The Latest: Trump asks Supreme Court to allow ban on transgender troops to take effect for now
President Donald Trump s administration on Thursday appealed the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a ban on transgender people in the military while legal challenges proceed The high court filing follows a brief order from a federal appeals court that kept in place a court order blocking the agenda nationwide Also state and local electoral process bureaucrats from across the country are meeting to consider Trump s executive order that seeks major changes to how elections are run the first time those in charge of the nation s voting will formally gather to weigh in on its implications Here s the latest Trump science cuts roil university labs targeting bird feeder research AI literacy work and more Hundreds of university researchers had their National Science Foundation funding abruptly canceled Friday to comply with Trump s directives to end promotion of research on diversity equity and inclusion as well as the examination of misinformation It s the latest front in Trump s anti-DEI campaign that has also gone after university administrations healthcare research and the private sector More than grant projects have been cut so far including work to combat internet censorship in China and Iran and a project consulting with Indigenous communities to understand environmental changes in Alaska s Arctic region One computer scientist was studying how artificial intelligence tools could mitigate bias in diagnostic information and others were trying to help people detect AI-generated deepfakes A number of terminated grants sought to broaden the diversity of people studying science device and engineering NSF has a billion budget that can be a lifeline for resource-strapped professors and the younger researchers they recruit to their teams It has shifted priorities over time but it s highly unique to terminate so multiple midstream grants Read more about National Science Foundation funding cuts After criticism Trump Organization moving in a different direction on outside ethics adviser The Trump Organization says it s moving in a different direction with regard to its hand-picked outside ethics adviser following strong criticism from President Trump about the prominent lawyer who was selected for the role months ago Trump on Thursday lambasted William Burck who is one of the lawyers representing Harvard University in a high-stakes court fight with the Trump administration Burck was also named in January to serve as an outside ethics adviser for the Trump Organization to vet deals that could pose conflicts with citizens program Trump in a Truth Social post revealed Burck should therefore be forced to resign instantly or be fired He called on his sons who now run the company to part options with Burck though he didn t mention the attorney by name Soon after Eric Trump disclosed in a comment provided to The Associated Press that I view it as a conflict and I will be moving in a different direction Trump asks Supreme Court to let ban on transgender members of military take effect The Trump administration on Thursday required the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a ban on transgender people in the military while legal challenges proceed The high court filing follows a brief order from a federal appeals court that kept in place a court order blocking the protocol nationwide Trump signed an executive order a week into his term that states the sexual identity of transgender operation members conflicts with a soldier s commitment to an honorable truthful and disciplined lifestyle even in one s personal life and is harmful to military readiness In response Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a protocol that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military arrangement But in March U S District Court Judge Benjamin Settle in Tacoma Washington ruled for several long-serving transgender military members who say the ban is insulting and discriminatory Read more about the ban on transgender people in the military Vance autographs the kegerator he used to pour beers While serving beer on the air base Vance was using a special kegerator which was constructed by Air Force Master Sgt Anthony Davis After Vance had poured drafts from the kegerator typically a small refrigerator modified to dispense beer from kegs Davis requested the vice president to autograph it To Anthony this is great A work of genius JD Vance he wrote while signing the contraption He used Davis kegerator to serve Benediktiner Hell lager beer Davis fundraised for and built the kegerator for an event for the th Maintenance Group at the base where Vance was on a refueling stop Ramstein Air Base in Germany Davis added that Vance announced This thing is awesome when Davis sought him to sign it Vice President JD Vance marks refueling stop in Germany by serving beer to US provision members Vance and is family are returning to Washington form a trip to Italy and India and stopped at Ramstein Air Base in Germany I have no idea what the hell day it is what time it is Vance joked Utility members around him were drinking beer and eating hot dogs and Vance held up a classic German painted stein with a metal lid He joked that he should chug a beer but added That would go viral and not in a good way my friends Instead Vance took a regular sip before handing out cups of beer he served from a keg President criticizes lawyer who s representing Harvard in its dispute with the White House Trump is lambasting a lawyer who represents Harvard University in its dispute with the White House and who also was tapped by the president s company to serve as an outside ethics adviser Trump did not name the attorney he was referring to in his Truth Social post Thursday but it was clear from the context that he was talking about William Burck In his post he wrote that he hopes the Trump Organization which is now run by his sons gets rid of him ASAP Burck is one of the lawyers who sued the Trump administration this week on behalf of Harvard to halt a federal freeze of more than billion He s well known inside the Trump orbit having represented multiple Trump allies during special counsel Robert Mueller s Russia inquiry South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to meet soon with Trump to discuss strained relations Ramaphosa noted he d spoken to Trump and the two leaders had also agreed to discuss the peace process in Ukraine and the end to the Russia-Ukraine war We both agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as accomplishable to stop further unnecessary deaths We both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding U S -South Africa relations Ramaphosa explained in a post on social media platform X We also spoke about the need to foster good relations between our two countries he added Ramaphosa did not indicate when the meeting with Trump was likely to take place Relations between South Africa and the U S have deteriorated since Trump took office earlier this year Read more about relations between the U S and South Africa China says there are no negotiations with the US over tariffs China on Thursday denied Trump s assertion that the two sides were involved in operational negotiations over tariffs saying any suggestion of progress in this matter was as groundless as trying to catch the wind China s comments come after Trump declared Tuesday that the final tariff rate on China s exports would come down substantially from the current China s position is consistent and we are open to consultations and dialogues but any form of consultations and negotiations must be conducted on the basis of mutual respect and in an equal manner stated Ministry of Commerce spokesman He Yadong Any declares about the progress of China-U S bargain negotiations are groundless as trying to catch the wind and have no factual basis Trump had narrated reporters earlier in the week that everything s working when demanded if he was engaging with China although his Treasury Secretary had commented there were no formal negotiations Read more about tariffs between the U S and China NATO s Secretary General arrives at the Pentagon as Signal questions linger for Hegseth NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived Thursday morning for a day of meetings as the White House has signaled it s lost patience with peace talks between Ukraine and Russia and is prepared to step away from the table At the Pentagon Rutte met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen Dan Caine and he s scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Precaution Advisor Mike Waltz later in the day Rutte s meetings at the Pentagon come at a time that Hegseth s use of the Signal app to discuss military operations remains under scrutiny Hegseth did not answer a shouted question as to whether he was still using the Signal app in his daily duties IMF chief urges countries to move swiftly to resolve bargain tensions that threaten global development The head of the International Monetary Fund urged countries to move swiftly to resolve commerce disputes that threaten global economic upsurge IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva commented the unpredictability arising from Trump s aggressive campaign of taxes on foreign imports is causing companies to delay investments and consumers to hold off on spending Uncertainty is bad for business she described reporters Thursday in a briefing during the spring meetings of the IMF and its sister agency the World Bank Georgieva s comments came two days after the IMF downgraded the outlook for world economic advancement this year Read more about the International Monetary Fund and the global economic system In rare criticism of Putin Trump urges the Russian leader to STOP after a deadly attack on Kyiv I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV Not necessary and very bad timing Vladimir STOP soldiers a week are dying Trump commented Thursday in a post on his Truth Social platform Lets get the Peace Deal DONE Russia struck Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones At least nine people were killed and more than injured in the deadliest assault on the city since last July The strikes took place just as peace efforts are coming to a head Read more about Trump and the war in Ukraine Trump s Thursday schedule On Trump s general schedule this day he will greet and then have lunch with the Prime Minister of Norway who s visiting Washington at noon They will then have a meeting in the Oval Office at p m At p m he will sign more executive orders Later this evening at p m Trump will expedition to his golf club in Washington D C where he will attend a MAGA Inc dinner Voting process officers from across the US meet to consider Trump s order overhauling balloting operations State and local voting executives from across the country are meeting Thursday to consider Trump s executive order that seeks major changes to how elections are run the first time those in charge of the nation s voting will formally gather to weigh in on its implications The U S Voting process Assistance Commission s Standards Board which is holding a citizens hearing in North Carolina is a bipartisan advisory group of vote representatives from every state that meets annually The commission an independent federal agency is at the center of Trump s executive order The March order directs the commission to update the national voter registration form to include a proof-of-citizenship requirement revise guidelines for voting systems and withhold federal money from any state that continues to accept ballots after Voting process Day Read more about the meeting of balloting personnel Trump is putting his touches on the White House with flagpoles art and an Oval Office overhaul Trump is putting his touches on the White House with new flagpoles new artwork an overhaul of the Oval Office decor and possibly covering up the lawn in the Rose Garden Trump a former real estate developer and hotelier commented Wednesday that he s adding two beautiful flagpoles to the grounds to fly the American flag in about a week He in recent weeks hung new artworks featuring himself including a rendering of him with his fist raised after last year s attempted assassination in Pennsylvania He has redecorated the Oval Office by adding portraits of all of his predecessors and a wall-mounted copy of the Declaration of Independence Trump has also talked about paving over the lawn in the Kennedy-era Rose Garden He even remarked on the grass on Wednesday telling reporters he recalled a latest event where the grass was very wet and it was very hard for people to stand on the grass They got their shoes all ruined Read more about Trump s personal touches on the White House Trump will hold a rally in Michigan next week to mark his first days in office Trump will mark his first days in office next week with a rally in Michigan his first since returning to the White House earlier this year Trump will visit Macomb County on Tuesday the White House press secretary declared The region just north of Detroit is known as an automotive hub President Trump is excited to return to the great state of Michigan next Tuesday where he will rally in Macomb County to celebrate the FIRST DAYS Karoline Leavitt stated Wednesday on social media The rally will take place one day before Trump s th day in office a traditional early milestone in which a president s progress is measured against campaign promises Michigan was one of the key battleground states Trump flipped last year from Democrats on his path back to the White House Trump has not traveled much since taking office outside of personal weekend trips His only other official trip in his second term was during the first week when he visited calamity zones in North Carolina and California and held an event in Las Vegas to promote his plan to eliminate taxes on tips Read more about Trump s upcoming rally Trump signs executive orders targeting colleges plus schools equity efforts Trump has ordered sharper scrutiny of America s colleges and the accreditors that oversee them part of his escalating campaign to end what he calls wokeness and diversity efforts in guidance In a series of executive actions signed Wednesday Trump targeted universities that he views as liberal adversaries to his political agenda One order called for harder enforcement of a federal law requiring colleges to disclose their financial ties with foreign sources while another called for a shakeup of the accrediting bodies that decide whether colleges can accept federal financial aid awarded to students Trump also ordered the Learning Department to root out efforts to ensure equity in discipline in the nation s K- schools Previous guidance from Democratic administrations directed schools not to disproportionately punish underrepresented minorities such as Black and Native American students The administration says equity efforts amount to racial discrimination Read more about Trump s latest executive order targeting coaching Preponderance Americans expect higher prices as a consequence of Trump s tariffs a new AP-NORC poll finds Americans trust in Trump to bolster the U S economic system appears to be faltering with a new poll showing that plenty of people fear the country is being steered into a recession and that the president s broad and haphazardly enforced tariffs will cause prices to rise Roughly half of U S adults say that Trump s exchange policies will increase prices a lot and another in think prices could go up somewhat according to the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Constituents Affairs Research About half of Americans are extremely or very concerned about the possibility of the U S market system going into a recession in the next meager months While skepticism about tariffs is increasing modestly that doesn t mean the community is automatically rejecting Trump or his approach to bargain However the wariness could cause problems for a president who promised voters he could hurriedly fix inflation Read more about the latest AP-NORC poll Source
