Los Angeles protests add friction to Trump’s feud with California
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Los Angeles protests LIVE: Trump calls decision to deploy National Guards ‘great’
At least 27 people were arrested and flashbangs, rubber bullets and tear gas were reportedly used to disperse crowds. Clashes escalated on Sunday evening, with vandalism and violence, including burning cars. The heightened federal response over the objections of state and city officials led to growing friction between local leaders and the Trump administration. California governor Newsom said he had formally requested the White House take down the ‘unlawful’ deployment and return the troops to his command.
Los Angeles is reeling under massive protests since the weekend after anti-immigration raids as part of Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants sparked clashes, leading to the rare deployment of National Guard on the US President’s orders. Tensions rose in Los Angeles on the third day of anti-deportation protests on Monday, as demonstrators clashed with National Guards while Donald Trump and Gavin Newsom engage in a blame game over the ongoing unrest in the city….Read More
Los Angeles protests | Key points:
-Security personnel clashed with protesters rallying against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. At least 27 people were arrested and flashbangs, rubber bullets and tear gas were reportedly used to disperse crowds.
-Trump had deployed National Guard troops over the weekend that inflamed the protestors. Clashes escalated on Sunday evening, with vandalism and violence, including burning cars.
-The heightened federal response over the objections of state and city officials led to growing friction between local leaders and the Trump administration.
-California governor Newsom said he had formally requested the White House take down the “unlawful” deployment and return the troops to his command, warning it would only ramp up tensions. He also said that he planned to sue the administration over the action on Sunday.
-Trump called the demonstrations “migrant riots” saying federal agencies were directed to take “all such action necessary” to restore order and continue deportation operations. He urged law enforcement to escalate their response, including arresting people who were wearing face masks.
-US Representative Nanette Barragan has accused the Trump administration of using federal troops to suppress dissent. “It’s going to escalate the situation,” she said
-California Attorney General Rob Bonta has defended the state’s sanctuary policies and sued the Trump administration over attempts to force local compliance, arguing that California has the right to set its own public safety priorities.
Elon Musk- Donald Trump Feud Live Updates: ‘Elon Musk could face ‘serious consequences’ if he backs Democratic candidates ,’ says Trump
The Republican House leader said Musk’s criticism of the GOP’s massive tax and budget policy bill will not derail the measure. Johnson said he has exchanged text messages with Musk since the former chief of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency came out against the GOP bill. Musk called it an “abomination” that would add to U.S. debts and threaten economic stability. He urged voters to flood Capitol Hill with calls to vote against the measure, which is pending in the Senate after clearing the House.
With an uncharacteristically feistiness, Speaker Mike Johnson took clear sides Sunday in President Donald Trump’s breakup with mega-billionaire Elon Musk.
The Republican House leader and staunch Trump ally said Musk’s criticism of the GOP’s massive tax and budget policy bill will not derail the measure, and he downplayed Musk’s influence over the GOP-controlled Congress.
“I didn’t go out to craft a piece of legislation to please the richest man in the world,” Johnson said on ABC’s “This Week.” “What we’re trying to do is help hardworking Americans who are trying to provide for their families and make ends meet,” Johnson insisted.
Johnson said he has exchanged text messages with Musk since the former chief of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency came out against the GOP bill.
Musk called it an “abomination” that would add to U.S. debts and threaten economic stability. He urged voters to flood Capitol Hill with calls to vote against the measure, which is pending in the Senate after clearing the House. His criticism sparked an angry social media back-and-forth with Trump, who told reporters over the weekend that he has no desire to repair his relationship with Musk.
The speaker was dismissive of Musk’s threats to finance opponents — even Democrats — of Republican members who back Trump’s bill.
“We’ve got almost no calls to the offices, any Republican member of Congress,” Johnson said. “And I think that indicates that people are taking a wait and see attitude. Some who may be convinced by some of his arguments, but the rest understand: this is a very exciting piece of legislation.”
Johnson argued that Musk still believes “that our policies are better for human flourishing. They’re better for the US economy. They’re better for everything that he’s involved in with his innovation and job creation and entrepreneurship.”
Trump attends state dinner on last leg of first major foreign trip: See highlights
President Trump arrived in the United Arab Emirates Thursday for the last leg of his first major foreign trip. He was greeted by UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and later visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Trump downplayed Putin’s decision to skip Russia-Ukraine talks: “I didn’t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” he said. The Justice Department notified Harvard about an investigation into whether its admissions process had been used to defraud the government. The inquiry was opened under the False Claims Act, a law designed to punish those who swindle the government, according to a letter from the agency that was reviewed by The New York Times. The Education Department also informed Harvard this month that its admissions policies were the subject of a new compliance review to determine whether the university was racially discriminating against undergraduate applicants. The investigation adds to the mounting pressure on the nation‘s oldest, wealthiest university to overhaul its admissions, curriculum and hiring practices.
President Trump arrived in the United Arab Emirates Thursday for the last leg of his first major foreign trip. Air Force One was given a fighter jet escort into the country’s airspace, just as Saudi Arabia and Qatar offered on the first stops of his Mideast trip.
pinned What to know: Link copied Trump downplayed Putin‘s decision to skip Russia-Ukraine talks: The Russian president sent a delegation to planned peace talks in Turkey. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had previously said he’d participate only if Putin showed up. But Trump said he was not surprised that Putin was a no-show. “I didn‘t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” he said in an exchange with reporters.
The president is still eyeing an Air Force One replacement: The president says he’s ready to accept a donated jet from Qatar, despite concerns that it could be less secure, costly to retrofit and a violation of the US Constitution‘s prohibition on foreign gifts.
Trump’s trip could be a turning point for Syria: The president has used his trip to announce plans to recognize the government of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and to ease sanctions on the war-torn country.
Trump’s pledge, no more ‘lectures on how to live,’ resonates in the Middle East — 8:03 p.m. Link copied
By The New York Times
When President Trump declared from the stage of an opulent ballroom in Saudi Arabia that the United States was done nation-building and intervening, that the world’s superpower would no longer be “giving you lectures on how to live,” his audience erupted in applause.
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He was effectively denouncing decades of American policy in the Middle East, playing to grievances long aired in cafes and sitting rooms from Morocco to Oman.
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“In the end, the so-called nation builders wrecked far more nations than they built,” Trump said Tuesday, during an address at an investment conference in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. “And the interventionalists were intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand.”
He urged the people of the region to chart “your own destinies in your own way.”
Reactions to his speech spread swiftly on mobile phone screens in a Middle East where the American invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan — and more recently, US support for Israel as it intensifies its war in the Gaza Strip, which is on the brink of starvation — are ingrained in public consciousness and criticized by monarchists and dissidents alike.
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Trump administration escalates Harvard feud with new Justice Department investigation — 5:37 p.m. Link copied
By The New York Times
The Trump administration is investigating whether Harvard University’s admissions policies comply with a Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action, opening a new front in its widening effort to bring the institution to heel.
In a letter Monday, the Justice Department notified Harvard about an investigation into whether its admissions process had been used to defraud the government. The inquiry was opened under the False Claims Act, a law designed to punish those who swindle the government, according to the letter, which was reviewed by The New York Times.
The investigation adds to the mounting pressure on the nation‘s oldest, wealthiest university to overhaul its admissions, curriculum and hiring practices to align with President Donald Trump’s political agenda. The Education Department also informed Harvard this month that its admissions policies were the subject of a new compliance review to determine whether the university was racially discriminating against undergraduate applicants, according to a letter from the agency that was also seen by the Times.
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FEMA acting chief says agency will emphasize state role in disaster recovery — 4:00 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
In an agency-wide town hall on Thursday, acting FEMA chief David Richardson reiterated the agency’s intention to “return primacy to the states” in the upcoming hurricane season, which begins in 17 days, asserting that “indeed we are to some degree, to a great degree, ready for disaster season ‘25.”
The comments come during a period of agency upheaval. Richardson replaced acting chief Cameron Hamilton last week, one day after Hamilton told a congressional committee that he did not think FEMA should be eliminated. It has lost roughly 2,000 full-time staff since Trump took office, about one-third of its full-time workforce.
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The acting chief also said FEMA will begin a “mission analysis” as part of a longer-term transformation to ensure the agency is only doing tasks it is assigned by law.
“We will not be doing anything that isn‘t in the statute,” Richardson said. “If we are, we are wasting the American people’s money.”
Trump departs — 3:12 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
The president walked out of the palace with Sheik Mohammed after dinner. They shook hands, and then Trump stepped into his limousine.
Once seated, he pumped his fist a few times and pointed at the UAE leader. Then the motorcade pulled away.
Trump has no other events planned this evening, which is his last scheduled night in the Middle East.
Rubio talks about how the administration will start easing sanctions on Syria — 2:21 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Rubio says the Trump administration will likely start easing sanctions on Syria by invoking waivers to pause congressionally mandated penalties imposed on the government of ousted President Bashar Assad.
After meeting Thursday with Syria’s new foreign minister in Antalya, Turkey on the sidelines of a NATO meeting, Rubio said the administration would issue waivers for sanctions contained in the so-called “Caesar Act,” which hit the country with massive penalties in response to Assad’s crackdown on dissent. President Donald Trump met earlier this week with Syria’s new president in Saudi Arabia, where he announced that he would be lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria.
“I think we want to start with the initial waivers, which will allow foreign partners who wanted to flow in aid to begin to do so without running the risk of sanctions,” Rubio told reporters. “I think as we make progress, hopefully we’ll be in a position soon or one day to go to Congress and ask them to permanently remove the sanctions.”
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Rubio said the new Syrian authorities had asked for help in various areas, including the elimination of Assad-era chemical weapons stockpiles that may still be in the country and the U.S. is willing to help.
Trump signs guestbook at palace — 1:50 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
“It’s an honor to be here,” the president said. “And the last four days have been really amazing.”
He said he was “probably going back to Washington D.C. tomorrow.
“There have been questions about whether he would add another stop to his trip — particularly Turkey, where there are negotiations over the war in Ukraine — but White House officials have said there are no changes to the president’s schedule.
Iran‘s foreign minister says the country’s military capabilities have prevented the US from pursuing military action — 1:48 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
“If the other side — whether during the earlier talks with the P5+1 or now with the United States — were able to destroy our nuclear facilities through military means, they would have done so,” Abbas Araghchi, the country’s foreign minister said. “They came to the table because they cannot impose their will by force.”
The comments come as diplomatic efforts continue to revive stalled nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful, while the U.S. has expressed concern over its growing stockpile of enriched uranium.
Araghchi said Iran‘s deterrence is made possible by its armed forces, which have, in his words, “created the capabilities that have made the enemy give up on military options.”
“It is the Islamic Republic’s defensive power — our missiles — that gives our negotiators the strength to sit across from world powers,” the top diplomat said.
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Araghchi also criticized what he called conflicting and inconsistent statements from the U.S. administration, describing them as either a sign of disarray in Washington or a calculated negotiation strategy.
Araghchi reaffirmed Iran‘s position on uranium enrichment, calling it a core right of the Iranian people and a red line in nuclear talks.
“We have said repeatedly that defending Iran‘s nuclear rights — including enrichment — is a fundamental principle,” the official said.
Rubio says US expectations are low for talks Friday on the Russia-Ukraine war — 1:30 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
That’s after Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to attend the talks, hosted by Turkey, and sent only a low-level Russian delegation instead. That helped scuttle hopes that the talks in Turkey could see Putin get together with President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to potentially jumpstart efforts for a ceasefire.
“I think it’s abundantly clear that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough” is for Trump and Putin to talk directly, Rubio said.
Rubio spoke Thursday in Antalya, Turkey, where he said he would confer with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakam Fidan and the Ukrainian delagation on Friday in Istanbul.
Rubio said the low-level Russian delegation would be meeting Friday with other members of the U.S. team and that he hoped all sides could meet together.
Ukraine has sent more senior officials to the talks in Turkey, as Ukraine stresses its cooperation with U.S. efforts to broker an agreement.
Rubio says deportations of migrants illegally in the US is not inconsistent with Catholic Church teachings — 1:26 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke as he prepares to travel to the Vatican this weekend to celebrate new Pope Leo XIV inaugural Mass.
Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, who are the highest-ranking Catholics in the administration, will both attend the Mass on Sunday. Speaking to reporters in Antalya, Turkey after a NATO foreign ministers meeting, Rubio maintained that there was no daylight between the administration‘s migration polices and the new pontiff, the first American pope, who has spoken out about the mistreatment of migrants.
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“I think there is nothing incompatible,” he said. “We, too, are compassionate towards migrants. I would argue there’s nothing compassionate about mass migration. There’s nothing compassionate about open borders that allows people to be trafficked.”
Rubio rejected concerns that deportations to a notorious terrorism facility in El Salvador put migrants at risk for torture and other abuse, saying such charges were incorrect and that groups that have complained are “wrong.”
He also said the people sent to El Salvador were not migrants, but rather “criminals” who their home countries would not accept.
A shiny honor for Trump — 1:17 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
At the end of the public portion of the meeting, Trump was awarded a medal known as the Order of Zayed, named for the U.A.E.’s first president.
It was presented for Trump’s “exceptional efforts” to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.The bulky necklace was delivered in a display case, which he held with Sheikh Mohammed.
Trump and Sheikh Mohammed praise each other — 1:05 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
The meeting between the two leaders began with flattery.
Trump said “we’ve been good friends” and described the sheikh, known by his initials MBZ, as “a truly great warrior.”
He also boasted about his leadership of the United States.
“We’ve become a very hot country,” Trump said. “We were not such a hot country six months ago.”
Vance calls Trump ‘murder weapon’ who killed the ‘defund the police’ movement — 1:00 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance paid tribute to fallen police officers at a memorial service Thursday at the U.S. Capitol and used his speech to criticize local officials and “far left prosecutors” who were not tough enough on crime and the “defund the police” movement.
“I know that none of us here like crime, but last year, in November, I think the American people killed the ‘defund the police’ movement and they used Donald J. Trump as the murder weapon,” Vance said at the National Peace Officers Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.
Vance said the administration would do everything to help the families of fallen officers and “never disparage or degrade our police officers, and particularly not the memory of those who died defending our society.”
Vance delivered his remarks at the Capitol where four years ago on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump supporters rioted at the Capitol, leaving more than 100 police officers injured.
Trump has repeatedly downplayed the violence, lauded the rioters as patriots and on his first day back in office, pardoned more than 1,500 people charged with crimes in the attack, including people convicted of assaulting police officers.
Trump begins formal state visit in United Arab Emirates — 12:29 p.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
President Donald Trump and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrive at Qasr Al Watan, Thursday, May 15 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Alex Brandon/Associated Press
The president arrived at the Qasr Al Watan, a palace in Abu Dhabi.
He was greeted by children waving U.S. and U.A.E. flags, plus an honor guard that included camels.
Trump is participating in a tour led by the Arab country’s first astronaut. He’s also going to sit down with Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and receive a medal of honor from his hosts.
After the meetings, he’ll attend a banquet dinner, his third of the trip. He was previously hosted in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Trump to attend a state dinner at UAE presidential palace — 11:20 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
The Thursday dinner will be at Qasr Al Watan, the sprawling and ornate presidential palace in Abu Dhabi.
The white-domed palace, parts of which were opened to the public in 2019, includes a vast library and a room housing gifts from world leaders.
Rubio meets Syrian foreign minister, along with Turkish counterpart, on sidelines of NATO meeting — 10:47 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani, and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fiden and their delegations, including Sen. Lindsey Graham on the U.S. side, were to discuss plans for Syria’s reintegration into the Middle East and global communities, the State Department said.
The meeting in in Antalya, Turkey — which follows Trump’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa earlier this week in Saudi Arabia and Trump’s pledge to lift all sanctions against Syria —was closed to journalists and no details were immediately available.
Zelenskyy says he’s sending a delegation to Turkey for peace talks with Russia — 10:25 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he’ll send the team headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to the Turkish city of Istanbul for peace talks with a Russian delegation.
Zelenskyy told a news conference in the Turkish capital Ankara that the Russian delegation doesn‘t include “anyone who actually makes decisions.”
But he said that to demonstrate to President Trump that Ukraine is seeking an end to the 3-year-old war, he decided to send officials from Ankara to Istanbul for the meeting.
Their aim is “to attempt at least the first steps toward de-escalation, the first steps toward ending the war — namely, a ceasefire.”
House proposes a bill to track advanced chips — 10:18 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
A bipartisan group of House representatives introduced the bill aimed at keeping the country’s most advanced chips from China by requiring them be tracked.
The bill comes as the U.S. is competing with China to lead the race of artificial intelligence, in which advanced chips are crucial for computing powers. It also comes as the Trump administration has moved to rescind export controls on advanced chips. Lawmakers have expressed concerns that chips were smuggled to China despite export controls.
“This bipartisan bill closes those gaps with real safeguards to keep our most advanced chips out of the wrong hands,” said Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on China.
Leading the effort is Rep. Bill Foster, an Illinois Democrat, who said technical tools are available to keep U.S. AI technology from wrong parties.
The bill would require chip exporters to track their chips subject to export controls and report to the federal government if their products should be diverted from their intended location or get tampered with.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefs European allies on Russia-Ukraine peace efforts — 10:15 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Rubio met with the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Italy on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Antalya, Turkey to discuss U.S. “efforts to halt the senseless bloodshed in Ukraine,” the State Department said. Rubio also “emphasized that European leadership is critical for getting Russia and Ukraine to negotiate in good faith for a swift and durable peace settlement,” it said.
The meeting comes as confusion has mounted over the status of the peace plan even as direct talks between Ukraine and Russia are supposed to be held this week in Turkey.
JUST IN: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says he is sending a delegation to Istanbul for peace talks with Russian officials — 10:09 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance will travel to Rome for Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass — 9:53 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
The mass is Sunday. Vance, who’s formally leading the U.S. delegation, will be accompanied by second lady Usha Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and his wife, Jeanette Rubio.
Both Vance and Rubio are Catholic, and Vance’s office says he’s the first Catholic convert to be vice president.
Vance met Pope Francis, the current pope’s predecessor, shortly before the pontiff’s death April 21.
Pope Francis receives U.S. Vice President JD Vance Sunday, April 20, 2025, shortly before the pontiff’s death. Vatican Media/Associated Press
Trump has wrapped up his tour of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — 9:40 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
“It’s beautiful,” Trump said. He also thanked his tour guides. “Very proud of my friends.”
Trump on Gaza — 9:40 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
The president sidestepped a reporter’s question on whether Israel has been an obstacle to peace talks in Gaza.
Instead, Trump said “we’re working very hard on Gaza,” which he described as “a territory of death and destruction for many years.”
He repeated his proposal to “make it a freedom zone,” and “let the United States get involved”
“I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone, let some good things happen,” Trump said.
Trump enters Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — 9:34 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed Al Nahyan walked with President Trump as they entered the city-state’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Trump had his shoes off, which is customary, as he stepped into the iconic house of worship, the country’s largest mosque. Trump and Abu Dhabi’s crown prince paused for a photo.
Trump given Emirati fighter jet escort — 9:27 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Air Force One was escorted by Emirati F-16 fighter jets as it entered the country’s airspace, flying over the man-made Palm Jebel Ali archipelago in southern Dubai.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar both also offered the same escort on Trump’s trip.
Trump visits Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — 9:05 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
The house of worship is a vast monument to the United Arab Emirates’ official religion and has hosted other heads of state before, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It’s also an important symbol of national identity. The UAE’s founder, Sheikh Zayed, is buried in the mosque’s main courtyard.
President Trump visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque during his official visit to Abu Dhabi. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images
Democratic senators seek to bring back the Presidential Management Fellows Program — 8:50 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Democratic Sen. Andy Kim is expected Thursday to introduce a bill he co-sponsored with Sen. Jeff Merkley that would resurrect the Presidential Management Fellows Program, which was wiped out earlier this year by one of Trump’s executive orders.
“I believe that public service and serving our nation is an honorable pursuit that should inspire and attract the very best talent in our country,” Kim said in a statement.
A former fellow himself, he added: “The PMF program has for years operated under both Republican and Democratic Presidents to lift up merit and align skills with opportunity. Even in these divided times, I hope we can show strong bipartisan support for the importance of talent in government and the need to codify this important program in legislation.”
The program was created by a 1977 executive order issued by then-President Jimmy Carter to entice highly qualified workers with advanced degrees to join the federal government. The bill being introduced lines up with the requirements that were in place at the time the program was dissolved, including graduate level degrees as well as the expectations for future government employment.
Trump mocks Biden for 2022 fist bump with Crown Prince — 8:49 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
As he made his way from Doha Qatar to Abu Dhabi, United Emirates, on Thursday, the president reminded reporters about Joe Biden‘s 2022 fist bump with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
During that encounter, Biden awkwardly greeted the crown prince with a fist bump, a moment roundly criticized by human rights activists, who were already upset at Biden‘s decision to meet with the Saudi leader.
Trump noted that while in Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week, he’s shaken many hands.
“They were starving for love because our country didn‘t give them love,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “They gave him a fist bump. Remember the fist bump in Saudi Arabia? He travels all the way to Saudi Arabia … and he gives him a fist bump. That’s not what they want. They don‘t want a fist bump. They want to shake his hand.”
Trump’s UAE trip puts attention on that country’s arm shipments — 8:37 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
The US has sanctions on UAE companies over weapons deliveries to Sudan‘s Rapid Support Forces, whose fight with a rival has uprooted millions of Sudanese and spurred atrocities and starvation. Aid groups call it one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
UAE’s arms deliveries also are raising the risk of a “broader conflict that could destabilize the whole region,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said this week.
Ahead of Trump’s trip, “my message to the UAE is to stop extending the aid” and work to stop the fighting, Shaheen said.
The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and a US ally, has been repeatedly accused of arming the RSF, something it has strenuously denied despite evidence to the contrary.
Trump says he and Putin need to get together to Ukraine war solved — 8:27 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
President Trump insists he’s not disappointed with Russian President Vladimir Putin for not showing up for peace talks in Istanbul with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I don‘t believe anything’s going to happen whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled from Doha, Qatar, to Abu Dhabi, United Emirates, on Thursday. “But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying.”
Trump arrives in Abu Dhabi — 8:26 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
President Trump left Air Force One after touching down in Abu Dhabi for the last leg of his first major foreign trip.
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan greeted Trump. A young girl standing next to the UAE leader showed Trump a huge bouquet of white flowers.
Trump will head first to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque — among the largest mosques in the world — ahead of a state visit at Qasr al-Watan palace in Abu Dhabi.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed PresidentTrump upon arrival at the presidential terminal in Abu Dhabi. GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images
Link copied
By The Associated Press
President Trump’s comment Thursday about not wanting to make “nuclear dust” in a possible strike on Iranian nuclear facilities mirrors the concerns of the Gulf Arab countries he’s visiting in the Mideast this week.
The possibility of a US or Israeli strike on Iranian enrichment sites has renewed the long-standing fears that Gulf Arab states have about Iran‘s program. In the past, they’ve worried that an accident or a strike at Iran‘s Bushehr nuclear power plant could send radioactive material into the air and spread across the Persian Gulf into their countries.
Speaking to a business forum on Thursday, Trump similarly brought up the idea.
“Iran has sort of agreed to the terms: They’re not going to make, I call it, in a friendly way, nuclear dust,” Trump said. “We’re not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran.”
Iran has criticized the US threats to strike.
Qatari newspaper editor discusses Trump’s visit — 7:13 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
A Qatari newspaper editor said President Donald Trump’s visit to an air base in the country showed it is “very important” in the Middle East.
Faisal Almudahkha, the editor-in-chief of the Gulf Times, told Al Jazeera English immediately after Trump’s visit to Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar that it helps the US. project power as well as protecting the energy shipments coming out of the Persian Gulf region, and Qatar itself.
“The base plays a very big part of the stabilization of this region,” Almudahkha said. “Let’s face the truth: We are a small nation with a lot of ambition.”
He added Qatar also provides intelligence and diplomatic advice to the US.
Trump leaves Qatar for Abu Dhabi — 7:11 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
President Trump has boarded Air Force One to leave Qatar.
Qatar Air Force F-15 jets perform a flyover as Air Force One is ready to depart from Al Udeid Air Base. Alex Brandon/Associated Press
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar’s ruling emir, met him at the steps of Air Force One to say goodbye.
Trump climbed the stairs, turned around and then pointed at the emir and waved.
Trump now heads to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Trump ends speech with ‘YMCA’ dance — 6:49 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
President Trump has ended his speech to US troops at the Al-Udeid Air Base, dancing for a moment to the Village People’s “YMCA.”
Trump pointed to several people in the crowd and waved. He then raised his fist in the air going off stage, as service members filmed his exit with their phones.
Trump boasts of firings in the military — 6:48 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
Standing in front of US troops at the Qatari airbase, President Donald Trump said “we let a lot of four stars go,” touting his administration‘s effort to thin the military’s top ranks.
President Donald Trump gestures on stage at the Al Udeid Air Base. Alex Brandon/Associated Press
There’s long been friction between Trump and some top generals, and he’s been more emboldened to remake the command structure in his second term.
He described some military leaders as “frickin’ losers” as he addressed the rank-and-file.
Trump speaks of ‘overwhelming’ American military power — 6:17 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
President Trump is speaking to troops at the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
He started his speech thanking troops and discussing his Mideast trip so far, then spoke about America’s military power.
“As president, my priority is to end conflicts, not start them, but I will never hesitate to wield American power if it’s necessary to defend the United States of America or our partners,” Trump said. “And this is one of our great partners right here” in Qatar.
He added: “When we’re threatened, America’s military will answer our enemies without even thinking about it. We have overwhelming strength and devastating force.”
Trump has taken the stage — 5:43 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
President Trump has taken the stage in front of US troops in Qatar as Lee Greenwood sings his signature song, “Proud to be an American.”
Trump swayed, his fists up, during the song’s chorus, drawing cheers.
The assembled troops at the airbase stood up, most holding up cellphones to take pictures and videos of Trump.
US defense secretary addresses troops before Trump — 5:37 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asserted that “wokeness and weakness” allowed the wars in the world.
“We’re restoring the warrior ethos. No more political correctness,” he told troops at Al-Udeid Air Base, before President Trump takes the stage.
“Sadly, over the last four years, we saw a collapse in Afghanistan. And what happened on October 7th, the war in Ukraine, violence unleashed by wokeness and weakness.”
Trump arrives at air base in Qatar — 5:29 a.m. Link copied
By The Associated Press
President Trump has arrived at the Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where he is expected to address US troops and view a demonstration of American air capability in the region.
The base was a major staging ground during the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It houses some 8,000 U.S. troops, down from about 10,000 at the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
In Trump’s D.C., what is the value of the strongly worded congressional letter? — 5:05 a.m. Link copied
By Tal Kopan and Jim Puzzanghera, Globe Staff
As President Trump’s administration rolls out dramatic changes to the federal government and policy, lawmakers have been responding with a tried and true tactic: reaching for the letterhead.
The formal congressional letter has long been a way to demand information from Cabinet officials and to presage investigations. But at a time of growing Democratic frustration about what they see as insufficient pushback from their elected officials, the missives are drawing mockery.
Senator Chuck Schumer was skewered on social media and by late-night TV hosts last month after telling CNN‘s Dana Bash that Democrats had fired off their written concerns to Trump about his targeting of Harvard university and other schools.
“We sent him a very strong letter just the other day, asking eight very strong questions about why this isn‘t just a pretext,” Schumer said, referring to a letter from Jewish Democratic senators to Trump questioning his actual commitment to fighting antisemitism — the reason he’s claimed for blocking funds to Harvard and others.
Amid Trump administration cuts, hunger is rising as charities struggle to keep up — 4:18 a.m. Link copied
By Amanda Gokee, Globe Staff
One Sunday in May, Joseph Dame was at home chipping away at paperwork, when he got an emergency call: Three families in Madison, N.H., had run out of food.
“I don‘t get paid ‘til next week. I can‘t afford to buy food this week,” Dame, a food pantry volunteer, said one of the mothers told him.
He gave the families provisions for the week, but said this kind of emergency is happening more frequently. Each month, he’s seeing more people come to the Madison Food Pantry, many for the first time.
Amid sweeping federal cuts, the charitable food system is straining to meet the need, as more people seek help and less money is available to assist them. And private philanthropy isn‘t enough to fill the gap.
Students at Broken Ground School in Concord gather in the cafeteria for lunch. The Concord School District is working on a program to increase participation in school breakfast. Amanda Gokee/Globe Staff
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Trump says only two solutions for Iran are ‘intelligent’ or ‘brutal’ — 3:53 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
President Trump kept up pressure Thursday on Iran, warning Tehran that a deal over its nuclear program or potentially airstrikes are the only two solutions to the diplomatic impasse.
Speaking in Qatar before business leaders, Trump said: “We’d like to see if we could solve the Iran problem in an intelligent way, as opposed to a brutal way. There’s only two: intelligent and brutal. Those are the two alternatives.”
Trump suggests India offered to drop tariffs to zero on US goods — 3:30 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
President Trump has suggested that India has offered to drop tariffs on US goods to zero, something not immediately acknowledged by New Delhi.
Trump made the comments during a business roundtable in Doha, Qatar, on his Mideast tour, first discussing Apple’s plans to build manufacturing plants for its iPhone there.
“It’s very hard to sell into India and and they’ve offered us a deal with what basically they’re willing to literally charge us no tariff,” Trump said. India is a close partner of the U.S. and is part of the Quad, which is made up of the US, India, Japan, and Australia, and is seen as a counterbalance to China’s expansion in the region.
Trump says he didn‘t think Putin would go to Turkey talks if he wasn‘t there — 3:25 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
President Trump said Thursday that he didn‘t think Russian President Vladimir Putin would go to talks in Turkey with Ukraine if he wasn‘t there.
Trump made the remarks at a business roundtable in Qatar on his Mideast trip.
“I didn‘t think it was possible for Putin to go if I’m not there,” Trump said.
Trump had suggested he could travel there for the talks if Putin was going. On Thursday, however, Trump said: “I actually said, why would he go if I’m not going? Because I wasn‘t going to go. I wasn‘t planning to go. I would go, but I wasn‘t planning to go. And I said, I don‘t think he’s going to go if I don‘t go.”
Boeing has secured major orders in the Middle East while Trump has been there — 3:17 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
It has been a particularly good week for Boeing. The American aerospace manufacturer confirmed a $96 billion order from Qatar, one day after announcing an order from a company in Saudi Arabia for 20 737-8 jets and options for 10 additional aircraft.
The Qatar deal, which includes Boeing’s 787 and 777X jets, is the biggest order for 787s and wide body jets in Boeing’s history, the company confirmed. Shares of Boeing, which has been mired in legal and regulatory problems since the crashes six years ago, bounced to their highest level in more than a year Wednesday. It was the fifth straight day of gains for the company.
Boeing had already been in the news for its planes in the Middle East, but for different reasons. Trump said he would accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet as a gift from the ruling family of Qatar, setting off intense criticism from Democrats, ethicists, and even some unease among Republicans.
Trump to visit US troops in Qatar as he rejects America’s ‘interventionist’ past in region — 3:04 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
President Trump has attended a business forum in Qatar.
Trump sat with GE Aerospace’s Larry Culp and Boeing Co.’s Kelly Ortberg on either side of him on Thursday. Both praised Trump for his support for the Qatar Airways order for Boeing aircraft. Ortberg called it one of the largest orders Boeing has ever had.
Trump to visit US troops in Qatar as he rejects America’s ‘interventionist’ past in region — 1:04 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
President Trump on Thursday will visit a US installation at the center of American involvement in the Middle East as he uses his four-day visit to Gulf states to reject the “interventionism” of America’s past in the region.
Trump plans to address troops at Qatar’s al-Udeid Air Base, which was a major staging ground during the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and supported the recent US air campaign against Yemen‘s Iran-backed Houthis. The president has held up Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar as models for economic development in a region plagued by conflict as he works to entice Iran to come to terms with his administration on a deal to curb its nuclear program.
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Trump’s sanctions on ICC prosecutor have halted tribunal‘s work — 12:29 a.m. Link copied
By the Associated Press
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has lost access to his email, and his bank accounts have been frozen.
The Hague-based court’s American staffers have been told that if they travel to the US they risk arrest.
Some non-governmental organizations have stopped working with the ICC and the leaders of one won‘t even reply to emails from court officials.
Those are just some of the hurdles facing court staff since President Trump in February slapped sanctions on its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, according to interviews with current and former ICC officials, international lawyers and human rights advocates.
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Source: https://www.axios.com/2025/06/09/trump-california-funding-fight-immigration-protests