President Donald Trump announced that a US-China trade deal is ‘done’ — and that in exchange for Chinese magnets and rare-earth minerals and a 55% tariff on Chinese goods, the U.S. will provide China “what was agreed to,” including allowing Chinese students to attend American colleges and universities.
Trump’s lawyers meanwhile plan to argue that appellate judges should erase his criminal hush money conviction and/or move the case from New York to federal court where he can try to get the verdict thrown out.
And billionaire Elon Musk stepped back from his explosive feud with Trump, writing on X that he regrets that some of his posts went “too far.”
Here’s the latest:
EPA set to roll back rules that limit greenhouse gases and mercury from power plants
The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to eliminate the rules for power plants fueled by coal and natural gas.
It’s part of a wide-ranging rollback of environmental regulations that Administrator Lee Zeldin has said would eliminate trillions of dollars in costs and “unleash” American energy.
The agency also plans to weaken a regulation that requires power plants to reduce emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants that can harm brain development of young children and contribute to health problems in adults.
The rollbacks are set to be announced Wednesday.
—By Matthew Daly
?Read more about the EPA’s move
US prepares to order departure of nonessential staff from embassy in Baghdad over regional tensions, officials say
Two U.S. officials say the order will not affect a large number of personnel, but the State Department also is authorizing the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait.
That gives them an option on whether to leave the country.
The Pentagon is standing by to support a potential evacuation of U.S. personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, another U.S. official said.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail plans that had not been made public.
—By Matthew Lee and Tara Copp
Tensions in the region have been rising in recent days
That’s because talks between the U.S. and Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program appear to have hit an impasse.
Meanwhile, the Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency was set to potentially vote on a measure to censure Iran. That could set in motion an effort to snap back United Nations sanctions on Iran via a measure in Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers that’s still active until October.
Amid the reports of preparations for embassy departures, Iran’s mission to the U.N. posted on social media that “threats of overwhelming force won’t change the facts.”
?Read more about this developing story
Trump reviewing trade framework with China ahead of signing measure to continue negotiations
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “is reviewing the details” of the framework agreement with China “with his trade team right now.”
The Trump administration has said Tuesday’s yet-to-be-signed agreement would allow trade talks to continue between the world’s two largest economies.
“What the president heard, he liked,” Leavitt said at Wednesday’s briefing. “China has agreed to open their markets to the United States separately of this deal.”
Leavitt said Trump’s team did a “fantastic job” in the negotiations, which will allow the U.S. to get access to critical minerals exports from China.
“We’re in a great place right now,” Leavitt said.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump announced that a U.S.-China trade deal was “done” — and that in exchange for China’s acceptance of 55% tariffs on Chinese goods and an agreement to sell Chinese magnets and rare earth minerals, the U.S. will provide China “what was agreed to,” including allowing Chinese students to attend American colleges and universities.
White House continues criticism of Democratic leaders over LA protests
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt began her Wednesday briefing by continuing to lambaste California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
“Mayor Bass and Governor Newsom fanned the flames and demonized our brave ICE officers,” Leavitt said.
While protests have been largely peaceful, Leavitt continue to criticize the California leaders for failing to restore order. She asserted that local law enforcement efforts have been “kneecapped by incompetent Democrat policies” that prevent coordination with federal immigration authorities.
Lawyers for the first president found guilty of a crime argue to erase the conviction
Trump’s lawyer argued in a federal appellate court Wednesday that the case belongs in federal court, where his administration can throw it out. The Manhattan district attorney’s office — which prosecuted the case and wants it to remain in state court, argued the contrary.
The judges — two nominated by President Barack Obama and one by President Joe Biden — were at turns skeptical and receptive to both sides’ arguments on weighty and seldom-tested legal issues.
The one thing everyone agreed on: It is a highly unusual case. Trump lawyer Jeffrey Wall said Trump is in “a class of one.”
The judges said they would issue a ruling at a later date.
Trump was convicted in May 2024 of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels, whose affair allegations threatened to upend his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump denies her claim and said he did nothing wrong. It was the only one of his four criminal cases to go to trial.
Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigns in protest
All 12 members of the board overseeing Fulbright scholarships have resigned in protest of what they call Trump administration meddling with the program established by Congress nearly 80 years ago as a non-ideological, bipartisan pillar of American diplomacy.
A statement published by the board members said the administration “usurped” the board’s authority by denying awards to scholars who already had been selected for the 2025-2026 academic year.
The resignations were first reported by The New York Times. A message seeking comment was left with the State Department, which runs the international scholarship program.
“We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute,” the statement said. “It is our sincere hope that Congress, the courts, and future Fulbright Boards will prevent the administration’s efforts to degrade, dismantle, or even eliminate one of our nation’s most respected and valuable programs.”
Trump says he could forgive Musk but it’s not a priority
Trump was the first guest on a new podcast launched Wednesday by New York Post columnist Miranda Devine. She asked the president if he could reconcile with or forgive Musk.
“I guess I could,” Trump said, “but, you know, we have to straighten out the country and my sole function now is getting this country back to a level higher than it’s ever been.”
Vice President JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles called Musk on Friday and urged him to end his feud with Trump, according to two people familiar with the call who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The call was first reported Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal.
— Michelle Price
Hegseth says the National Guard deployment was authorized to get ‘ahead of a problem’
Hegseth explained to the Senate Defense Appropriations subcommittee that the National Guard will be on hand to support local law enforcement and help out if protests expand to other areas.
“Part of it is getting ahead of a problem,” Hegseth said. He said most states would welcome the help but “In California unfortunately the governor wants to play politics with it.”
As of Tuesday, Trump has authorized 4,100 National Guard members and 700 Marines to deploy to Los Angeles.
White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt began her Wednesday briefing by accusing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of fanning flames and demonizing “our brave ICE officers.”
While protests have been largely peaceful, Leavitt continue to criticize the California leaders for failing to restore order. She asserted that local law enforcement efforts have been “kneecapped by incompetent Democrat policies” that prevent coordination with federal immigration authorities.
National History Day competition presents challenging facts about America
Thousands of middle and high school students from all 50 states and several countries are at the University of Maryland for the 51st National History Day Competition.
It comes as Trump targets cultural establishments, downsizing the federal government and ending initiatives seen as promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, which he calls “discrimination.”
The student’s work shows how difficult scrubbing history can be. Presentations range from Brown V. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 school desegregation case, to “The Dark History of Indian Boarding Schools” and “The Thind White Line,” the 1923 Supreme Court case that denied citizenship to Bhagat Singh Thind, a Caucasian, because he was not considered white.
Executive Director Cathy Gorn says the competition’s goal is to show students “that people of all kinds of backgrounds, people of all kinds of shapes and sizes and colors and ethnicities have contributed to the building of this incredible country of ours. This is a great opportunity to truly show what America is about and at the same time say hey, it’s also been a struggle.”
Jeffries and Schumer defend Newsom
The Democratic leaders of the House and Senate are defending Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in California, which prompted protests and now the president’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said Newsom “has been doing a tremendous job on behalf of the people of California.” Jeffries said Democrats believe along with Newsom that anybody who commits violence or destroys property should be held accountable to the full extent of that law. But he said that people have a right to “peacefully protest and petition their government.”
Sen. Chuck Schumer said Trump has been trying to bully the governor.
“He has shown he’s not going to be intimidated, and we’re all for that,” Schumer said.
Top US military commander sees no evidence of a foreign government invasion
Wednesday’s testimony by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine complicates Trump’s justification for mass deportations.
Asked if he believes the U.S. is being invaded by a foreign power, Caine said: “I don’t see any foreign state-sponsored folks invading but I’ll be mindful of the fact that there have been some border issues.”
Asked whether he sees evidence of “rebellion” in the country — a word that arguably justifies using the Insurrection Act to send military units into U.S. states and cities over the objections of local officials — Caine said: “There are definitely some frustrated folks out there.”
Responding to the same question, Hegseth repeated Trump’s argument that “there has been an invasion” of migrants entering the country without legal permission, and he said the protests in Los Angeles could spread to other areas.
FAA administrator nominee says $12.5 billion budgeted for upgrades is just a downpayment
“The system is old,” Bedford said. “So we have to do better.”
Pilots’ unions and Democrats have raised concerns that Bedford may support weakening the 1,500-hour experience standard for airline pilots that was adopted after a 2009 crash, or might consider allowing some airlines to operate with only one pilot.
Senators Maria Cantwell and Tammy Duckworth pressed him on maintaining the rule, noting that he had funded and lobbied to change it while he was running an airline. Bedford refused to make that commitment.
“I don’t believe safety is static,” Bedford said, adding later: “I can commit to you that we will not have anything that will reduce safety.”
Trump’s FAA administrator nominee gets grilled about crashes and near misses
Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration is facing tough questions about safety after a string of crashes and near misses since January’s deadly collision over the Potomac River.
Much of the industry, including the major airlines and their trade groups, supports Bryan Bedford’s nomination. But pilots unions and Democrats have raised concerns that he might weaken pilot training standards.
Bedford has been CEO of regional airline Republic Airways since 1999 and has more than three decades of experience in the industry. He has pledged to make safety the FAA’s top priority and work to restore public confidence in flying. Bedford also said he’ll work with Congress on Trump’s multi-billion-dollar plan to overhaul the nation’s air traffic control system.
The National Transportation Safety Board has said the FAA should have acted before the crash in Washington, D.C., because there had been 85 near misses reported around Ronald Reagan National Airport in the years prior. The FAA has banned some helicopter routes to keep helicopters and planes from sharing airspace, but there have been more near misses since then.
Hegseth says Qatar still has not signed memo to release Trump 747 to Pentagon
The defense secretary confirmed reports that the Qataris have not come to an agreement with the Trump administration over a memo that would allow the Department of Defense to take possession of the 747 jet, which Trump wants as his temporary Air Force One. This also means that no contracts have been signed to move forward on overhauling the aircraft.
“A memorandum of understanding remains to be signed,” Hegseth said, while refusing to answer senator’s questions on the cost or potential timeframe of refurbishing the aircraft — even though data on two other 747s being reconditioned to serve as Air Force One by Boeing is public.
Trump toured the Qatari plane in February when it was parked at an airport near Mar-a-Lago, his Florida resort.
Hegseth says Europe needs to increase support for Ukraine
The defense secretary told senators that the Pentagon budget includes hard choices and “reflects the reality that Europe needs to step up more for the defense of its own continent. And President Trump deserves the credit for that.”
Questioned at a defense appropriations hearing about U.S. security support for Kyiv Hegseth did not respond when asked if the U.S. will send the remaining $3.8 billion in aid already approved.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., warned that Russia will not stop with its assault on Ukraine and said the U.S. has to end the war. Hegseth said a negotiated peace in Ukraine will make America look strong.
Treasury Secretary says he has not spoken with Trump about Harvard’s tax status
Testifying in front of the House Ways and Means committee, Scott Bessent was asked about Trump’s stated desire to punish Harvard University and other non-profit organizations by directing the IRS to revoke their tax-exempt status.
Federal law prohibits the executive branch from exerting influence over taxpayer audits and other investigations.
Bessent told lawmakers: “The president and I have never had a conversation about Harvard’s tax status.”
Asked whether he would commit to report back to the committee in 30 days as to whether he’d been directed by the executive branch to launch audits of any taxpayers, Bessent said “that is without question that I will follow the law.”
Tough diplomacy: Mexican president to discuss Kristi Noem’s comments accusing her of inciting violence
Claudia Sheinbaum said she would discuss the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary’s accusation with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Wednesday as he visits Mexico.
She rejected Noem’s comments as “completely false” the day before, publishing a video of her in her morning press briefing calling for Mexicans to act in peace in the Los Angeles protests.
Sheinbaum added more details Wednesday — claiming her opponents had “completely taken out of context” her previous comments suggesting that Mexicans could protest a tax on remittances proposed by Trump.
“We have never called for a violent demonstration,” she said. “We are against all violent acts. We’ve always supported peaceful protests.”
Senators critical of Defense Secretary as hearing kicks off
Pete Hegseth met with bipartisan criticism Wednesday as the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee hearing kicked off.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, slammed him, saying that “more of your time so far has been spent inside the building on culture wars, rather than outside the building, deterring real ones.”
He criticized Hegseth’s moves to fire the previous chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other “qualified uniformed leaders” and said the Pentagon is worried more” about each other than America’s enemies.
The chairman, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, expressed frustration that the Trump administration has yet to provide Congress with a full defense budget. He said current funding isn’t enough to support the nation’s defense, and the administration’s limited budget request has no funding for Ukraine security assistance — casting doubt on the potential for “lasting peace.”
Hegseth said he has moved quickly to kill wasteful programs and redirect funding to Trump’s priorities as his department assembles a comprehensive budget request.
GOP puts $40 million for Trump’s “Garden of Heroes” in his big tax cuts bill
The new spending line was tucked inside Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, whose chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., has been at times a Trump critic.
The $40 million allotment would go to the National Endowment for the Humanities to build Trump’s long-sought statue garden. He first proposed the idea in 2020 during a time of political turmoil in the U.S. over honoring people with racist and other views, and followed up with executive orders.
Trump’s initial proposal for 30-plus “heroes” features Founding Fathers and presidents, civil rights pioneers and aviation innovators, explorers and generals, and the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Absent from Trump’s initial list were any Native American, Hispanic or Asian-American individuals.
Trump to attend Wednesday’s opening night of ‘Les Misérables’ at the Kennedy Center
The president and first lady Melania Trump plan to attend the Kennedy Center’s musical at a fraught moment, after he replaced the previous leadership with loyalists, had himself installed as chairman and pledged to rid the performing arts venue of programming he has complained is “woke” and too focused on leftist ideology and political correctness.
His takeover has upset some of the center’s patrons and performers. Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined, “Hamilton” canceled its planned run and other artists scrapped appearances or resigned. Understudies may perform Wednesday night due to boycotts by “Les Misérables” cast members.
In March, the audience booed Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, after they slipped into upper-level seats in the Concert Hall to hear the National Symphony Orchestra. Trump appointed Usha Vance to the Kennedy Center board along with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Fox News Channel hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham, among other supporters.
General Motors shares rise on $4 billion investment to move plants from Mexico to US
Trump signed executive orders in April relaxing some of his 25% tariffs on automobiles and auto parts, a significant reversal as the import taxes threatened to hurt domestic manufacturers. Trump portrayed the changes as a bridge toward automakers moving more production into the United States.
But automakers and independent analyses say the remaining tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make U.S. production less competitive worldwide. Last month GM lowered its profit expectations for the year, estimating the impact of remaining auto tariffs at $5 billion for the company.
GM said it will add production of the gas-powered Chevrolet Blazer and Chevrolet Equinox, which are made in Mexico, to its plants in Spring Hill, Tennessee and Kansas City, Kansas in 2027. GM will also begin making gas-powered full-size SUVs and light duty pickup trucks in Orion Township, Michigan.
CEO Mary Barra said Tuesday that GM is committed to building vehicles in the U.S. through 50 U.S. plants and parts facilities that support nearly 1 million American jobs.
Chinese rare earth minerals produced through forced labor, rights group says
The Netherlands-based Global Rights Compliance says Avon, Walmart, Nescafe, Coca-Cola and paint supplier Sherwin-Williams may be among companies linked to titanium sourced from Xinjiang, where rights groups allege the Chinese government runs coercive labor practices targeting predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities.
The report found 77 Chinese suppliers in the titanium, lithium, beryllium and magnesium industries operating in Xinjiang are at risk of participating in China’s “labor transfer programs,” in which Uyghur are forced to work in factories as part of a long-standing campaign of assimilation and mass detention.
The named companies didn’t immediately comment.
A U.N. report from 2022 found China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, where more than 1 million Uyghurs are estimated to have been arbitrarily detained as China targets terrorism and separatism. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the forced labor allegations are “nothing but a lie.”
President Joe Biden signed a law blocking imports from Xinjiang unless businesses can prove they were made without forced labor.
Veterans are divided over the Army’s big parade, being held on Trump’s birthday
Until recently, the Army’s long-planned birthday celebration did not include a big parade. Trump’s addition, featuring hundreds of military vehicles and aircraft and thousands of soldiers, has divided veterans.
Some liken it to the military chest-pounding commonly seen in North Korea, a step toward authoritarianism or a perverse birthday party for Trump.
Others see it as a once-in-a-lifetime accounting of the Army’s achievements and the military service of millions of soldiers over centuries. The parade is not about Trump, they say, but the public seeing the faces of soldiers when so few Americans serve.
The Army expects up to 200,000 people could attend and says the parade will cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million.
Trump, speaking at Fort Bragg this week, said Saturday would be “a big day” and noted “we want to show off a little bit.”
? Read more about veteran reactions to Saturday’s parade
Appeals court lets Trump administration keep collecting tariffs while challenges continue
The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit extends a similar ruling it made after another federal court struck down the tariffs May 28, saying Trump had overstepped his authority.
The case involves 10% tariffs the president imposed on almost every country in April and bigger ones he imposed and then suspended on countries with which the United States runs trade deficits. It also involves tariffs Trump plastered on imports from China, Canada and Mexico to pressure them to do more to stop the illegal flow of immigrants and synthetic opioids across the U.S. border.
In declaring the tariffs, Trump had invoked emergency powers under a 1977 law. But a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled he had exceeded his power.
The tariffs upended global trade, paralyzed businesses and spooked financial markets.
Elon Musk backs off from feud with Trump, saying he regrets social media posts that ‘went too far’
Early Wednesday morning, he posted “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
Musk’s break with a president whom he spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect appeared to put an end to his influence in the White House and prompted concerns about effects on his companies. As a major government contractor, Musk’s businesses could be particularly vulnerable to retribution, and Trump has already threatened to cut Musk’s contracts.
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. Meanwhile, other posts that irritated Trump, including ones in which Musk called the spending bill an “abomination” and claimed credit for Trump’s election victory, remained live.
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.