President Donald Trump and his Cabinet spent the better part of their meeting touting the administration鈥檚 record on everything from immigration to the economy.
But the Wednesday: The U.S. economy shrank at a 0.3% annual pace from January through March, the first drop in three years. It was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before Trump .
Here’s the latest:
Vance says Trump鈥檚 first 100 days were about bringing change 鈥榲ery quickly鈥
The vice president says the administration鈥檚 first 100 days were about hustling to bring major change but that, going forward, the pace of change may slow down.
鈥淭he next 100 days are going to be a lot of things that don鈥檛 change as quickly,鈥 Vance said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
He said, 鈥淭he first 100 days, you can get a lot done with just the president鈥檚 signature on a piece of paper.鈥
The vice president also noted that, by contrast, 鈥渢he next 100 days are going to be a lot of things where we need Congress, and, in some cases, some of our international partners, to step up to the plate.鈥
He singled out proposed tax cuts working their way through Congress and said the finished product could 鈥渏uice the economy a little bit.鈥
Trump administration plans to remove a memorial wall to USAID鈥檚 fallen staffers
The administration has hired a contractor to remove the memorial wall from the now-closed headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development, with no immediate word on where it will wind up.
Engraved tiles on the wall honor 99 USAID staffers killed in the line of duty since the agency鈥檚 creation in the early 1960s. Trump and Musk closed the headquarters and terminated most staff and projects within weeks of Trump鈥檚 inauguration.
The federal government posted notice Tuesday of a $41,142.16 contract to remove and relocate the memorial wall by June 6. Neither the State Department nor the contractor immediately responded to a question on where it would go.
Families of the dead, lawmakers and staffers have worried about whether the memorial would be treated respectfully amid the breakup of USAID. Supporters proposed moving it to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History or the National Cathedral, while a counterproposal suggested moving it to a rented office, a former USAID official familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
鈥 Ellen Knickmeyer
Head Start providers sue to prevent further federal funding cuts
A group of Head Start parents and providers is suing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Health and Human Services Department, seeking a court order blocking any further cuts to the federally funded early education program.
Head Start was founded serves hundreds of thousands of the neediest preschoolers and their families across the country.
It typically has enjoyed bipartisan support, but President Donald Trump has slashed its staffing and shuttered half of its regional offices, leading to funding delays and some temporary closures. A Trump budget proposal seeks to .
The plaintiffs say the administration is exceeding its authority with the cuts. The administration鈥檚 actions, they say, violate laws that call for the funding of Head Start, among others.
An spokesperson at HHS said the agency 鈥渄oes not comment on ongoing litigation.鈥
Schumer calls Trump鈥檚 first 100 days a 鈥榝ailure鈥
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Trump鈥檚 first 100 days can be defined by 鈥渙ne big F word 鈥 failure.鈥
Democrats gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol denouncing the president鈥檚 agenda so far and blamed Republicans in Congress. Schumer said the GOP lawmakers are 鈥渃omplicit鈥 and 鈥渃o-conspirators鈥 as Trump threatens democracy and drives the American economy 鈥渋nto the ground.鈥
Maine lawmaker goes to SCOTUS over censure for transgender sports post
Republican state Rep. Laurel Libby of Maine is after she was censured by the state House for a social media post about a transgender athlete.
The move comes as the state controlled by Democrats and the Trump administration spar over the issue.
Libby says her censure by the Democrat-majority House has blocked her from speaking and voting on the floor. She鈥檚 asking the Supreme Court for an order requiring her legislative votes be counted.
Her censure stemmed from a viral post in which she named a girls track winner and said the student had previously competed in boys track.
Vance calls presidents with portraits in the Oval Office 鈥榩laceholders鈥
As Vance was praising the president during the Cabinet meeting, he referred to the Oval Office, which under Trump鈥檚 redecorations now includes portraits of Ronald Reagan, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Franklin Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln.
鈥淵ou sit the Oval Office and you see these portraits of presidents past. And let鈥檚 be honest, most of them have been placeholders. They鈥檝e been people who鈥檝e allowed their staff to sign executive orders with an autopen instead of men of action,鈥 Vance said.
He said the media 鈥渁ttacks鈥 the Trump administration as 鈥渃haotic鈥 because the president is 鈥渟olving problems.鈥
Rubio says he would never tell a judge about talks on Abrego Garcia
Rubio had a quick response when asked whether he has had any conversations with El Salvador about returning Abrego Garcia to the United States.
鈥淲ell, I鈥檒l never tell you that. And you know who else I鈥檒l never tell? A judge,鈥 Rubio said during Wednesday鈥檚 marathon Cabinet meeting. 鈥淏ecause the conduct of all foreign policy belongs to the president of the United States and the executive branch, not some judge.鈥
He continued: 鈥淪o we will conduct foreign policy appropriately.鈥
鈻 Read more about , the man mistakenly deported to an El Salvador prison.
Trump says children may go with 鈥榝ewer dolls鈥 because of trade war with China
Trump, when asked if he if he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping, didn鈥檛 answer the question but instead seemed to acknowledge that there might be fewer, costlier products for Americans as a result of his trade war.
The president said that 鈥渟omebody said鈥 shelves in the U.S. would be empty and then seemed to acknowledge there would be fewer products, saying, 鈥淲ell, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls. So maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.鈥
He said China is facing tremendous difficulty鈥 because of his tariffs.
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White House says Ukraine has made 鈥榣ast minute鈥 changes to minerals deal
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during the Cabinet meeting that the Trump administration stands ready to sign off on a long-anticipated critical deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine鈥檚 valuable mineral resources but there鈥檚 still work to do.
鈥淥ur side is ready to sign,鈥 Bessent said when asked about reports that Ukraine is ready to sign off on the delayed deal. 鈥淭he Ukrainians decided last night to make some last minute changes,鈥 Bessent said 鈥淲e鈥檙e sure that they will reconsider that. And we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are.鈥
Bessent鈥檚 comments came amid reports that the U.S. and Ukraine were getting closer to finalizing the deal.
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Canada鈥檚 Carney to visit White House soon
Mark Carney, the newly elected prime minister of Canada, will come to the White House 鈥渨ithin the next week or less,鈥 the U.S. president says.
Trump called Carney a 鈥渧ery nice gentleman鈥 who, on their phone call Tuesday, 鈥渃ouldn鈥檛 have been nicer.鈥
The president mused that both candidates in the race 鈥 Carney and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre 鈥 鈥渉ated Trump鈥 and that the conservative figure 鈥渉ated me more.鈥
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Trump distances himself from stock prices
Trump says he is not 鈥渢aking a credit or discredit for the stock market,鈥 as financial markets have tumbled over his tariffs.
Speaking to reporters during a Cabinet meeting, Trump tried to distance himself from the stock prices 鈥 despite taking credit when markets rose after his election in November.
鈥淚鈥檓 not taking a credit or discredit for the stock market,鈥 Trump said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just saying we inherited a mess.鈥
Belarus releases US citizen after several years in custody
The State Department says Youras Ziankovich was released Wednesday and will return to the U.S. soon.
Ziankovich was convicted and sentenced to prison on what his supporters and the U.S. government say were bogus charges that he was part of a coup against the Belarusian government.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that he acknowledged Belarus鈥 President Aleksandr Lukashenko鈥檚 humanitarian gesture in releasing Ziankovich.
Democrats express 鈥榞rave concerns鈥 about plans to label Haitian gangs as foreign terror organizations
In a letter obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who co-chairs the Haiti caucus, told Secretary of State Marco Rubio that while they support efforts to target the financial support of Haitian gangs, they are concerned can cause a chilling effect on the delivery of humanitarian services as aid groups fear prosecutors could accuse them of directly or indirectly supporting the targeted groups.
Meeks and Cherfilus-McCormick urged the administration to consider sanctions against the gangs first.
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Trump says Musk can stay as long as he wants
Trump said during his Cabinet meeting that Musk is invited to stay in his administration indefinitely as the billionaire is said to be preparing to return to focusing on his companies Tesla and SpaceX.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e invited to stay as long as you want,鈥 Trump said.
Trump said Musk had been 鈥渢reated unfairly鈥 for his role in helping Trump slash the size and scope of the federal government. 鈥淵ou really have sacrificed a lot.鈥
Musk鈥檚 net worth has dropped significantly, and sales of Tesla have fallen amid a public backlash to the Musk-led cuts through the Department of Government Efficiency.
Vance scolds the media
Vice President JD Vance used his few minutes during the Cabinet meeting to take a swing at the media, which he accused of being fixated on the wrong priorities during Trump鈥檚 first 100 days.
Vance pointed to military recruitment numbers that he said the press should focus on, rather than other stories such as the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported to El Salvador last month.
鈥淲hy is it that the press is so focused on the fake B.S., rather than what鈥檚 really going on in the country?鈥 Vance said.
Judge directs administration to detail efforts to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland directed the Trump administration Wednesday to once again provide information on its efforts, if any, to comply with her order to retrieve Abrego Garcia from an El Salvador prison.
Xinis temporarily halted the directive for information last week at the administration鈥檚 request. But with the pause expiring at 5 p.m. Wednesday, she scheduled deadlines in May for administration officials to provide sworn testimony about efforts to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S.
The Trump administration arrested Abrego Garcia, 29, in Maryland and expelled him to his native El Salvador on March 15. The deportation violated an immigration judge鈥檚 2019 order barring his deportation to El Salvador because he likely faced persecution by local gangs there.
Quack, quack: Calling for RFK Jr.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 duck-themed ring tone has been making waves at his recent public appearances.
The loud quacks of Kennedy鈥檚 cellphone briefly interrupted Trump during the Cabinet meeting Wednesday, shortly before the formal convening began.
Eagle-eyed watchers of Kennedy may be familiar with the quacking. It also interrupted Kennedy鈥檚 live town hall event with talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw on Monday evening.
Elon Musk present at Cabinet meeting
The billionaire outside adviser attended Trump鈥檚 meeting of Cabinet officials Wednesday.
Musk, who leads the administration鈥檚 government-slashing efforts, was seated to the president鈥檚 right.
Throughout the Cabinet meeting, Musk has appeared distracted by his hats. He initially donned a hat promoting DOGE 鈥 the Department of Government Efficiency 鈥 then swapped it out with a Gulf of America hat, then later returned to the DOGE hat. He later adjusted the Gulf of America hat to make it wide enough to fit over the DOGE one and wore the two hats at once.
In an earlier interview, Wiles, the White House chief of staff, had said Musk was no longer physically working from the White House grounds.
Transportation chief calls for new air traffic control system
Sean Duffy, the Transportation secretary, says the administration wants to install a new air traffic control system soon.
鈥淵ou and I have talked about this,鈥 Duffy told Trump during his Cabinet meeting Wednesday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a state-of-the-art system鈥 that would be the 鈥渆nvy of the world.鈥
Duffy stressed that the administration will need help from Congress to get this done.
The secretary also said the department was working to hire more air traffic controllers, noting that they are about 3,000 people short.
Trump on Hegseth: 鈥楳y least controversial person鈥
Trump continues to jab at his embattled defense secretary, calling Pete Hegseth 鈥榤y least controversial person鈥 as he introduced him during his Cabinet meeting.
As the rest of the Cabinet chuckled, Hegseth quipped that he was being called controversial because 鈥渨e鈥檙e over the target鈥 when it comes to military recruitment.
Hegseth came under scrutiny again earlier this month after revelations of his involvement in another Signal messaging chat with sensitive military information that included his wife and brother.
President Trump is convening a meeting of his Cabinet
And he began by touting his record on immigration and the economy in his first 100 days.
鈥淲e鈥檝e just completed what many consider to be the most successful 100 days of any administration in the history of our country,鈥 he said.
Jeffries promises to 鈥榮top bad things鈥 from Trump with a new Democratic agenda
Over the next 100 days, Jeffries says House Democrats will be laying out their own blueprint for what they鈥檇 do if they were in charge 鈥 and it won鈥檛 be about Trump but 鈥渁ll about you.鈥
Firing up campaign mode, he wrapped up a nearly hour long address with the fighting words Democrats have been demanding of their leaders.
鈥淲e will not rest until we end this national nightmare,鈥 he said.
Trump鈥檚 first 100 鈥榶ears,鈥 er 鈥榙ays鈥
Jeffries stumbled slightly in his opening remarks about Trump鈥檚 first 100 鈥測ears鈥 鈥 before quickly correcting himself to 鈥渄ays鈥 鈥 saying the quiet part out loud.
Many Democrats in Congress are exhausted by what Jeffries called the chaos at the White House as the president bulldozes across the government.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says the first 100 days of Trump鈥檚 term a 鈥榙ebacle鈥
The Democratic leader said the Trump team 鈥渢hought they could 鈥榮hock and awe鈥 us into submission.鈥
They thought wrong, he said. He鈥檚 vowing Democrats are ready to fight back.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just getting started,鈥 he said.
Wall Street sinks following signals that the US economy is sputtering
A discouraging report suggesting the at the start of the year, before most of could take effect, is knocking U.S. stocks lower Wednesday.
The S&P 500 was down 1.5% in morning trading and on track to break . The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 479 points, or 1.2%, as of 10:40 a.m. Eastern time, and sharp drops for AI superstars like Super Micro Computer had the Nasdaq composite down 2%.
The weaker-than-expected report on the U.S. economy was a surprise because economists were expecting to see modest growth, particularly after the economy . But importers rushed to bring products into the country before tariffs could raise their prices, which helped drag on the country鈥檚 overall gross domestic product.
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Protest outside breakfast House Speaker Mike Johnson is attending
About 30 Washington, D.C., residents and organizers angry over the continuing delay to pass the city鈥檚 budget protested outside a private breakfast House Speaker Mike Johnson was attending.
Organizer Alex Dodd, of Free DC, said the goal was to disrupt the speaker 鈥渨hile you hold $1.1 billion of our local funding hostage.鈥
In a statement the organization put out, it said it was trying to send a clear message to Johnson: 鈥淲e are here to disrupt business as usual. We demand the immediate passage of the DC Local Funds Act, with no riders and no excuses.鈥
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Council are scrambling to address the crisis created by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. When Congress recessed April 10, it adjourned without addressing a $1.1 billion hole in the city鈥檚 2025 budget that was created when the House eliminated a little-known provision in a budget resolution.
Vermont judge orders release of a Palestinian man arrested at his US citizenship interview
A judge on Wednesday ordered the release of the Palestinian man who led in Gaza as a student at Columbia University and was arrested by immigration officials during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship.
U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford in Burlington, Vermont, issued his ruling following a hearing on Mohsen Mahdawi, a legal permanent resident for 10 years, who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents April 14. He鈥檚 been held at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.
A judge later issued an order barring the government from removing him from the state or country.
Mahdawi鈥檚 lawyers say he was detained in retaliation for his speech advocating for Palestinian human rights.
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Elon Musk now working remotely, not in person
The billionaire outside adviser is no longer physically working from the White House, although 鈥渋t really doesn鈥檛 matter much.鈥
That鈥檚 according to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who tells the New York Post that speaking to him on the phone about his efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency is having the 鈥渟ame net effect鈥 as Musk being there in person.
鈥淗is folks aren鈥檛 going anywhere,鈥 Wiles added in the interview.
Musk is designated as a 鈥渟pecial government employee,鈥 which means he can only work 130 days in a 365-day time period. May 30 marks 130 days since Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20.
US inflation cools, consumer step up spending, as Americans brace for tariff impact
The closely watched inflation gauge cooled last month in a sign that prices were steadily easing before most of Trump鈥檚 .
At the same time, consumers accelerated their spending, potentially in an effort to .
Wednesday鈥檚 report from the Commerce Department showed consumer prices rose just 2.3% in March from a year earlier, down from 2.5% in February. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.6% compared with a year ago, below February鈥檚 2.8%. Economists track core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed.
The slowdown in inflation could be a temporary respite until the widespread duties imposed by Trump begin to push up prices in many categories. Economists forecast that inflation could reverse its recent decline and reach 3% or higher by the end of this year.
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Trump blames his predecessor, Joe Biden, for sharp stock market selloff Wednesday morning
The news behind the drop was a government report showing the U.S. economy shrank during the first three months of this year, as imports increased because businesses are attempting to frontrun the high import taxes being imposed by Trump.
Trump refused in a social media post to accept any responsibility for the economy鈥檚 direction.
鈥淭his is Biden鈥檚 Stock Market, not Trump鈥檚,鈥 Trump posted on Truth Social. 鈥淭ariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden 鈥極verhang.鈥 This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS.鈥
Trump鈥檚 plan to pave over the Rose Garden lawn will begin soon
The renovation will get underway in a 鈥渃ouple of weeks,鈥 White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told the New York Post in an interview.
Trump also wants to add a ballroom to the mansion, she said.
Wiles said in the interview published online late Tuesday that the ballroom is 鈥渟till in the design phase.鈥 But Trump is a 鈥渂uilder鈥 and she would expect the ballroom 鈥渢o go up pretty quickly鈥 once the preliminary work is done.
It was unclear where the ballroom would be added.
The East Room is the largest room in the White House and is traditionally used for large gatherings, such as receptions, bill-signing ceremonies and news conferences.
Trump has added since returning to power.
US economy shrinks 0.3% in first quarter as Trump trade wars disrupt business
The economy shrank 0.3% from January through March, the first drop in three years. It was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before Trump .
The January-March expansion was the slowest in almost three years and was down from 2.4% in the last three months of 2024. Imports shaved 5 percentage points off first-quarter growth. Consumer spending also slowed sharply.
Trump inherited a solid economy that had grown steadily despite high interest rates imposed by the Federal Reserve to fight inflation. His erratic trade policies 鈥 including 145% tariffs on China 鈥 have paralyzed businesses and threatened to raise prices and hurt consumers.
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris plans a speech sharply criticizing Trump鈥檚 policies
The speech planned for Wednesday comes amid speculation about whether she鈥檒l mount another presidential campaign or opt to run for California governor.
Harris will address the 20th anniversary gala for Emerge America, an organization that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office that grew in part from Harris鈥 run for San Francisco district attorney in the early 2000s.
Her speech also comes the day after Trump reached in office. It鈥檚 expected to be her most extensive public remarks since leaving office in January to Trump, with planned critiques of the Republican president鈥檚 handling of the economy, U.S. institutions and foreign policy.
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