The Latest: Vance visits Greenland as Trump presses for a US takeover of the island

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor says judges must remain ‘fearlessly independent’

Sotomayor also acknowledged that many people are worried about challenges to the rule of law.

Without mentioning Trump, Sotomayor told Georgetown Law School students that judges have to make sure the government respects people’s rights. Her remarks came as Trump and his allies have denounced judges who have slowed his agenda, even calling for some to be impeached.

“One of the things that is troubling so many right now is that many of the standards that are being changed right now were norms that governed officials into what is right and wrong. Once norms are broken then you’re shaking some of the foundation of the rule of law,” Sotomayor said as she answered questions posed by students and law school Dean William Treanor.

The Trump administration is facing more than 130 lawsuits over the president’s flurry of executive actions, including four that are currently pending at the Supreme Court.

US Naval Academy ends affirmative action in admissions

The U.S. Naval Academy will no longer consider race, ethnicity or sex as a factor for admission to the service institution, according to federal court documents made public Friday.

The change in policy was made in February by Vice Adm. Yvette Davids, the academy’s superintendent, in response to Trump’s executive order saying “every element of the Armed Forces should operate free from any preference based on race or sex,” according to a court filing by the U.S. Justice Department.

Trump’s order also directed the secretary of defense to conduct an internal review with respect to all “activities designed to promote a race- or sex-based preferences system,” including reviews at the service academies.

Judge blocks Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Voice of America

Judge James Paul Oetken blocked the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which runs the government-funded international news service, from firing more than 1,200 journalists, engineers and other staff that it sidelined two weeks ago after Trump ordered its funding slashed.

Oetken issued a temporary restraining order barring the agency from “any further attempt to terminate, reduce-in-force, place on leave, or furlough” employees or contractors, and from closing any offices or requiring overseas employees to return to the U.S.

Trump commutes the sentence of Ozy Media co-founder Carlos Watson

The commutation came just before Watson was due to report to prison for a nearly 10-year sentence in a financial conspiracy case. It confirmed by a senior White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the decision and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Watson was convicted last year in a closely watched case that showcased the implosion of an ambitious startup company.

Breon Peace, who was serving as the Brooklyn-based U.S. attorney at the time, said after the trial that the jury determined “Watson was a con man who told lie upon lie upon lie to deceive investors into buying stock in his company.”

Ozy Media “collapsed under the weight of Watson’s dishonest schemes,” Peace said.

Trump has been aggressively using his presidential powers to commute sentences and pardon people he believes were treated unfairly by the justice system.

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Associated Press reporter Chris Megerian contributed.

Appeals court clears way for DOGE to keep operating at USAID

The three-judge panel lifted an order blocking Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from further cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The appeals court found the Trump administration is likely to show that DOGE’s involvement doesn’t violate the Constitution.

The decision blocks an earlier ruling from U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland, who found that DOGE’s actions violated the appointments clause.

US-funded broadcaster loses voice in the wake of Southeast Asia quake

After Cyclone Mocha hit Southeast Asia in 2023, Radio Free Asia’s Burmese Service sent out more than 70 stories in 10 days via shortwave radio, satellite TV and social media.

But following Friday's earthquake that killed more than 150 people in Myanmar and neighboring Thailand, the U.S.-backed broadcaster has been noticeably absent, after Trump gutted its parent company.

RFA, which receives funding from the U.S. Agency for Global Media, has been forced to furlough most of its staff and sever contracts with stringers, hindering its efforts to gather news on the ground, according to RFA spokesperson Rohit Mahajan, a spokesperson.

As USAGM ends contracts for shortwave radio transmitters, RFA has lost three hours of transmission time to beam programs to audiences in Myanmar, Mahajan said.

“Given the deadly earthquake in Myanmar, when people are relying on RFA’s critical updates to learn more, this is very concerning,” he said.

Judge says people must be able to appeal being deported to a country other than their own

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy has temporarily prohibited U.S. authorities from sending people with final orders of removal to a different country than the one they came from — referred to as a third country — without a “meaningful opportunity” to argue that it would make them unsafe.

The Justice Department argues that allowing people to challenge deportation to a third country after they lose immigration cases would interfere with law enforcement.

Murphy, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, sided with advocacy groups including the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, which sued Sunday in Boston. His order remains in effect only temporarily, while the case advances in court.

Trump names candidates for drug control policy office and ambassador to Serbia

Journalist Sara Carter is Trump’s choice to head up the Office of National Drug Control Policy, or become the nation’s “drug czar.”

She has been a contributor on Fox News Channel since 2017. Trump said Carter has tackled the fentanyl and opioid crises, and has exposed terrorists, drug lords and sex traffickers.

His pick for U.S. ambassador to Serbia is Mark Brnovich, a former Arizona attorney general. Brnovich is also an Army National Guard veteran whose parents came to the United States from the former Yugoslavia.

Trump said, “As the son of refugees who fled communism, Mark will be a strong advocate for Freedom, and always put AMERICA FIRST.“

Federal judge blocks Trump from dismantling Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

The agency had been targeted for mass firings before the court’s intervention.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson agreed to issue a preliminary injunction that maintains the agency’s existence until she rules on the merits of a lawsuit seeking to preserve the agency. The judge said the court “can and must act” to save the agency from being shuttered.

Jackson previously heard testimony about the chaos that erupted inside the agency after government employees were ordered to stop working last month. The bureau’s chief operating officer, Adam Martinez, said the agency was in “wind-down mode” after Trump fired its previous director on Feb. 1.

Trump installed a temporary replacement who ordered the immediate suspension of all agency operations, canceled $100 million in contracts and fired 70 employees.

Denmark’s prime minister says Vance made it clear the US respects Greenland’s sovereignty

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s statement also rejected Vance’s assertions that Denmark has ignored Greenland, saying the island is “a good and strong ally.”

She also said Denmark is increasing defense capabilities in the region. That includes new Arctic ships and long-range drones.

Vance had said while visiting Greenland that its residents have the right to self-determination. He also suggested Denmark hadn’t treated Greenland well, and said he believes its people will side with Trump’s takeover plans.

Trump has insisted the U.S. will eventually take over Greenland and hasn’t ruled out military force.

Wisconsin attorney general asks court to block Musk from handing out $1 million checks to voters

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul asked the Dane County Circuit Court to issue an emergency injunction to stop the Elon Musk event, which he announced on his social media platform X. The weekend event was planned for just two days before the state’s hotly contested Supreme Court race was to be decided.

Musk initially said the money would go to voters in the Supreme Court race, then deleted that and said it would instead go to signers of his petition targeting “activist” judges.

Musk’s America PAC earlier this week gave $1 million to a Green Bay man who urged voters on Friday to cast their ballots for the Musk-backed and Trump-endorsed court candidate Brad Schimel.

Schimel, a Waukesha County judge, faces Democratic-backed Dane County Circuit Judge Susan Crawford in Tuesday’s election. Ironically, Kaul’s injunction request was randomly assigned to Crawford, but her spokesperson said she would recuse.

Congressional Black Caucus chair disputes Trump order on Smithsonian museums

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette D. Clarke disputed the executive order signed by President Trump that questioned the truthfulness of Smithsonian museums in telling the nation’s history.

“We detest this administration’s dedication to whitewashing our nation’s history,” she said in a statement.

“Let’s be clear, Black history is American history,” the New York Democrat said. “We do not run from or erase our history simply because we don’t like it. We embrace the history of our country – the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

Appeals court rules Trump can fire board members of independent labor agencies

A divided appellate court panel of judges agreed to lift orders blocking the Trump administration from removing Merit Systems Protection Board member Cathy Harris and National Labor Relations Board member Gwynne Wilcox.

On March 4, U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled that Trump illegally tried to fire Harris. Two days later, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that Trump did not have the authority to remove Wilcox.

The Justice Department asked the appellate court to suspend those orders while they appeal the decisions.

President Joe Biden nominated Harris to the merit systems board in 2021 and nominated Wilcox to a second five-year term as an NLRB member in 2023.

Trump endorses budget fix that would restore DC budget shortfall

Trump is pushing the House of Representatives to pass a measure that would prevent immediate financial disaster for the District of Columbia, even as he continues to level harsh criticism at the city and its leaders.

In a Friday morning post on Truth Social, he wrote, “The House should take up the D.C. funding ‘fix’ that the Senate has passed, and get it done IMMEDIATELY.”

It's the first direct public indication from the Republican president that he supports efforts to restore a $1.1 billion hole in the district's budget, and it's a major boost for Democratic Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser's campaign to reverse a legislative change that she says would devastate the capital city.

Musk changes reason for visiting Wisconsin

Billionaire Elon Musk on Friday clarified his reasons for visiting Wisconsin two days ahead of its hotly contested state Supreme Court election after deleting a social media post saying he planned to "personally hand over" $2 million to a pair of voters who have already cast their ballots in the race.

Musk later posted a clarification, saying the money will go to people who will be “spokesmen” for an online petition against “activist” judges. After first saying the event would only be open to people who had voted in the Supreme Court race, he said attendance would be limited to those who had signed the petition.

The change in direction came as Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general said he planned to seek a court order on Friday to keep Musk from handing over the money.

Trump is asked, ‘What is a woman?’

Trump said the question was “easy to answer” when asked by a reporter for the definition of a woman during Women’s History Month.

Trump, speaking after Alina Habba’s swearing-in as interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, said a woman:

“Somebody that can have a baby under certain circumstances.”

“A person who is much smarter than a man, I’ve always found.”

“A person that doesn’t give a man even a chance at success.”

“A person that has, in many cases, been treated very badly,” referring to transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.

Wisconsin man announced as first person to receive $1M from Musk’s PAC

Scott Ainsworth, a Green Bay, Wisconsin, man, has been identified as the first person to receive $1 million from Elon Musk’s America PAC.

Ainsworth has posted dozens of Facebook posts since January supporting Brad Schimel, the Republican-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, including photos from campaign events, social media posts from Donald Trump urging Wisconsinites to vote for Schimel and lists of donors to the Democratic-supported candidate, Susan Crawford.

“Remember to get out and VOTE Schimel for Supreme Court!” he declared in a March post.

Ainsworth donated $350 to Schimel’s campaign this year, campaign finance records show.

In the past few months, Ainsworth has also made posts calling the Department of Education a “failure” and urging it to be shut down, and criticizing former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Tammy Baldwin.

Major law firm reaches deal with the White House

Trump says Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP has agreed to provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal services in support of certain causes.

He says the firm will also pledge not to use diversity, equity and inclusion considerations in its hiring practices.

The firm is the second in two weeks to cut a deal with the Trump administration.

Last week, Paul Weiss, another powerhouse firm, reached a resolution after being targeted with an executive order that threatened the suspension of security clearances of attorneys at the firm.

Also Friday, two other firms — Jenner & Block and WilmerHale — sued the government to block enforcement of virtually identical orders that targeted also them.

Supporters rally for dismissed Education Department workers

Dozens of people gathered outside the Education Department’s Washington headquarters in a show of support for dismissed employees as they returned to pack up their desks.

The department's workforce has been cut in half since Trump took office.

Bradley Custer was among 1,300 employees hit by a round of layoffs two weeks ago. He said he went to work for the department’s Office of Federal Student Aid to improve the student loan system.

“I’m really worried now that our progress is derailed and things will get worse again,” he said.

Greenland will ultimately side with a US takeover, Vance says

Vance has wrapped up his speech in Greenland after suggesting its people will side with Trump and agree to partner with the United States.

The vice president said Greenland’s residents have the right to self-determination.

But he rebuked Denmark, which he said was neglecting Greenland.

Vance said he believes Greenland’s people will ultimately side with the U.S. and its desire for control of the island because they are “rational and good.”

Trump has insisted the U.S. will eventually takeover Greenland and hasn’t ruled out military force. Denmark, as well as Greenland’s leaders, have soundly rejected that.

Waltz, Wright are visiting Greenland with Vance

Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser, is among the U.S. officials visiting Greenland with Vance.

Waltz has faced sharp criticism — including from some congressional Republicans — for mistakenly adding a journalist to a Signal group chat where top officials discussed details of a U.S. military attack in Yemen.

Waltz has taken “full responsibility” for building the chat group and called the security breach “embarrassing.” He’s vowed to move forward.

Chris Wright, Trump’s energy secretary, is also on Friday’s Greenland trip.

Vance defends his policy break with Trump during Signal chat

Vance is defending his break with Trump over a U.S. attack in Yemen.

The vice president was part of a group chat discussing airstrikes before they occurred.

On it, Vance appeared to break with Trump.

He questioned whether the president recognized that the U.S. attack meant to safeguard international shipping lanes clashed with Vance’s previous assertions that European countries weren’t doing enough to protect shipping interests.

“Sometimes we all agree. Sometimes we all disagree,” Vance said on Friday.

He insisted he supported the strikes, adding it’s “important we all have an honest conversation among ourselves” on national security.

Trump says he pardoned businessman Trevor Milton because he was treated unfairly

Trump said he doesn't know Trevor Milton but was told that the way Milton was treated by the justice system was "very unfair."

“And they say the thing that he did wrong was he was one of the first people that supported a gentleman named Donald Trump for president,” Trump said.

Trump also said he acted after receiving some “fantastic recommendations” about Milton.

Milton, the founder of electric vehicle start-up Nikola, was sentenced last year to four years in prison for exaggerating the potential of his technology.

Milton announced late Thursday on the social platform X that Trump had called him with the news.

Vance says Denmark

hasn’t kept Greenland’s people safe

In remarks while visiting a U.S. military base, the vice president also said Denmark has “underinvested” in the island’s security and demanded changes to the situation.

His comments came as Trump continued to promote the idea of a U.S. takeover of Greenland.

“Our message to Denmark is very simple,” Vance said. “You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.”

Thousands of US Health and Human Services employees await pink slips

As many as 10,000 employees are expected to start receiving termination notices as soon as today, according to an emailed notice union representatives received from the department on Thursday.

The notice says between 8,000 and 10,000 people will be terminated.

Public health agencies are expected to be hit hardest, with HHS saying on Thursday it will eliminate 3,500 people from the Food and Drug Administration, which inspects prescriptions and foods; 2,400 jobs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and 1,200 jobs at the National Institutes of Health.

Trump attorney Alina Habba is New Jersey’s new US attorney

Habba was sworn into office by Attorney General Pam Bondi in a ceremony held in the Oval Office as Trump looked on.

The New Jersey native defended Trump in some of his civil lawsuits. He later brought her to the White House with the title of counselor to the president.

“She counseled me very well,” Trump said. He said she’ll work “tirelessly to weed out crime and corruption and restore law and order to the Garden State.”

Habba thanked the president and said, “I would not be standing here today if it was not for the man to my right,” meaning Trump.

She promised to “make New Jersey great again.”

Press advocates sue Musk’s DOGE in Northern California district court for information

Freedom of press advocates are asking a federal court in California to rule that Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service is subject to the federal Freedom of Information Act and to comply with FOIA requests made of it.

The nonprofit First Amendment Coalition and MSW Media, a female-led podcast network, filed on Friday in the U.S. District for Northern California.

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled earlier in March that the U.S. DOGE Service was likely subject to FOIA and issued a preliminary injunction requiring the preservation of documents in a case brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.

The plaintiffs in California have sought emails and other electronic text communications sent or received by Musk and by Department of Government Efficiency employees. The agency has not responded to the FOIA requests.

Trump dodges question about expanding US military presence in Greenland

As Vance visits the island, Trump was asked if the trip could mean a larger U.S. military presence being deployed there eventually.

Trump didn’t answer the question. Instead, he told reporters in the Oval Office, “We get along very well with Greenland.”

“I think everybody wants to see that work out,” Trump said of the U.S. controlling the island, which is a Danish territory. He also said the U.S. gets along well with Denmark.

Trump added, “We need Greenland” for “international security.”

The president repeated his previous claims that many countries have military and other ships in waters around Greenland. He said greater U.S. influence in Greenland is “important for the peace of the world.”

Trump says Stefanik did him ‘a big favor’ by staying in Congress

Trump says Rep. Elise Stefanik did him “a big favor” by agreeing to stay in Congress instead of going to the UN.

Trump announced Thursday that he had pulled the New York Republican's nomination as U.N. ambassador, saying he was concerned about Republicans' razor-thin majority in the House.

He said Friday that he didn't want to risk Democrats possibly winning Florida's two special elections for the U.S. House next week. He noted all the money the party has spent to flip those seats.

“We don’t want to take any chances. It’s as simple as that. It’s basic politics,” he said.

Trump says he doesn’t think people should rush to buy autos to beat 25% tariff

Asked if Americans should buy their cars now to avoid higher prices from his 25% tariffs, the president suggested they had little reason for concern.

“No, I don’t think so,” Trump said about people pulling forward their auto purchases.

Trump is betting that his tariffs will cause the U.S. economy to boom. But his threats of multiple tariffs, with autos being just the latest example, have caused consumer sentiment to slump as people fear higher prices and fewer job opportunities.

Administration says it’s ending USAID’s independence, firing most staff

A Musk associate sounded a death knell Friday for most remaining staffers and independent functions of the U.S. Agency for International Development, asserting that “substantially all” USAID positions not required by law would be eliminated.

Jeremy Lewin, a former member of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency teams appointed to senior duties at the agency earlier this month, also asserted that the allows the Trump administration to eliminate the agency’s “independent operation.”

Lewin’s announcement appeared in a notice to USAID staff obtained by The Associated Press.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a separate notice that the administration had formally notified Congress Friday of its plans.

US stocks are tumbling following discouraging updates on inflation and household spending

The S&P 500 fell 2% Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 722 points, and the Nasdaq composite fell 2.7%.

Lululemon Athletica had stronger profits last quarter but lost 14.8%, after the sportswear maker warned of slowing revenue growth with shoppers spending less because of concerns about inflation and the economy. It was just the latest in a line of retailers making similar warnings.

Markets could remain shaky worldwide as Trump’s April 2 deadline for more tariffs approaches. Treasury yields also fell despite a worse-than-expected report on inflation.

A report on Friday morning showed all types of U.S. consumers are getting more pessimistic about their future finances, including Republicans, independents and Democrats.

▶ Read more on reactions to Trump's market-moving decisions

Vance confirms: Greenland is cold!

Vance and the second lady entered the mess hall at Pituffik Space Base and used some colorful language to describe the freezing temperatures outside.

“It’s cold as s--t here. Nobody told me,” Vance said, drawing laughs. Temperatures in Greenland were around -5 Fahrenheit.

The vice president said the flight from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland to Greenland was beautiful.

“The president is really interested in Arctic security, as you all know,” Vance said. “And it’s only going to get bigger over the coming decades.”

Mass reductions at HHS are turning it into the ‘Department of Disease,’ senator says

Sen. Patty Murray said the Trump administration and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are putting Americans’ lives in jeopardy.

During a call with the nation’s top former public health officials, the Democratic senator and others warned that nursing home safety, food and drug inspections, and clinical trials and scientific research are all being disrupted and dismantled by the DOGE cuts.

Murray said Americans need to know what’s at stake.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized the department he oversees as an inefficient "sprawling bureaucracy" in a video announcing the restructuring, and faulted its 82,000 workers for a decline in Americans' health.

“I want to promise you now that we’re going to do more with less,” Kennedy said.

▶ Read more on the impact of cuts at Health and Human Services

Musk promised he’d go to Wisconsin to deliver $2 million to voters — then deleted his message

Now the billionaire has deleted a social media post in which he had announced plans to hold a rally in Wisconsin to "personally hand over" $2 million to a pair of voters who have already cast their ballots in the state's hotly contested Supreme Court race.

The post disappeared from Musk’s social media platform, X, about 12 hours after he initially posted it late Thursday night.

Musk had posted that he planned to give $1 million each to two voters at the event on Sunday, just two days before the election that will determine ideological control of the court.

Wisconsin law explicitly prohibits giving anything of value in exchange for a vote.

Congressional Democrats question Attorney General on firing of immigration judges

Their letter to Pam Bondi says the firing of 20 immigration judges in February could add to the strain on backlogged immigration courts.

Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrats on committees overseeing the judicial system, along with over 60 other Democratic lawmakers, said the dismissal of the judges “is particularly baffling, given the immense pressure the immigration courts are under to adjudicate roughly 3.6 million immigration cases.”

The Vances begin their whirlwind Greenland visit

Soon after arriving, JD and Usha Vance sat down for lunch with American troops stationed at the Pituffik Space Base for lunch.

Vance told them he’s “really interested in Arctic security.”

“As you all know, it’s a big issue and it’s only going to get bigger over the coming decades,” Vance said.

Following the lunch, Vance was scheduled to receive briefings from military officials and deliver more formal remarks to troops.

The Trump administration hasn’t said if or how it will respond to Asia quake disaster. Cuts leave that uncertain

The U.S. Agency for International Development contracts with American urban disaster-response teams. Before the Trump cuts to foreign aid, USAID-backed search and rescue teams from Los Angeles County and Fairfax County, Virginia could head off to distant quakes in as few as 24 hours, said Sarah Charles, who oversaw the teams in the Biden administration.

The Trump administration is believed to have cut the commercial-transport contracts that get disaster crews, their dog search teams, and heavy equipment to disasters to pull out survivors and bodies, Charles said.

Now, as Trump faces the first major natural disaster of his second term, “the well-built system that we had … those are in shambles,” Charles said.

▶ Read more about responses to Friday's earthquake

Vance, his wife and other senior US officials have arrived at the American military base in Greenland

Friday's one-day visit is limited to the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik, on the northwest coast of Greenland about 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle.

The itinerary change removed the risk of potentially violating diplomatic custom by sending a delegation without an official invitation. It also reduces the likelihood that Vance and his wife will cross paths with residents angered by Trump’s announcements.

During his visit, Vance was expected to receive briefings and deliver remarks to U.S. service members, according to the vice president’s office. His delegation includes the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, as well as second lady Usha Vance.

▶ Read more about the northernmost US base

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenges West Virginia’s governor to lose 30 pounds

Kennedy also pressured Gov. Patrick Morrisey to commit to monthly weight check-ins, and said he’ll be his personal trainer.

"The first time I saw him, I said: You look like you ate Gov. Morrisey," Kennedy said. That comment drew nervous laughter from the crowd in West Virginia, which this week became the first state to sign a sweeping statewide ban on synthetic dyes in cereals, drinks and candies.

Kennedy and Morrisey also talked about adding more restrictions to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that millions of poor Americans use to buy food.

Trump and Mark Carney, the newly-minted prime minister of Canada, share phone call

The U.S. president, in a social media post, called it an “extremely productive call.”

“We agree on many things, and will be meeting immediately after Canada’s upcoming Election to work on elements of Politics, Business, and all other factors, that will end up being great for both the United States of America and Canada,” Trump wrote.

Canadians vote on April 28.

Who has been detained or deported as the US cracks down on pro-Palestinian protests?

The scholars taken into custody or deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent weeks include:

▶ Read more about the detentions and deportations

US, Lithuania forces struggle to drain swamp to recover 4 US soldiers

Their armored vehicle was discovered submerged in 15 feet of water after the soldiers went missing. Teams have been unable to get inside it or pull it out.

U.S. Army Europe and Africa said Friday that cranes, a large-capacity pump and more than 30 tons of gravel have been brought in to help drain the water, dig out the mud and pull out the M88 Hercules. A U.S. Navy dive crew is being brought in, and Polish Armed Forces have volunteered to send equipment and 150 personnel.

The site is “incredibly wet and marshy and doesn’t support the weight of the equipment needed for the recovery of the 70-ton vehicle without significant engineering improvements,” an Army statement said.

The soldiers’ identities have not been released. They’re part of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.

▶ Read more on the recovery effort in Lithuania

US targets Lebanese network that allegedly evades sanctions to support Hezbollah

The U.S. sanctions name five people and three companies, accusing them of evading sanctions to support the militant group’s finance team through a Lebanon-based network.

Included are Rashid Qasim al-Bazzal, Mahasin Mahmud Murtada, Fatimah ‘Abdallah Ayyub, Hawra’ ’Abdallah Ayyub, and Jamil Mohamad Khafaja.

Bradley T. Smith, the Treasury Department’s acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Friday that this “underscores Treasury’s determination to expose and disrupt the schemes that fund” Hezbollah.

DNC chair weekending in Florida amid rising Democratic hopes of flipping a seat

The chair of the Democratic National Committee will spend the weekend in Florida’s 6th congressional district, where the GOP candidate has raised concerns among Republicans ahead of a special election that was supposed to result in a landslide for conservatives.

Ken Martin will be visiting Daytona Beach and St. Augustine for get out the vote events in support of Democrat Josh Weil, who has raised $9 million for his campaign.

That’s nearly 10 times what Trump-endorsed Randy Fine has reported raising. Fine told The Associated Press he is spending $600,000 of his own money for his campaign.

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow deportations of Venezuelans to El Salvador during legal challenge

The emergency appeal follows a 2-1 vote by a panel of judges that left in place an order by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg temporarily prohibiting deportations of the migrants under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act.

The Justice Department argued that federal courts shouldn’t interfere with sensitive diplomatic negotiations, and that the migrants should make their case in a federal court in Texas, where they are being detained

Trump invoked the 18th century wartime law for the first time since World War II to justify the deportation of hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force.

▶ Read more on Trump's appeal to the Supreme Court over deportations

Trump’s restrictions on federal funding show how much colleges rely on it

The Trump administration’s squeeze on higher education underscores how much American colleges depend on the federal government. It provides grants and contracts that have amounted to close to half the total revenue of some research universities, according to an Associated Press analysis.

Trump has been using the funding spigot to seek compliance with his agenda, threatening to cut money for schools the administration has deemed as illegally pushing diversity, equity and inclusion or for not doing enough to combat antisemitism.

The AP analysis looked at federal funding for nearly 100 colleges currently under investigation. For most, around 10% to 13% of their revenue is federal money. That’s not counting federal student aid.

▶ Read more on the AP analysis of federal funding for higher education

Vance expected to hammer Danish leadership during visit to Greenland

The vice president is expected to make the case during his visit to Greenland on Friday that Danish leaders have “spent decades mistreating the Greenlandic people, treating them like second class citizens and allowing infrastructure on the island to fall into disrepair, according to a senior White House official.

He’ll deliver the message during an hourslong visit as Trump continues to say he intends for the U.S. to take control of the icy, mineral-rich island where American forces already have a strategic base.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity to preview the vice president’s message, added that Vance will emphasize the importance of bolstering Artic security in places like Pituffik Space Base, where American troops are based.

VP will spend entirety of visit to Greenland on US base

Vance is expected to meet with U.S. troops on Pituffik Space Base, receive a briefing and deliver a speech during a quick visit, a day after Greenlandic lawmakers agreed to form a new government together to resist Trump's efforts to annex the Arctic island.

“As the Vice President has said, previous U.S. leaders have neglected Arctic security, while Greenland’s Danish rulers have neglected their security obligations to the island,” said Taylor Van Kirk, the vice president’s press secretary. “The security of Greenland is critical in ensuring the security of the rest of the world, and the Vice President looks forward to learning more about the island.”

Usha Vance had announced she would visit the island with one of her children and attend a dogsled race as well as other cultural events. Vance then announced he was tagging along with his wife and the itinerary changed.

▶ Read more on Vance's trip to Greenland

Planned Parenthood to counter anti-abortion lobbying with Washington rally

The organization's president, Alexis McGill Johnson, slammed efforts to eliminate Medicaid funding for its health care services as she announced a Wednesday rally in Washington, D.C. ahead of the Supreme Court hearing a case in April that could strip its funding in South Carolina.

“Lawmakers want to impose their beliefs on everyone else, this time by trying to dictate where patients get their health care,” she said.

Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of services besides abortion, providing contraceptives, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and cancer screening and prevention procedures, especially for low-income patients.

“That care is under vehement, targeted attacks,” Johnson said.

Trump effect: Fewer Americans now see Canada as a close US ally

Americans are less likely to see Canada and the U.S. as close allies than they were two years ago, the latest indication that Trump's tariff threats and talk of taking over the neighboring ally are souring a critical economic and military relationship.

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggests that about half of Democrats see Canada and the U.S. as close allies now, down from 7 in 10 before Trump's return. Among Republicans, this dropped from 55% to 44%.

Very few see the U.S. and Canada as outright “enemies.” Almost no Americans see either Russia or China as a close ally.

“He’s turning everybody against us,” bemoaned Lynn Huster, a Democrat in York, Pennsylvania.

Shaya Scher, a Republican in New Jersey, said “he’s just doing it to make them freak out so they can get a deal.”

▶ Read more about the AP-NORC poll on Trump and America's allies

US inflation remained elevated last month as consumer spending recovered

An inflation gauge closely watched by the Federal Reserve remained high last month even before the impact of most tariffs has been felt.

Friday's report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices increased 2.5% in February from a year earlier, matching January's annual pace. Excluding volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.8% compared with a year ago, higher than January's figure of 2.7%. Economists watch core prices as a better guide of where inflation is headed.

Inflation remains a top economic concern for most Americans, even as it has fallen sharply from its 2022 peak. Trump rode dissatisfaction with higher prices to the presidency and promised to quickly bring down inflation, but the yearly rate is higher now than during the Biden administration in September, when it briefly touched 2.1%.

▶ Read more on the latest U.S. inflation numbers

Panama port deal pleased Trump. Beijing, not so much

Chinese anti-monopoly authorities will review a Hong Kong-based conglomerate’s tentative deal to sell its port assets at the Panama Canal to a consortium that includes U.S. investment firm BlackRock Inc.

That’s according to a state-backed media outlet Friday in the latest sign of Beijing’s disapproval over the sale.

China’s Hong Kong affairs offices have posted scathing commentaries over the deal by CK Hutchison Holdings, which is controlled by the family of Li Ka-shing, the city’s richest man.

Several Hong Kong media outlets quoted anonymous sources Friday saying the conglomerate would not sign the definitive documentation next Wednesday, as was expected in a timeline released by Hutchison in early March. The South China Morning Post newspaper reported that it understood next Wednesday was not a real deadline.

Trump-backed Byron Donalds opening campaign to succeed Gov. Ron DeSantis

The 2026 Florida governor's race is already heating up as Rep. Byron Donalds — backed by President Donald Trump — opens his campaign Friday evening with a hometown rally in Bonita Springs.

The event at the Sugarshack venue comes a month after Donalds officially announced his run to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose term is expiring.

DeSantis hinted previously that his wife, Casey DeSantis, would be a worthy candidate to continue his administration's legacy. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said in January that too he was considering a run.

▶ Read more on Republicans running to succeed Gov. DeSantis in Florida

Elon Musk heads to Wisconsin

The billionaire entrepreneur is returning to the campaign trail for the first time since helping to elect Trump.

He posted on X overnight that he would be holding an event in Wisconsin on Sunday night. The battleground state is holding a pivotal Supreme Court race, which will determine whether liberals maintain their 4-3 majority.

"This is super important," Musk wrote. He also said he'll hand out two $1 million checks to voters, part of a sweepstakes he's used to generate interest.

Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for Musk’s political action committee, declined to say Friday whether the two would include the $1 million Musk previously said was going to a voter in Green Bay.

▶ Read more on Musk's influence campaign in Wisconsin

Citing national security, Trump orders an end to end collective bargaining at many federal agencies

Trump is moving to end collective bargaining with federal labor unions in agencies with national security missions across the federal government, citing authority granted him under a 1978 law.

The order, signed without public fanfare and announced late Thursday, appears to touch most of the federal government. Affected agencies include the Departments of State, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Health and Human Services, Treasury, Justice and Commerce and the part of Homeland Security responsible for border security.

Police and firefighters, the order says, are an exception.

Trump said the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 gives him the authority to end collective bargaining with federal unions in these agencies because of their role in safeguarding national security.

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers, said late Thursday that it is “preparing immediate legal action and will fight relentlessly to protect our rights, our members, and all working Americans from these unprecedented attacks.”

▶ Read more about Trump's order on collective bargaining

Stanford, Cal and UCLA investigated race-based admissions policies

The Trump administration on Thursday opened investigations into the admissions policies at Stanford University and three campuses within the University of California system, including UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Irvine.

The Department of Justice said it’s investigating whether the schools’ policies comply with the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended affirmative action in college admissions.

Stanford said it took immediate steps in 2023 to ensure its admissions process complied with the law. The school said it had not been told specifically why it was being investigated.

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has attempted to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programs at colleges and elsewhere.

▶ Read more about the anti-DEI investigation

Trump aims to reshape Smithsonian museums and zoo by targeting funding for ‘improper ideology’

Trump revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targets funding for programs that advance "divisive narratives" and "improper ideology," the latest step in a broadside against culture he deems too liberal.

It's the Republican president’s latest salvo against cultural pillars of society, such as universities and art, that he considers out of step with conservative sensibilities.

The president said there’s been a “concerted and widespread” effort to rewrite American history by replacing “objective facts” with a “distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth.”

The order puts Vice President JD Vance in charge of an effort to “remove improper ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution, including its museums, education and research centers and the National Zoo. It specifically names the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The executive order also hints at the return of Confederate statues and monuments, many of which were taken down or replaced around the country after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020 and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, which is detested by Trump and other conservatives.

The order also calls for improvements to Independence Hall in Philadelphia by July 4, 2026, in time for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

▶ Read more about Trump's executive order on the Smithsonian

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