President Trump signed seven executive orders, including ones targeting artificial intelligence (AI) use in the classroom as well as college accreditation processes, on Wednesday.
“AI is where it seems to be at,” Trump said during the signing in the Oval Office alongside Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump slammed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky over his opposition to a reported component of a peace deal with Russia.
Under the deal, according to an Axios report, Ukraine would be required to recognize Crimea as Russian, which Zelensky called unconstitutional.
“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelensky said at a press conference on Tuesday. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.”
Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday and railed against the Ukrainian leader, calling his view “very harmful.”
“The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that! We are very close to a Deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,” Trump wrote.
Although the stock market rallied early Wednesday morning after Trump teased a cut to the 145 percent tariffs on China, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later signaled that there will be no reduction in tariffs before a deal is reached with Beijing.
“Let me be clear, there will be no unilateral reduction in tariffs against China,” Leavitt said on Fox News.
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New York AG Letitia James joins states in suing Trump administration over tariffs
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) filed a Wednesday lawsuit against the Trump administration with 11 other states alleging the president violated the law by imposing tariffs on global trading partners.
“The president does not have the power to raise taxes on a whim, but that’s exactly what President Trump has been doing with these tariffs,” James said in a statement.
Law firms fight for decisive relief from targeted Trump orders
Two major law firms faced judges Wednesday to ask for decisive relief from President Trump’s executive orders aimed at undercutting their business as retribution for representing his political adversaries.
The firms, Perkins Coie and WilmerHale, say Trump’s orders “addressing risks” they purportedly pose to the country are unlawful and spell disaster for their ability to perform legal work involving the government.
Trump: If no deal struck with trading partner, US will set the tariff ‘in the next couple weeks’
President Trump told reporters on Wednesday that if trading partners aren’t able to strike a deal with his administration on tariffs, he will set the rate in a matter of two weeks.
“If we don’t have a deal with a company or a country, we’re going to set the tariff,” he said, adding, “that will happen over the next couple of weeks.”
“If we don’t make a deal, which is possible, then we’re just going to set the price… we want to set a fair price, and we’ll do that, we’re going to be very fair,” Trump added.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick added that the team has spoken to 90 countries since Trump implemented the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs.
“They’re going to be fair deals, they’re not going to be rip off deals,” Trump said.
China sends back Boeing planes amid increased tariffs
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company is working with China to take back planes the company had already sent to the country, amid the increased tariff war between China and the U.S.
Ortberg said in an interview with CNBC that Boeing had three airplanes in China “ready for delivery.” Two of them had already been returned while the third was in the process of returning to the U.S., he said.
Top Armed Services Democrat: Hegseth ‘not up to the task of managing the Pentagon’
Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Wednesday he does not think Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is “up to the task” of running the Pentagon.
Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, expressed concern in a new interview following new reporting that Hegseth shared sensitive details about U.S. plans to attack Houthi rebels in a previously undisclosed Signal group chat — this time one that included his wife, brother and personal attorney.
White House says Trump’s patience ‘wearing thin’ with Zelensky
President Trump’s “patience is running very thin” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as negotiations for an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine stretch on, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday.
“The president’s frustrated; his patience is running very thin,” she told an impromptu gathering in the White House driveway. “He wants to do what’s right for the world. He wants to see peace. He wants to see the killing stop, but you need both sides of the war willing to do that, and unfortunately, President Zelensky seems to be moving in the wrong direction.”
Former Trump official says DOGE cuts undermine HIV legacy
A former top federal health official who served during President Trump’s first term warned that the drastic cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could have “devastating and illogical” impacts on combatting the HIV epidemic.
Brett Giroir, who served as Assistant Secretary for Health, wrote in a post on LinkedIn that making progress on the HIV epidemic in the U.S. was one of his first goals when he assumed his new role in Trump’s first administration.
Watch live: Trump to sign executive orders centered on education
President Trump is expected to sign a slew of executive orders focused on education on Wednesday afternoon, according to the White House.
“There will be seven executive orders focused on education,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Wednesday. “Secretary Lindsay McMahon will be here in the Oval Office as well, and I won’t get ahead of them, but we’ll see you all there. And the President will take some questions.”
Hegseth creates makeup studio in Pentagon
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has refurbished a green room as a makeup studio in the Pentagon for high ranking officials to prepare before on-camera appearances
“Most of the changes in the Green Room were furniture modifications — a director’s style chair, mirror, and a makeup light — all of which were added from existing inventories,” a Defense Department spokesperson told The Hill, confirming initial reports of the upgrade from CBS News.
Student loan borrowers at risk of garnished wages: What to know
Defaulted student loan borrowers will need to come up with a plan in the next few weeks as the Trump administration plans to restart involuntary collections for those who have missed payments.
After five years, the Department of Education announced on Monday those in default, who have not paid on their loans for more than 270 days, could see financial consequences starting May 5 including blocked federal payments such as Social Security, and eventually even garnished wages.
UK ‘not going to rush into a deal’ with Trump: Finance minister
The United Kingdom isn’t going to “rush into a deal” with President Trump over tariffs, but it is working to reduce barriers, British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves says.
“We’re not going to rush a deal. We want to get the right deal that’s in our national interest and those talks are ongoing,” Reeves told reporters, according to Reuters.
DOGE preps to shutter Millennium Challenge Corporation
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is working to effectively shutter the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), closing programs and bringing staff to a bare minimum at the development agency started by President George W. Bush.
Notes from an agency-wide meeting reviewed by The Hill said all agency programs will be closed and contract terminated while staffing levels would be dropped to the bare minimum. Employees were advised they would have roughly a week to consider taking a government buyout before the reduction in force process is initiated.
Rubio says war with Iran would be ‘much messier than what people are used to seeing’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned in a new interview that a potential war with Iran would be “much messier” and “more complex” than military engagements that the American people have seen reported in recent years.
“Any military action at this point in the Middle East, whether it’s against Iran by us or anybody else, could in fact trigger a much broader conflict,” Rubio said in an interview with The Free Press published Wednesday.
Trump administration announces plan to hike solar tariffs for 4 countries
The Commerce Department this week announced plans to hike tariffs on solar panels from East Asia, alleging that panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are receiving Chinese subsidies.
Panels from Cambodia received the highest tariffs — as solar panels from that country would see duties at a rate of 652 percent on average — though some Cambodian companies could see tariffs hiked as high as 3,500 percent.
Mayra Flores says hospital visit day of campaign launch due to stress
Former Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) says the “sudden health scare” that led to a hospital visit on the day she launched a campaign to challenge Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) last week was rooted in stress and shouldn’t affect her congressional bid.
“Stress can really put a burden on your overall health,” Flores told The Hill. “But it’s all taken care of.”
Flores told The Hill that she was excited when she woke up the morning of her campaign launch last week and had a day of interviews on her schedule — but after taking her kids to school, something was wrong.
“I just was not feeling well. I was feeling very lightheaded. I knew something was wrong, and I knew I had to take care of it,” Flores said. “So I went to the doctor, and it was stress.”
Senate Republican: Hegseth is ‘going to need some help around him’
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) on Wednesday said he still has faith in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but cautioned Hegseth might need some assistance around him after a series of damaging reports centering on his leadership emerged in recent weeks.
Cramer, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, argued on Wednesday that while Hegseth has done his part in shaking up the Pentagon, he probably underestimated how difficult doing so would be, given the department’s sheer size.
He said some “institutional expertise” could help out Hegseth after multiple issues cropped up in recent weeks, headlined by his firing of three top staffers, a fourth ex-staffer saying the Pentagon is in “disarray” under his leadership and reports of a second Signal chat he used to share plans for the attack on the Houthis in Yemen with his wife and brother.
“He’s going to need some help around him. One of the things he has lacked in the early days is some real … institutional expertise in the building, and that’s part of why he’s there is to bust up the club a bit,” Cramer told CNN’s Dana Bash. “But I think the monster that is the Pentagon was perhaps a bigger monster than he even thought.”
“I think he’s doing fine. I think he’s going to be an excellent secretary,” Cramer said. “But we may need to put some help around him that’s reliable, that’s stable and that’s not so contrary to him being there.”
The North Dakota Republican also told the network that he views it as a positive that he is willing to let go of “close friends” in the name of boosting the Pentagon. However, he views it as a good idea to have some institutional support to help navigate his way through the department in the coming months.
“It’s not just a matter of being supportive of him. It’s the inter-agency rivalries that he’s bumping up against and that some of those people that are good friends of his are also bumping up against,” Cramer said.
“You can, on one hand, be a disruptor, and we like disruptors,” he continued. “Though at the same time, when you’re going into the belly of the beast, it doesn’t hurt to have some of the beast’s organisms on your side and to know how to maneuver the place, to navigate the landmines and some of the rich traditions — some of which serve of well and some of which that have not served us well. … It takes a mix.”
White House says no tariff reduction for China before deal
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there would be no tariff reductions for China as Trump officials and Beijing feel one another out on trade negotiations.
“Let me be clear, there will be no unilateral reduction in tariffs against China,” Leavitt said on Fox News.
“The president has made it clear that China needs to make a deal with the United States of America, and we are optimistic that will happen,” Leavitt added. “And when that continues, it will be up to the president what the tariff rate in China will be.”
Obama: ‘I would not have been’ president, senator without Durbin
Former President Obama lavished praise on Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Wednesday, after the No. 2 Senate Democrat announced he will not seek reelection next year.
Obama, in a post online, gave Durbin credit for his own successful political career.
Just 15 percent of young Americans say country is heading in right direction
Just 15 percent of young Americans say they think the country is headed in the right direction, according to the latest Harvard Youth Poll.
The poll released Wednesday found 51 percent of Americans under 30 say the U.S. is on the wrong track and 31 percent are unsure, “underscoring a generation defined by political pessimism and uncertainty,” researchers at the Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School said. The remaining 3 percent declined to answer.
Supreme Court justices consider reviving industry bid to ax California clean car rule
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in a case that could revive a bid by fuel producers to ax California’s clean car standards.
The court was not considering the legality of the standards themselves, which require car companies to sell new vehicles in the state that produce less pollution — including by mandating a significant share of cars sold to be electric or hybrid.
Instead, the Supreme Court was considering whether the fuel industry had the authority to bring the lawsuit at all. A lower court determined that the producers, which include numerous biofuel companies and trade groups representing both them and the makers of gasoline, did not have standing to bring the case.
Some of the justices were quiet, so it’s difficult to predict what the ultimate outcome of the case will be.
However, others appeared critical of the federal government and California’s arguments that the fuel producers do not have the right to bring a suit.
Michelle Obama explains decision to skip Trump inauguration
Former first lady Michelle Obama is opening up about her decision to skip President Trump’s second inauguration, saying she made the call that was best for her well-being.
Obama said during an episode of her podcast with her brother Craig Robinson, which featured Taraji P. Henson and was released Wednesday, that the choices she made at the start of the year were met with “ridicule and criticism.”
Trump hammers Zelensky for Crimea red line in peace talks
President Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, saying he was harming peace talks with Russia after the Ukrainian leader said Kyiv would never recognize Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula.
Trump, in a post on his site Truth Social, rejected Zelensky’s red line on Crimea being excluded from negotiations with Russia and said the territory was “lost years ago” and “and is not even a point of discussion.”
Bessent tells investors Trump tax cuts could be passed by July 4
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that President Trump’s tax cut extension could be approved by July 4.
His comments were made at a closed-door meeting attended by JP Morgan investors.
Vance says it’s ‘pretty crazy’ he met pope right before he died
Vice President Vance on Wednesday reflected on his meeting with Pope Francis, which came just hours before the pontiff died earlier this week.
“I thought a lot about that. It’s pretty crazy, actually,” Vance told reporters in India when asked about being one of the last officials to meet with the Pope.
Biden national security adviser: Trump first 100 days in office ‘unadulterated disaster’
Former national security adviser Jake Sullivan slammed President Trump in a new interview, calling the first 100 days of his second term an “unadulterated disaster.”
“And it’s not just about the policy. It’s that President Trump and his team have gone at the core American advantages in the world and systematically tried to dismantle them,” Sullivan, who served in the Biden administration, said during a Tuesday appearance on the “MeidasTouch” podcast.
China stresses ‘equality, respect’ amid Trump optimism on trade deal
China stressed Wednesday that “equality, respect” are paramount in discussions with the United States amid President Trump’s stated optimism on reaching a new trade deal between the world’s two largest economies.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the escalating trade war between Beijing and Washington will lead to “no winners” and reiterated that the East Asian country will not bend the knee to Trump.
Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, to retire
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, announced Wednesday that he would not be seeking reelection, capping off a decades-long Senate career.
First elected in 1996, the 80-year-old Durbin has served in the upper chamber for five terms. Speculation around his next steps has been growing for months, particularly earlier this month when he reported raising roughly $42,000 between January and March of this year.
“The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,” Durbin wrote on the social platform X.
Ukraine peace talks in London downgraded after top diplomats pull out
Peace talks in London between the United States, Ukraine and other European countries to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war were downgraded after it was announced that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio would not attend.
The Wednesday talks in London were set to be convened between the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Ukraine and others before a spokesperson said the top U.S. diplomat would not attend, citing scheduling issues. Talks will continue among lower-level staff.
Trump talks China, flagpoles after North Lawn tour
President Trump made a surprise appearance on the North Lawn of the White House, where he was scouting possible locations for a new flagpole he said he wanted to install.
The president told reporters he planned to install one flagpole on the North Lawn of the White House and another on the South Lawn. He said he would pay for any expenses.
Trump also addressed ongoing talks with China to secure a trade deal.
“We have a lot of action going on,” Trump said.
US has ‘opportunity for a big deal’ with China: Bessent
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that there was an opportunity for a deal with China in a further softening of the Trump administration’s trade stance that has led to a huge market rally over the past two days.
“There is an opportunity for a big deal here,” he said.