The Trump administration invoked the state secrets privilege in the case of Kilmar Armando Ábrego García, a Maryland man erroneously deported to El Salvador, a judge's court filing revealed Wednesday.
The big picture: It's the second time the Trump administration has sought to utilize the privilege to circumvent a judge's request for more information regarding deportations recently.
Preliminary data show homicides in the nation's largest cities fell by 21% in the first three months of 2025 from the same period of last year, as overall violent crime continued its post-pandemic drop.
Why it matters: Stats compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) indicate that the COVID-era crime wave has almost faded away — even as some officials, including President Trump, falsely claim that immigrants are driving increased crime rates.
The White House is withdrawing the nomination of Janette Nesheiwat to be surgeon general and instead nominating wellness influencer Casey Means, President Trump wrote on social media Wednesday.
Why it matters: The move is the second time the Trump administration has pulled a health nominee, following the withdrawal of Centers for Disease Control director-designate Dave Weldon in March.
The big buzzword on stage during this week's Milken Global Conference was "tariffs."
In the private hotel suites and at $25,000 restaurant tables, it was "midterms."
The big picture: Some of the world's most influential economic leaders hoped President Trump might soften his aggressive tariffs if Republicans get a sense they could lose control in Washington over them.
Three former Memphis police officers were acquitted Wednesday of state charges in connection to Tyre Nichols' fatal beating, per his family's attorneys.
The big picture: A jury found the three men not guilty on all charges, including second-degree murder, in the death of Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died from his injuries days after he was violently beaten by officers during a traffic stop in 2023.
Why it matters: The Fed warned about the potential of higher prices and a spike in joblessness, as President Trump presses on with aggressive efforts to reset global trade.
Senate Democrats are considering asking Senate Republican leadership to delay a vote on the GENIUS Act this week to allow for more time for negotiations, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Lawmakers made progress toward saving the crypto bill during 11th-hour meetings Wednesday, sources tell Axios. But Democrats want more time for talks.
President Trump on Wednesday said he would not pull back on 145% tariffs against China to get them to the negotiating table for a trade deal.
Why it matters: Trump's comments may dent the market's optimism that Saturday's planned talks in Switzerland could lead to a de-escalation of the trade war that has roiled the global economy.
An appeals court on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to transfer detained Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk from Louisiana to Vermont.
Why it matters: Her relocation means the case will be tried in a less conservative court than the government wanted in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) joined a group of Democratic lawmakers to urge Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. not to make the "reckless" move of eliminating LGBTQ+ youth crisis services.
The big picture: An internal Trump administration budget proposal, first reported on by The Washington Post last month, sought to cut funding for the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline's LGBTQ+ youth specialized services, which have seen more than 1.2 million contacts since 2022.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced plans Wednesday to update technology and other functions at Newark Liberty International Airport, which has been plagued by delays all week.
Why it matters: A perfect storm of technology failures and the nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers caused hours-long ground delays at the airport, forcing United to cancel dozens of daily flights into the hub.
A vast majority of Americans say the increased focus on race and racial inequality after George Floyd's killing did notlead to changes that improved the lives of Black Americans, a new Pew Research Center survey finds.
Why it matters: Floyd's 2020 murder by Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck sparked international protests and calls to tackle systemic racism, but five years later, that momentum appears all but gone.
A coalition of community organizations and AmeriCorps participants from across the country sued Monday to block the Trump administration's attempts to dismantlethe agency.
Why it matters: AmeriCorps, which describes itself as the "federal agency for national service and volunteerism," enrolls hundreds of thousands of people every year to serve, and itawards millions in grants to support organizations' service efforts.
President Trump's threat of pharmaceutical tariffs is driving a surge of exports of drugs and medical products from Europe to the U.S. as manufacturers look to build up stockpiles before duties hit.
The big picture: The explosion in shipments helped swell the U.S. trade deficit by 14% in March as drugmakers joined other industries bracing for the impacts of the trade war, the Commerce Department reported on Tuesday.
Not that long ago, Ron DeSantis looked like the future of MAGA, the iron-fisted ruler of Florida politics who was set up for a White House run.
Now the Republican governor faces potential political obscurity, unable to control legislators in his own party who are calling for a federal investigation of his wife's charity.
Why it matters: Nothing exemplifies DeSantis' striking loss of mojo in Tallahassee like the scandal surrounding Hope Florida, the state-backed charity of First Lady Casey DeSantis, who's been eyeing a bid to succeed her husband as governor.
Three of President Trump's top political lieutenants are abandoning the campaign of Arizona gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson amid a flap that led Trump to simultaneously endorse a second Republican in the 2026 primary.
Driving the news: The exodus from Robson's campaign came after Trump's advisers spent months urging her to air TV ads promoting his endorsement — which she'd promised to do, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) on Wednesday officially launched his campaign to succeed retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Why it matters: The top Democrat on the China Committee is the latest in a series of House members fleeing the lower chamber for higher office — and one of several who may run for Durbin's seat.
Why it matters: Democrats see the potential forgob-smacking corruption in Trump's lucrative crypto projects, which they consider to be the clearest conflicts of interest in a sea of new business ventures launched by the president and his inner circle.
Why it matters: A drastic reduction in immigration could lead to labor shortages,especially in some critical roles — building houses, taking care of the growing elderly population, or staffing farms and meatpacking plants.
Former President Biden was scathing in his criticism of President Trump's handling of the Russia-Ukraine war and his predecessor's first 100 days back in office during a BBC interview that aired early Wednesday.
The big picture: Biden chose a British broadcaster over a U.S. outlet for his first interview since leaving office to accuse Trump of "not behaving like a Republican president" and to address his concerns — including that there's a greater threat now to democracy than at any time since the Second World War.
President Trump and other world leaders called for an end to India-Pakistan hostilities after the Indian military launched deadly strikes on Pakistani targets early Wednesday local time.
The big picture: It's the first time India's forces have struck inside Pakistan's territory since 2019, as tensions again run high between the two nuclear-armed neighboring nations over the disputed Kashmir region.
The Trump administration announced Tuesday evening it's investigating "recent incidents" of antisemitic "violence" at the University of Washington (UW) and its affiliates.
The big picture: The review by the departments of Education and Health and Human Services and the General Services Administration follows the arrest of some 30 pro-Palestinian protesters on Monday after they occupied a UW engineering building in Seattle and "set fire to dumpsters," per a statement from the college.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is bringing back a small fraction of the 10,000 federal health workers he dismissed last month as part of a sweeping reorganization, in order to carry out specialized tasks including NIH research, an agency official told Axios.
Why it matters: The agency is laying offadditional employees as some are reinstated, in order to maintain the legality of the reduction in force, the official said.
Senate Democrats and Republicans are set to meet Wednesday in an eleventh-hour meeting to try to save the bipartisan GENIUS Act, according to people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Legislation to regulate stablecoins isn't dead, but even its advocates acknowledge the GENIUS Act is in danger of failing the procedural vote that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has scheduled for Thursday.
Freshman Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) wants to beat China at innovation, make U.S. students more competitive, balance the federal budget and save everybody time in the Capitol building — and he sees AI as the key.
Why it matters: The Senate, with its median age of 65, is usually slow to grasp and adapt to new technologies. Husted hopes to buck the trend.
