The Latest: Trump meets with UK's prime minister about drifting US support for Ukraine

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the White House on Thursday to try to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that a lasting peace in Ukraine will endure only if Kyiv and European leaders are at the table as negotiations move forward with Moscow.

Meanwhile, Trump says he plans to impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting Tuesday, in addition to doubling the 10% universal tariff charged on imports from China.

Federal agencies also must develop plans to eliminate employee positions, according to a memo distributed by Trump's administration. Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and now his administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.

Here’s the latest:

No big revelations in Epstein document release despite showy rollout with internet influencers

The rollout of the documents - which were first given to political commentators at the White House hours earlier in binders that read "The Epstein Files: Phase I" - showed the administration's penchant for showmanship and preference for conservative influencers with large social media followings.

The Justice Department didn't post them on its website until hours later, along with a note downplaying their significance.

"The first phase of declassified files largely contains documents that have been previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the U.S. Government," the note said.

The lack of new information drew criticism even from some conservatives. "GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR!" Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wrote on social media, calling the rollout a "complete disappointment."

Judge finds mass firings of probationary workers were likely unlawful

A federal judge in San Francisco has found that the mass firings of probationary employees were likely unlawful, granting some relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration's massive dismantling of the federal workforce.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the Office of Personnel Management to inform certain federal agencies that it had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees, including the Department of Defense.

"OPM does not have any authority whatsoever, under any statute in the history of the universe," to hire or fire any employees but its own, he said.

Alsup also ordered the acting head of the personnel office, Charles Ezell, to testify in court in two weeks. Alsup did not buy Ezell's written declaration that his office merely offered guidance to federal agencies about what to do with probationary employees.

House Democratic leader says Trump is unleashing 'parade of horribles'

The House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the Trump administration is unleashing a "parade of horribles" on the country.

"We have to continue to push back aggressively in every way possible in defense of the American people," Jeffries said at a press conference at the Capitol.

He said the Democrats will continue to aggressively push back in Congress and the courts, noting some 100 lawsuits that have been filed challenging the Trump administration's actions.

Lumber company leader named head of US Forest Service

A former land manager and lumber producer in Idaho has been appointed to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service.

Tom Shultz will be the 21st chief of the Forest Service, replacing Randy Moore, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced Thursday.

Moore announced his retirement Tuesday amid widespread firings orchestrated by the Trump administration to shrink federal agencies. In a message sent to all Forest Service employees, Moore said the past several weeks have been "incredibly difficult" and urged his colleagues to take care of each other.

Schultz is the former director of the Idaho Department of Lands and worked for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Most recently he was a vice president of Idaho Forest Group, a lumber production company headquartered in Coeur d'Alene.

"Tom is the right person to lead the Forest Service right now, and I know he will fight every day to restore America's national forests," Rollins said in a press release. "Together, Tom and the incredible employees at the Forest Service will work to execute the agenda of President Donald J. Trump to make America's forests healthy and productive again."

Former defense chiefs call for hearings on Trump's firing of Pentagon leaders

Five former secretaries of defense are calling on Congress to hold immediate hearings on President Donald Trump's recent firings of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and several other senior military leaders, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

The five - who represented Republican and Democratic administrations over the past three decades - said the dismissals were alarming, raised "troubling questions about the administration's desire to politicize the military" and removed legal constraints on the president's power.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has defended the firing of Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, saying that other presidents made changes in military personnel and that Trump deserves to pick his own team.

The letter was signed by William Perry, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Jim Mattis and Lloyd Austin.

Trump 'receptive' to not imposing tariffs on the UK

Trump said he was "very receptive" to reaching a trade deal with the United Kingdom after being asked whether British Prime Minister Keir Starmer tried during their White House meeting to persuade him not to impose tariffs on the nation.

"He tried. He was working hard. I would tell you that he earned whatever the hell they pay him over there," Trump said. "I think we could very well end up with a real trade deal and where the tariffs wouldn't be necessary. We'll see."

Trump has threatened a variety of tariffs, including the so-called reciprocal tariffs, that could affect countries around the world including those producing steel.

Earlier this month, Trump told reporters that the import taxes will "definitely happen" with the European Union and possibly with the United Kingdom as well.

Groups that help refugees say Trump administration seems to be trying to circumvent court order

Earlier this week, a federal judge in Seattle blocked President Donald Trump's suspension of the nation's refugee admissions system.

But on Thursday, the aid groups - including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS - say they later received notifications that their contracts with the State Department were being canceled effective immediately.

The groups are asking the judge for an emergency hearing to discuss the impact of the termination notices, or to make clear that Tuesday's ruling also applies to these new notices.

The State Department acknowledged receipt of an email from The Associated Press but did not otherwise respond to questions about the matter.

Hundreds to be cut from NOAA in two rounds, former chief scientist at administration says

Cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration appear to be happening in two rounds, one of 500 and one of 800, said Craig McLean, a former NOAA chief scientist who said he got the information from someone with first-hand knowledge. That's about 10% of NOAA's workforce.

The first round of cuts were probationary employees, McLean said.

There are about 375 probationary employees in the National Weather Service - where day-to-day forecasting and hazard warning is done - and employees there so far don't know of any of them who have been spared the layoff knife yet, though some might be.

Many probationary employees with NOAA have been fired, sources tell AP

Dozens and perhaps hundreds of weather forecasters and other federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees on probationary status were fired Thursday, multiple sources told The Associated Press.

Federal workers not let go said the afternoon layoffs were in the tens or dozens so far, with people just getting their notices and no firm number available. They include meteorologists who do crucial local forecasts in National Weather Service offices across the country.

U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat who is the ranking minority member in the House Natural Resources Committee, put out a statement saying it was "hundreds of scientists and experts at NOAA."

Trump says he has 'respect' for Zelenskyy, does not say if he'll apologize for 'dictator' comment

Trump praised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his defense against Russia's invasion and said they would have a "very good meeting" Friday at 11 a.m. But he did not answer a question on whether he'll apologize for calling him a dictator earlier this month.

"We have a lot of respect. I have a lot of respect for him. We've given him a lot of equipment and a lot of money, but they have fought very bravely," Trump said in a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Trump says deal to end Russia-Ukraine war must happen quickly

President Donald Trump says a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war is possible but that it must be concluded quickly or else it may fail.

"If it doesn't happen quickly, it may not happen at all," Trump told reporters at a White House news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Trump has already spoken by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about his ideas for an agreement to end the 3-year-old conflict. He will meet Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday to further discuss prospects.

Starmer bats away questions about Trump's Canada comments

Starmer said he and Trump did not discuss the president's repeated remarks that Canada should become a 51st U.S. state and ignored a question about whether King Charles III, the monarch of Canada, was concerned about the comments.

"I think you're trying to find a divide between us that doesn't exist," Starmer said in response to a question from a reporter.

Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.

Starmer tells Trump to side with peacemaker, 'not the invader'

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is appealing to Trump to reach a "historic peace deal" to support Ukraine in the war with Russia, while cautioning they need to side with the peacemaker and "not the invader."

"There can't be peace that rewards the aggressor," Starmer said.

Trump hopes minerals deal with Ukraine will be foundation for long-term peace agreement

Trump says the deal between the United States and Ukraine that he expects to be signed this week will contribute to both Ukraine's security and that of Europe more broadly.

Speaking at a White House news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said the deal will "build the basis for a more sustainable future relationship between the United States and Ukraine" and help rebuild Ukraine's prosperity. He added that he it would become the foundation of a "long-term peace agreement that will return stability to eastern Europe."

Trump also said the mineral deal will effectively reimburse U.S. taxpayers for the money spent helping Ukraine defend itself, "which by and of itself is a very worthy thing to do."

Trump will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday to witness the signing of the agreement under which Ukraine will give the U.S. access to rare earths and critical minerals in part to pay for past and continued U.S. military support in its war with Russia.

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This item has been updated to correct an erroneous explanation of what the quote "worthy thing to do" was regarding. Trump said Ukraine's defense of itself, not the mineral deal, was a "worthy thing to do."

Trouble with DOGE? Call me, Musk tells GOP senators

Elon Musk told Republican senators at a White House meeting Thursday that they could call his team if they found problems with his sweeping efforts to lay off federal employees and cut government contracts.

"Elon said himself, 'Look, if there's somebody that gets laid off, whether probationary or not, and they shouldn't, we want to get that corrected as quick as we can,’" said Sen. John Hoeven, a Republican who was in the meeting.

The pledge underscored how the Department of Government Efficiency initiative has been at times clunky, with federal workers being laid off only to be rehired when officials determine their job was essential. Republicans have come under increasing pressure to explain Musk's changes, facing Democrat's attacks and anger from constituents impacted by the slashing.

Virginia’s governor orders state police to cooperate with ICE

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has issued an executive order instructing state police to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in detaining migrants.

In a news release, Youngkin said his order required the state's Secretary of Public Safety to contact every official in charge of local or regional jails to ensure their full cooperation with ICE.

"This order will allow Virginia State Police and the Department of Corrections to partner with President Trump's administration on federal immigration enforcement,” Youngkin said in a statement. “Dangerous criminal illegal immigrants should not be let back into our communities to assault, rape and murder. They should be sent back where they came from."

UN says cut in USAID contracts will affect some of its humanitarian and development programs

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the U.N. is examining the cuts after the Trump administration's announcement that it is ending 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development's contracts.

Dujarric told reporters that the U.N. is grateful to the U.S. government for its support over the years to its humanitarian and development work, "which we feel has improved the state of the world." The U.S. contributions have also served U.S. interests in promoting a safe and more stable world, he noted.

He said the U.N. has often called on other member nations to support its humanitarian and development work.

A 1,000-bed immigrant detention center will open in New Jersey

The first immigrant detention center of Trump's new administration will be a 1,000-bed facility in New Jersey, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

The GEO Group confirmed in a statement Thursday that it will operate the facility at Newark's Delaney Hall, part of a $1 billion, 15-year contract. The company said it expects to reopen the facility, which had previously served as an immigrant detention center under the Obama administration, in the second quarter of this year.

Trump campaigned on promises of deporting millions of people without legal authority to be in the country. The Trump administration has not publicly said how many immigration detention beds it needs to achieve its goals, or what the cost will be. However, an estimated 11.7 million people are living in the U.S. illegally, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement currently has the budget to detain only about 41,000 people

USAID worker 'waiting to see what comes next' as co-workers clear out their desks

Shaun Douglas says he was placed on administrative leave after working for U.S. Agency for International Development for five months and was "waiting to see what comes next."

Workers were clearing out the desks Thursday at the agency's headquarters in Washington after being fired or placed on leave as part of the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID.

He said the inside of the building had been stripped of references to USAID.

Douglas, 53, said he was an Army veteran who previously worked for the Defense Department for nearly 10 years and has been undergoing cancer treatments. He says he isn't worried about medical care because he can use the VA but others being let go aren't so fortunate.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced plan to expedite hiring of air traffic controllers

Citing a renewed focus on aviation safety after recent air disasters and close calls Thursday, Duffy announced the plan that includes giving students at the FAA's training academy in Oklahoma a 30% raise and streamlining the hiring process.

"We don't have enough air traffic controllers in our system, and we have to do something to bring more controllers online into towers," Duffy said after touring the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City, where students are trained to become air traffic controllers.

Duffy also cited a dire need for technology infrastructure upgrades at the Oklahoma facility and at control towers across the country, and said he plans to seek congressional authorization for billions of dollars of spending for the upgrades.

"We use floppy disks. We use 1956 phone jacks in our towers," Duffy said. "This is not acceptable. We're the greatest country in the world and this is the system we use?"

Letter from King Charles invites Trump to visit Scotland

In the letter brought by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, King Charles III invited Trump to visit Balmoral, a royal estate and castle in Scotland that was the late Queen Elizabeth II's favorite residence, or Dumfries House, which is near one of his golf clubs in Turnberry, Scotland.

The letter captured by photographs and shown partially by Trump to reporters in the Oval Office says the British monarch remembers with "great fondness" Trump's visit during his first term.

EU leader expresses optimism about the Trump-Starmer meeting

Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, said Thursday in downtown Washington that she was encouraged by the meeting between President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron and was optimistic about the meeting between Trump and Starmer.

Asked if the EU can provide security guarantee for Ukraine, she said much more needs to be done, including increased defense spending and preparedness. As for the peace talks, she said she's hoping for lasting peace.

"What I would hope to see in the next few days, whatever the shape of any agreement is, but also for us not to live under the question of whether it's going to happen again," Metsola said.

Conservative commentators pose with 'Epstein Files' binders after AG Bondi promises docs release

Conservative political commentators were spotted at the White House holding binders that read "The Epstein Files" hours after Attorney General Pam Bondi promised the release of documents about wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who sexually abused underage girls.

It was not immediately clear what was in the binders, which have not been released publicly by the Justice Department.

The binders read "declassified," but it was not immediately clear whether the information contained in the binders ever had been classified. Among those holding the binders was political commentator Rogan O'Handley, also known as DC Draino.

Bondi said Wednesday on Fox News that the documents would include flight logs and "a lot of names," though it was unclear whether there would be details not already publicly known.

Epstein's crimes and connections to famous people have long been a subject of public fascination and media scrutiny. Over the years, thousands of pages of records have been released through lawsuits, his criminal dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests.

USAID Ebola project in Uganda terminated despite Musk saying cancellation was a mistake

An American project to deal with Ebola outbreaks in Uganda was among the U.S. Agency for International Development contracts getting termination notices, despite assurances from cost-costing chief Elon Musk that the effort was being spared.

The Associated Press on Thursday obtained a contract cancellation notice sent to a Baylor College of Medicine Ebola project in Uganda. The program ordinarily would be responding to current cases of the infectious disease and aiding survivors.

The Trump administration and Musk this week had sent out notices canceling what officials said were more than 90% of USAID's contracts abroad. Musk had said Wednesday that the administration had accidentally canceled Ebola prevention funding but quickly restored.

Trump says he's confident that Putin will 'keep his word' in Ukraine talks

Trump said going through the "Russia hoax" ordeal with Vladimir Putin gives him confidence that he can trust the Russian leader if an agreement is reached to end Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Early in Trump's first term as president, the Republican was dogged by a special counsel-led investigation looking into the FBI's probe of Russian interference in his 2016 campaign for the White House.

Trump made the comments during an exchange with reporters at the start of his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin to deliver Democratic response to Trump's address to Congress next week

The freshman senator from Michigan was one of the Democrats who prevailed in a statewide race in a state Trump carried in November.

It was announced by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. They also announced that congressman Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., will deliver the Democratic Spanish-language response.

Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. The speech is not considered a state of the union address, which the last seven presidents have only customarily given after at least a year in office, according to the Congressional Research Service.

It's traditional for the party out of power to respond to a president's remarks before Congress. The speeches are typically observed as a sign of how the opposing party is crafting its message and policy priorities.

The IRS will end leases or close offices at 120 sites, source says

The leases of roughly 120 Internal Revenue Service offices across the country will be terminated or allowed to expire, including sites that provide taxpayer services, according to a person familiar with the closures who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The latest plan to end leases of IRS offices - which include public-facing taxpayer service centers- comes in the middle of tax season, when the IRS expects more than 140 million tax returns to be filed by the April 15 deadline.

Last week, roughly 7,000 probationary IRS employees - who largely worked in compliance - were laid off in a move that experts and former workers say will likely mean reduced customer service and the end of the agency's plan to go after high-wealth tax dodgers.

Some of the office closures are detailed on the DOGE website. The site states that leases for IRS sites in Knoxville, Tennessee; Beaumont, Texas; Sioux City, Iowa; Bend, Oregon; Salem, Oregon; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Brattleboro, Vermont; Hilo, Hawaii; and Lowell, Massachusetts have been or will be ended.

- Fatima Hussein

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer gives Trump a letter from King Charles III

Starmer said letter he delivered Thursday during their meeting at the White House was an invitation for a second state visit.

"This is a very special letter" Starmer said.

Trump said he accepted the invitation.

Trump administration opens 'End DEI' portal, asks public to report schools

The Education Department launched an "End DEI" portal Thursday, describing it as a platform "to submit reports of discrimination based on race or sex in publicly-funded K-12 schools."

It asks students, parents and others for a brief description of the practice in question, which the agency said it will use to guide investigations.

The website went live as schools and colleges nationwide face a Friday deadline to end diversity programs the Trump administration views as racial discrimination.

A Feb. 14 memo from the Education Department ordered schools to remove consideration of race from their practices or risk losing federal money.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at White House for meeting with Trump

Trump shook Starmer's hand to greet him. Asked how confident he was in getting a deal with Ukraine and Russia, Trump said, "We can. We will."

The president then gave a thumbs-up before heading inside for the meeting, which is set to be one of the most significant days of the U.K. leader's seven months in office as he tries to push for U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine.

British officials are nervous but optimistic about the talks, citing Trump's affection for Britain - land of his mother's birth and location of two of his golf courses - and the genuine warmth between the president and Starmer in their few meetings and calls.

The British side hopes Trump's respect for Starmer's directness and lack of pretension will let the prime minister raise difficult questions without raising the temperature.

EU leader pledges to step up defense and appeals to shared values with the US

Roberta Mestola, president of the European Parliament, said EU member nations, which have increased defense spending since 2021, will continue boosting their defense budget to "match the level of threat we are facing."

Mestola said at a speech Thursday morning in downtown Washington that the EU wants peace in Ukraine but said peace must achieved with dignity, justice and principles and that Ukraine must be part of the peace talks, "because we know that peace must be a lasting one."

With the U.S. Capitol in the background, Mestola refrained from criticizing the Trump administration by name but appealed to the shared values across the Atlantic Ocean and warned against isolation. She said the EU is ready to respond "firmly and immediately against unjust barriers to free and fair trade."

USAID worker calls losing her job 'heartbreaking'

A U.S. Agency for International Development worker is mourning the loss of what she called her dream job.

Workers are clearing out the desks Thursday at the agency's headquarters in Washington after being fired or placed on leave as part of the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID.

Juliane Alfen, 25, became emotional as walked out with a small bag that included a stuffed rabbit, saying she was fired Monday after about a year-and-a-half.

She called it "heartbreaking. I love the work. I felt like we made a difference, and to see everything disappearing before our eyes in a matter of weeks is very scary."

Senate committee recommends Lori Chavez-DeRemer's confirmation as Trump's labor secretary

The committee voted Thursday to advance the nomination of Trump's choice to head the Department of Labor, one of the agencies named in lawsuits over moves by Elon Musk's cost-cutting team to access federal data systems.

Members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions voted 13-9 to recommend Chavez-DeRemer 's confirmation by the full Senate.

Although the former Republican congresswoman from Oregon is widely viewed as comparatively pro-labor, some Democratic senators have said they would oppose all of Trump's remaining Cabinet picks as a way to protest his administration's far-reaching efforts to reshape the U.S. government.

Trump's ending of 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts slams programs around the world

Health groups and non-governmental organizations expressed surprise and outrage Thursday and said many humanitarian programs would collapse after the Trump administration's decision to cut 90% of USAID's foreign aid contracts.

The move, barely a month after Trump announced a 90-day review of spending, will permanently defund programs across the world that fight hunger and disease and provide other life-saving help for millions.

"Women and children will go hungry, food will rot in warehouses while families starve, children will be born with HIV - among other tragedies," said the InterAction group, an alliance of NGOs in the United States that work on aid programs across the world.

"This needless suffering will not make America safer, stronger, or more prosperous. Rather, it will breed instability, migration, and desperation."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to meet Trump as Europe worries about drifting US support for Ukraine

During his Thursday meeting at the White House, Starmer is expected to try to convince Trump that a lasting peace in Ukraine will endure only if Kyiv and European leaders are at the table as negotiations move forward with Moscow.

Starmer's trip, coming a few days after French President Emmanuel Macron's own visit, reflects the mounting concern felt by much of Europe that Trump's aggressive push to find an end to Russia's war in Ukraine signals his willingness to concede too much to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"We're going to do the best we can to make the best deal we can for both sides," Trump said Wednesday as he held the first Cabinet meeting of his second term. "For Ukraine, we're going to try very hard to make a good deal so that they can get as much (land) back as possible."

DOGE access to US intelligence secrets poses a national security threat, Democrats say

And Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers from Elon Musk about whether staffers at his Department of Government Efficiency have shared national security secrets over insecure communication channels.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia were joined by several other Democrats on a letter Thursday that asserts reckless actions by Musk and Trump's cost-cutting initiative present a threat to national security by exposing secrets about America's defense and intelligence agencies.

Such information would present huge advantages to U.S. adversaries by giving them critical information about Washington's defense priorities and the resources assigned to various missions and objectives, the lawmakers said.

Secretary of Labor nominee faces backlash from both sides of abortion debate

If confirmed as Secretary of Labor, former U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer would be tasked with enforcing policies on workplace discrimination based on pregnancy status and outcome. But advocates on both sides of the abortion debate are speaking up against her nomination as she faces a hearing Thursday in front of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

Abortion rights groups have warned that Chavez-DeRemer has previously supported anti-abortion bills while in Congress.

Meanwhile, abortion opponents are pointing to a questionnaire in which Chavez-DeRemer said she'd worked at a Planned Parenthood clinic for just over a year in her early 20's as reason to oppose her nomination. Chavez-DeRemer asserted in the questionnaire that she doesn't personally support abortion and would not promote policies supporting abortion rights, NBC News reported.

The national anti-abortion group Students for Life Action called her nomination "extremely disappointing."

Trump plans tariffs on Mexico and Canada for March 4, while doubling existing 10% tariffs on China

Posting on Truth Social, Trump says illicit drugs such as fentanyl are being smuggled into the United States at "unacceptable levels" and import taxes would force other countries to crackdown on the trafficking.

"We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled," Trump wrote. "China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date."

The prospect of escalating tariffs has already thrown the global economy into turmoil - with consumers expressing fears about inflation worsening and the auto sector possibly suffering if America's two largest trading partners in Canada and Mexico are slapped with taxes. The prospect of higher prices and slower growth could create political blowback for Trump.

As Trump's deadline to eliminate DEI nears, few schools openly rush to make changes

Schools and colleges across the U.S. face a Friday deadline to end diversity programs or risk having their federal money pulled by the Trump administration, yet few are openly rushing to make changes. Many believe they're on solid legal ground, and they know it would be all but unprecedented - and extremely time-consuming - for the government to cut off funding.

State officials in Washington and California urged schools not to make changes, saying it doesn't change federal law and doesn't require any action. New York City schools have taken the same approach and said district policies and curriculum haven't changed.

Leaders of some colleges shrugged the memo off entirely. Antioch University 's chief said "most of higher education" won't comply with the memo unless federal law is changed. Western Michigan University's president told his campus to "please proceed as usual."

EU pushes back hard against Trump tariff threats and his caustic comments that bloc is out to get US

And the European Union warned it would vigorously fight any wholesale tariff of 25% on all EU products.

The tit-for-tat dispute following the vitriolic comments of Trump aimed at an age-old ally and its main postwar economic partner further deepened the trans-Atlantic rift that was already widened by Trump's warnings that Washington would drop security guarantees for its European allies.

Thursday's EU pushback came after Trump told reporters "the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That's the purpose of it, and they've done a good job of it," adding that it would stop immediately under his presidency.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, went on a counteroffensive.

"The EU wasn't formed to screw anyone," Tusk said in an X post. "Quite the opposite. It was formed to maintain peace, to build respect among our nations, to create free and fair trade, and to strengthen our transatlantic friendship. As simple as that."

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rises to the highest level in 3 months

Applications for U.S. jobless benefits rose to a three-month high last week but remained within the same healthy range of the past three years.

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits rose by 22,000 to 242,000 for the week ending Feb. 22, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts projected that 220,000 new applications would be filed.

Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs.

Proposed legislation takes aim at Trump's meme coin

California Democrat Rep. Sam Liccardo, a freshman congressman who represents Silicon Valley, said he's surprised the first piece of legislation he's sponsoring takes aim at President Donal Trump's meme coin.

"That wasn't my plan when I ran for office, I can assure you," said Liccardo, the former mayor of San Jose.

But the president's launch of a meme coin just before taking office last month needed some kind of response, said Liccardo. Those who bought the meme coin right after launch made out, but the price quickly dropped leaving others with big losses. Even Trump-supporting crypto enthusiasts found the launch distasteful.

"That behavior is so self-evidently unethical that it raises the question why isn't there a clear enough prohibition," he said, adding that Trump's meme coin raises concerns about transparency, insider trading and improper foreign influence.

A Project 2025 author carries out his vision for mass federal layoffs

The Trump administration's demand that federal agencies plan to radically downsize is driven by a key figure in the conservative movement who has long planned this move: Russell Vought.

In Trump's first term, Vought was a largely behind-the-scenes player who eventually became director of the influential but underappreciated Office of Management and Budget. He is back in that job in Trump's second term after being the principal author of Project 2025, the conservative governing blueprint that Trump insisted during the 2024 campaign was not part of his agenda.

The memo Vought co-signed Wednesday is the clearest assertion of his power and the latest seminal writing for a man who argues the federal bureaucracy is an existential threat to the country itself and that it should dramatically downsize.

Pentagon orders new purge of social media sites to dump diversity, inclusion mentions by March 5

Building lethality in the military may be the buzzword for the new Trump administration, but busywork and paperwork have become the reality at the Pentagon, as service members and civilian workers are facing a broad mandate to purge all of the department's social media sites and untangle confusing personnel reduction moves.

On Wednesday, the department's top public affairs official signed and sent out a new memo requiring all the military services to spend countless hours poring over years of website postings, photos, news articles and videos to remove any mentions that "promote diversity, equity and inclusion."

If they can't do that by March 5, they have been ordered to "temporarily remove from public display" all content published during the Biden administration's four years in office, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The Associated Press.

VA pauses billions in cuts as lawmakers and veterans decry loss of critical care

The Department of Veterans Affairs has temporarily suspended billions of dollars in planned contract cuts following concerns that the move would hurt critical veterans' health services, lawmakers and veterans service organizations said Wednesday.

The pause affects hundreds of VA contracts that Secretary Doug Collins a day earlier described as simply consulting deals, whose cancellation would save $2 billion as the Trump administration works to slash costs across the federal government.

Supreme Court blocks order for Trump administration to release billions in US foreign aid

The Trump administration said it is eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development's foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, putting numbers on its plans to eliminate the majority of U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad.

The cuts detailed by the administration would leave few surviving USAID projects for advocates to try to save in what are ongoing court battles with the administration.

The Trump administration outlined its plans in both an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press and filings in one of those federal lawsuits Wednesday.

The Supreme Court intervened in that case late Wednesday and temporarily blocked a court order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid by midnight.

Outside the USAID headquarters: Supporters, flowers and a somber mood

The early scene at the USAID headquarters in Washington D.C. was quiet and somber. Few people were there for the first scheduled shift to retrieve their personal belongings.

A small group of supporters stood outside under heavily overcast skies to thank workers for their service but declined to give their names for fear of retribution. There was a small bucket of flowers for the memorial inside to USAID employees who have died in service to the country.