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AP News Digest 7 a.m.

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AP News Digest 7 a.m.
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AP News Digest 7 a.m.

2024-08-14 19:01 Last Updated At:19:10

Here are the AP’s latest coverage plans, top stories and promotable content. All times EDT. For up-to-the-minute information on AP’s coverage, visit Coverage Plan in AP Newsroom.

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A Palestinian man mourns his 4-day-old twin relatives, killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as he holds their birth certificates, at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian man mourns his 4-day-old twin relatives, killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as he holds their birth certificates, at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

President Joe Biden talks with reporters Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, as Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Andreé Carter listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden talks with reporters Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, as Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Andreé Carter listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A charred vehicle and homes lie in ruins after a wildfire swept through the suburb of Nea Penteli in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A charred vehicle and homes lie in ruins after a wildfire swept through the suburb of Nea Penteli in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

Fireworks light the sky close to the Minar-e-Pakistan or Pakistan monument during the Pakistan Independence Day celebrations, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Fireworks light the sky close to the Minar-e-Pakistan or Pakistan monument during the Pakistan Independence Day celebrations, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

People carry a giant Indian flag during a march ahead of Independence Day in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

People carry a giant Indian flag during a march ahead of Independence Day in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Students shout slogans during a protest demanding the trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Students shout slogans during a protest demanding the trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks after winning the primary at Nighthawks in Minneapolis, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks after winning the primary at Nighthawks in Minneapolis, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

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AP POLL-ELECTION 2024 — A new poll survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds Kamala Harris is going into the last stretch of the presidential campaign as the candidate who is more likely to be perceived as honest, committed to democracy and disciplined. Meanwhile, Americans are evenly split on whether Harris or Donald Trump has the right vision for the country. By Linley Sanders and Jonathan J. Cooper. SENT: 930 words, photo.

ELECTION 2024-HARRIS-MIGRATION — Vice President Kamala Harris was assigned to tackle the “root causes” of migration from three Central American nations that were responsible for a large chunk of border-crossers. She took a long-term approach, helping convince corporations to invest in the region. That, she argued, would give locals more reason to stay home. By Dan Merica, Nicholas Riccardi and Chris Megerian. SENT: 1,740 words, photos. With ELECTION 2024-HARRIS-MIGRATION-TAKEAWAYS — Harris’ approach to migration was more nuanced than critics or allies portray it — SENT.

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TOP STORIES

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ISRAEL-HAMAS-NEGOTIATIONS-EXPLAINER — International mediators are hoping to kickstart stalled cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas with a new round of talks meant to finally clinch a deal between the sides. But the chances of a breakthrough appear slim. By Tia Goldenberg and Samy Magdy. SENT: 950 words, photos. With UNITED STATES-ISRAEL-MILITARY AID — US approves $20 billion in weapons sales to Israel amid threat of wider Middle East war; and MIDEAST-TENSIONS-THE-LATEST — Israeli strikes kill at least 17 in Gaza overnight, Palestinians say — SENT.

ELECTION 2024-TRUMP — Donald Trump has another opportunity to recalibrate his presidential comeback bid, with a rally and speech in North Carolina that his campaign is billing as a significant economic address. By Bill Barrow. SENT: 830 words, photos. Rally at 4 p.m.

TROPICAL WEATHER — Tropical Storm Ernesto dropped torrential rain on eastern Puerto Rico and left hundreds of thousands of people without power in the U.S. territory as it threatened to strengthen into a major hurricane en route to Bermuda. A hurricane watch remained in effect for the British Virgin Islands as Ernesto began moving over open waters. By Dánica Coto. SENT: 440 words, photos.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE-WAR — Russia’s Belgorod border region has declared an emergency under heavy shelling by Ukrainian forces that are pressing a major cross-border incursion into the adjacent Kursk region for a second week. Belgorod’s governor described the situation there as “extremely difficult and tense” as the attacks destroyed homes and caused civilian casualties, unnerving local people. By Illia Novikov and Emma Burrows. SENT: 700 words, photos.

AFGHANISTAN-TALIBAN — The Taliban celebrated the third anniversary of their return to power at a former U.S. air base in Afghanistan, but there was no mention of the country’s hardships or promises of hope for the struggling population. Under blue skies and blazing sunshine at Bagram, once the epicentre of America’s war to unseat the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks, members of the Taliban cabinet lauded achievements like strengthening Islamic law and establishing a military system that provides “peace and security.” By Riazat Butt. SENT: 360 words, photos. With AFGHANISTAN-TALIBAN-3-YEARS-5-THINGS-TO-KNOW and AFGHANISTAN-TALIBAN-3-YEARS-TIMELINE — SENT.

CONSUMER-PRICES — If the Federal Reserve needs any further evidence that the worst price spike in four decades is steadily easing, it’s likely to come Wednesday, when the government is expected to report that inflation cooled further last month. Consumer prices are thought to have risen just 0.2% from June to July, according to economists surveyed by FactSet, a pace only slightly above the Fed’s 2% annual inflation target. By Christopher Rugaber. SENT: 790 words, photos.

FRANCE-KHELIF-HARASSMENT-PROBE — French prosecutors say they are investigating a complaint made by Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif for online harassment. The Algerian boxer faced a rain of criticism and false claims about her sex during the Paris Olympics. A statement from the Paris prosecutor’s office said its unit for combating online hate speech has opened a probe. SENT: 310 words, photo.

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SPOTLIGHTING VOICES

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RUSSIA-FREED-DISSIDENTS-PIVOVAROV — Of all the Russian dissidents freed in the historic East-West prison swap on Aug. 1, Andrei Pivovarov spent the most time behind bars – three years. Much of that sentence was served in isolation and under constant surveillance in one of Russia’s harshest penal colonies. In an interview with The Associated Press, the 42-year-old opposition politician says the new reality of life in Germany overwhelmed him at first, but that it's getting easier and “colors get brighter by the day.” By Dasha Litvinova. SENT: 1,200 words, photos.

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ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

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ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-SOLE-SURVIVORS — A 3-month-old infant was the only member of her family to survive an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip. A few miles to the north, a man lost his wife and their twin newborns in another strike. More than 10 months into its war with Hamas, Israel’s relentless bombardment of the isolated territory has wiped out extended Palestinian families. SENT: 710 words, photos, videos, audio.

CALIFORNIA-UCLA-CAMPUS-PROTESTS — A federal judge ruled that the University of California, Los Angeles, cannot allow pro-Palestinian protesters to block Jewish students from accessing classes and other parts of campus. SENT: 430 words, photos.

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MORE NEWS

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JAPAN-MEGAQUAKE-EXPLAINER — Japanese are worried and confused after first-ever megaquake advisory. What does it mean? SENT: 930 words, photos.

NEW-ZEALAND-METH-CANDY — New Zealand food bank distributes candy made from a potentially lethal amount of methamphetamine. SENT: 480 words, photo.

FOOTBALL-PLAYER-SENTENCED-LAS-VEGAS — Ex-NFL player gets prison time in death of 5-year-old girl in Las Vegas. SENT: 230 words, photo.

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WASHINGTON/POLITICS

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ELECTION-2024-MINNESOTA — Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the progressive House members known as the “Squad” and a sharp critic of how Israel has conducted the war in Gaza, has won her primary race in Minnesota. SENT: 1,090 words, photos, audio. With ELECTION 2024-EXPLAINER-MINNESOTA — SENT. See more on Election 2024 here.

RADIATION-COMPENSATION — A top Democrat in the U.S. House says it will take a shift of power in Congress to ensure that legislation is finally passed to extend and expand a compensation program for people exposed to radiation following uranium mining and nuclear testing carried out by the federal government. SENT: 600 words, photos.

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NATIONAL

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ABORTION-BALLOT-MEASURES-EXPLAINER — Voters in at least seven states will decide referendums on abortion rights this year, with potentially more to come. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada and South Dakota will hold referendums on enshrining protection for abortion rights. SENT: 1,080 words, photos.

WYOMING-REPORTER-AI — A reporter at a small Wyoming newspaper has resigned after a competitor discovered he was using artificial intelligence to write stories and fabricate quotes, including some by the governor. SENT: 1,160 words, photo.

JOURNALIST-KILLED-LAS-VEGAS — Jurors are set to hear opening statements in the trial of a Las Vegas-area politician accused of killing an investigative reporter who wrote articles critical of him. SENT: 430 words, photos, audio.

CUSTOMS-PREGNANCY-DISCRIMINATION — The agency responsible for securing the country’s land and air border crossings is settling a case that alleged the agency discriminated against pregnant employees, lawyers for the employees said. SENT: 490 words.

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INTERNATIONAL

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BANGLADESH-STUDENTS-IN-GOVERNMENT — Within a week of unseating Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister, the students who drove out former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina were directing Dhaka’s traffic. Two students who led the charge are also settling into the interim government, ushered in just a few days after Hasina resigned and fled to India. The question now is what comes next in a country still reeling from the violence surrounding her removal that left hundreds dead. SENT: 1,040 words, photos.

THAILAND-POLITICS — A court in Thailand removed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office over an ethical violation, further shaking up Thai politics after the court-ordered dissolution of the main opposition party a week ago. SENT: 460 words, photos.

JAPAN-KISHIDA — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in a surprise move, announced he will not run in the upcoming party leadership vote in September, paving the way for Japan to have a new prime minister. SENT: 500 words, photos. With JAPAN-KISHIDA-EXPLAINER — UPCOMING.

GREECE-WILDFIRE — Firefighters in Greece battled scattered fires in hopes of containing the remains of a major wildfire that burned into the northern suburbs of Athens, triggering multiple evacuations and leaving at least one person dead. SENT: 790 words, photos, videos, audio.

GERMANY-PIPELINE-ATTACK — German prosecutors have issued a first arrest warrant in their investigation into the undersea explosions in 2022 that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany, according to a media report. German authorities refused to comment. SENT: 350 words, photo.

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HEALTH & SCIENCE

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MPOX-EXPLAINER — The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared this week that the increasing spread of mpox across the continent is a health emergency, warning the virus might ultimately spill across international borders. The World Health Organization is convening its own expert meeting to consider making a similar emergency declaration over mpox. SENT: 860 words, photo.

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HOW TO REACH US

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At the Nerve Center, Richard A. Somma can be reached at 800-845-8450, ext. 1600. For photos, ext. 1900. For graphics and interactives, ext. 7636. Expanded AP content can be obtained from AP Newsroom. For access to AP Newsroom and other technical issues, contact apcustomersupport@ap.org or call 844-777-2006.

A Palestinian man mourns his 4-day-old twin relatives, killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as he holds their birth certificates, at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A Palestinian man mourns his 4-day-old twin relatives, killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, as he holds their birth certificates, at a hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

President Joe Biden talks with reporters Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, as Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Andreé Carter listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Joe Biden talks with reporters Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024, at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, as Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Andreé Carter listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

A charred vehicle and homes lie in ruins after a wildfire swept through the suburb of Nea Penteli in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A charred vehicle and homes lie in ruins after a wildfire swept through the suburb of Nea Penteli in Athens, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

Fireworks light the sky close to the Minar-e-Pakistan or Pakistan monument during the Pakistan Independence Day celebrations, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Fireworks light the sky close to the Minar-e-Pakistan or Pakistan monument during the Pakistan Independence Day celebrations, in Lahore, Pakistan, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

People carry a giant Indian flag during a march ahead of Independence Day in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

People carry a giant Indian flag during a march ahead of Independence Day in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Students shout slogans during a protest demanding the trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Students shout slogans during a protest demanding the trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks after winning the primary at Nighthawks in Minneapolis, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks after winning the primary at Nighthawks in Minneapolis, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Next Article

The Latest: Trump administration cancels refugee resettlement, stranding thousands

2025-01-23 02:41 Last Updated At:02:50

Donald Trump is remaking the traditional boundaries of Washington, unleashing unprecedented executive orders and daring anyone to stop him.

Here's the latest:

Abortion was largely absent from the stack of dozens of executive actions in Trump’s first days of office. This includes common abortion policy moves Republican presidents often make after taking office such as reinstating the global gag rule, which limits funding for family planning services, said Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law.

But there still may be more to come in terms of actions on abortion, Ziegler said. And there have already been quieter moves, including slipping the phrase “at conception” into an executive order rolling back protections for transgender people. This language is reminiscent of “fetal personhood” laws passed in some conservative states that declare a fetus should have the same rights as a person.

While including the phrase won’t directly affect abortion rights, it may have an effect down the line in legal cases related to fetal personhood by “creating a precedent for anti-abortion groups to say, ‘Look how many places in the law already recognizes life as beginning at conception,’” Ziegler said.

The phrase may be the Trump administration’s attempt at “throwing a bone to abortion opponents” without directly affecting abortion policy — or it could prelude more consequential decisions to come, Ziegler said.

President Donald Trump’s threat to impose stiff taxes, tariffs and sanctions on Russia if an agreement isn’t reached to end the war in Ukraine is likely fall on deaf ears in the Kremlin as virtually all Russian products are already prohibited from import into the United States and the country has faced many U.S. and European sanctions since the invasion began nearly three years ago.

In a post to his Truth Social site Wednesday, Trump urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “settle now and stop this ridiculous war.”

He said he had no desire to hurt Russia and has a good relationship with Putin, but warned of penalties if the war isn’t stopped soon.

“If we don’t make a ‘deal,’ and soon, I have no other choice but to put high levels of Taxes, Tariffs, and Sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States, and various other participating countries.”

The problem with the threat is that other than a small amount of fertilizer, animal feed and machinery, Russia currently exports almost no goods to the U.S. And, Russia is one of the world’s most heavily sanctioned nations. Many of those sanctions relate to Russia’s Feb. 2022 invasion of Ukraine and were imposed by the Biden administration, but others predate Biden and some were imposed during Trump’s first term in office.

Kobie Flowers is a Washington, D.C., defense lawyer and co-chair of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Anti-Racism Task Force.

Flowers said diversity among lawyers is necessary in the criminal justice system. In an email, Flowers said anti-discrimination laws provide safeguards but “equal justice for all demands more than simply the absence of overt bias. DEI in the criminal defense bar isn’t just about compliance; it’s about cultivating a culture where every voice, regardless of background, is heard, valued, and empowered.”

Flowers said diversity fosters a deeper understanding of clients and helps in building a stronger criminal justice system. “DEI and similar programs are created to end discrimination. Ending discrimination is always the right thing to do in the criminal legal system, specifically, and our country, generally.”

The former president revealed his wish in a traditional note to his successor.

Fox News was first to report on the contents of the hand-written note. It says:

“Dear President Trump,

“As I take leave of this sacred office, I wish you and your family all the best in the next four years. The American people — and people around the world — look to this house for steadiness in the inevitable storms of history, and my prayer is that in the coming years will be a time of prosperity, peace, and grace for our nation. May God bless you and guide you as He has blessed and guided our beloved country since our founding.”

Fox News says it was signed, “Joe Biden 1/20/2025.”

Philadelphia City Council members heard testimony on Wednesday about how the city and the school district are preparing to protect immigrants from efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to detain or deport them.

One council member suggested the hearing was necessary in part because of the “lack of information” coming from Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker.

Renee Garcia, Parker’s solicitor, told City Council the administration will continue a policy of not recognizing a detainer request from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents when the city is releasing someone from a city jail. The city will only recognize a warrant signed by a judge, Garcia told council members.

Jayme Banks, the chief of student support services for the Philadelphia school district, said a request by immigration agents to enter a school will be sent to the district’s office of general counsel to ensure it’s legal. The district is training principals and staff on how to respond to immigration enforcement actions in school buildings and how to protect the well-being of students who are affected, Banks said.

Philadelphia is one of the nation’s largest school districts and reports one-fifth of its students are English-language learners, with 168 languages spoken by students or families.

The Pentagon will begin deploying as many as 1,500 active duty troops to help secure the southern border in the coming days, U.S. officials said Wednesday, putting in motion plans President Donald Trump laid out in executive orders shortly after he took office to crack down on immigration.

Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses was expected to sign the deployment orders Wednesday, but it wasn’t yet clear which troops or units will go, and the total could fluctuate. It remains to be seen if they will end up doing law enforcement, which would put American troops in a dramatic new role, not done in recent history.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not yet been made. The forces are expected to be used to support border patrol agents, with logistics, transportation and construction of barriers.

— Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp

▶ Read more about troops and the US-Mexico border

The Trump administration has put a freeze on many federal health agency communications with the public through at least the end of the month.

In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Dorothy Fink told agency staff leaders Tuesday that an “immediate pause” had been ordered on — among other things — regulations, guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts and website posts until such communications had been approved by a political appointee.

The pause also applies to anything intended to be published in the Federal Register, where the executive branch communicates rules and regulations, and the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scientific publication.

▶ Read more about federal health agency communications

President Donald Trump ’s national security adviser is sidelining roughly 160 career government employees on temporary duty at the White House National Security Council, telling them to work from home for the time-being as the administration reviews staffing for the White House arm that provides national security and foreign policy advice to the president, Trump administration officials told The Associated Press.

The career employees, commonly referred to as detailees, were summoned Wednesday to an all-staff meeting in they which were to be told they’ll be expected to be available to the NSC’s senior directors but would not need to report to the White House, the officials said.

Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz had signaled before Inauguration Day that he would look to move holdover civil servants that served in the NSC during President Joe Biden’s administration back to their home agencies. The move is meant to ensure the council is staffed by those who support Trump’s agenda.

▶ Read more about the National Security Council

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke said President Donald Trump promised to try to lower costs and improve the economy for all communities.

“Instead of working to create economic opportunities that will allow Americans to get ahead, build generational wealth and achieve the American dream, President Trump on day one of his administration signed an executive order to systematically dismantle all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within the federal government,” she said in a statement.

Clarke added that MAGA Republicans had set their sights on “cutting off access to economic opportunity for Black and minority communities in the federal government, on college campuses and in corporate America” since the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision that said race could not be a factor in college admissions.

She called the executive order “nothing short of an attempt to take our country backward.”

Trump is heading back to Florida next week to speak at a private retreat for House Republicans.

Republicans are gathering for their annual conference retreat in Doral where Trump has a resort.

House Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump will come to speak to the lawmakers as they plan priorities on taxes, spending cuts and others.

Trump pardoned and commuted the sentences of some 1,500 people in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol siege.

“The president’s made his decision — I don’t second guess those,” Johnson said at a Wednesday news conference.

Rhode Island Democrat Sen. Jack Reed, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, said new allegations of drunkenness and potential violent behavior by Trump Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth toward his second wife Samantha Hegseth should be disqualifying. And he called into question the thoroughness of the FBI’s background check into Hegseth’s past.

The allegations — including one that Hegseth was drunk in public in uniform at a Minneapolis strip club during a former drill weekend — were part of a signed affidavit by Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, that detailed many encounters she said she had with the nominee that left her deeply concerned.

Those also included that Samantha Hegseth had a “safe word” she communicated in 2015 or 2016 to Danielle Hegseth that indicated she needed help to get away from her husband. Hegseth’s full Senate confirmation vote could come in a matter of days.

Hegseth, through his attorney, has denied the allegations.

Refugees who had been approved to travel to the United States before a Jan. 27 deadline suspending America’s refugee resettlement program have had their travel plans canceled by the Trump administration.

Thousands of refugees are now stranded at various locations around the globe.

The suspension was in an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Monday. It left open the possibility that people who had undergone the lengthy process to be approved as refugees and permitted to come to the U.S., and had flights booked before that deadline, might still be able to get in under the wire.

But in an email reviewed Wednesday by The Associated Press, the U.S. agency overseeing refugee processing and arrival told staff and stakeholders that “refugee arrival to the United States have been suspended until further notice.”

▶ Read more about the refugee resettlement program

Within hours of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the new administration took down the Spanish-language version of the official White House website.

The site — currently https://www.whitehouse.gov/es/ — now gives users an “Error 404” message. It also included a “Go Home” button that directed viewers to a page featuring a video montage of Trump in his first term and on the campaign trail. The button was later updated to read “Go To Home Page”.

Hispanic advocacy groups and others expressed confusion at the abrupt change and frustration at what some called the administration’s lack of efforts to maintain communication with the Latino community, which helped propel him to the presidency.

The Spanish profile of the White House’s X account, @LaCasaBlanca, and the government page on reproductive freedom also were disbanded.

▶ Read more about the White House Spanish-language page

That wobbly faith in the criminal justice system under Trump’s watch appears to mirror the American public’s perspective.

About half of Americans are “not very” or “not at all” confident that the Justice Department, the FBI or the Supreme Court will act in a fair and nonpartisan manner during Trump’s second term. In each instance, roughly 3 in 10 are “somewhat” confident and about 2 in 10 are “extremely” or “very” confident, according to an AP-NORC poll from January.

A day that began with the outgoing president’s pardon of lawmakers and his own family ended with the incoming president’s pardon of supporters who violently stormed the U.S. Capitol four years ago.

The clemency grants by Biden and Trump are vastly different in scope, impact and their meaning for the rule of law.

But the remarkable flex of executive authority in a 12-hour span also shows the men’s deeply rooted suspicion of one another, with both signaling to their supporters that the tall pillars of the criminal justice system — facts, evidence and law — could not be trusted as foundational principles in each other’s administrations.

Russell Vought, nominated to lead the Office of Management and Budget, is scheduled for a hearing before the Budget Committee at 10 a.m. ET.

Vought was OMB director during Trump’s first term. He already had a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that the Republican nominee tried to distance himself from during the campaign. The budget director oversees the building of the president’s budget and reviews proposed regulations.

“The Panama Canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong to Panama. The Panama Canal is not a concession or a gift from the United States,” José Raul Mulino said Wednesday while appearing on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “The Panama Canal came into being in 1914, following a bilateral treaty in 1903. At the dawn of our independence with Colombia.”

Trump falsely claimed during his inaugural address that China runs the canal, a critical trade route. He said the U.S. “gave it to Panama, and we’re taking it back.”

Mulino said Trump’s “misinformed” remarks don’t worry him because “that in strict law is an impossibility.”

“Panama is not distracted by this type of pronouncements,” he said.

The Justice Department is directing its federal prosecutors to investigate any state or local officials who stand in the way of beefed-up enforcement of immigration laws under the Trump administration, according to a memo to the entire workforce obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Written by Emil Bove, the acting deputy attorney general, the memo also says the department will return to the principle of charging defendants with the most serious crime it can prove, a staple position of Republican-led departments meant to remove a prosecutor’s discretion to charge a lower-level offense.

Much of the memo is centered on immigration enforcement. Bove wrote that prosecutors shall “take all steps necessary to protect the public and secure the American border by removing illegal aliens from the country and prosecuting illegal aliens for crimes” committed in U.S. jurisdiction.

▶ Read more about the Justice Department and immigration enforcement

The Right Rev. Mariann Budde asked President Trump during her sermon Tuesday to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and migrants here illegally. Trump has promised mass deportations of undocumented migrants. And he’s signed an executive order recognizing only two sexes, male and female.

In an angry overnight post on his social media site, Trump sharply criticized Budde as a “so-called Bishop” who’s a “Radical Left hard line Trump hater.” Trump said she was “nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart.” He said she and her church “owe the public an apology.

Many U.S. adults are on board with the idea of beefing up security at the southern border and undertaking some targeted deportations, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But findings also suggest his actions may quickly push the country beyond its limited consensus on the issue.

Half of U.S. adults think increasing security at the border should be a high priority for the federal government, according to the poll, and about 3 in 10 say it should be a moderate priority. Just 2 in 10, roughly, consider it a low priority.

President Donald Trump is swiftly breaching the traditional boundaries of presidential power, bringing to bear a lifetime of bending the limits in courthouses, boardrooms and politics to forge an expansive view of his authority.

He’s already unleashed an unprecedented wave of executive orders, with actions intended to clamp down on border crossings, limit the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship and keep the popular Chinese-owned TikTok operational despite a law shutting down the social media platform.

Trump is drafting a new blueprint for the presidency, one that demonstrates the primacy of blunt force in a democratic system predicated on checks and balances between the branches of government.

▶ Read more about Trump’s first days in office

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

FILE - Then Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference on July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

FILE - Then Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference on July 27, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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