President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio as acting national security adviser to replace Mike Waltz, whom he is nominating as United Nations ambassador.
Trump announced shortly after news broke that Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were departing the administration, weeks after it was revealed that he added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans.
Meanwhile the administration asked the Supreme Court to from 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to deportation. And the DOJ over their climate superfund laws that would to pay into state-based funds based on previous greenhouse gas emissions.
Here's the latest:
Former US Sen. Doug Jones speaks at counter rally about a mile from Trump event
Jones, the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama, told the crowd they were there “not just as a protest, but as a movement.â€
“You are here today because you’re concerned, you’re afraid. You understand that this country’s great democracy is teetering right now with what we’re seeing going on,†Jones said.
He urged students and others to make their voices heard.
“What’s happening now is not justice. Injustice can be really loud. Injustice can be especially loud when you’ve got the bully pulpit of the presidency. injustice can be really loud, and that’s why justice has to get louder,†Jones said.
DOJ and resettlement groups argue over how many refugees to admit
Trump administration lawyers say it should only have to admit 160 refugees to the United States under a court order partially blocking the president’s efforts to suspend the nation’s refugee admissions program. A federal judge in Seattle disagrees, suggesting the number is closer to 12,000.
U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead earlier blocked the suspension of the refugee program entirely, but last week the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals significantly narrowed that ruling. The appeals court said only refugees who were furthest along in their processing — those with “arranged and confirmable†travel plans before Jan. 20 to come to the U.S. — should be allowed in.
Whitehead held a virtual hearing Thursday to discuss what steps the government must take to comply with the 9th Circuit’s order and what refugees it must process for admission.
Vance says Trump shifting Waltz to UN is really a promotion
Vice President JD Vance pushed back on characterizations that national security adviser Mike Waltz was let go by Trump 100 days into the administration.
“He’s being made ambassador to the United Nations, which, of course, is the Senate-confirmed position,†Vance said in an interview with Bret Baier of Fox News Channel. “I think you could make a good argument that it’s a promotion.â€
Vance said Waltz was brought on to make “serious reforms†at the National Security Council and “he has done that.â€
“Now it’s time for Mike to do something else,†he added.
The former Florida congressman embarrassed the White House by using the commercial app Signal to discuss military plans and mistakenly inviting a reporter to join the conversation.
Vice President JD Vance appearing at $1M-per-plate fundraiser
Vance is scheduled to be the featured speaker at a Thursday evening dinner in Palm Beach, Florida, that will benefit MAGA Inc., the super PAC that supports Trump. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly.
— Aamer Madhani
Apple posts stronger-than-expected Q2 results, says most US iPhones will come from India
CEO Tim Cook said Thursday that the majority of iPhones sold in the U.S. in the current fiscal quarter will be sourced from India, while iPads and other devices will come from Vietnam, as the company works to avoid the impact of Trump’s tariffs on its business.
Apple’s earnings for the first three months of the year topped Wall Street expectations thanks to high demand for iPhones, and the company said tariffs had a limited effect on the fiscal second quarter’s results.
Cook added that for the current quarter, assuming things don’t change, Apple expects to see $900 million added to its costs as a result of the tariffs but remains “confident†in its business.
US wants to move Georgetown scholar’s deportation lawsuit to Texas. Judge appears skeptical
The Trump administration told a federal judge Thursday that a Georgetown University scholar’s lawsuit against deportation should be moved from Virginia, where it was filed, to Texas, where he’s jailed over allegations of “spreading Hamas propaganda.â€
U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles seemed skeptical of the request, which would involve her dismissing the case in Virginia. She raised concerns that such a dismissal would void her March order to keep in the U.S. while his First Amendment case plays out.
David Byerley, a Justice Department attorney, told Giles that he would need to talk to U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement about her concern. Byerley said he didn’t see why ICE wouldn’t honor her order against deporting Khan Suri while the case is refiled in a Texas federal court.
“OK,†the judge said. “I’m not going to rely on that. But thank you.â€
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Vance tours South Carolina steel plant
During his visit to the facility, Vice President heralded the launch of an “industrial renaissance†in part due to Trump’s moves to boost domestic industry.
Vance made the trip to Nucor Steel in Huger as part of the administration’s events marking Trump’s .
“I hope every single one of you, you guys in front me, feel a sense of pride, because these are the products that actually make America work,†Vance told several hundred guests and steelworkers on a gravel outdoor lot at the sprawling facility. “These are the products that make our citizens’ lives better.â€
Nucor’s corporate leaders have cheered Trump’s tariff policies, which have shaken the global economy and with other business leaders. The company’s stock rose 6% when the administration announced new tariffs on imported steel, though the price has fluctuated since.
It was Vance’s first visit to South Carolina, an industry-rich state that also plays a pivotal role in national politics.
University of Alabama prohibits disruptions as grads and families await Trump’s speech
The university is barring demonstrations, heckling and disruption of other attendees’ views by standing or raising objects during the president’s speech, which is an optional graduation-weekend event. Signs, flags and noisemakers are among banned items.
Anyone who engages in will be disciplined, the university said, with possible punishments including suspension, expulsion, arrest or campus ban.
The university established separate areas for protests and counterprotests.
Hours ahead of the Thursday evening speech, hundreds of graduates and their relatives began filing into the university’s Coleman Coliseum.
Students in caps and gowns took their seats in front of the stage where Trump is scheduled to appear.
Unlike a Trump campaign event featuring signs and flags emblazoned with his name and political slogans, most of the arena was simply decorated in Alabama crimson.
An exception: two signs flanking the lectern that read, “The American Dream is back.â€
Hegseth orders Army to cut costs by merging some commands and slashing jobs
The Army is planning a sweeping transformation that will merge or close headquarters, dump outdated vehicles and aircraft, slash as many as 1,000 and shift personnel to units in the field, according to a new memo and U.S. officials familiar with the changes.
In a memo released Thursday, ordered the transformation to “build a leaner, more lethal force.†Discussions about the changes have been going on for weeks, including decisions to combine a number of Army commands.
U.S. officials said as many as 40 general officer slots could be cut. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel issues.
The Pentagon is under pressure to as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by the Trump’ administration and ally Elon Musk’s .
Specifically, Hegseth said the Army must merge Army Futures Command and Training and Doctrine Command into one entity and merge Forces Command, Army North and Army South into a single headquarters “focused on homeland defense and partnership with our Western Hemisphere allies.â€
— Lolita C. Baldor
‘60 Minutes’ report that prompted Trump lawsuit is nominated for an Emmy
It got “60 Minutes†sued by the man who became president of the United States. Now it’s up for a major award — for precisely the same aspect of it that so enraged .
Last fall’s “60 Minutes†story on Kamala Harris — the subject of Trump’s against CBS — was nominated for an Emmy on Thursday for “outstanding edited interview.†Trump, in his lawsuit, complained that the interview was deceptively edited to make his Democratic election opponent look good.
The still hangs over CBS News. The news division claims to have done nothing wrong, but its parent company, Paramount Global, is reportedly negotiating a settlement with Trump.
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Trump administration asks Supreme Court to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelan migrants
The administration asked the Supreme Court to strip temporary legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to being deported.
The Justice Department asked the high court to put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in San Francisco that kept in place Temporary Protected Status for the Venezuelans that would have otherwise expired last month.
A federal appeals court had earlier rejected the administration’s request.
The Trump administration has moved aggressively to withdraw various protections that have allowed immigrants to remain in the country, including ending TPS for a total of 600,000 Venezuelans and 500,000 Haitians.
TPS is granted in 18-month increments to people already in the U.S. whose countries are deemed unsafe for return due to natural disaster or civil strife.
Beto O’Rourke says a counter rally in Alabama reflects the depth of opposition to Trump
The former congressman and failed presidential candidate said a student-led rally to counter the president’s appearance at the University of Alabama is an inspiring example of how far opposition reaches.
“You cannot be too red or too rural or too Republican to be written off right now. You also can’t be too blue or too liberal to be taken for granted,†O’Rourke told AP after arriving in Tuscaloosa. “You’ve got to show up absolutely everywhere.â€
Trump has won Alabama three times, each time by a landslide margin.
Still, O’Rourke noted the state’s history of civil rights and social justice protests.
“You go back 60 years ago in Alabama history, it’s John Lewis in March of 1965 leading that march that ends up, with the help of a Texan, LBJ, creating the first truly multiracial democracy in American history,†O’Rourke said. “That democracy is under attack right now.â€
New lawsuit challenges DOGE actions shutting down NEH
Three plaintiffs sued in the Southern District of New York over what they call the Trump administration’s “dismantling†of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The action names the NEH, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and others as defendants.
Among the lawsuit’s claims: “The Constitution grants Congress — not the President — the power to create and prescribe the duties of Federal agencies, and Congress maintains the exclusive power of the purse in directing how Federal funds must be spent. The President cannot unilaterally shut down an agency that Congress has created, nor may an agency refuse to spend funds that Congress has appropriated.â€
Last month DOGE terminated 75% of staffers and cut the funding and grants programs of state humanities councils, impacting thousands of recipients across the country.
The plaintiffs are the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Historical Association and the Modern Language Association.
Did Donald Trump — or ABC News — choose who would interview the president? Why does it matter?
During a contentious in his interview with ABC News’ Terry Moran this week, President brought up — from his perspective — how Moran had gotten into the White House in the first place.
“They’re giving you the break of a lifetime, you know,†Trump said in Tuesday’s prime-time broadcast. “You’re doing the interview. I picked you because, frankly, I never heard of you, but that’s OK.â€
Emphasizing again that it was his choice that Moran was there, the president scolded, “You’re not being very nice.â€
From an ethics perspective, it’s considered a breach for a news organization to let a newsmaker dictate who will conduct an interview. In the real world of competitive journalism, things aren’t always so simple.
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Microsoft and Meta Platforms lead Wall Street higher
and led Wall Street higher Thursday after the Big Tech companies reported profits for the start of the year that were even bigger than analysts expected.
The S&P 500 rose 0.6% for an , its longest winning streak since August. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 83 points, or 0.2%. And the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.5%.
Microsoft rallied 7.6% after the software giant said and artificial intelligence businesses drove its overall revenue up 13% from a year earlier.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, also in the latest quarter. It said AI tools helped boost its advertising revenue, and its stock climbed 4.2%.
White House to present Trump’s 2026 budget
The Office of Management and Budget expects to roll out the federal budget Friday, according to an agency spokesperson.
It’s expected to be the initial version of the coming year’s requested spending plan, a so-called skinny budget, of top-line figures with details still to come.
Capitol Hill is bracing for proposed steep cuts that are likely to reflect Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency zeroing out various programs.
But it’s just a proposal. Federal budgets are often referred to as a statement of a president’s values, as Congress, under its constitutional power, compiles the annual spending bills.
It comes as Congress is already deep into drafting Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and other spending cuts.
Trump appoints a career diplomat to run the US Embassy in Ukraine until a new envoy is nominated and confirmed
The State Department announced Thursday that Julie Davis, a 30-year veteran of the foreign service, would be the charge d’affaires at the Kyiv embassy “during this critical moment as we move toward a peace agreement to stop the bloodshed.â€
Davis is currently serving as U.S. ambassador to Cyprus.
The appointment came just a day after the U.S. and Ukraine signed an agreement on critical minerals and other resources which could pave the way for additional U.S. military support for Ukraine.
Davis, who has also previously served as ambassador to Belarus and deputy ambassador to NATO, replaces Bridget Brink at the helm of the Kyiv embassy. Brink announced she was leaving the post last month as the Trump administration pushed ahead with plans for Russia-Ukraine peace talks that many believed favored Moscow.
Trump names Secretary of State Rubio as acting national security adviser, taps Waltz for UN envoy
Trump announced the moves on Thursday after news broke that Waltz and his deputy Alex Wong were departing the administration.
The announcement just weeks after it was revealed that Waltz added a journalist to a Signal chat being used to discuss military plans. Rubio will also continue to serve as secretary of state.
Trump threatens sanctions against anyone who purchases Iranian oil
The president’s threat comes after planned talks over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program were postponed.
Trump wrote on social media Thursday that “All purchases of Iranian Oil, or Petrochemical products, must stop, NOW!â€
He said any country or person who buys those products from Iran will not be able to do business with the U.S.
The threat came after Oman announced that talks scheduled for this coming weekend have been postponed.
Justice Department sues Hawaii and Michigan over planned lawsuits against fossil fuel companies
The department argues in filings Wednesday that the states’ lawsuits alleging harms that play a role in climate change would infringe on the federal government’s authority.
The federal lawsuits raise questions over states’ abilities to take climate action without federal opposition.
In court filings, the DOJ said the federal Clean Air Act “creates a comprehensive program for regulating air pollution in the United States and “displaces†the ability of States to regulate greenhouse gas emissions beyond their borders.â€
When burned, fossil fuels release emissions such as carbon dioxide that warm the planet.
Trump creates a religious liberty commission on the National Day of Prayer
The president signed an executive order creating the panel during a White House Rose Garden ceremony to recognize the National Day of Prayer.
Its members include Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, former U.S. housing secretary Ben Carson and TV talk-show host Phil McGraw. The commission was Patrick’s idea, Trump said.
Patrick told Trump, “There has never been a president who has invoked the name of Jesus more than you.â€
McGraw said Trump is a “man of deep faith … who wants this country to have a heart and have religion.â€
State Department says US officials met with Syria’s interim authorities in Washington
The meeting Tuesday was the first known Trump administration contact with Syrian officials since in a lightning rebel offensive in December.
The new Syrian authorities arrived in the U.S. last week to attend a series of meetings in Washington and New York as part of an effort to urge relief from harsh sanctions that were imposed by America and its allies after Assad’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011 that spiraled into .
In a statement released Wednesday, the State Department said while they do not discuss “private diplomatic conversations,†they continue to urge the interim authorities to “choose policies that will reinforce stability†for Syrians, “assure peace with Syria’s neighbors,†while developing the war-torn country’s economy.
“Any future normalization of relations or lifting of sanctions will depend on the interim authorities’ actions and positive response to the specific confidence building measures we have communicated,†the State Department said.
Trump says taxes increasing may make people give up their religion
Addressing a National Day of Prayer Event in the White House Rose Garden, Trump vowed: “We’re bringing back religion in our country†and doing so “quickly and strongly.â€
The president used the occasion to again promise that tax-cut legislation would work its way through Congress.
Trump noted that he was addressing “a religious ceremony†but added that, to him, “That’s part of the religion because, if your taxes go up†then some people “might give up your religion.â€
“You might have no choice. You’ll be working too hard to try and make it,†he said.
Sexual assault reports in the US military fell nearly 4% last year, fueled by a big drop in the Army
A Pentagon report released Thursday says there were 8,195 reported sexual assaults in 2024 involving members of the military, compared with 8,515 in 2023.
It was the second year in a row with a decrease, reversing a troubling trend that has plagued the Defense Department for more than a decade.
Defense officials say that while the decline is a good sign, the numbers of reported assaults are still too high and the military needs to do more to get victims to report the often undisclosed crime.
Judge bars deportations of Venezuelans from South Texas under 18th-century wartime law
U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. is the first judge to rule that the Alien Enemies Act cannot be used against people whom the Republican administration claims are gang members invading the United States.
“Neither the Court nor the parties question that the Executive Branch can direct the detention and removal of aliens who engage in criminal activity in the United States,†Rodriguez wrote Thursday. But, he said, “the President’s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and is contrary to the plain, ordinary meaning of the statute’s terms.â€
In March, Trump issued a proclamation claiming the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was invading the U.S. He said he had special powers to deport immigrants, identified by his administration as gang members, without the usual court proceedings.
The Alien Enemies Act has only been used three times before in U.S. history, most recently during World War II, when it was cited to intern Japanese-Americans.
The proclamation triggered a flurry of litigation as the administration tried to ship migrants it claimed were gang members to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
Rodriguez’s ruling is significant because it is the first formal permanent injunction against the administration using the AEA and contends the president is misusing the law.
FDA to rehire fired staffers who booked inspection trips, but other workers remain in limbo
For the second time in recent months, the Food and Drug Administration is bringing back some recently fired employees, including staffers who for safety inspectors.
More than 20 of the agency’s roughly 60 travel staff will be reinstated, according to two FDA staffers notified of the plan this week, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential agency matters.
Food scientists who test samples for bacteria and study potentially harmful chemicals also have been told they will get their jobs back, but have yet to receive any official confirmation.
The reversals are the latest example of the haphazard approach to cuts at the agency, which have shrunk FDA’s staff by an estimated 20%. In February, the FDA laid off about 700 provisional employees, including food and medical device reviewers, only to within days.
— Matthew Perrone
Trump national security adviser Mike Waltz is out in first major shakeup of Trump’s second term
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz is set to depart the Trump administration.
That’s according to two people familiar with the matter, which marks the first major staff shakeup of President Trump’s second term.
Waltz came under searing scrutiny in March after revelations that he added journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on the encrypted messaging app Signal, which was used to discuss planning for a sensitive March 15 military operation against Houthi militants in Yemen.
A far-right ally of the president, Laura Loomer, has also targeted Waltz, telling Trump in a recent Oval Office conversation that he needs to purge aides who she believes are insufficiently loyal to the “Make America Great Again†agenda.
Waltz’s deputy, Alex Wong, is also expected to depart, according to the people. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move not yet made public. The National Security Council did not respond do a request for comment.
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— Zeke Miller, Aamer Madhani and Seung Min Kim
Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum says she spoke with Trump about ongoing trade negotiations
“It was a good conversation,†Sheinbaum said during her daily news briefing. “Even though there wasn’t a specific agreement, the important thing is that we’re working on it.â€
Sheinbaum, who said she and Trump spoke for 10 to 15 minutes Thursday morning, noted that the Trump administration had relaxed some of the tariffs on automobiles and auto parts this week, but said Mexico is still looking for a better deal for the automotive sector, as well as for steel and aluminum which face their own U.S. tariffs.
The U.S. is looking to reduce its trade deficit with Mexico, she said, noting that Mexico was working to find ways to help them do that.
The leaders agreed that their cabinet secretaries would continue negotiating.
“It is a good sign that we continue advancing,†she said.
From Tokyo to Turin to LA, Trump’s policies loom over May Day marches
French union leaders condemned the “Trumpization†of world politics, while in Italy, protesters paraded a puppet of the American president through the streets of Turin.
Across continents, hundreds of thousands turned out for Thursday’s rallies marking International Workers’ Day, many united in anger over President Trump’s agenda — from stoking fears of to .
In the United States, organizers framed this year’s protests as a against what they called a sweeping assault on labor protections, diversity initiatives and federal employees.
In Germany, union leaders warned that extended workdays and rising anti-immigrant sentiment were dismantling labor protections. In Bern, Switzerland, thousands marched behind banners denouncing fascism and war — part of a wider backlash against the global surge of hard-right politics.
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Trump will address graduating students at the University of Alabama
President Trump will travel to heavily Republican on Thursday to speak to graduating students at the University of Alabama, where he’s expected to draw some protesters despite enjoying a deep well of support in the state.
Trump’s evening remarks in Tuscaloosa will be the Republican president’s first address to graduates in his second term and will come as he’s been celebrating the .
The White House did not offer any details about Trump’s planned message.
Alabama, where Trump won a commanding 64% of the vote in 2024, is where he’s staged a number of his trademark large rallies over the past decade. It also is where Trump showed early signs of strength in his first presidential campaign when he began filling stadiums for his rallies.
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