LA police swiftly enforce downtown curfew as protests against Trump’s immigration crackdown continue
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police have swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds demonstrating against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Hours after the curfew went into effect Tuesday night, many of the protesters had dispersed, although small sporadic confrontations continued. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier accused Trump of drawing a “military dragnet” across the nation’s second-largest city with his escalating use of the National Guard. He also deployed Marines, though none were seen on the streets Tuesday. Trump ordered the deployment of nearly 5,000 troops, including National Guard and Marines, to LA.
US Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted on federal charges from skirmish at New Jersey immigration center
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver has been indicted on federal charges alleging she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers during a skirmish outside a New Jersey detention center. McIver has disputed the allegations as baseless. The skirmish happened last month as Newark’s mayor was arrested after trying to join McIver and two fellow Democratic representatives who said they went to conduct congressional oversight at Delaney Hall. Police bodycam video shows McIver’s elbows pushing into an officer, but it isn’t clear from the video whether that contact was intentional, incidental or a result of jostling in the chaotic scene. McIver said the charges amounted to the Trump administration tying to scare her out of doing her job.
Trump says US gets rare earth minerals from China in trade deal, tariffs on Chinese goods go to 55%
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the United States will get magnets and rare earth minerals from China under a new trade deal and tariffs on Chinese goods will go to 55%. Trump said Wednesday in return the U.S. will allow Chinese students to attend American colleges and universities. An international rights group says several global brands are among dozens of companies at risk of using forced labor through their Chinese supply chains. The report by Global Rights Compliance was released Wednesday. It says the companies might be linked because they use critical minerals or buy minerals-based products sourced from China’s far-western Xinjiang region. China’s Foreign Ministry rejects the forced labor claims as lies.
Veterans are divided over the Army’s big parade, being held on Trump’s birthday
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The upcoming parade in Washington to celebrate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary has divided veterans. Critics say it’s a thinly veiled celebration of President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday when the Republican is making cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs and banning transgender troops. Others see it as a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the Army’s achievements and the service of millions of soldiers over centuries. Saturday’s parade will feature hundreds of military vehicles and aircraft and thousands of soldiers. The Army expects as many as 200,000 people could attend and says the parade will cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million.
Austria falls silent for a minute as questions remain about the motive for a deadly school shooting
GRAZ, Austria (AP) — Austria has fallen silent for a minute and people are laying candles in the city of Graz in memory of the 10 people killed in a school shooting that shocked the country. Investigators said Wednesday they found a farewell letter and video, a non-functional pipe bomb and abandoned plans for a bombing in a search of the assailant’s home near Graz. But they say they don’t yet know what his motive was. At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, marking the moment a day earlier when police were alerted to shots at the school, the country stopped for a minute of silence. Hundreds of people lined the central square in Graz.
Elon Musk backs off from feud with Trump, saying he regrets social media posts that ‘went too far’
Elon Musk stepped back from his explosive feud with U.S. President Donald Trump, writing on X that he regrets some of his posts about his onetime ally and that they went “too far.” Early Wednesday morning, he posted “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.” Musk earlier deleted a post in which he claimed without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president’s association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. On Sunday, Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warned that Musk could face “serious consequences” if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections.
Russian attacks kill 3 and wound 64 as drones hit Kharkiv and other parts of Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces have launched a large-scale drone assault across Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said that the attacks overnight Wednesday killed three people and wounded 64 others. The strikes caused widespread destruction in the northeastern city of Kharkiv. Apartment buildings, private homes, playgrounds, industrial sites and public transportation were hit. Moscow’s forces have deployed high numbers of drones and missiles in recent days. They include a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday.
Trump says he will ‘liberate’ Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg as he defended deploying the military on those protesting his immigration enforcement. Trump on Tuesday used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the protesters in Los Angeles while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander in chief, former President Joe Biden. Trump has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of California’s governor.
Hegseth faces sharp questions from Congress on deploying troops to LA and Pentagon spending
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been met with sharp questions and criticism by lawmakers who demanded details on his moves to deploy troops to Los Angeles. Lawmakers also expressed bipartisan frustration Tuesday that Congress doesn’t yet have a full defense budget from the Trump administration. The hearing before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee was the first time lawmakers have been able to challenge Trump’s defense chief directly. After persistent questioning about the cost of sending National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests over immigration raids, Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who said it would cost $134 million.
Southern Baptist delegates at national meeting overwhelmingly call for banning same-sex marriage
DALLAS (AP) — Southern Baptist delegates at their national meeting overwhelmingly endorsed banning same-sex marriage — including a call for a reversal of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 10-year-old precedent legalizing it nationwide. They also called for legislators to curtail sports betting and to support policies that promote childbearing. The votes came at the gathering of more than 10,000 church representatives at the annual meeting of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. A proposed resolution says legislators have a duty to “pass laws that reflect the truth of creation and natural law — about marriage, sex, human life, and family” and to oppose laws contradicting “what God has made plain through nature and Scripture.”