President Trump is tapping Dr. Casey Means, a wellness influencer with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as his nominee for surgeon general after withdrawing his initial pick for the influential health post.
Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that Means has “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials” — referring to the “Make America Healthy Again” slogan — and that she will work to eradicate chronic disease and improve the health and well-being of Americans.
See a recap from Wednesday.
Pakistan’s defense minister welcomes US help to ease tensions with India — 9:16 p.m.
By the New York Times
Pakistan’s defense minister said Wednesday that he would welcome further US efforts to help defuse his country’s crisis with India and praised President Trump for calling for a quick end to the conflict.
India said early Wednesday that its forces had struck nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir in response to a terrorist attack in Kashmir last month. Pakistani officials said at least 20 people were killed in the airstrikes.
While Pakistani officials have said that Pakistan reserves the right to retaliate, Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif struck a different tone, suggesting that Pakistan had already responded by shooting down Indian planes and drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs.
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He said his country would refrain from further action if India took no additional steps to attack and agreed to an independent investigation.
Trump’s tariffs hit baby products hard, threatening parents with price hikes, shortages — 8:36 p.m.
By the Washington Post
Tariffs on Chinese goods are making it more expensive to raise children in the United States, driving up prices and threatening shortages of critical baby gear at a time when household budgets are already under strain.
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Virtually every car seat, stroller, bassinet and changing table sold in the U.S. is made in China, making the children’s products industry among the most vulnerable to fast-rising costs and shortages.
While many industries have taken steps over the years to move manufacturing of clothing, computers and other products to Vietnam, Thailand and India, the baby sector has largely stayed in China - partly due to long-standing ties with factories that meet the United States’ stringent safety requirements. More than 70 percent of the baby gear purchased by Americans is manufactured by U.S. companies in China, according to the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA).
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, during a congressional hearing Wednesday, said an exemption for car seats and other children’s necessities is “under consideration,” though he did not offer details on timing. In the meantime, manufacturers say they are struggling with mixed signals and heightened uncertainty.
Chief Justice Roberts: Judicial independence is key to checking Congress and the president — 7:59 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Amid attacks on federal judges who have slowed President Donald Trump’s agenda, Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday defended judicial independence as necessary to “check the excesses of the Congress or the executive.”
“Judicial independence is crucial,” Roberts, the leader of the Supreme Court and the entire federal judiciary, said at a gathering of judges and lawyers in his hometown.
The 70-year-old chief justice largely repeated things he has said previously. But his comments, in response to questions from another federal judge, drew applause from the 600 people who gathered to mark the 125th anniversary of federal courts in the Western District of New York.
Asked about comments from Trump and his allies supporting the impeachment of judges because of their rulings, Roberts largely repeated the statement he issued in March. “Impeachment is not how you register disagreement with a decision,” he said.
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What to know about Dr. Casey Means, Trump’s pick for US surgeon general — 7:52 p.m.
By the Associated Press
What’s her background?
She trained as a surgeon at Stanford University, but she has built an online following by criticizing the medical establishment. She promotes natural foods and lifestyle changes to reverse obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
What would she be tasked with as surgeon general?
Means would be tasked with helping promote Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s sprawling “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. It calls for removing thousands of additives and chemicals from U.S. foods, rooting out conflicts of interest at federal agencies and incentivizing healthier foods in school lunches and other nutrition programs.
What’s her stance on vaccines?
Means has mostly steered clear of Kennedy’s controversial and debunked views on vaccines. But on her website, she has called for more investigation into their safety and recommends making it easier for patients to sue drugmakers in the event of vaccine injuries.
Judge orders more information on Trump administration deal with El Salvador — 6:49 p.m.
By the Associated Press
District Court Judge James E. Boasberg said he needed the information from the administration to determine whether the roughly 200 men, deported in March under an 18th century wartime law, were still effectively in the United States’ custody. If they are, Boasberg could order their return, as immigration lawyers have asked him to do.
Boasberg noted that Trump had boasted in an interview that he could get back one man wrongly imprisoned in El Salvador in a separate case by simply asking that country’s president, Nayib Bukele, to send him back.
The government’s lawyer, Abishek Kambli, said that and other public statements by administration officials about their relationship with El Salvador lacked “nuance.”
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What to know about Trump’s plans for day of WWII victory celebration — 6:46 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump has issued a proclamation designating Thursday as a day for the United States to celebrate victory in World War II as countries in Europe already do.
Here’s what to know about his plans:
What is Trump doing and why?
He’s designating specific days for the U.S. to celebrate being on the winning side in World War I and World War II. He complained in recent social media posts that Americans don’t spend enough time celebrating those achievements, which he said wouldn’t have been possible without the U.S.
What does he envision will happen around the U.S. on these days?
It’s unclear. Trump didn’t say what he envisions happening, and the proclamation didn’t include any details.
Is Thursday a day off from work?
No, Thursday is not a federal holiday and therefore not a day off from work.
House Republicans are backing off some — but not all — Medicaid cuts — 6:18 p.m.
By the Associated Press
House Republicans appear to be backing off some, but not all, of the steep reductions to the Medicaid program as part of their big tax breaks bill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is running into resistance from more centrist GOP lawmakers opposed to ending health care coverage for their constituents back home.
A new report out Wednesday from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office shows millions of Americans would lose Medicaid coverage under the various proposals being circulated by Republicans as cost-savings measures.
House Republicans are scrounging to come up with as much as $1.5 trillion in cuts to health care, food stamps and other programs, to offset the revenue lost for some $4.5 trillion in tax breaks.
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Pro-Trump network to provide Voice of America with content, Kari Lake says — 6:15 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration has sought to dismantle government-run news outlets like the Voice of America, in part because it believes the services that provide news to other countries operate with a liberal bias.
Now, Kari Lake, Trump’s representative at the US Agency for Global Media, says the conservative One America News Network has agreed to provide its news and video feeds free of charge.
Lake portrays it as a boon to taxpayers while critics say it ensures steady pro-Trump coverage.
Court cases on the future of Voice of America and similar services Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty have left them in limbo.
Trump says he’ll decide what to call the Persian Gulf while in the Middle East — 6:14 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump says he will make a decision about how the US government will refer to the body of water commonly known as the Persian Gulf when he visits Arab states next week.
The president told reporters Wednesday that he expects his hosts will ask him about the US officially calling the waterway the Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia.
He was asked about the possible name change after The Associated Press reported Tuesday that two US officials familiar with the matter said Trump would announce the change while he was on the trip. The report generated outcry from Iranians, who said the Persian Gulf moniker is thousands of years old and an essential part of Iran’s history.
Illinois woman’s parents criticize Noem for citing her death in call for tougher immigration laws — 5:49 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The parents of an Illinois woman murdered in 2023 say US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s use of her death to call for tougher immigration laws is “cruel and heartless.”
A statement released by Cathy Schwartz and John Shafer after Noem’s visit to the state capital of Springfield on Wednesday asked her not to reference their daughter, Emma Shafer.
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“To see her used by Secretary Noem and others to advance a cruel and heartless political agenda is not just deeply painful to us — it is an insult to her memory,” the statement read. “Noem’s words are in direct conflict with who Emma was as a person.”
Noem blasted Illinois Governor JB Pritzker earlier Wednesday over state laws preventing local police from cooperating with federal immigration officers. The man accused in Emma Shafer’s stabbing, who Noem said was in the U.S. illegally, faces first-degree murder charges in the death. He remains at large.
Trump taps wellness influencer close to RFK Jr. for surgeon general — 5:25 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump is tapping Casey Means, a wellness influencer with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., as his nominee for surgeon general after withdrawing his initial pick for the influential health post.
Trump said in a social media post Thursday that Means has “impeccable ‘MAHA’ credentials” – referring to the " Make America Healthy Again " slogan – and that she will work to eradicate chronic disease and improve the health and well-being of Americans.
“Her academic achievements, together with her life’s work, are absolutely outstanding,” Trump said. “Dr. Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History.”
Judge says US must allow migrants a chance to challenge in court any deportations to Libya — 5:24 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A federal judge on Wednesday found the Trump administration can’t deport migrants to Libya unless they have a meaningful chance to challenge their removal in court.
The order from US District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts comes after attorneys said immigration authorities informed migrants of plans to deport them to Libya, a country with a history of human rights violations.
Murphy previously found that any migrants deported to countries other than their homelands must first be allowed to argue that it would jeopardize their safety.
He said that any “allegedly imminent” removals would “clearly violate this Court’s Order.”
Judge in Khalil’s deportation case assigns history report to government attorneys — 4:57 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The obscure provision of immigration law at the heart of Trump’s crackdown on student activists is now the subject of an unusual assignment handed down by a federal judge to the government’s attorneys: produce a history report, due tomorrow.
US District Judge Michael Farbiarz said the government should “list each instance, other than this one” in which federal officials used a provision of the law authorizing the Secretary of State to deport those whose presence in the country is found to carry the potential of “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”
Farbiarz is considering whether to free Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist at Columbia University who became the first person to face deportation under the Trump administration’s interpretation of the law.
The government’s report is due Thursday morning, the judge wrote in the Wednesday order. The Department of Homeland Security and Department of State did not respond to emails seeking comment.
White House withdraws nomination of Fox News contributor for US surgeon general — 4:45 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The White House is withdrawing the nomination of Fox News medical contributor Janette Nesheiwat for US surgeon general, marking at least the second health-related pick from President Trump to be pulled from Senate consideration.
Noem bashes Illinois governor over immigration policies — 4:10 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem bashed Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s policies toward migrants in Springfield by invoking the name of a 24-year-old community activist killed two years ago, allegedly by an immigrant in the country illegally.
On a street near where Emma Shafer was stabbed, Noem said the state’s sanctuary status and legal prohibition against police cooperation with immigration officials endanger lives.
“Governors like JB Pritzker don’t care if gangbangers, murderers, rapists, pedophiles roam free in this state,” Noem said. “If they are here illegally, he’s going to protect them.”
A photo on social media showed Shafer’s mother rallying against Noem a few blocks away, holding a sign that read, “Hate Does Not Make Us Great.”
Pritzker said the state complies with federal law and that no state law impedes pursuing criminal complaints.
“Illinoisans are sending a clear message to Trump’s lackeys that we will not let you mess with us without a resistance,” he said.
EPA targets Energy Star program focused on appliance efficiency — 3:45 p.m.
By the Associated Press
An Environmental Protection Agency plan to eliminate its Energy Star offices would end a decades-old program that gave consumers a choice to buy environmentally friendly refrigerators, dishwashers and other electronics, consumer and environmental groups said.
EPA launched Energy Star in 1992 with the goal of tackling environmental protection and economic growth. It boosts the market for energy-efficient products and benefits companies that design appliances that earn the label.
The changes, outlined in agency documents reviewed by The Associated Press, are part of a broad reorganization at EPA that would eliminate or reorganize significant parts of the office focused on air pollution.
Republican lawmakers berate Haverford College president at hearing on campus antisemitism — 3:44 p.m.
By the Associated Press
At a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism, Republican lawmakers berated the president of Haverford College and suggested her school should lose federal funding because of her refusal to discuss student discipline in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests.
Wendy Raymond was joined by two other college leaders at Wednesday’s hearing but was singled out as the only one who would not detail punishments for anti-Jewish bias.
Asked about it repeatedly, Raymond said her institution does not publicize outcomes of disciplinary processes.
“I suppose it’s your First Amendment right to be evasive, but it’s also our right to decide that such institutions are not deserving of taxpayer money,” said Republican Rep. Bob Onder, of Missouri.
Fed chair says Trump’s public calls for rate cuts not influencing policy — 3:00 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said pressure by Trump to cut benchmark interest rates will have no impact on the central bank’s policy choices.
“It doesn’t affect either our job or the way we do it,” Trump said at a Wednesday news conference.
Trump has said that inflation is falling and the Fed should cut its short-term rates in response, maintaining that he could fire Powell but that he has no plans to do so.
The Fed judges inflation to still be elevated and that Trump’s tariffs create a risk of both higher prices and higher unemployment.
Trump says the US hasn’t decided whether to allow Iran to continue a civilian nuclear enrichment — 2:32 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump says he hasn’t decided yet whether to allow Iran to maintain a nuclear enrichment program even if it commits not to purify Uranium to weapons-grade, as his administration engages with talks with Tehran meant to end its advancing weapons program.
“We haven’t made that decision yet,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “We will, but we haven’t made that decision yet.”
Earlier, Vice President JD Vance said Iran can have civil nuclear power, “We don’t mind that,” but then said that no regime in the world has civil nuclear power and enrichment without a nuclear weapon and cannot have the kind of enrichment program that allows them to get to a nuclear weapon.
Trump says he expects to be asked during Mideast trip for US to call Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf — 2:30 p.m.
By the Associated Press
“They’re going to ask me about that when I get there and I’ll have to make a decision,” Trump said when asked if he planned to make an announcement that the US will officially refer to the waterways as the Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia during his visit to the Middle East next week.
The AP reported on Tuesday, citing two US officials familiar with the matter, that Trump would announce the US he was making the move. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he expected to receive a briefing on the matter and would then make a decision.
The move comes months after Trump said the US would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
Trump says Gaza development coming in next day or so — 2:25 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Ahead of his first trip to the Middle East since taking office on Jan. 20, Trump says there’s “a lot of talk” going on about Gaza and that his administration will soon have more to say about a new proposal — that may include a new push for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, the release of hostages and an influx of aid to Palestinians.
“You’ll be knowing probably in the next 24 hours,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
David Perdue is sworn in as US Ambassador to China — 2:23 p.m.
David Perdue is sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to China pic.twitter.com/jWaKEFEj8c
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 7, 2025
Federal Reserve leaves key rate unchanged, flags a risk of higher prices and higher unemployment — 2:13 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday, brushing off Trump’s demands to lower borrowing costs, and said that the risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen.
The Fed kept its rate at 4.3 percent for the third straight meeting, after cutting it three times in a row at the end of last year. Many economists and Wall Street investors still expect the Fed will reduce rates two or three times this year, but the sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump have injected a tremendous amount of uncertainty into the US economy and the Fed’s policies.
It is unusual for the Fed to say that the risk of both higher prices and more unemployment have increased. But economists say that is the threat created by Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
Trump said it was ‘disappointing’ to learn of senator’s objection to top DC prosecutor — 2:11 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president said he didn’t know about the objections of North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis despite the senator saying publicly a day earlier that he had informed the White House that he would not support Ed Martin to lead the US Attorney’s office in Washington.
Tillis also told Trump directly, according to an aide for the senator.
Trump called Martin “ very talented” but said votes on the nominee are “really up to the senators.”
“They have to follow their heart, and they have to follow their mind,” he said.
Trump says he won’t reduce tariffs on China in order to have negotiations — 2:07 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump said “no” when asked if he would reduce his 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods as a condition for negotiations.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are set to meet with their Chinese counterparts this weekend in Switzerland.
China has made the de-escalation of the tariffs a requirement for trade negotiations, which the meetings are supposed to help establish.
Trump’s comments suggest the world’s two largest economies could be at an impasse.
China has also said that the US requested the meeting in Switzerland, something that Trump disputed.
“Well, I think they ought to go back and study their files,” the president said.
Trump looking at exempting baby products from tariffs — 2:06 p.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump says he’s looking at exempting baby-related products from his tariffs, but he said he doesn’t want to complicate his import taxes.
“I don’t know,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I’ll think about it.”
While Trump said he would look at the matter, he said he wanted to keep his import taxes “very simple” and exemptions could make an already complex process even more indecipherable. He said that “nobody knows” the policy if there are “so many exemptions.”
Trump says it’s a ‘disservice’ that US doesn’t celebrate victory in World War II — 2:04 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump opened a swearing-in ceremony for his new US ambassador to China by noting that World War II allies are spending the week celebrating the war’s end with parades and other festivities but that America “has never joined in with a proper celebration of our own.”
He said the victory came about because of the US.
“We don’t celebrate it, and I think that’s a great disservice,” the Republican president said from the Oval Office.
Trump issued a proclamation Wednesday designating Thursday as a day to celebrate victory in World War II.
He didn’t elaborate on what he expects people to do to observe the 80th anniversary of the end of that conflict.
Perdue sworn in as China envoy — 2:00 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president held a ceremony to swear in David Perdue, his recently confirmed pick for US ambassador to China.
“Our new ambassador brings to this position a lifetime of experience at the highest levels of business and politics,” Trump said.
Perdue was a veteran businessman before he became a senator.
“Say hello to President Xi when you’re over there please,” Trump added.
Perdue was confirmed on a 67-29 vote last month. He was one of Trump’s most stalwart supporters in the Senate, starting with his 2016 presidential campaign.
“I am glad to be your man in China,” Perdue said.
Why the tariff picture may seem more confusing — 1:42 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The more Trump talks about his efforts to reach deals with America’s trading partners, the more confusing the tariff picture gets. His team seems good with that, saying Trump is using “strategic uncertainty” to his advantage.
Trump says the US doesn’t have to sign any deals, but he also says the U.S. could sign 25 of them right now. He says he’s looking for fair deals on all sides, but also that he doesn’t care about other countries’ markets. He says his team can sit down to negotiate the terms of a deal, and that he might just impose a set of tariffs on his own.
Öztürk ordered to be in Vermont by May 14 — 1:39 p.m.
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
Rümeysa Öztürk’s next hearing in Vermont was originally set for this Friday, but that was too tight a deadline for her transfer, the appeals court concluded.
Instead, the Trump administration is now required to move Öztürk from Louisiana to the ICE detention center in St. Albans, Vt. by May 14.
Pressley asks Bessent whether Trump would use tariff exemptions for baby products: ‘It is under consideration’ — 1:11 p.m.
.@RepPressley: "I cannot hear the words you say because I see the things that you do everyday. So clear it up, yes or no, do you support an exemption to tariffs on items that parents need to care for their babies?" @SecScottBessent: "It is under consideration." pic.twitter.com/2DLro9gSJ6
— CSPAN (@cspan) May 7, 2025
No ruling yet in Mahdawi case — 12:47 p.m.
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
The appeals court that ruled on the Rümeysa Öztürk case also heard oral arguments Tuesday in the immigration case of Mohsen Mahdawi, but has not yet issued a ruling in his case. He was released on bail last week, and his next court date depends on what the Second Circuit decides. Öztürk, in contrast was due in court this Friday.
Mahdawi’s lawyers contend he was detained for deportation proceedings solely because he participated in the high-profile protests in support of Palestinians at Columbia University, where he was a student. Mahdawi, 34, was arrested on April 14 on his way to a citizenship interview in Colchester, Vt.
Trump administration rescinds layoff notices to CDC program for 9/11 responders — 12:44 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration has rescinded layoff notices to about 15 workers in a federal program that cares for 9/11 responders and survivors.
The layoff notices went out last week, setting an end to the World Trade Center Health Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program provides medical monitoring and treatment of 9/11-related health conditions for about 133,000 people, and was one of the few parts of the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that has not been eliminated in recent staffing or budget cuts.
The workers got notices Tuesday that their employment will continue.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the reversal. When asked for the reason, he said there are issues with human resources records.
Appeals court says ‘government cites no statute’ in Öztürk argument — 12:33 p.m.
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
During a Tuesday hearing before the appeals court, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign had argued that Rümeysa Öztürk should remain in Louisiana because her lawyers did not name the correct ICE official in her habeas petition.
But the court said the administration caused the confusion by shuttling her from Massachusetts to New Hampshire to Vermont and then to Louisiana over 24 hours, despite a federal judge’s order that she remain in Massachusetts. The court also said that the administration’s claim, made by Ensign, that ICE did not need to tell anyone where Öztürk was during those 24 hours was deeply flawed legal argument.
“The government cites no statute or case law for this extraordinary proposition, the practical effect of which would be that for some unspecified period of time after detention - seemingly however long the government chooses to take in transporting a detainee between states or between facilities - a detainee would be unable to file a habeas petition at all, anywhere,” the court concluded. “Such a rule finds no support in the law and is contrary to longstanding tradition.”
The unanimous ruling was issued by Judge Alison J. Nathan, appointed by President Biden; Susan L. Carney, appointed by President Obama; and Barrington D. Parker, who was nominated by President George W. Bush.
Trump appears to throw cold water on Lawler’s gubernatorial hopes — 12:30 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump is endorsing Representative Mike Lawler — just not for the office the congressman has been eyeing.
Trump said he’s backing the Republican for reelection in his New York swing district, writing on Truth Social that “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
But Lawler isn’t up for reelection until next year and has been teasing a potential run for governor for months. Meanwhile, Representative Elise Stefanik, passed over for ambassador to the United Nations, is considering campaigning for governor and has been encouraged to run by major New York donors, state Republican officials and White House officials, AP has reported.
Lawler is “grateful for the President’s support,” his spokesperson said in a statement, but added: “As Congressman Lawler has said repeatedly, he will make a decision on running for Governor in June.”
Trump designates Thursday as a day for US to celebrate victory in World War II — 12:25 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump has complained on social media that the United States doesn’t celebrate its military victories like the rest of the world. He said he’d create a “Victory Day” for World War I and World War II, then backtracked and said he’d declare national holidays instead.
Trump signed a proclamation declaring Thursday as a “day in celebration of Victory Day for World War II.”
Cities from London to Moscow will be awash with parades, flyovers and memorials this week as the world marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day — the day Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied forces. World War II ended on May 8, 1945.
Trump said the victory wouldn’t have been possible without the US.
Millions of people would lose Medicaid under Republicans’ changes, nonpartisan budget office says — 12:19 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Their plans could reduce the federal deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars, but states would be left to pick up costs, too. Medicaid is a joint program run by states and the federal government.
Republicans are considering a menu of options including reducing the federal share, which is as much as 90 percent in some cases — and capping federal spending on each Medicaid enrollee’s health care.
Those two changes could result in more than 5 million people becoming uninsured, the Congressional Budget Office announced Wednesday morning.
Treasury Secretary is testifying for a second day on Capitol Hill — 12:13 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Scott Bessent is now before the House Financial Services Committee to discuss international financial systems.
He’s also been asked about the looming X-Date when the US could default on its debt, China’s economic influence, Russia sanctions and his participation in a Signal chat group with other Trump administration officials.
As for cryptocurrency in the US, Bessent said, “we believe the United States should be the premier destination for digital assets … so that US best practices are best used around the world.”
A digital assets project called World Liberty Financial that Trump launched while campaigning has taken in billions of dollars from investors around the world.
RFK Jr. announces researchers will get access to data from autistic Medicare, Medicaid enrollees — 12:06 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The nation’s health department is launching a research project that will examine claims data and electronic medical records of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees who have been diagnosed with autism.
The program will involve a data sharing agreement between the National Institutes of Health, the government’s health research arm, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which has access to claims data from nearly 150 million Americans across the country.
“We’re using this partnership to uncover the root causes of autism and other chronic diseases,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.
The agreement will be “fully compliant with privacy and security laws,” the department said in its statement.
ACLU on Öztürk ruling: No one should be ‘locked up’ for political views — 11:57 a.m.
By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff
In a statement, the American Civil Liberties Union hailed the ruling regarding the detained Tufts student.
“No one should be arrested and locked up for their political views. Every day that Rümeysa Öztürk remains in detention is a day too long,” said Esha Bhandari, deputy director of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. “We’re grateful the court refused the government’s attempt to keep her isolated from her community and her legal counsel as she pursues her case for release.”
She is being represented by attorney Mahsa Khanbabai and three lawyers from the ACLU.
“Rümeysa has suffered six weeks in crowded confinement without adequate access to medical care and in conditions that doctors say risk exacerbating her asthma attacks. Her detention — over an op-ed she co-authored in her student newspaper — is as cruel as it is unconstitutional,” said Jessie Rossman, legal director, ACLU of Massachusetts. “Today, we moved one step closer to returning Rümeysa to her community and studies in Massachusetts.”
Appeals court judges disagree with Trump administration argument on Öztürk — 11:55 a.m.
By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff
The appeals court ruling in the Rümeysa Öztürk case said Vermont was the proper venue to adjudicate her case.
“The District of Vermont is likely the proper venue to adjudicate Öztürk’s habeas petition because, at the time she filed, she was physically in Vermont and her immediate custodian was unknown,” the court ruled.
During oral arguments in New York City Tuesday, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign insisted that a lower court ruling in Öztürk’s favor was legally invalid because federal courts no longer have jurisdiction.
The appeals court roundly disagreed.
“We conclude that the government is unlikely to prevail on its arguments that various jurisdiction-stripping provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) on which the government relies deprive the district court of jurisdiction over Öztürk’s challenge to her detention," the panel ruled.
Öztürk was studying child and human development at Tufts when she was taken into custody by masked ICE agents in Somerville on March 25 after the Trump administration revoked her student visa. She was taken to New Hampshire, then Vermont, and then to the detention facility in Louisiana.
Öztürk, 30, was a coauthor of a March 2024 opinion piece in a Tufts student newspaper that expressed pro-Palestinian views.
A Turkish national, Öztürk has chronic asthma. On Friday, she submitted a declaration with the district court in Vermont in which she detailed the conditions she said she was enduring inside of the all-women detention facility where she is being held, including a lack of appropriate medical care for prolonged asthma attacks.
Read the appeal court’s ruling — 11:43 a.m.
Federal appeals court orders Rümeysa Öztürk be transferred to Vermont — 11:26 a.m.
By John R. Ellement and Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, Globe Staff
A federal appeals court Wednesday ordered that Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk be transferred to Vermont from Louisiana, where she has been held since being taken into custody by ICE agents in March.
The three-judge panel of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration’s claim that federal courts had no role in habeas petitions arising out of immigration deportation proceedings.
GOP legislators push restrictions on citizen initiatives — 10:56 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Lawmakers in about a dozen states have advanced roughly 40 measures this year to make it harder for citizen initiatives to get on ballots. Many have been signed into law. They limit who can circulate petitions, add content requirements and in some cases raise thresholds for voter approval.
Republican lawmakers are taking action in states where voters have decided on initiatives proposed by progressive groups.
“This is not a bill to restrict. It is a bill to protect — to make sure that our constitutional system is one of integrity, and that it’s free of fraud,” said state Sen. Jennifer Bradley of Florida, where the new rules have been challenged in court.
Dane Waters, chair of the Initiative and Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California, says lawmakers often perceive the initiative process as “an assault on their power and authority, and they want to limit it.”
Vance talks free speech, Ukraine at security conference — 10:55 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The vice president at a meeting held in Washington by the Munich Security Conference, which also hosted a February summit in Germany where Vance ruffled feathers by declaring that free speech is “in retreat” across the continent.
Vance said Wednesday that his comments were not meant to imply “Europe bad, America good,” but that both Europe and the United States under Biden had gotten “a bit off track” when it comes to protecting free speech.
He said the administration’s next goals for brokering an end to the Russia-Ukraine war is to get both sides to start directly negotiating a long-term settlement.
Federal judge orders release of pandemic aid money for schools — 10:52 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump’s Education Department has frozen the last of the US relief money meant to help schools recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The vast majority of the $189 billion in aid approved by Congress has been spent, but some districts received extensions on deadlines to spend the money, and some were using it for things like after-school tutoring.
On March 28, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter to schools saying she had moved the deadline up to that day. Several states and the District of Columbia sued in response, leading to the court order.
2028’s presidential field may be the biggest in history. Here’s why. — 10:26 a.m.
By James Pindell, Globe Staff
For 100 days, the only political figure who truly mattered, especially in America, was Donald Trump.
Then, just as that intense stretch concluded, the conversation is beginning to shift. A handful of ambitious politicians started unofficially testing the waters, positioning themselves for what could be a wide-open race to succeed him.
Former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg announced last week a return to Iowa, where he won the first-in-the-nation caucuses in 2020. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker delivered a speech to New Hampshire Democrats last weekend and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo will head there next month. Vice President JD Vance visited South Carolina, a state that has proven decisive in past primary contests, and Maryland Governor Wes Moore is also scheduled to speak there by month’s end. Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego is heading to Pennsylvania, which was — wink, wink — the most crucial swing state of the last election cycle. Meanwhile, other potential contenders like Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and former Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo have openly acknowledged their interest in running.
Attorney General meets with victims’ families after federal death row commutations — 9:44 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Pam Bondi is meeting privately at the Justice Department Wednesday with 10 families whose relatives were killed by people who were awaiting execution until President Joe Biden commuted their sentences to life in prison.
“They need closure,” Bondi told reporters at the White House. “And they do know that going forward, the Trump administration is seeking the death penalty again on future criminal defendants and keeping our streets safe.”
Bondi has lifted a moratorium on federal capital punishment and sharply criticized the Democratic president’s decision to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row.
Ahead of Trump’s visit, Disney announces a new theme park in the UAE — 9:44 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The theme park — Disney’s 7th — will be built on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, the company said Wednesday.
Trump has promised a series of business deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates during his trip to the region next week.
Disney posted solid quarterly profits and revenue from its theme parks and streaming service on Wednesday, boosting its annual profit expectations. But it’s not immune from Trump’s trade war, including his threat of a 100% tariff on films made outside the U.S., and Trump’s Federal Communications Commission said it’s scrutinizing the company’s diversity practices.
Secretary of State celebrates bringing these Venezuelans into the US — 9:22 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Marco Rubio described it as a rescue operation of five members of Venezuela’s political opposition who had sheltered inside the Argentine diplomatic compound in Caracas for more than a year to avoid arrest.
“Following a precise operation, all hostages are now safely on U.S. soil,” Rubio said on X Tuesday night.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government had no immediate comment.
The group included the campaign manager and communications director of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who called it an “impeccable and epic operation for the Freedom of five heroes of Venezuela.”
China says it agreed to US request for talks, but remains opposed to tariffs — 9:14 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The upcoming trade talks between the U.S. and China have been initiated by Washington, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday in Beijing.
“China’s position of firmly opposing the arbitrary imposition of tariffs by the U.S. has not changed,” said spokesperson Lin Jian. And while Beijing is open to dialogue, he repeated that any talks “must be based on equality, respect and mutual benefit.”
“Any form of pressure or coercion against China will not work,” Lin said. “China will firmly safeguard its legitimate interests and uphold international fairness and justice.”
Trump’s schedule for Wednesday, according to the White House — 9:10 a.m.
By the Associated Press
11 a.m.: Trump will receive his intelligence briefing in the Oval Office
12:30 p.m.: He will participate in the swearing in ceremony for the ambassador to China
1 p.m.: Trump has lunch with Vice President JD Vance
Also at 1 p.m.: Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a press briefing.
Wall Street is poised to open with gains — 8:56 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose slightly before the bell Wednesday as the Federal Reserve wraps up a two-day policy meeting. The Fed will almost certainly leave interest rates unchanged despite Trump’s pleas for a rate cut as he pursues a worldwide trade war.
Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed officials have signaled that they want to see how the duties — including 145% on all imports from China — impact consumer prices.
Uncertainty has made U.S. households more pessimistic, fueling a surge in imports ahead of potentially more severe tariffs that drove the U.S. trade deficit to a record $140.5 billion and shrank the U.S. economy at a 0.3% annual pace.
Biden calls Trump’s pressure on Ukraine ‘modern-day appeasement’ in first post-presidential interview — 5:23 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Joe Biden said in his first post-presidential interview that Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to give up territory to Russia amounts to " modern-day appeasement," a historically fraught term that refers to a failed effort to stop the Nazis from annexing land in Europe in the 1930s.
Biden told BBC Radio 4s “Today” program in remarks aired Wednesday that Trump’s statements about acquiring Panama, Greenland, and Canada have bred distrust in Europe.
He also said it was a “difficult decision” to leave the US presidential race in 2024 four months from Election Day to allow former vice president Kamala Harris to challenge Trump. But, he added, making that move earlier as some critics had suggested “would(n’t) have mattered.”
Harvard needs its big donors now more than ever. But some are wary of the school’s standoff with Trump. — 4:50 a.m.
By Hilary Burns and Janelle Nanos, Globe Staff
For three weeks, Harvard University’s battle with the Trump administration has been a high-stakes standoff. Lines were crossed. Ultimatums issued. Angry tweets and spirited protests have rallied both sides.
To outsiders, it can look very black and white.
As with any conflagration between powerful parties, however, things are more grey behind the scenes. That’s especially true of the conversations between Harvard and some of its most prominent donors — key allies whose support, both political and financial, may be more important to the university now than ever before.
Most travelers must have a REAL ID now to fly within the US — 12:40 a.m.
By the Associated Press
REAL ID requirements for those flying within the United States begin Wednesday after nearly 20 years of delays.
The day ahead of the deadline, people lined up at government offices across the country to secure their compliant IDs. In Chicago, officials established a Real ID Supercenter for walk-in appointments, while officials in California and elsewhere planned to continue offering extended hours for the crush of appointments.