A federal judge on Wednesday said he to hold President administration in of court for violating his orders to turn around planes carrying deportees to El Salvador.
U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg warned he could refer the matter for prosecution if the administration does not 鈥減urge鈥� its contempt. Boasberg said the administration could do so by returning to U.S. custody those who were sent to the El Salvador prison in violation of his order so that they 鈥渕ight avail themselves of their right to challenge their removability.鈥�
Here's the latest:
ACLU sues Defense Department school system over banning race- and gender-related books
The American Civil Liberties Union asserts that the removal of race- and gender-related books and curricula violated students鈥� First Amendment protections against government censorship.
The suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in northeast Virginia says the Department of Defense Education Activity nixed educational materials in line with an executive order issued by Trump in January.
Trump鈥檚 order forbids the school system from 鈥減romoting, advancing, or otherwise inculcating ... un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories鈥� connected to race and gender.
Books ranging from Harper Lee鈥檚 鈥� 鈥� and Khaled Hosseini鈥檚 鈥� 鈥� to 鈥� 鈥� by Vice President JD Vance have since been stripped from some schools鈥� library shelves, according to the ACLU.
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AmeriCorps members who respond to disasters and help nonprofits let go in DOGE cuts
Young volunteers who respond to natural disasters and help with community projects across the U.S. have been discharged as a result of the 鈥檚 campaign to .
AmeriCorps鈥� National Civilian Community Corps informed volunteers Tuesday they would exit the program early 鈥渄ue to programmatic circumstances beyond your control,鈥� according to an email obtained by The Associated Press.
More than 2,000 people, ages 18 to 26, serve for nearly a year, according to the program鈥檚 website, and get assigned to projects with nonprofits and community organizations or the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The volunteers are especially visible , including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and last year. The organization said on social media last month that teams have served 8 million service hours on nearly 3,400 disaster projects since 1999.
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Rep. Elise Stefanik is considering a New York gubernatorial run
That鈥檚 according to a person close to her who was granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Stefanik, R-N.Y., is a member of House Republican leadership and onetime nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
New York鈥檚 current governor, Democrat Kathy Hochul, was elected in 2022.
Stefanik, a close ally and fierce defender of the president, had been nominated to represent the U.S. at the United Nations. But her nomination was pulled last month amid concerns about leaving a Republican House seat vacant when the party has such a narrow majority in the chamber.
鈥� Seung Min Kim
US imposes sanctions on Chinese refinery accused of buying Iranian oil
The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on a Chinese refinery accused of purchasing more than $1 billion worth of Iranian oil, saying the proceeds help finance both Tehran鈥檚 government and Iran鈥檚 support for militant groups.
The sanctioned Chinese refinery received dozens of shipments of crude oil from Iran, the Trump administration said Wednesday. Some of the petroleum came from a front company for Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, U.S. authorities said.
Several companies and vessels involved in the shipments also were added to the sanctions list.
The penalties follow earlier efforts by the Trump administration to disrupt the flow of Iranian oil.
Some Head Start centers close in Washington state over funding concerns
A handful of preschools in Washington state have stopped providing Head Start services, saying the federal government hasn鈥檛 sent their funding.
Inspire Development Centers in Sunnyside, Washington, closed Wednesday with no plans to reopen until they receive federal money, a statement Tuesday said.
The closure affects more than 300 low-income preschoolers and more than 100 babies and toddlers. More than 50 staff members will be laid off this week, Inspire said.
Head Start, a federal child development program for the nation鈥檚 neediest kids, runs through private and public schools, which receive federal money to operate. Inspire said it typically receives annualnotice of its funding amount in February, with a finalized award by May 1. But this year, the centers haven鈥檛 heard from the Department of Health and Human Services, which runs the Office of Head Start.
Judge finds probable cause to hold Trump administration in contempt for violating deportation order
It regards his orders to turn around planes carrying deportees to El Salvador.
U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg said he the administration must try to 鈥減urge鈥� itself of a contempt finding or he鈥檒l launch hearings and potentially refer the matter for prosecution.
鈥淭he Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions. None of their responses has been satisfactory,鈥� the judge wrote.
The move by Judge Boasberg marks an escalation in a battle between the judicial and executives branches of government over a president鈥檚 powers to carry out key White House priorities. The Republican president has called for Boasberg鈥檚 impeachment while the Justice Department has accused the judge of overstepping his authority.
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping: China will stand with Southeast Asian countries in face of economic shocks
Xi鈥檚 remarks were made at a dinner with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim while Xi was on a state visit as part of his Southeast Asia tour.
鈥淚n the face of shocks to global order and economic globalization, China and Malaysia will stand with countries in the region to combat the undercurrents of geopolitical ... confrontation, as well as the counter-currents of unilateralism and protectionism,鈥� Xi said.
Xi is visiting Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia this week, days after Trump鈥檚 tariff announcements disrupted the global economy, and he鈥檚 in the region. Although the trip was likely planned before the tariffs uncertainty, it was a chance for Beijing to shore up its own relationships in the region and look for ways to mitigate the 145% tariffs Trump has kept on China, even as he paused tariffs for other countries.
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EPA can鈥檛 end grants from $20 billion Biden-era fund for climate-friendly projects, judge says
The federal judge says some nonprofits awarded billions for a so-called green bank to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects cannot have their contracts scrapped and must have access to some of the frozen money.
The ruling is a defeat for Trump鈥檚 Environmental Protection Agency, which argues the program is rife with financial mismanagement.
The order late Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan 鈥済ives us a chance to breathe after the EPA unlawfully 鈥� and without due process 鈥� terminated our awards and blocked access to funds that were appropriated by Congress and legally obligated,鈥� said Climate United CEO Beth Bafford.
The lawsuit by contends that the EPA, Administrator Lee Zeldin and Citibank, which held the grant money, illegally blocked the funds awarded last year and had jeopardized the organizations鈥� operations.
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Iranian state TV says 2nd round of Iran-US nuclear talks will be in Rome
That comes after earlier confusion over where the negotiations would be held.
The talks will be mediated by Oman, as they were last weekend in the sultanate鈥檚 capital of Muscat, the state TV report said.
On Monday, multiple officials said they would be held in Rome. However, Iran鈥檚 Foreign Ministry鈥檚 spokesperson said early Tuesday they鈥檇 be held in Oman.
The stakes of the negotiations couldn鈥檛 be higher for the two nations . Trump repeatedly has threatened targeting Iran鈥檚 nuclear program if a deal isn鈥檛 reached. Iranian officials with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.
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White House is starting new media policy that restricts wire services鈥� access to the president
The Associated Press says the new White House media policy violates a court order by giving the administration sole discretion over who gets to question Trump, and the news agency asked a federal judge Wednesday to enforce that order.
The swift move was in response to a policy issued late Tuesday by the White House, which suffered a last week over The Associated Press鈥� ability to cover Trump. The plans, the latest attempt by the new administration to control coverage of its activities, sharply curtail the access of three news agencies that serve billions of readers around the world.
The AP filed Wednesday鈥檚 motion with U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, asking for relief 鈥済iven defendant鈥檚 refusal to obey鈥� his order last week. McFadden said the White House had violated the AP鈥檚 free speech by banning it from certain presidential events because Trump disagreed with the outlet鈥檚 decision not to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
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Maine Gov. Janet Mills says state will fight lawsuit over transgender students in sports
The Trump administration said Wednesday it鈥檚 suing Maine鈥檚 education department for not complying with the government鈥檚 push to ban in girls and women鈥檚 sports, escalating a dispute over whether the state is abiding by a federal law that bars discrimination in education based on sex.
Mills, a Democrat, said the lawsuit is really about the federal government imposing its will on Maine and that other states should be concerned.
鈥淭oday is the latest, expected salvo in an unprecedented campaign to pressure the State of Maine to ignore the Constitution and abandon the rule of law,鈥� Mills said in a statement. 鈥淭his matter has never been about school sports or the protection of women and girls, as has been claimed, it is about states rights and defending the rule of law against a federal government bent on imposing its will, instead of upholding the law.鈥�
RFK Jr.鈥檚 mixed message about the measles outbreaks draws criticism from health officials
As popped up across the U.S. this winter, pediatricians waited for the nation鈥檚 public health agency to send a routine, but important, letter that outlines how they could help stop the spread of the illness.
It wasn鈥檛 until last week 鈥� after the number of cases grew to more than 700, and a second young child in Texas had died from a measles infection 鈥� that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finally issued its correspondence.
The delay of that letter may seem minor. But it鈥檚 one in a string of missteps that more than a dozen doctors, nurses and public health officials interviewed by The Associated Press identified in the Trump administration鈥檚 response to the outbreak.
Health secretary efforts to contain an epidemic in a tight-knit, religious community in West Texas have run counter to established public health strategies deployed to end past epidemics.
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Members of Congress travel to El Salvador in split trips highlighting prison there
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen arrived in the Central American nation Wednesday morning as part of a trip meant to assess the condition of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, according to a person familiar with his trip who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
In a video posted to social media prior to his flight, Van Hollen, a Democrat, said the trip was meant to highlight the importance of 鈥渄ue process鈥� and 鈥渢he rule of law鈥� for all Americans.
The Trump administration deported Abrego Garcia to a Salvadoran prison, a move administration officials have said was erroneous.
Rep. Riley Moore, a West Virginia Republican, posted Tuesday evening that he鈥檇 visited the prison.
鈥淚 leave now even more determined to support President Trump鈥檚 efforts to secure our homeland,鈥� Moore wrote on social media.
鈥� Mary Clare Jalonick and Matt Brown
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An earlier version of this item incorrectly said Rep. Riley Moore is from Virginia instead of West Virginia.
Anti-DEI conservative strategist urges Trump to escalate his Ivy League battle
A prominent opponent of diversity, equity and inclusion programs is imploring President Trump to cut all federal money and strip nonprofit status at Harvard and other Ivy League schools that .
Conservative strategist Christopher Rufo said the government should respond to Harvard鈥檚 defiance with the same tools used to force desegregation during the Civil Rights Movement.
鈥淭rump needs to follow through on his threat to defund one of the Ivy League universities,鈥� Rufo said on social media Tuesday. 鈥淐ut the funding and watch the university implode.鈥�
Harvard on Monday became the first school to from the Trump administration, prompting the government to freeze more than $2 billion in grants and contracts.
Rufo said Harvard has discriminated against white and Asian American students, citing events including graduation celebrations specific to certain ethnic groups, along with a 2021 theater performance exclusively 鈥渇or Black-identifying audience members.鈥�
Attorney General Pam Bondi says Kilmar Abrego Garcia 鈥榠s not coming back to our country鈥�
She was asked at an unrelated news conference about the case of the who was wrongly deported to an El Salvador prison. The Supreme Court has said .
Bondi said the U.S. government would fly him back on a plane if El Salvador President Nayib Bukele wanted to return him.
鈥淧resident Bukele said he was not sending him back. That鈥檚 the end of the story,鈥� Bondi said. Even if he were to return to the U.S., the government would deport him again, Bondi said.
鈥淗e would have come back, had one extra step of paperwork and gone back again. But he鈥檚 from El Salvador, he鈥檚 in El Salvador and that鈥檚 where the president plans on keeping him,鈥� Bondi said.
The Trump administration has alleged he鈥檚 a member of MS-13. Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime and has denied the allegations.
Vance, his wife and kids are traveling to Italy and India later this week, his office says
Vice President JD Vance says the trip will take place April 18-24.
In Rome, Vance will meet with Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who鈥檚 scheduled to visit the White House on Thursday. He鈥檒l also meet with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
His India stops include New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, which is known for the Taj Mahal, and include meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Vance and his family will also visit cultural sites.
The vice president converted to Catholicism. His wife, Usha Vance, is the first Indian American person to become second lady. They have three young children.
WTO says the volume of trade in goods worldwide is likely to decrease by 0.2% this year
And the World Trade Organization says that鈥檚 due to and a standoff with China, but it would take a more severe hit if the U.S. president carries through on his toughest 鈥渞eciprocal鈥� tariffs.
The decline in trade will be particularly steep in North America even without the stiffest tariffs, the global trade forum said Wednesday, with exports there this year expected to fall by 12.6% and imports by 9.6%.
The WTO based its report on the tariff situation as of Monday. Initially, 2025 and 2026 were expected to have continued expansion of world trade, but Trump鈥檚 trade war forced WTO economists to substantially downgrade their forecast, the forum said.
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Trump鈥檚 schedule for Wednesday
This morning, at 11:30 a.m., Trump will receive an intelligence briefing. Later this evening, at 6:30 p.m., he will attend an Easter prayer service and dinner.
US shoppers increased their buying last month
It鈥檚 fueled by a spending spree on big ticket items from gadgets to cars before Trump鈥檚 expansive new tariffs started kicking in.
Retail sales rose 1.4% in March, after rising 0.2% in February, according to the Commerce Department. Retail sales fell , hurt in part by cold weather that kept more Americans indoors, denting sales at car dealers and most other stores.
Excluding sales at auto dealers, sales only rose 0.5%.
Sales at auto dealers rose 5.3%, while electronics retailers had a 0.8% increase. Sporting goods retailers enjoyed a 2.4% gain.
But analysts expect sales will start falling off as the slew of tariffs increase costs for companies and many retailers are forced to raise prices, hurting shopper demand.
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Trump administration sues Maine over participation of transgender athletes in girls sports
The administration announced the lawsuit Wednesday against Maine鈥檚 education department for not complying with the government鈥檚 push to ban in girls sports, escalating a dispute over whether the state is abiding by a federal law that bars discrimination in education based on sex.
The lawsuit follows weeks of feuding between the Republican administration and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills that鈥檚 led to threats to cut off crucial federal funding and a clash at the White House when she told the president: 鈥淲e鈥檒l see you in court.鈥�
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the legal action at a news conference in Washington alongside former University of Kentucky swimmer , who has emerged as a public face of the opposition to transgender athletes.
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Rubio and Witkoff will travel to Paris for talks on the war in Ukraine
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump鈥檚 special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Paris this week for talks with European allies on U.S. efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
The State Department said Wednesday that Rubio and Witkoff would be in the French capital Thursday for the meetings, details of which weren鈥檛 immediately available.
The pair will have 鈥渢alks with European counterparts to advance President Trump鈥檚 goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and stop the bloodshed.鈥�
Rubio will also 鈥渄iscuss ways to advance shared interests in the region,鈥� State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announces lawsuit over Trump tariffs
Newsom is challenging Trump鈥檚 authority to impose a 10% tariff on all imports.
The state, which will file the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, will ask the court to immediately block the tariffs.
Newsom said the tariffs 鈥渁re wreaking chaos鈥� on Californians and threatening jobs in the state, which has the largest economy in the nation.
鈥淲e鈥檙e standing up for American families who can鈥檛 afford to let the chaos continue,鈥� he said.
The Democratic governor previously asked countries to exempt California exports from retaliatory tariffs.
Trump says Japanese officials coming to White House to negotiate over tariffs and other issues
Trump said in a morning post on his social media platform that he鈥檒l attend the Wednesday meeting alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
鈥淗opefully something can be worked out which is good (GREAT!) for Japan and the USA!鈥� the president wrote.
Trump鈥檚 announcement last week of a 90-day pause on the latest series of duties put Japan鈥檚 24% across-the-board rate on hold, but a 10% baseline tariff and a 25% tariff on cars, auto parts, steel and aluminum exports to the U.S. remain in place.
Japan鈥檚 chief trade negotiator, Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, was traveling to Washington for the talks.
Harvard鈥檚 challenge to Trump administration could test limits of government power
On Monday, Harvard became the first university as it demands sweeping changes . The university frames the government鈥檚 demands as a threat not only to the Ivy League school but to the autonomy that the Supreme Court has long granted American universities.
Both sides are that could test the limits of the government鈥檚 power and the independence that has made U.S. universities a destination for scholars around the world.
But no university is better positioned to put up a fight than Harvard, whose $53 billion . But like other major universities, Harvard also depends on the federal funding that . It鈥檚 unclear how long Harvard could continue without the frozen money.
For the Trump administration, Harvard presents the first major hurdle in its attempt to that Republicans say have become hotbeds of liberalism and antisemitism.
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Trump says he wants to give money and airplane tickets to immigrants who 鈥榮elf-deport鈥�
Trump said he wants to give money and an airplane ticket to any immigrant who is in the country illegally who chooses to 鈥渟elf-deport,鈥� and work to get those who are 鈥済ood鈥� back in the U.S., a break from his usual .
Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to carry out mass deportations, said in a taped interview with Fox Noticias that aired Tuesday that his administration is focused right now on getting 鈥渕urderers鈥� out of the country. But for others in the U.S. illegally, he said, he鈥檚 going to implement 鈥渁 self-deportation program.鈥�
Trump offered few details about the plan, including timing, but said the U.S. would provide immigrants airfare and a stipend.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to give them a stipend. We鈥檙e going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we鈥檙e going to work with them 鈥� if they鈥檙e good 鈥� if we want them back in, we鈥檙e going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can,鈥� Trump said.
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US judge presses Trump administration on its refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia
A federal judge said Tuesday that she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland issued her order after Trump officials to retrieve . She said they defied a 鈥渃lear鈥� .
She also downplayed Monday鈥檚 comments by White House officials and El Salvador鈥檚 president that they were unable to bring back Abrego Garcia, describing their statements as 鈥渢wo very misguided ships passing in the night.鈥�
鈥淭he Supreme Court has spoken,鈥� Xinis said, adding that what was said in the Oval Office on Monday 鈥渋s not before the court.鈥�
In her written order published Tuesday evening, Xinis called for the testimony of four Trump administration officials who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department.
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The Associated Press
