The top photos of the day by AP's photojournalists

April 21, 2025

From front-page news to powerful moments you may have missed, this gallery showcases today’s top photos chosen by Associated Press photo editors.

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Pope Francis tours St. Peter's Square in his popemobile after bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Los Angeles Angels' Zach Neto (9) beats the tag of San Francisco Giants catcher Sam Huff (23) to score the winning run during the ninth inning of a baseball game Sunday, April 20, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

Local residents of the region wearing traditional costumes make their way to get blessings for men and beasts, at the St. George church in Traunstein, Germany, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Worshippers gather for Easter Mass inside the ruins of St. George Melkite Catholic Church, damaged by Israeli airstrike, in Dardghaya, southern Lebanon, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Christian faithful of the Legio Maria African Mission, attend the Easter vigil Mass in the informal settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A Christian pilgrim rests her head while praying during Easter Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where according to tradition Jesus was crucified and buried, in Jerusalem's Old City, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Groomsmen shield their brides from the sun as they queue during a mass Easter weddings for 3,000 people, some polygamous, at The International Pentecost Holiness Church in Heidelberg, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Faithful gather for a rosary prayer for the late Pope Francis, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Monday April 21, 2025 (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly, anti-U.S. and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)

An Iranian army member, center, looks back, among others, as they conclude their march, during a parade commemorating National Army Day in front of the shrine of the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, just outside Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Sky Project Ultra robot also known as Tien Kung Ultra crosses the finish line to win the Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon held in Beijing on Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

United States' players celebrate with a trophy after the gold medal match between Canada and the United States at the Women's Ice Hockey Championships in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

British Regulars advance on New England colonial militia, also known as a Minutemen, during a reenactment celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and start of the American Revolution, Saturday, April 19, 2025, in Lexington, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Revelers wearing decorated hats and costumes participate in the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral on Sunday, April 20, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

A person swims near a whale shark off the coast of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean in February 2025. (AP Photo/Flora Tomlinson-Pilley)

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump blow whistles during the White House Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, April 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A child does homework at a school operating as a shelter for those fleeing gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

Palestinian children receive donated food at a distribution center in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Catholics carry a statue of Jesus Christ during an Easter procession in Panama City's Casco Viejo, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Pope Francis appears on the central lodge of St. Peter's Basilica to bestow the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Pope Francis tours St. Peter's Square in his popemobile after bestowing the Urbi et Orbi (Latin for to the city and to the world) blessing at the end of the Easter mass presided over by Cardinal Angelo Comastri in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sunday, April 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Maria Teresa Delgado holds a portrait of the late Pope Francis during Mass at the Basílica de San José de Flores, where he worshipped as a youth, following the Vatican's announcement of his death in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, April 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution that would have blocked global tariffs announced by President Donald Trump earlier this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.

And after months of tense negotiations, the U.S. and Ukraine signed a deal that's expected to give Washington access to the country’s critical minerals and other natural resources, an agreement Kyiv hopes will secure long-term support for its defense against Russia.

Here's the latest:

Trump’s administration released a lengthy review of transgender health care Thursday that advocates for a greater reliance on behavioral therapy rather than broad gender-affirming medical care for youths with gender dysmorphia.

The Health and Human Services report questions standards for the treatment of transgender youth issued by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and is likely to be used to bolster the government’s abrupt shift in how to care for a subset of the population that has become a political lightning rod.

This new “best practices” report is in response to an executive order Trump issued days into his second term that says the federal government must not support gender transitions for anyone under age 19.

“Our duty is to protect our nation’s children — not expose them to unproven and irreversible medical interventions,” National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement. “We must follow the gold standard of science, not activist agendas.”

▶ Read more about the Trump administration’s stance on transgender health care

After months of tense negotiations, the U.S. and Ukraine signed a deal that’s expected to give Washington access to the country’s critical minerals and other natural resources, an agreement Kyiv hopes will secure long-term support for its defense against Russia.

According to Ukrainian officials, the version of the deal signed Wednesday is far more beneficial to Ukraine than previous versions, which they said reduced Kyiv to a junior partner and gave Washington unprecedented rights to the country’s resources.

The deal covers minerals, including rare earth elements, but also other valuable resources, including oil and natural gas, according to the text released by Ukraine’s government.

It doesn’t include resources that are already a source of revenue for the Ukrainian state. In other words, any profits under the deal are dependent on the success of new investments. Ukrainian officials have also noted that it doesn’t refer to any debt obligations for Kyiv, meaning profits from the fund will likely not go toward the paying the U.S. back for its previous support.

▶ Read more about the U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal

To understand the Justice Department’s struggles in representing President Trump’s positions in court, look no further than a succession of losses last week that dealt a setback to the administration’s agenda.

In orders spanning different courthouses, judges blocked a White House plan to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form, ruled the Republican administration violated a settlement agreement by deporting a man to El Salvador and halted directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

That’s on top of arguments in which two judges expressed misgivings to a Justice Department lawyer about the legality of Trump executive orders targeting major law firms and a department lawyer’s accidental filing of an internal memo in court questioning the Trump administration’s legal strategy to kill Manhattan’s congestion toll — a blunder the Transportation Department called “legal malpractice.”

▶ Read more about the Justice Department’s courtroom losses

Consumers can expect higher prices and delivery delays when the Trump administration ends a duty-free exemption on low-value imports from China Friday.

The expiration of the so-called de minimis rule that has allowed as many as 4 million low-value parcels to come into the U.S. every day — mostly from China — is also forcing businesses that have built their models on sourcing production in China to rethink their practices in order to keep their costs down.

But some might actually benefit from the termination of the duty exemption. For instance, companies that make their goods in the U.S. may feel relief from the competition of cheap Chinese imports, and likely experience a brighter sales outlook.

The move, which applies to goods originating from mainland China and Hong Kong, comes on top of President Donald Trump’s new tariffs totaling 145% on China. Beijing has retaliated with tariffs of 125% on the U.S., fueling a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. Sellers are already seeing cautious consumers.

▶ Read more about the end to the de minimis rule

Former Vice President Kamala Harris used a high-profile speech to sharply criticize Trump amid speculation about whether she will mount another presidential campaign or opt to run for California governor.

In her most extensive public remarks since leaving office in January following her defeat to Trump, Harris said Wednesday she’s inspired by Americans fighting Trump’s agenda despite threats to their freedom or livelihood.

Before Wednesday, Harris had barely mentioned Trump by name since she conceded defeat to him in November.

In a 15-minute speech, she spoke to the anxiety and confusion that have gripped many of her supporters since Trump took office but discouraged despair.

Trump went after Harris in a campaign-style rally Tuesday marking his 100th day in office. He sarcastically called her a “great border czar” and a “great candidate,” and repeated some of the applause lines he routinely delivered during the campaign.

▶ Read more about Harris’ remarks

Senate Republicans narrowly voted down a Democratic resolution Wednesday that would have blocked global tariffs announced by Trump earlier this month, giving the president a modest win as lawmakers in both parties have remained skeptical of his trade agenda.

The 49-49 vote came weeks after the Senate approved a resolution that would have thwarted Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Canada. That measure passed 51-48 with the votes of four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky. But McConnell — who has been sharply critical of the tariffs but had not said how he would vote — and Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse were absent Wednesday, denying Democrats the votes for passage.

▶ Read more about the vote and resolution

President Donald Trump speaks about investing in America in the Cross Hall of the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump waves after speaking about investing in America in the Cross Hall of the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks during an event about investing in America in the Cross Hall of the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)