The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has proposed gutting the State Department’s budget by almost 50%, closing a number of overseas diplomatic missions, slashing the number of diplomatic staff, and eliminating funding for nearly all international organizations, including the United Nations, many of its agencies and for NATO headquarters, officials said.
The proposal, which was presented to the State Department last week and is still in a highly preliminary phase, is not expected to pass muster with either the department’s leadership or Congress, which will ultimately be asked to vote on the entire federal budget in the coming months.
See a recap.
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Other news we’re following:
- Trump administration freezes more than $2 billion in funding tied to Harvard: Trump administration’s antisemitism task force said Monday night it is cutting more than $2 billion in research funding to Harvard University.
- Harvard refuses administration demands, risking $9 billion in funding: The demands, which Harvard says violate the university’s First Amendment rights, include instituting “merit-based” admissions and hiring practices, auditing students and faculty about their views on diversity, and banning face masks — which appeared to target pro-Palestinian protesters.
- Trump hosts El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at White House: Trump’s top advisers and Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, said that they had no basis for the small Central American nation to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported there last month.
Federal workforce prepares for another round of mass firings — 9:34 p.m.
New York Times
Federal agencies are facing a deadline Monday to present their plans for another round of mass firings, the next step in the Trump administration’s drive to shrink the government.
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Some agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, have already announced their layoffs for this round of dismissals, which follows the terminations in February of thousands of probationary federal employees.
This week’s plans for the mass firings should offer a clearer picture of the administration’s vision of a downsized federal government.
Thousands of workers have also resigned voluntarily in recent days, accepting an offer to quit while temporarily being paid.
Trump says he wants to imprison US citizens in El Salvador. That’s likely illegal. — 9:25 p.m.
Associated Press
President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that he’d like to send U.S. citizens who commit violent crimes to prison in El Salvador, telling that country’s president, Nayib Bukele, that he’d “have to build five more places” to hold the potential new arrivals.
Trump’s administration has already deported immigrants to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prison CECOT, known for its harsh conditions. The president has also said his administration is trying to find “legal” ways to ship U.S. citizens there, too.
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Trump on Monday insisted these would just be “violent people,” implying they would be those already convicted of crimes in the United States, though he’s also floated it as a punishment for those who attack Tesla dealerships to protest his administration and its patron, billionaire Elon Musk. But it would likely be a violation of the U.S. Constitution for his administration to send any native-born citizen forcibly into an overseas prison. Indeed, it would likely even violate a provision of a law Trump himself signed during his first term.
Trump administration freezes more than $2 billion in funding tied to Harvard — 8:26 p.m.
Mike Damiano, Globe staff
The Trump administration’s antisemitism task force said Monday night it is cutting more than $2 billion in research funding to Harvard University.
The announcement comes hours after Harvard’s leaders defied the Trump administration’s attempt to impose an extraordinary set of policy changes on the university.
“Harvard’s statement today reinforces the troubling entitlement mindset that is endemic in our nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges,” the task force said in a statement to the Globe.
Nine people affiliated with MIT have had visas revoked, university president says — 7:21 p.m.
Tonya Alanez, Globe staff
Nine people connected to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have had their visas revoked in the last week and the ongoing threat of revocations will have a chilling effect on “top talent” worldwide “that will damage American competitiveness and scientific leadership for years to come,” the school’s president, Sally Kornbluth, said in a letter Monday.
“I write to bring you up to date on developments in two areas where recent government actions are interfering with the normal functioning of MIT, diminishing our ability both to serve the nation and to attract the world’s finest talent,” the letter, addressed to the MIT community, said.
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Since April 9, nine students, recent graduates, and post-doctoral students at the Cambridge university have had their visas and immigration status unexpectedly revoked, the letter said.
Schumer condemns Trump administration’s handling of Garcia — 6:27 p.m.
By the Associated Press
“The Trump administration must facilitate and effectuate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He should be returned to the U.S. immediately,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “Due process and the rule of law are cornerstones of American society for citizens and noncitizens alike, and not to follow that is dangerous and outrageous. A threat to one is a threat to all.”
Leader of immigration advocacy group calls Trump and Bukele’s remarks on Garcia ‘painful’ — 6:24 p.m.
By the Associated Press
“The U.S. government should not be in the business of disappearing people or using the Alien Enemies Act—regardless of immigration status,” said Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us.
He said Congress must “be loud and unequivocal” in standing with the court and “in demanding that U.S. taxpayer dollars are no longer used to enforce prohibited deportations or to obstruct efforts to bring people like Mr. Garcia home.”
Environment and science groups sue Trump administration over removal of data on climate change and environmental justice — 6:23 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The lawsuit filed Monday challenges the administration’s removal of environmental justice tools such as EJScreen and the Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool that were used by regulators, academics and advocates to identify communities disproportionately affected by industrial pollution and climate change.
The suit also challenges the removal of other environmental justice data, including at the Energy and Transportation departments and Federal Emergency Management Agency. The lawsuit was filed by the Sierra Club, Environmental Integrity Project, Union of Concerned Scientists and other groups.
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Within days of taking office, the Trump administration began deleting mentions of climate change from agency websites and took a series of actions to eliminate environmental justice efforts across government, including closing the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice and downsizing the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The EPA — the first named defendant among many — declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
White House proposes cutting State Department budget by almost 50% — 5:57 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Office of Management and Budget also has suggested closing a number of overseas diplomatic missions and eliminating funding for nearly all international organizations, including the United Nations, many of its agencies and for NATO headquarters, officials said.
The proposal was presented to the State Department last week and is still in a highly preliminary phase. It isn’t expected to pass muster with either the department’s leadership or Congress.
Officials familiar with the proposal say it must still go through several rounds of review before it even gets to lawmakers, who in the past have amended and even rejected White House budget requests.
International students file legal challenges over widespread US visa revocations — 5:55 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Several international students who have had their visas revoked in recent weeks have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, arguing the government denied them due process when it suddenly took away their permission to be in the U.S.
The actions by the federal government to terminate students’ legal status have left hundreds of scholars at risk of detention and deportation.
In lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security, students have argued the government lacked justification to cancel their visa or terminate their legal status.
Homeland Security officials did not respond to a message seeking comment.
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Confusion over Trump’s tariffs remains — 4:57 p.m.
By the Associated Press
On Friday, the Trump administration paused its new taxes on electronics imported into the US — signaling some relief from trade wars that have particularly escalated with China, a major exporter of technology from smartphones to laptops. But these goods remain subject to other levies.
Officials have also indicated that additional, sector-specific tariffs targeting electronics are on the way — all of which economists warn will raise costs and lead to higher prices for consumers.
Vance fumbles Ohio State’s trophy — 4:22 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Vice President JD Vance ended the Ohio State football team’s visit to the White House by fumbling the trophy the players had won as college football’s national champion.
After a formal ceremony, Vance tried to lift the gold NAA championship trophy up along with its black base.
As he lifted them off the table, the base fell away and Vance dropped both.
The falling trophy was grabbed by OSU running backTreVeyon Henderson while Vance bent over to pick up the base.
The Marine Corps Band continued to play “We Are the Champions” despite an audible gasp from the crowd.
Georgia man is arrested and charged with threatening the director of national intelligence — 4:20 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A Georgia man has been arrested and charged with threatening Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and her family.
Aliakbar Mohammad Amin, 24, was charged Friday and has been ordered held pending trial, according to court records. A public defender listed as representing Amin did not immediately respond Monday to an email seeking comment.
Federal prosecutors in Atlanta said in a statement that between March 29 and April 1, Amin sent text messages that included threats against Gabbard and her husband. Investigators found similar threats he made on social media, including an image showing a gun pointed at Gabbard, according to the statement.
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Federal agents later found a gun while searching Amin’s home in Lilburn, an Atlanta suburb.
US Army to control land on Mexico border as part of base, migrants could be detained, officials say — 3:54 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A long sliver of federal land along the US-Mexico border that Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers, including migrants, US officials told The Associated Press.
The transfer of that border zone to military control — and making it part of an Army installation — is an attempt by the Trump administration to get around a federal law that prohibits US troops from being used in domestic law enforcement on American soil.
But if the troops are providing security for land that’s part of an Army base, they can perform that function. However, at least one presidential powers expert said the move is likely to be challenged in the courts.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public, said the issue is still under review in the Pentagon, but even as any legal review goes on, the administration’s intent is to have troops detain migrants at the border.
Trump cheers on Buckeyes at White House celebration — 3:52 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump welcomed members of the Ohio State University football team, which won the national championship this year.
“This team showed the world that the road to greatness is paved by hard work, sweat and often a great deal of adversity,” Trump said.
Flanked by dozens of beefy players, the president quipped that he would invite them into the Oval Office but said, “I don’t know if the floor can withstand it.”
US Treasury secretary commends Argentina during meeting — 3:47 p.m.
By the Associated Press
In Buenos Aires on Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent “commended Argentina for moving quickly to negotiate with the United States on a package of reciprocal trade measures,” according to a Treasury readout of the meeting between Bessent and Argentinian finance minister Luis Caputo.
Trump’s recent sweeping tariff package included 10 percent on Argentina, though on Wednesday he announced a 90-day pause on the tariffs for most countries except China.Bessent also met with Argentinian President Javier Milei on Monday.
Milei announced Friday that he would lift most of the country’s strict capital and currency controls this week, a high-stakes gamble made possible by a new loan from the International Monetary Fund.
Trump reiterates desire to expand deportation plans to include US citizens — 3:35 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president has said openly that he’d also favor El Salvador taking custody of American citizens who’ve committed violent crimes, a view he repeated.
“We have bad ones too, and I’m all for it because we can do things with the president for less money and have great security,” Trump said during the meeting with Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador. “And we have a huge prison population.” It is unclear how lawful US citizens could be deported elsewhere in the world.
Before the press entered the Oval Office, Trump said in a video posted on social media by Bukele that he wanted to send “homegrowns” to be incarcerated in El Salvador, and added that “you’ve got to build five more places,” suggesting Bukele doesn’t have enough prison capacity for all the US citizens Trump would like to send there.
Justice Department charges man with arson at New Mexico Tesla dealership and GOP headquarters — 3:03 p.m.
By the Associated Press
That’s according to court records unsealed Monday.
A criminal complaint charges Jamison R. Wagner, 40, with federal arson charges in connection with the vandalism in February at a Tesla showroom in Bernalillo, New Mexico, where authorities found two Tesla Model Y vehicles ablaze as well as spray-painted graffiti messages including “Die Elon” and “Die Tesla Nazi.”
Elon Musk is the billionaire CEO of Tesla and close ally of President Trump who’s helped engineer a massive downsizing of the federal government and purge of employees.
The arrest is part of a federal crackdown on what Attorney General Pam Bondi has described as a wave of domestic terrorism against property carrying the logo of Musk’s electric-car company.
D.C. mayor says budgets cuts would be needed without action by Congress — 2:41 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The mayor of the nation’s capital says the city is raising its stalled budget as much as possible under authority granted by federal law, but it would still need to cut more than $410 million this fiscal year without action from Congress.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said that she’d sent a letter to the House and Senate appropriations committee to notify them.
The move comes days after the House adjourned for a two-week recess without acting on a $1.1 billion hole in the city’s budget, despite directives from Trump to address the issue.
“We believed that the fix would happen, and we wouldn’t be running around planning for cuts,” Bowser said Monday at a news conference.
She said the city is raising the budget 6 percent, as much as possible under federal statute, but the situation remains frustrating, with no options “off the table.”
Senior officials with Bowser’s office said the law changing the budget requires council approval, but not congressional. They added that the remaining cuts would likely affect all city services, including public safety.
Meta faces historic antitrust trial that could force it to break off Instagram and WhatsApp — 2:23 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A historic antitrust trial is underway for Meta Platforms Inc. in a case that could force the tech giant to break off Instagram and WhatsApp, startups it bought more than a decade ago that have since grown into social media powerhouses.
In opening statements, Federal Trade Commission attorney Daniel Matheson said Meta has used a monopoly to generate enormous profits as consumer satisfaction has dropped. He said Meta was “erecting a moat” to protect its interests by buying the two startups because the company feared they were a threat to Meta’s dominance. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other Meta witnesses will testify during the trial.
The trial will be the first big test of President Trump’s Federal Trade Commission’s ability to challenge Big Tech. The lawsuit was filed against Meta — then called Facebook — in 2020, during Trump’s first term. It claims the company bought Instagram and WhatsApp to squash competition and establish an illegal monopoly in the social media market.
Senator Chris Van Hollen says he’ll travel to El Salvador if Abrego Garcia isn’t released by midweek — 2:01 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Democratic senator from Maryland wrote to El Salvadoran diplomats to “urgently request” meeting with the country’s president, Nayib Bukele, to discuss the potential return of a former Maryland resident, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to the Central American nation by the Trump administration.
A federal judge ruled Garcia should be returned to the US, a decision that was unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court last week.
“If Kilmar is not home by midweek — I plan to travel to El Salvador this week to check on his condition and discuss his release,” Van Hollen wrote in a letter address to El Salvador’s ambassador to Washington.
El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said during an Oval Office meeting that he did not intend to return Kilmar to the US.
Despite a court order, the White House bars the AP from Oval Office event — 1:57 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Despite a court order, a reporter and photographer from The Associated Press were barred from an Oval Office news conference with Trump and his counterpart from El Salvador, Nayib Bukele.
Last week’s federal court decision forbidding the Trump administration from punishing the AP for refusing to rename the Gulf of Mexico was to take effect Monday. The administration is appealing the decision and arguing with the news outlet over whether it needs to change anything until those appeals are exhausted.
The US Court of Appeals for the D.C. circuit set a Thursday hearing on Trump’s request that any changes be delayed while case is reviewed. The AP is fighting for more access as soon as possible.
Trump wants Congress to end daylight saving time — 1:39 p.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump on Friday urged Congress to “push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day” in his latest dig at the semiannual changing of clocks.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social media network, said it would be “Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!”
The Republican president’s position calling for more daylight would push the schedule forward, keeping the country on daylight saving time. His post came a day after a Senate panel heard testimony examining whether to set one time all year instead of shifting.
There’s been growing interest in states to standardize daylight saving time in recent years.
Maine governor criticizes Trump administration for freezing funds amid transgender athlete dispute — 1:37 p.m.
By Alyssa Vega, Globe Staff
Maine Governor Janet Mills criticized the Trump administration on Monday just days after it moved to cut all federal education funding to the state. The move came in response to Maine’s refusal to enforce the administration’s directive to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.
In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Monday, Mills said the state received a series of letters from federal agencies, culminating in an April 2 letter from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, which the Maine governor described as “appalling” in tone and substance. Mills said the next day Rollins threatened to pull all education funding to the state.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine has been sworn in as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — 1:21 p.m.
By the Associated Press
That’s nearly two months after Trump fired his predecessor.
A formal White House ceremony is expected this week.
Caine, a decorated F-16 fighter pilot and well-respected officer, took over the role Saturday and was at the Pentagon over the weekend after Trump signed the necessary documents to allow him to fill the job.
He’ll serve the remainder of the four-year term of Air Force Gen. CQ Brown Jr., who was fired by Trump as part of a broader purge of military officers believed to endorse diversity and equity programs.
El Salvador’s leader shares an inside look at meeting with Trump — 1:15 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Before the press entered the Oval Office, Trump and Bukele chatted in a video posted on social media by the leader of El Salvador.
The US president said he wanted to send “homegrowns” to be incarcerated in El Salvador, and he suggested “you’ve got to build five more places,” suggesting Bukele doesn’t have enough prison capacity for all of the US citizens Trump would like to send there.
Trump also praised Bukele for his team’s slickly produced video of migrants arriving in El Salvador after being deported by the US.
“That’s what people want to see. Respect. They want to see respect,” Trump said.
He added, “you’ve got a good team. Can I use them?”
Bukele said “it’s like a movie, but it’s real.”
El Salvador president says he won’t be releasing Kilmar Abrego Garcia back to the US — 12:50 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has been a vital partner for the Trump administration in its deportation efforts, said “of course I’m not going to” release him back to US soil.
“The question is preposterous,” Bukele said. “I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”
.@kaitlancollins: "Do you plan to ask President Bukele to help return the man who...was mistakenly deported to El Salvador?"
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 14, 2025
President Bukele: "The question is preposterous."
Responses are given from @AGPamBondi, @StephenM President Bukele, @SecRubio and President Trump. pic.twitter.com/NGXE5I3gd4
Biden to make first public speech since leaving White House on Tuesday in Chicago — 12:49 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Biden will address the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled.
The former president has kept a very low profile since leaving office Jan. 20 — despite Trump scoffing repeatedly at his predecessor’s mental competency.
Organizers of the conference say participants are “committed to safeguarding and strengthening Social Security for the generations to come.”
Trump has pledged to shield Social Security from possible cuts, even as Democrats say it, and other federal entitlements like Medicare, could face funding trims to help offset tax reductions the administration supports.
Trump says he plans to provide temporary exemptions to automakers on his tariffs — 12:33 p.m.
By the Associated Press
And the president said he’s talked with Apple CEO Tim Cook, whose company could be hurt if the China tariffs become permanent.
“They need a little bit of time,” Trump said of the automakers that would have to upend their supply chains to reduce their exposure to Trump’s import taxes.
Trump also said he had talked to Cook and “helped” him by exempting electronics from some of his China tariffs.
“I don’t want to hurt anybody but the end result is we’re going to get to the position of greatness for our country,” said Trump.
The US president also theorized that China and Vietnam were meeting “to figure out: how do we screw the United States of America?”
Seizing on the March consumer price index, Trump says he’s fixed inflation — 12:30 p.m.
By the Associated Press
“We already solved inflation,” Trump told reporters gathered Monday in the Oval Office.
The US president was touting the 2.4 percent annual inflation rate seen in the monthly consumer price report released Monday. Many economists are hesitant to claim a single report makes up a broader trend. Many economists and consumers worry Trump’s tariffs will cause prices to go up in ways that hurt the economy.
Trump suggests Iran is ‘tapping us along’ — 12:26 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president expressed some impatience at the pace of nuclear negotiations with Iran.
“I think they’re tapping us along,” he said.
The next meeting is scheduled for this coming weekend.
“These are radicalized people. And they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
Trump is again praising his own health after undergoing an annual physical — 12:19 p.m.
By the Associated Press
He says the results indict “you’ve got me for a little longer.”
The president spent hours Friday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He said after it that testing went well.
A medical report on the physical was released Sunday. But Trump brought up the test again a day later, telling reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that he did well on a cognitive exam performed as part of it.
“I like taking them because they’re not too tough for me to take,” Trump said of cognitive tests. He said his health was good enough that he should be around for years or at the very least “a little longer.”
Bondi: US would provide plane if El Salvador returns Abrego Garcia, which Bukele called ‘preposterous’ — 12:15 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump referred questions about Abrego Garcia to Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said he was illegally in the US and that courts have ruled that Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang.
“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us,” Bondi said.
She called the issue “international matters” and “foreign affairs” and said the US would facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return of El Salvador wanted to send him back by providing an airplane.
Bukele was asked if he plans to return Abrego Garcia and he asked how he could return him and said it was “preposterous.” He called Abrego Garcia “a terrorist” and that he had no power to return Abrego Garcia to the United States.
In a complaint, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers have disputed the government’s claims that he was in a gang.
Trump: Man accused of setting fire to Pennsylvania governor’s mansion is ‘probably just a whack job’ — 12:10 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president was asked about Cody Balmer, who police say broke into the mansion, set a fire that caused significant damage and forced Gov. Josh Shapiro, his family and guests to evacuate the building during the Jewish holiday of Passover. He said, “The attacker was not a fan of Trump.”
Trump’s comments came in the Oval Office as he met with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele.
Trump added, “The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody” and also noted, “A thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”
Trump declines to criticize Russia for the recent strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy — 12:05 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump criticized former President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but not Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
“If Biden were competent and if Zelensky were competent . . . that war should’ve never been allowed to happen,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
Referring to Putin, Trump said “I’m not saying anybody’s an angel.”
Trump has previously described the strike on Sumy as a “mistake.” On Monday, he said the mistake was allowing the war to start in the first place.
“Biden could’ve stopped it and Zelensky could’ve stopped it and Putin should’ve never started it,” he said. “Everybody’s to blame.”
Trump and Bukele discuss transgender athletes, which Bukele calls ‘violence’ — 12:00 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump and Bukele quickly got into a discussion about transgender athletes in the White House, with the US president asking his counterpart from El Salvador, “Do you allow men to play in women’s sports?”
“That’s violence,” Bukele responded.
Trump said there are people in the US who “fight to the death” to allow transgender athletes to play and Bukele said, “We’re big on protecting women.”
Though Trump frequently speaks about transgender athletes, he said, “I don’t like talking about it because I want to save it for just before the next election.”
Trump meets with Salvadoran president in the Oval Office — 11:58 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump is meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office, telling the visiting head of state “you are helping us out” by holding migrants deported from the United States in a notorious prison in El Salvador.
Trump said his administration’s hardline policies have restored order along the US-Mexico border. He said of the changes, “We’re proud of them. Now we just need to get the criminals and murders and rapists”out of “our country.”
Bukele arrives at the White House — 11:40 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump greeted Bukele at the White House on Monday and ignored shouted questions from reporters about Abrego Garcia.
The president shook Bukele’s hand and directed the leader of El Salvador towards waiting reporters to pose for pictures and Trump pumped his fist.
They then went inside together.
Trump’s schedule for Monday — 11:38 a.m.
By the Associated Press
This morning, the president is meeting with the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele. After the meeting, they will have lunch together. This afternoon, at 3 p.m., Trump will meet with The Ohio State University football team, the 2025 College National Football champions.
Some top tech leaders have embraced Trump. That’s created a political divide in Silicon Valley — 11:33 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Like many in the tech industry, Jeremy Lyons used to think of himself as a relatively apolitical guy.
The only time he had participated in a demonstration before now was in the opening days of Trump’s first presidential term, when he joined fellow Google workers walking out of the company’s Silicon Valley campus to protest immigration restrictions. Google’s co-founder and its chief executive officer joined them.
Last weekend was Lyons’ second, also against Trump, but it had a different feel.
The man directing thousands of marchers with a bullhorn in downtown San Jose on April 5 was another tech worker who wouldn’t give his full name for fear of being identified by Trump backers. Marchers were urged not to harass drivers of Tesla vehicles, which have gone from a symbol of Silicon Valley’s environmental futurism to a pro-Trump icon. And no tech executives were anywhere to be seen, only months after several joined Trump at his inauguration.
To Lyons, the change says as much about what’s happened to Silicon Valley over the past quarter-century as it does about the atmosphere of fear surrounding many Trump critics nowadays.
“One of the things I’ve seen over that time is a shift from a nerdy utopia to a money first, move fast and break things,” Lyons said.
US funding cuts have halted or threatened aid programs in Syria — 10:59 a.m.
By the Associated Press
That includes health and nutrition services for displaced people and child protection for children in notorious camps housing the families of alleged Islamic State members.
While funding cut from the World Food Program in Syria was restored, other cuts remain, including nearly $12 million from Save the Children and nearly $2 million from World Vision.
World Vision Syria Response Director Emmanuel Isch said the organization has largely halted a health and nutrition program serving 30,000 to 40,000 internally displaced people, many of whom “have limited access to basic services.”
Save the Children Country Director Bujar Hoxha said it has reprogrammed funding to continue case management for unaccompanied minors in the al-Hol and al-Roj camps and programs for malnourished children in different parts of Syria.
“But that is for very limited timeline,” he said, noting that within a few weeks “we have to either find a way to continue funding, or we have to close it down.”
Trump says ‘I just got here’ despite pledge to end Ukraine war before taking office — 10:44 a.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump issued a statement on social media over the ongoing war in Ukraine, saying he had “NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS WAR.”
Despite his repeated promise as a candidate that he’d have the Russia-Ukraine war settled within 24 hours — even before taking office — he said Monday: “I just got here.”
“The War between Russia and Ukraine is Biden’s war, not mine. I just got here, and for four years during my term, had no problem in preventing it from happening,” Trump said.
Trump last month said he’d been “a little bit sarcastic” when he had past pledged he’d resolve the war.
Top White House aide says Abrego Garcia’s fate is up to El Salvador — 10:23 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Ahead of Trump’s meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, a top White House aide signaled the US president wouldn’t be asking his counterpart to return Abrego Garcia to the US.
“It’s up to El Salvador and to the government and the people of El Salvador what the fate of their own citizens is,” Stephen Miller, a deputy chief of staff, told reporters at the White House on Monday morning. “We can’t extradite citizens of foreign countries to our country over the objection of those countries.”
Senator seeks meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele over Abrego Garcia’s return — 9:48 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Senator Chris Van Hollen says he plans to travel to El Salvador this week if Abrego Garcia, a constituent, isn’t returned by that time.
“Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia never should have been abducted and illegally deported, and the courts have made clear: the Administration must bring him home, now,” the Maryland Democrat said in a statement.
He said that since the Trump administration “appears to be ignoring these court mandates,” more action is needed.
Wall Street joins a global rally after Trump exempts some electronics from tariffs — 9:44 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Stocks are rallying worldwide after President Trump relaxed some of his tariffs, for now at least.
The S&P 500 was 1.7 percent higher in early trading Monday. It’s coming off a chaotic week where it careened through historic swings as markets struggled to catch up with Trump’s moves on tariffs.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 434 points, or 1.1 percent, and the Nasdaq composite was up 2.5 percent. Apple, Nvidia and other big technology companies led the way on Wall Street after Trump said he was exempting smartphones, computers and some other electronics from some of his stiff tariffs.
A key ally in Trump’s migrant crackdown is coming for a visit — 9:10 a.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump is hosting Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, at the White House on Monday as the small Central American nation becomes a critical lynchpin of the US administration’s mass deportation operation.
Since March, El Salvador has accepted from the US more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants — whom Trump administration officials have accused of gang activity and violent crimes — and placed them inside the country’s notorious maximum-security gang prison just outside of the capital, San Salvador. It’s also holding a Maryland man who the administration admits was wrongly deported but has not been returned to the US, despite court orders to do so.
That has made Bukele, who remains extremely popular in El Salvador due in part to the crackdown on the country’s powerful street gangs, a vital ally for the Trump administration, which has offered little evidence for its claims that the Venezuelan immigrants were in fact gang members, nor has it released names of those deported.
White House responds to China on rare earths — 8:54 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Kevin Hassett, a top economic adviser to President Trump, said China’s decision to stop exports of some rare earth minerals was “concerning.”
Rare earths are critical ingredients for technology and electronic manufacturing.
“The rare earth limits are being studied very carefully, and they’re concerning, and we’re thinking about all the options right now,” Hassett told reporters outside the White House.
He spoke to Fox Business earlier in the morning, where he said the administration was “100% not” expecting a recession as Trump disrupts global trade with his tariff plans.
Trump says CBS and ‘60 Minutes’ should ‘pay a big price’ for going after him — 8:53 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump bitterly attacked “60 Minutes” shortly after the CBS news magazine broadcast stories on Ukraine and Greenland on Sunday, saying the network was out of control and should “pay a big price” for going after him.
“Almost every week, 60 Minutes ... mentions the name ‘TRUMP’ in a derogatory and defamatory way, but this Weekend’s ‘BROADCAST’ tops them all,” the president said on his Truth Social platform. He called on Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr to impose maximum fines and punishment “for their unlawful and illegal behavior.”
The network had no immediate comment.
Trump has an ongoing $20 billion lawsuit against “60 Minutes” for how it edited an interview with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris last fall. The president claims it was edited in a way to make Harris look good, something the newscast denies. But there are ongoing reports that Trump’s lawyers and CBS’ parent company are involved in settlement talks.
Trump is ‘fully fit’ to serve as commander in chief, his doctor says after recent physical — 8:51 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump’s doctor says the oldest man elected president is “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief as the White House released results Sunday of Trump’s recent physical exam. The 78-year-old Trump is 20 pounds lighter since his checkup as president in 2020 showed him bordering on obesity.
His physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, cited an “active lifestyle” that ”continues to contribute significantly” to the Republican president’s well-being. Trump turns 79 on June 14.
In a three-page summary of the comprehensive exam from Friday, the doctor said Trump is “fully fit to execute the duties of Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”
Asked about the exam on Sunday and how he stays healthy, Trump said, “Because I enjoy what I’m doing and I like the results.
“I think we’re making America great again and it makes me feel good. It probably keeps me happy,” he told reporters accompanying him on a flight back to Washington from Florida.
Trump’s commerce secretary says new electronics tariff exemptions are temporary, chip tariffs coming — 8:50 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Tariff exemptions announced Friday on electronics like smartphones and laptops are only a temporary reprieve until the Trump administration develops a new tariff approach specific to the semiconductor industry, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday.
White House officials, including Trump himself, spent Sunday downplaying the significance of exemptions that lessen but won’t eliminate the effect of US tariffs on imports of popular consumer devices and their key components.
Trump added to the confusion hours later, declaring on social media that there was no “exception” at all because the goods are “just moving to a different” bucket and will still face a 20 percent tariff as part of his administration’s move to punish China for its role in fentanyl trafficking.
China’s commerce ministry in a Sunday statement welcomed the change as a small step even as it called for the US to completely cancel the rest of its tariffs.
China’s Xi says there are no winners in a tariff war as he visits Southeast Asia — 8:48 a.m.
By the Associated Press
China’s leader Xi Jinping said no one wins in a trade war as he kicked off a diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia on Monday, reiterating China’s commitment to global trade in contrast with President Trump’s latest tariffs moves.
Although Trump has paused some tariffs, he has kept in place 145 percent duties on China, the world’s second-largest economy.
“There are no winners in a trade war, or a tariff war,” Xi wrote in an editorial jointly published in Vietnamese and Chinese official media. “Our two countries should resolutely safeguard the multilateral trading system, stable global industrial and supply chains, and open and cooperative international environment.”
Xi’s visit lets China show Southeast Asia it is a “responsible superpower in the way that contrasts with the way the US under President Trump presents to the whole world,” said Nguyen Khac Giang, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute.
Trump team tries to project confidence and calm after his tariff moves rattled markets — 8:46 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump administration officials were out in force across the television networks Sunday defending his economic policies after another week of reeling markets that saw the Republican administration reverse course on some of its steepest tariffs.
White House advisers and Cabinet members tried to project confidence and calm amid Trump’s on-again, off-again approach to tariffs on imported goods from around the world. But their explanations about the overall agenda, coupled with Trump’s latest statements, also reflected shifting narratives from a president who, as a candidate in 2024, promised an immediate economic boost and lower prices but now asks American businesses and consumers for patience.
A week ago, Trump’s team stood by his promise to leave the impending tariffs in place without exceptions. They used their latest news show appearances to defend his move to ratchet back to a 10 percent universal tariff for most nations except China (145 percent).