The Latest: Trump says trade deals could be done within a month

After saying earlier in the day that he was "in no rush" to finish trade deals, President Donald Trump said he thought he could wrap up tariff talks "over the next three or four weeks." That timeline would be ambitious, as Trump's tariffs have sent nations scrambling to Washington. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Trump earlier Thursday.

His remarks came as he addressed reporters in the Oval Office after signing executive orders meant to boost U.S. commercial fishing in the Pacific Ocean.

Here's the latest:

Judge declines to halt DOGE takeover of US Institute of Peace for now

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said he will not issue an emergency order directing the team of billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk to stop its takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

In doing so Howell denied a request from former staffers and nonprofit organizations who sued Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, this month, saying the takeover is illegal and puts diplomats abroad at risk.

The plaintiffs said Congress established the institute as an independent nonprofit organization — not a government entity — so it cannot legally be taken over by DOGE. They also contend that DOGE is usurping lawmakers’ authority by preventing it from carrying out programs mandated by Congress.

DOGE attorneys counter that the institute is an executive branch agency, noting that the board members are presidentially appointed and it is required to publish certain notices in the federal register. They also say the institute is still doing the work mandated by Congress.

US to withdraw 600 troops from Syria

An official said Thursday that the U.S. will withdraw the troops, leaving fewer than 1,000 to work with Kurdish allies to counter the Islamic State group. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet announced publicly.

The troops have been critical not only in operations against IS but as a buffer for Kurdish forces against Turkey, which considers them to be aligned with terror groups.

Trump tried to withdraw all forces from Syria during his first term, but that met opposition from the Pentagon because it was seen as abandoning allies and led to the resignation of former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.

The withdrawal will return force levels to where they were for years after the U.S. and allies waged a multiyear campaign to defeat IS.

University protests decry Trump’s attacks on funding, speech and international students

University professors and students led protests on campuses across the U.S. on Thursday against what they say are broad attacks on higher education, including massive cuts to funding, the expulsion of international students and the stifling of free speech about the war in Gaza.

Demonstrations were held at schools including Harvard, where Trump's administration says it will freeze $2.2 billion in grants and contracts and is threatening to revoke its ability to host international students.

Rochelle Sun, a graduate student at Harvard’s Department of Government, said she came to stick up for international students because they’re integral to the school’s mission of pushing “the boundaries of human knowledge.”

“The whole point of me having this education here and for pursuing research at Harvard is to be among the best scholars that exist in the world,” Sun said after the protest in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “And so if they’re not going to be around me, then I’m not going to be able to achieve my goals of being here, either.”

▶ Read more about the protests

AP and the Trump administration argue over presidential access before appeals judges

The two sides returned to a courtroom Thursday as part of the high-stakes battle over who can control which journalists are able to question the president.

Lawyers argued before a U.S. Court of Appeals panel about putting in place a lower court order last week that the administration stop excluding AP from events in places like the Oval Office and Air Force One. It’s not clear when a ruling may come.

On Friday they will go before the author of last week’s decision, U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden. AP has asked him to enforce his ruling.

AP reporters and photographers have been blocked since Trump objected to the outlet’s decision not to rename the Gulf of Mexico. McFadden said the AP shouldn’t be excluded just because the president disagrees with them.

AP says the White House is ignoring that order and continuing to bar its journalists; Trump’s team says it has a new rotation system for such events and it hasn’t been AP’s turn yet.

▶ Read more about the dispute between AP and the Trump administration

Trump extends government hiring freeze for civilian executive branch workers

The president extended the freeze through July 15 on Thursday. Under the directive, vacancies would not be filled on the civilian side for the first six months of his second term.

Excluded from the hiring freeze are members of the military and the executive office of the president, as well as possible exemptions through the government’s Office of Personnel Management.

The directive also bans contracting outside the government to sidestep the freeze.

Trump rethinking tax-exempt status of other groups, including ethics watchdog

The president said his administration is reconsidering the tax-exempt status not just of Harvard University but also environmental groups and the ethics watchdog organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW.

His remarks come as conversations have been swirling among advocacy and civil society groups about Trump’s campaign of retribution turning to them. CREW has been tracking the administration’s actions and sued over its firing of federal workers.

“It’s supposed to be a charitable organization,” Trump said. “The only charity they had is going after Donald Trump. So we’re looking at that. We’re looking at a lot of things.”

Trump plans executive order to boost Maine lobster fishing

The president plans to sign the order next week. It’s not clear what it would involve, except that it could widen the range that lobster boats can travel.

Speaking in the Oval Office in front of reporters, an aide offered to get the order to Trump. The president suggested that existing laws result in a shortage of Maine lobsters.

Layoffs hit Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as Trump’s government downsizing continues

The president is drastically shrinking the size and the mission of the agency, the latest step in an extraordinary reshaping of the federal government.

Roughly 1,500 employees will be cut from the CFPB, leaving around 200 people, according to an administration official who wasn’t authorized to disclose the figure publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Fox Business first reported the number of layoffs.

Employees started receiving layoff notices on Thursday. Their access to agency systems, including email, ends Friday evening.

“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau identified your position being eliminated and your employment is subject to termination in accordance with reduction-in-force (RIF) procedures,” the emails said.

Trump says universities ‘abuse’ tax-exempt status

The president said tax-exempt status is a “privilege” that more schools than just Harvard are abusing.

He recently targeted Harvard in a social media post, questioning whether it should remain tax-exempt "if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting 'Sickness?'"

Harvard recently rejected Trump administration demands for changes to its curriculum and operations. The administration responded by cutting off billions of dollars in federal funding.

The IRS is said to be reviewing the university’s tax-exempt status.

“It’s something that these schools will have to be very, very careful with,” Trump said Thursday.

Reversing himself, Trump says trade deals could be done within a month

After saying he was in no rush to finish trade deals, the president said he thought he could wrap up talks “over the next three or four weeks.”

That timeline would be ambitious, as Trump’s tariffs have sent nations scrambling to Washington. Yet it’s still unclear what he wants, and he still seems committed to imposing tariffs.

Trump has indicated that tariff rates can change, but he said his biggest limitation is that “there’s only so many hours in the day.”

The president’s timeline was about making a deal with China and “everybody.”

White House proposes eliminating Head Start funding as part of sweeping budget cuts

The Trump administration is asking Congress to eliminate funding for Head Start, a move that would cut early education for more than half a million of the nation's neediest children and child care for their families.

The proposal is tucked in a 64-page internal draft budget document obtained by The Associated Press that seeks deep cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Head Start. It is still in a highly preliminary phase as the White House prepares to send Congress its budget request for the 2026 fiscal year.

It is not clear if the proposed cuts will be accepted by lawmakers. While Congress often ignores a president's budget request, the proposed elimination of Head Start highlights the administration's priorities as Trump seeks to overhaul education in the United States.

▶ Read more about the proposal

Trump signs executive orders on fisheries

The president invited reporters back to the Oval Office as he signed directives meant to boost U.S. commercial fishing in the Pacific Ocean.

He was flanked by residents of American Samoa who thanked him for his efforts, saying they would boost the seafood-dependent local economy.

“It’s so horrible and so stupid, it’s so stupid,” Trump said. “We’re talking about a massive ocean, and they’re forced to travel four to seven days to go and fish.”

Trump calls FSU shooting ‘a shame’

Talking again at the White House, the president was asked about the shooting at Florida State University.

“It’s a shame,” he said, calling himself a “big advocate” of the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms.

“The gun doesn’t do the shooting, the people do,” Trump said.

He added that he has an “obligation” to protect the Second Amendment.

Trump to head to United Kingdom this fall

The president said King Charles has invited him to visit the country later this year.

“I think we’re setting a date for September,” he told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.

“It’s an honor to be a friend of Charles,” he said

Trump is set to go on the first foreign trip of his second term to Saudi Arabia next month.

Trump pleased that the Supreme Court will hear birthright citizenship case and predicts victory

The president said he’s “so happy” the high court will hear arguments on his plan to end birthright citizenship.

“I think the case has been so misunderstood,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

He noted that the 14th Amendment granting automatic citizenship to people born in the U.S. was ratified right after the Civil War. He suggested that means it is “all about slavery.”

“If you look at it that way, we would win that case,” Trump said.

House Oversight Committee is opening an investigation into Harvard

In a letter sent Thursday by Republican Chairman James Comer and Rep. Elise Stefanik, who’s chairwoman of the House Republican Leadership, the committee accused Harvard of a “lack of compliance with civil rights laws” and directed the school to provide documents relating to hiring, admissions and diversity, equity and inclusion.

The congressional inquiry follows Harvard’s refusal to comply with demands from the Trump administration related to admissions, campus activism and hiring. The executive branch has pressured Harvard by withholding more than $2 billion in federal research funding and threatening the school’s tax-exempt status and ability to host international students.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart

It was on the same day he met with Ukrainian and European officials about U.S. efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Rubio gave Sergey Lavrov the same message he conveyed to the delegations in Paris, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

“President Trump and the United States want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace,” Bruce’s statement said.

The talks Thursday were the first time since Trump took office that American, Ukrainian and European officials are known to have met to discuss an end to the war.

“The encouraging reception in Paris to the U.S. framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement,” Bruce said.

Appeals court calls Trump administration’s defiance over mistakenly deported man ‘shocking’

The Trump administration's claim that it can't do anything to free Kilmar Abrego Garcia from an El Salvador prison and return him to the U.S. "should be shocking," a federal appeals court said Thursday in a scathing ruling in favor of the Maryland man.

A three-judge panel from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously refused to suspend a judge’s decision to order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her instruction to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return.

The panel said Trump’s government is “asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order.”

“Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear,” they wrote.

▶ Read more about Kilmar Abrego Garcia's case

Federal court hearing on lawsuits challenging Trump’s executive order on elections

A hearing is underway in the nation's capital to consider three lawsuits in federal district court challenging President Trump's sweeping executive order on elections.

The Democratic National Committee, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the League of Women Voters Education Fund and others are seeking to block parts of Trump’s sweeping overhaul of federal election processes, including its directive to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form.

Danielle Lang, counsel for the nonpartisan groups suing the Trump administration, said requiring citizenship proof would complicate her clients’ voter registration drives at grocery stores and other public places.

It would make them “far more cumbersome, far more difficult, and far less effective,” she said.

Medal of Honor winner for heroism in Afghanistan is rejoining the military

Dakota Meyer, a Marine who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in the Afghanistan War but later became a sharp critic of the Biden administration over its chaotic withdrawal from that conflict, is reenlisting in the military and will serve in the Marine Reserves.

In a briefing with reporters Thursday before his reenlistment ceremony, Meyer said he’s returning to military service after 15 years out of uniform because he felt he “had more to give.” He’s also close to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

But Meyer said he would refrain from politics while in uniform.

“The great part about being in the reserves is I’m still a citizen when I’m not on orders,” he said. “When I’m on orders, I’ll comply obviously with whatever the standard is.”

Trump says he’s in ‘not in a rush’ for military action on Iran

“I’m not in a rush to do it because I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death, and I’d like to see that,” Trump told reporters as he hosted Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni at the White House. “That’s my first option. If there’s a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran.”

Trump’s latest comments on Iran’s nuclear program comes as his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are set to gather Saturday for a second round of talks.

The New York Times on Thursday reported that Israel had recently developed a plan to attack Iranian nuclear facilities, but Trump wanted to give negotiations more time.

Asked about the report, Trump said “I wouldn’t say waved off,” while reiterating his position that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

“It’s really simple,” Trump added. “We’re not looking to take their industry. We’re not looking to take their land. All we are saying is you can’t have a nuclear weapon.”

Despite their ‘great’ relationship, Trump says Meloni didn’t change his mind on tariffs

“No, tariffs are making us rich. We were losing a lot of money under Biden,” the U.S. president said. “And now that whole tide is turned.”

Trump took time to lavish praise on the Italian prime minister, however.

“She’s doing a great job, certainly one of our great allies,” he said. “She’s a fantastic person and doing a great job and our relationship is great.”

IRS is investigating Harvard, but White House says it’s not because of Trump

After Harvard defied the Trump administration’s demands, the president suggested on social media the university should lose its tax-exempt status “if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’”

The White House suggested IRS scrutiny of Harvard’s tax status predated Trump’s post Tuesday on Truth Social. Federal tax law prohibits senior members of the executive branch from requesting that an IRS employee conduct or terminate an audit or investigation.

“Any forthcoming actions by the IRS will be conducted independently of the President, and investigations into any institution’s violations of its tax status were initiated prior to the President’s TRUTH,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in an email Thursday.

But a person familiar with the matter said the Treasury Department directed Andrew De Mello, the IRS’s acting chief counsel, to begin the process of revoking Harvard’s tax exempt status shortly after Trump’s post. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

▶ Read more about Harvard and the IRS

— Fatima Hussein

Voting rights advocates warn of state proof of citizenship voting requirements

Many conservative states, including Florida, Texas and Indiana, have recently introduced bills aiming to create or expand proof of citizenship voting requirements amid legal challenges to an executive order attempting to make the mandate national.

“Even if not a single tenet of this executive order stands up to legal challenge, the goal of the executive order was and is to send clear marching orders to the states and Congress to tell them exactly what President Trump wants them to be doing,” said Liz Avore, senior policy advisor at the Voting Rights Lab. “And they’re listening.”

Avore said 22 states this year are considering or have considered bills that require proof of citizenship, which voting rights advocates say risks disenfranchising millions of Americans without ready access to the proper documents.

Supreme Court keeps hold on Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship but sets May arguments

Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship for the children of people who are in the U.S. illegally has been halted nationwide by three district courts around the country.

The Republican administration had sought to narrow those orders to allow for the policy to take effect in parts or most of the country while court challenges play out. That’s expected to be the focus of the high court arguments.

▶ Read more about the birthright citizenship case

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: Administration working on ‘big 15 economies’ first on trade deals

Trump asked Bessent to comment on the trade negotiations during the president’s Oval Office meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Bessent noted that he and other administration officials held talks Wednesday with Japan. He said South Korean officials will be visiting next week.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes slams SAVE Act as ‘trash’

The bill, which the House passed last week, aims to require proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote for federal elections. It's one of Trump's top election-related priorities and Democrats and voting rights advocates have warned it risks disenfranchising millions of Americans without ready access to the proper documents.

“It makes no sense,” Fontes said Thursday. “This is an alleged solution that searching desperately for a problem. And the solution is far more dangerous to the rights of American voters.”

Fontes also criticized Trump's executive order on elections as a "nonsensical attack" on trust in elections.

“American citizens’ rights are under attack, and it’s a damn tragedy it’s coming from the White House,” he said.

Trump says mineral deal with Ukraine is ready

After lots of false starts, the president said the U.S. is ready to deal with Ukraine on access to critical minerals in the country.

“We have a minerals deal,” Trump said in the Oval Office.

Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were originally supposed to sign such an agreement when the Ukrainian leader visited the White House, only to have their meeting end in acrimony.

Trump continued to criticize Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell

"Oh, he'll leave," Trump said in the Oval Office as he welcomed Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni. "If I ask him to, he'll be out of there."

He did not respond to a follow-up question on whether he would try and remove the Federal Reserve chairman.

Meloni says Trump will visit Italy

The Italian premier said in the Oval Office that Trump has accepted an invitation for an official trip to her country.

No date was disclosed. Vice President JD Vance is leaving Friday for his own visit to Rome.

She flattered the U.S. leader in their meeting, saying “the goal for me is to make the West great again,” echoing Trump’s campaign slogan. Meloni said she shares his fight against “woke” ideology.

Trump also praised his Italian counterpart. “She has taken Europe by storm,” he said.

Trump responds to the shooting at Florida State University

The president opened his Oval Office meeting with the Italian premier with comments on the shooting.

Trump said he’d been “fully briefed.”

“It’s a horrible thing. It’s horrible that things like this takes place,” he said.

Sen. Van Hollen says he was denied entry to El Salvador prison where Kilman Abrego Garcia is held

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is in El Salvador to push for Abrego Garcia's release after he was sent there by the Trump administration in March despite an immigration court order preventing his deportation. He said in a video posted on X that his car was stopped when he tried to enter the prison Thursday to check on Abrego Garcia's health.

“Today’s purpose was just to see what his health condition is,” Van Hollen said in the video. He said his car was stopped by soldiers about 3 kilometers from the prison, even as they let other cars go on.

Abrego Garcia is a a Salvadoran citizen who was living in Maryland when he was deported.

▶ Read more about Kilman Abrego Garcia's case

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni invites Trump to visit Italy

The official invitation came at the start of their White House meeting.

Vice President JD Vance is already scheduled to head to Rome later this week and will meet with Meloni while he’s there.

Trump visited Italy during his first term when he attended the 2017 Group of Seven summit in Taormina.

Trump says he’s in ‘no rush’ to reach any trade deals

The president played down the likelihood of reaching any trade agreements as a result of his tariffs.

Trump told reporters while meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that “at a certain point” deals would come together.

“We’re in no rush,” said Trump, saying he liked the revenues he expected the tariffs to generate for the U.S. government.

US Treasury says no decision has been made on the future of the Direct File program

That’s according to a Treasury spokesperson who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the agency’s thinking on the topic.

Direct File is an electronic system for filing tax returns directly to the agency for free, developed during the Biden administration. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the Trump administration plans to eliminate the program according to two people familiar with the decision.

The Treasury official, in an emailed statement, said the department viewed Direct File as a “very disappointing” program that costs tens of millions of dollars a year and was used by about 200,000 people out of 300 million, or less than 0.1% of taxpayers.

However, the program wasn’t available in all 50 states. It was launched as a pilot in 2024 in 12 states, then made permanent and expanded to 25 states for the 2025 filing season and was still growing. The agency accepted 140,803 submitted returns in 2024.

— Fatima Hussein

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has arrived at the White House for her meeting with Trump

The two leaders posed for photos together before heading inside.

Former Pentagon spokesperson tied to online DEI purge asked to resign, official says

John Ullyot was one of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s initial communications office hires and oversaw some of its most visible but controversial moves, including a broad edict to the military services to strip away online images that were considered a promotion of diversity, equity or inclusion.

That directive led to public outcry when images of national heroes like Jackie Robinson and others were removed.

Ullyot told Politico on Wednesday he decided to resign.

A senior defense official told The Associated Press on Thursday that Hegseth’s office asked Ullyot to resign. The official familiar with the decision spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details that haven’t been made public.

The departure isn’t tied to an investigation into unauthorized disclosures of information, which so far has led three other senior Pentagon aides to be put on leave.