 225 index dropped 4%. South Korea鈥檚 Kospi sank 3%, and France鈥檚 CAC 40 fell 1.5%.
鈻 Read more about
Trump tariff tumult has ripples for sporting goods, puts costly hockey gear in price-hike crosshair
Calls from the U.S. to Roustan Hockey headquarters in Canada in recent weeks have been anything but routine, as bulk orders of name-brand sticks have suddenly become complicated conversations.
鈥淭hese customers want to know: When their orders ship, will they have to pay an additional 25% tariff? And we respond by saying, 鈥橶ell, right now we don鈥檛 know, so they postpone their order or cancel their order because they want to know before they order what the cost is going to be,鈥 said Graeme Roustan, who owns the company that makes and sells more than 100,000 hockey sticks annually to the U.S. market.
The prospect of 25% by Trump on Canadian imports, currently paused for some goods but facing full implementation Wednesday, has caused headaches if not havoc throughout the commercial ecosystem. The sports equipment industry is certainly no exception, with so many of the products manufactured for -loving Americans outside the U.S.
鈻 Read more about
US immigration officials look to expand social media data collection
U.S. immigration officials are asking the public and federal agencies to comment on a proposal to collect social media handles from people applying for benefits such as green cards or citizenship, to comply with an executive order from Trump.
The March 5 notice raised alarms from immigration and free speech advocates because it appears to expand the government鈥檚 reach in social media surveillance to people already vetted and in the U.S. legally, such as asylum seekers, green card and citizenship applicants 鈥 and not just those applying to enter the country. That said, social media monitoring by immigration officials has been a practice for over a decade, since at least the second Obama administration and ramping up under Trump鈥檚 first term.
鈻 Read
Elon Musk hands out $1 million payments after Wisconsin Supreme Court declines request to stop him
gave out $1 million checks on Sunday to two Wisconsin voters, declaring them spokespeople for his political group, ahead of a Wisconsin Supreme Court election that the tech billionaire cast as critical to President agenda and 鈥渢he future of civilization.鈥
Musk and groups he supports have spent more than $20 million to help conservative favorite Brad Schimel in Tuesday鈥檚 race, which will determine the ideological makeup of a court likely to decide key issues in a perennial battleground state.
A unanimous state Supreme Court on Sunday refused to hear a last-minute attempt by the state鈥檚 Democratic attorney general to stop Musk to two voters, a ruling that came just minutes before the planned start of the rally.
Two lower courts had already by Democrat Josh Kaul, who argues that Musk鈥檚 offer violates a state law.
鈻 Read more
Democratic election officials raise concerns about proof of citizenship proposal
The group of Democrats, most of whom serve as their state鈥檚 top election official, is telling Congress the legislative proposal to add a proof of citizenship requirement when registering to vote could disenfranchise voters and upend election administration.
On Monday, the House Rules Committee is expected to consider the , known as the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. The letter signed by 15 secretaries of state was sent Friday.
Voting by noncitizens is , but Republicans say any instances undermine public confidence. Last week, President Trump , among other things, an update to the federal voter registration form to require proof of citizenship. are expected.
In the letter, Democrats say it鈥檚 the 鈥渏ob of election officials to verify the eligibility of citizens to cast a ballot, not the job of citizens to convince the government that they are eligible to exercise their right to vote.鈥
Trump鈥檚 promised 鈥楲iberation Day鈥 of tariffs is coming. Here鈥檚 what it could mean for you
Trump says Wednesday will be 鈥 a moment when he plans to roll out a that he promises will free the United States from foreign goods.
The details of Trump鈥檚 next round of import taxes are still sketchy. Most economic analyses say average U.S. families would have to absorb the cost of his tariffs in the form of higher prices and lower incomes. But an undeterred Trump is inviting CEOs to the White House to say they are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in new projects to avoid the import taxes.
It is also possible that the tariffs are short-lived if Trump feels he can cut a deal after imposing them.
鈥淚鈥檓 certainly open to it, if we can do something,鈥 Trump told reporters. 鈥淲e鈥檒l get something for it.鈥
At stake are family budgets, America鈥檚 prominence as the world鈥檚 leading financial power and the structure of the global economy.
鈻 Read more
Trump鈥檚 schedule for Monday
Trump will sign executive orders twice today, first at 1 p.m. ET and again at 5:30 p.m. ET, according to the White House.
Trump is stronger on immigration and weaker on trade, an AP-NORC poll finds
Immigration remains a strength for Trump, but his handling of tariffs is getting more negative feedback, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
About half of U.S. adults approve of Trump鈥檚 approach to immigration, the survey shows, but only about 4 in 10 have a positive view of the way he鈥檚 handling the economy and trade negotiations.
The poll indicates that many Americans are still on board with Trump鈥檚 efforts to ramp up deportations and restrict immigration. But it also suggests that his threats to impose tariffs might be erasing his advantage on another issue that he made central to his winning 2024 campaign.
Views of Trump鈥檚 job performance overall are more negative than positive, the survey found. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, and more than half disapprove.
鈻 Read more
Trump says he鈥檚 considering ways to serve a third term as president
Trump said Sunday that 鈥淚鈥檓 not joking鈥 about trying to serve a third term, the clearest indication he is considering ways to breach a constitutional barrier against continuing to lead the country after his second term ends at the beginning of 2029.
鈥淭here are methods which you could do it,鈥 Trump said in a telephone interview with NBC News from Mar-a-Lago, his private club.
He elaborated later to reporters on Air Force One from Florida to Washington that 鈥淚 have had more people ask me to have a third term, which in a way is a fourth term because the other election, the 2020 election was totally rigged.鈥 Trump lost that election to Democrat Joe Biden.
Still, Trump added: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to talk about a third term now because no matter how you look at it, we鈥檝e got a long time to go.鈥
鈻 Read more
The Associated Press
