The Latest: Trump agrees to cut tariffs on UK autos, steel and aluminum in a trade deal
President Donald Trump said from the White House on Thursday that his government has reached a trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
Trump said the deal increases access for U.S. agricultural products, though he added that the final details were still being written up. Britain said the agreement will cut tariffs on U.K. cars from 27.5% to 10% and eliminate tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Here’s the latest:
Forest and park service worker cuts leave wildland firefighting crews short-staffed
Administration funding cuts and a loss of federal workers who help support wildland firefighting continue to make planning for the upcoming wildfire season a challenge, according to forest and fire officials in Oregon and Washington.
The biggest issue is a lack of communication from the federal government as the West faces “a pretty significant wildland fire season,” Washington State Forester George Geissler said Thursday during a news conference hosted by two Democratic senators from the two states.
“This is the time when we make certain that we have the aviation we need, when we have the personnel we need and that all of our systems check out and are ready to go when the alarm bell rings,” Geissler said.
A spokesperson with the Department of Interior, which oversees national parks and other public lands, said “funding is not in jeopardy” and efforts are being supported by increasing pay for federal and tribal wildland firefighters.
▶ Read more about the cuts and firefighting readiness
Trump’s trade deal with the UK could have occurred before his ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs
The president had invited the British government to agree to a trade deal before April 2, but he changed his mind so that he could impose his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs.
That’s according to a British government official who insisted on anonymity to discuss negotiations with the Trump administration.
The official said the planned deal, which was unveiled Thursday, was effectively shelved so that Trump could roll out sharp increases in import taxes that caused financial markets to panic because of the possible economic damage.
After interest rates on U.S. government debt increased, Trump imposed a partial pause for 90 days of negotiations to reach deals.
Trump says he is naming Fox News host and former judge Jeanine Pirro as top federal prosecutor in DC
The president said Thursday that he is naming Pirro, a former county prosecutor and elected judge, to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation’s capital.
Pirro, who joined Fox News in 2006, co-hosts “The Five” on weekday evenings. She was elected as a judge in New York’s Westchester County Court in 1990 and later served three terms as the county’s elected district attorney.
Trump tapped Pirro to at least temporarily lead the nation’s largest U.S. Attorney’s office after pulling his nomination of conservative activist Ed Martin Jr. That came after a key Republican senator said he could not support Martin due to his defense of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“He’s a terrific person, and he wasn’t getting the support from people that I thought,” Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office. He later added: “But we have somebody else that will be great.”
Pirro is the latest in a string of appointments coming from Fox News, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who co-hosted “Fox & Friends Weekend.”
Panama president says he will not renegotiate security deal with US despite protests
President José Raúl Mulino said he will not renegotiate the deal, which gives U.S. troops access to Panamanian facilities, despite protests charging that he compromised his country’s sovereignty.
Thousands marched in Panama City on Tuesday in the largest protest yet against the agreement, which was signed during last month’s visit by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The U.S. Embassy said Wednesday in a statement that it does not allow for establishing military bases in Panama. A military presence in Panama is sensitive, since people still remember the U.S. invasion in 1989, and Trump has suggested taking back control of the Panama Canal.
“Panama’s sovereignty is not at stake, it’s not handed over, it’s not given,” Mulino said during his weekly news conference. He, too, said the agreement would not lead to U.S. bases.
What’s in the US-UK trade deal? A broad agreement with limited details
The Trump administration announced the deal in grandiose terms, but with only limited details about what it will achieve.
The agreement will open up the British market to American beef, ethanol, and other agricultural products, the White House said. It will also allow British cars and steel better access to U.S. consumers.
The pact provides some support for Trump’s arguments that his steep tariffs could lead to agreements that open up overseas markets. But economists’ initial reactions were cool, with many noting that the U.K. isn’t a large enough trading partner for to really move the needle for the U.S. economy.
“It’s more symbolic than economic,” Beata Caranci, chief economist at the bank TD Economics, said via email. “What we have learned is that these initial announcements are going to be more fine-tuning around the edges and easing of pain points, rather than an end to the trade war.”
▶ Read more about what’s in the agreement
Lawsuit challenges new rules on migrant children in federal custody
The suit brought by two migrants’ advocacy groups seeks a halt to new vetting procedures for reuniting children who enter the country without their parents, saying they are keeping families separated longer and are inhumane.
The lawsuit in federal court in the District of Columbia names the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services and its Office of Refugee Resettlement.
In February the administration changed the way it reviews sponsors who want to care for migrant children in government custody, be they parents, relatives or others. More changes followed in March and April, when the government started requiring identification or proof of income that only people legally present in the U.S. can acquire.
Critics say government data shows the average length of time that children are held before being released to sponsors grew from 37 days in January to over 112 by March.
The plaintiffs are asking a judge to declare the changes unlawful and restore previous policies.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says he had another conversation with Trump about ceasefire
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they spoke by phone Thursday, hours after Trump reiterated his call for Ukraine and Russia to come to an agreement on a ceasefire.
“President Trump inquired about the situation on the battlefield, and I provided a brief overview. I also informed him that Ukraine is ready for a 30-day ceasefire, starting even today,” Zelenskyy said via social media.
“We are waiting for Russia to support this proposal. I also reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to engage in talks in any format,” he added. “But for that, Russia must demonstrate the seriousness of its intentions to end the war, starting with a full unconditional ceasefire.”
Trump expressed frustration with the conflict earlier in the day.
“This ceasefire must ultimately build toward a Peace Agreement,” he said on his Truth Social platform. “It can all be done very quickly, and I will be available on a moment’s notice if my services are needed.”
Up to 1,000 transgender troops are being moved out of the military in new Pentagon order
The Pentagon will immediately begin moving as many as 1,000 openly identifying transgender service members out of the military and give others 30 days to self-identify, under a new directive issued Thursday.
Buoyed by Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender individuals in the military, the Defense Department will then begin going through medical records to identify others who haven’t come forward.
Department officials have said it’s difficult to determine exactly how many transgender service members there are, but medical records will show those who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, show symptoms or are being treated.
Those troops would then be involuntarily forced out of the service.
On social media, Pope Leo XIV has shared criticism of Trump and Vance over policies
The Catholic Church’s first global leader to hail from the United States, Leo is in a new job that will have many crossovers into politics — a realm not entirely unknown to the Chicago-born priest, whose social media history includes sharing criticism of Trump administration policies and of comments by Vice President JD Vance.
The majority of Leo’s posts on the social platform X are related to or in support of Catholic news and church initiatives. He rarely writes original content, but a look back through his social media timeline shows numerous posts sharing viewpoints opposed to moves aimed at restricting acceptance of migrants and refugees in the U.S.
▶ Read more about the posts shared by Leo
US will stop tracking the costs of extreme weather fueled by climate change
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will no longer track the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters, including floods, heat waves, wildfires and more. It is the latest example of changes to the agency and the Trump administration limiting federal government resources on climate change.
NOAA falls under the U.S. Department of Commerce and is tasked with daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring. It is also parent to the National Weather Service.
The agency said its National Centers for Environmental Information would no longer update its Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database beyond 2024 its information — going as far back as 1980 — would be archived.
NOAA Communications Director Kim Doster said in a statement that the change was “in alignment with evolving priorities, statutory mandates, and staffing changes.”
Trump to end Biden-era program helping poor communities get internet access
The president says he plans to end the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act, which was part of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure investments signed into law by then-President Joe Biden.
The aim of the program was to help rural and urban communities on the wrong side of the digital divide, as well as veterans and people with disabilities.
Trump said in a social media post that he spoke with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and agreed that the program “is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL.”
“No more woke handouts based on race!” Trump said. “I am ending this IMMEDIATELY, and saving Taxpayers BILLIONS OF DOLLARS!”
Reports of Trump deportation plans highlight abuse of migrants in Libya
Reports of plans to deport migrants from the U.S. to Libya, a country with a documented history of serious human rights violations and abuse of migrants, have spotlighted the difficulties they face in the lawless North African nation.
Migrants there are routinely arbitrarily detained and placed in squalid detention centers where they are subjected to extortion, abuse, rape and killings.
A U.N.-backed independent fact-finding mission found evidence that crimes against humanity have been committed against migrants in Libya. Victims were subjected to enslavement, forced disappearance, torture and murder, among other crimes, the investigators found. Dead migrants have been found in mass graves, while tens of thousands of others have drowned trying to escape Libya on smugglers’ boats.
“It’s hell on earth for migrants,” said Tarek Megerisi, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
▶ Read more about abuses of migrants in Libya
Barbara Bush commemorative stamp unveiled at the White House
First lady Melania Trump and members of the Bush family gathered in the East Room to introduce the U.S postage stamp bearing the portrait of the former first lady.
The image is Barbara Bush’s official White House portrait, which hangs in the entrance to the East Wing. She is depicted in a black suit and purple blouse, wearing her hallmark triple strand of pearls.
The stamp is set to go on sale a month from now, on Bush’s birthdate of June 8, first in Kennebunkport, Maine, where the family compound is located.
Trump said she appreciated how Bush inspired people to pursue their dreams.
Barbara Bush died in 2018 at 92. She was married to former President George H. W. Bush and was the mother of former President George W. Bush.
A day after saying FBI needs more resources, Patel strikes different note to Congress on budget plan
Director Kash Patel pledged to make the bureau’s mission “work on whatever budget we’re given,” striking a different tone from comments a day earlier in which he called for funding at far higher levels than what the Trump administration had proposed.
The 2026 budget proposal released Friday calls for a cut of about $545 million for the FBI as part of what the White House said was a desire to “reform and streamline” the bureau and reduce “non-law enforcement missions that do not align” with the president’s priorities.
Patel told a House subcommittee Wednesday that the FBI needs more and “can’t do the mission on those 2011 budget levels.”
But on Thursday during a Senate committee hearing, he said: “My view is that we agree with this budget as it stands and (will) make it work for the operational necessity of the FBI, and as the head of the FBI, I was simply asking for more funds because I can do more with more money.”
Wall Street rises on hopes for trade deals that could forestall a recession
The rise came after the United States and United Kingdom announced a trade deal that would lower some tariffs between the two countries, the first of what Wall Street hopes will be enough agreements to keep a recession from hitting the economy.
The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% for its 11th gain in the last 13 days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 254 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.1%.
It wasn’t just stocks. Bitcoin jumped back above $101,000, and crude oil prices climbed, while the price of gold eased back as investors felt less need for safety.
Treasury yields rose on bets that more trade deals with other countries may mean the Federal Reserve won’t need to cut interest rates as sharply as feared in order to prop up the economy.
Bank of England cuts interest rates and welcomes word of US-UK trade deal
The bank lowered its main interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 4.25% amid concerns over the potential shock to global growth emanating from the tariff policies of the Trump administration.
Thursday’s decision was widely expected, though there was an array of opinion on the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee, with two voting for a bigger half-point cut to 4% and two voting to hold rates.
Bank Gov. Andrew Bailey said inflationary pressures have continued to ease, paving the way for the fourth quarter-point rate cut since August.
“The past few weeks have shown how unpredictable the global economy can be,” he said. “That’s why we need to stick to a gradual and careful approach to further rate cuts.”
New German chancellor talks by phone with Trump on Ukraine and trade
Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke with Trump on his second full day in office about matters including the Ukraine war and trade disputes, according to the German leader’s office.
Trump congratulated the conservative leader after his victory in a parliamentary vote Tuesday, government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius said.
In a call that took place on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, Merz said the U.S. remains Germany’s “indispensable friend and partner,” Kornelius said.
The two leaders agreed to work closely to end the war in Ukraine, and Merz agreed with Trump’s call for the killing to end quickly, Kornelius said, adding that “Russia must now agree to a ceasefire to create space for negotiations.”
According to the German readout, Trump said he would support the efforts of Germany, as well as Britain, France, Poland and other European countries, to achieve “lasting peace.”
The leaders discussed making mutual visits to each others’ countries, but no dates were specified.
Democrats block stablecoin bill as they raise concerns about Trump’s crypto ventures
Senate Democrats have blocked legislation to regulate stablecoins, a form of cryptocurrency, after arguing that the bill needed stronger protections and airing concerns that it could help the president enrich himself.
The bill, which would regulate how stablecoin issuers operate in the U.S., had previously won some Democratic support. But it failed 49-48 on a procedural vote Thursday after Democrats said they needed to see more changes before they could back the legislation.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans would work with Democrats if they allowed the bill to move forward, but they refused. All Democrats voted not to bring it up.
The vote is a blow to one of Trump’s top legislative priorities and a setback for the cryptocurrency industry, which spent heavily in last year’s election and has been emboldened to cement its influence in politics and the mainstream financial system.
Vance calls Rubio ‘probably my best friend’ in the Trump administration
Vice President JD Vance says he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio aren’t rivals, despite Trump mentioning both as possible successors.
Vance said during an interview with Fox News Channel on Thursday that Rubio “is probably my best friend in the administration.”
“The president’s not going to name a successor 110 days into his administration, nor should he,” Vance said. Asked if he could see himself as president, he said he would stay focused was on the current administration rather than the next one.
During a recent interview with NBC News, Trump was asked about a successor and responded, “You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who’s fantastic.”
Trump also has repeatedly flirted with suggestions that he could seek a third term — even though that is constitutionally barred.
FACT FOCUS: Trump claims the US subsidizes Canada. Experts say the numbers don’t add up
Newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited the White House on Tuesday in search of common ground during an ongoing trade war that has shattered decades of trust between his country and the U.S. Although the conversation was civil, President Donald Trump repeated erroneous rhetoric about how the U.S. provides Canada with billions of dollars in subsidies.
Here’s a closer look at the facts.
CLAIM: The U.S. subsidizes Canada with subsidies of about $200 billion per year.
THE FACTS: This is false. According to the White House, the number is based on the U.S. trade deficit with Canada and higher military spending by the U.S., including expenditures associated with the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD. An exact total is difficult to discern because there is no publicly available data on NORAD spending. But even the most generous estimates do not put the total costs anywhere close to what Trump claims.
▶ Read more about the numbers behind the U.S.-Canada trade relationship
Cash-strapped Bureau of Prisons freezes some hiring to ‘avoid more extreme measures,’ director says
The Trump administration is halting some hiring at the crisis-plagued agency, where chronic understaffing has led to long overtime shifts and the use of prison nurses, teachers, cooks and other workers to guard inmates.
The move, which coincides with Trump’s aggressive campaign to cut the cost and size of the federal government, was announced Thursday by the agency’s newly appointed director, William K. Marshall III. Some union officials characterized it as a “hiring freeze,” though the agency denied that, saying some positions would continue to be filled.
The Bureau will maintain current staffing levels at least through the end of the fiscal year, Sept 30, Marshall wrote in an email to staff titled “Staffing and Hiring Decisions.” The agency will still work to fill critical positions, such as correctional officers and medical clinicians, and will honor job offers that are currently pending on an accelerated timeline.
▶ Read more about the freezing of some hires
Cameron Hamilton is replaced as acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
FEMA’s leadership is changing hands at a moment of uncertainty over the agency’s future.
Trump has floated the idea of “ getting rid ” of FEMA, something Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has echoed.
Last month, Trump created a review council tasked with “reforming and streamlining the nation’s emergency management and disaster response system,” according to DHS.
It was not immediately clear why Hamilton was replaced, but his dismissal comes one day after he appeared before a House Appropriations subcommittee to discuss FEMA reforms. David Richardson will now serve as acting administrator.
The former marine corps officer was appointed in January as assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office.
Trump talks about the new pope
The president made a surprise appearance outside the West Wing to talk with reporters about the newly announced pope.
“It’s such an honor for our country” for the new pope to be American, Trump said. “What greater honor can there be?”
The president added that “we’re a little bit surprised and we’re happy.”
▶ Read more about how Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, overcame a taboo against a US pontiff
Trump administration seeks to overhaul US air traffic control
Recent deadly plane crashes and technical failures that have put a spotlight on the outdated U.S. air traffic control network are prompting the Trump administration to propose an overhaul.
The plan calls for six new air traffic control centers, along with technology and communications upgrades at all of the nation’s air traffic facilities over the next three years, said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. How much it will all cost wasn’t immediately revealed.
“Decades of neglect have left us with an outdated system that is showing its age,” Duffy said in prepared remarks. “Building this new system is an economic and national security necessity, and the time to fix it is now.”
The Trump administration wants to add fiber, wireless and satellite technology at more than 4,600 locations, replace 600 radars and increase the number of airports with systems designed to reduce near misses on runways.
▶ Read more about how the administration seeks to overhaul US air traffic control
Treasury Department launching a fast track process for investing in the US
The agency says it will launch a “Known Investor” portal as a pilot program under which a committee chaired by Treasury can collect information from foreign investors.
The U.S. “benefits from the strong and stable investments of our allies and partners,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Treasury is committed to maintaining and enhancing the open investment environment that benefits our economy, while making sure that process efficiencies do not diminish our ability to identify and address national security risks that can accompany foreign investment.”
Trump asks Supreme Court to allow him to end humanitarian parole for 500,000 people from 4 countries
Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to end humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from four countries.
The emergency appeal asks the justices to halt a lower-court order keeping in place legal protections for more than 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.
An order from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani blocked the administration from putting an early end to the immigrants’ temporary legal status.
The Republican administration argues that the decision wrongly intrudes on the Department of Homeland Security’s authority.
The case comes as the Trump administration seeks to crack down on immigration and dismantle Biden-era policies that created new and expanded pathways for people to live in the United States, generally for two years with work authorization.
Trump mocks former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
At the end of his Oval Office news conference, Trump turned a query from a reporter about the United States’ overwhelmed air traffic control system into an opportunity to throw a sharp broadside at the leader of the Department of Transportation during the Biden administration.
“You know, he drives to work on his bicycle, with his — which in all fairness — with his husband on the back, which is a nice, loving relationship. But, he didn’t have a clue,” Trump said of Buttigieg, who regularly rode his bike to work. He added, “And he’s actually a contender for president?”
Buttigieg made an unsuccessful 2020 run for the White House. He has been an outspoken critic of Trump during the early days of his second term.
By The Associated Press
