The Latest: Education Department guts its civil rights office

Trump showers Irish prime minister with praise at White House reception

In a display of mutual flattery, Trump noted previous presidents of Irish descent, including “the late great” Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy, while tracing the history of the U.S. through the work of Irish immigrants.

“We honor the bravery of countless Irish Americans who have kept our country safe, strong, prosperous and free,” Trump said.

In kind, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, wearing a green tie, noted that three of the signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence were Irish born.

“Since then, Irish Americans have been at the heart of shaping this great nation,” Martin says, crediting the U.S. with doing “much to inspire Irish independence.”

Martin praised Trump as a peacemaker, saying he “welcomes the unrelenting focus and energy you have brought to the search for peace in Ukraine and the Middle East since your first days in office.”

Martin ended his presentation by offering Trump a symbolic gift, a bowl of bright green shamrocks.

Alabama representative says Freedom Rides Museum building listing ‘never should have happened’

The Montgomery Bus Station, which houses the Freedom Rides Museum, had been listed along with hundreds of properties to be sold as part of reductions from DOGE. The list was taken down a day later.

“We should not have to continue to pressure this administration to protect civil rights history,” U.S. Rep. Shomari C. Figures said.

Freedom Riders sought to integrate bus terminal waiting rooms throughout the South in the 1960s. They encountered violence and resistance along the way.

Figures and Rep. Terri Sewell introduced legislation Wednesday to prevent the sale of all federally owned landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Our civil rights history is not for sale,” Sewell said in a statement.

Zuckerberg visits the White House

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was at the White House on Wednesday, according to a person familiar with his visit who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The Facebook founder has embraced Trump in recent months, having attended his inauguration and cohosted an inaugural reception.

Weeks after Trump won the election, Zuckerberg flew to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club to have dinner with him.

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Associated Press reporter Michelle Price contributed to this report.

Federal judge appears skeptical probationary firings were for performance

U.S. District Judge James Bredar repeatedly sounded skeptical at a Wednesday hearing that the Trump administration fired a mass of probationary federal workers because the employees couldn’t do their jobs. He said the terminations appeared to be part of a larger goal.

Nearly 20 states are seeking a temporary restraining order to stop any more firings of federal probationary employees and to reinstate those who have already been dismissed. They argue that the Trump administration blindsided them by ignoring laws set for large-scale layoffs, which could have devastating consequences for their state finances.

“This case isn’t about whether or not the government can terminate people. It’s about if they decide to terminate people how they must do it,” Bredar said. “Move fast and break things. Move fast, fine. Break things, if that involves breaking the law then that becomes problematic.”

▶ Read more about the hearing

House Democrats debate their comeback and criticize Musk at retreat

House Democrats gathered in Leesburg, Virginia, for an annual conference are debating how to respond to the second Trump term. Already a key target on the summit’s first day: Billionaire Elon Musk.

“The good news for Democrats is that House Republicans and Donald Trump are making our messaging work easier for us,” Rep. Lauren Underwood, of Illinois, said. “The chaos that Elon Musk has unleashed in our communities by laying off public servants who provided critical services is deeply unpopular.

Rep. Lori Trahan, of Massachusetts, said Democrats would have been open “to modernizing our systems, rooting out fraud, waste and abuse” but criticized the DOGE process.

“That should be done in full view of the American people,” she said. “It should be debated.”

Military leaders warn of risks to forces’ readiness in temporary budget

The vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force said if they don’t get additional funding, they at least need the flexibility to shift money to ensure their priorities are covered.

“Ultimately, the Army can afford a large, ready or modern force, but with the current budget, it cannot afford all three,” Gen. James Mingus, vice chief of staff of the Army, told the Senate Armed Services readiness subcommittee on Wednesday. “Either we provide soldiers the capabilities needed to win or accept greater risks in other areas.”

He warned that the Army will pay for those risks down the road “in real-world battlefield consequences.”

Speaker Mike Johnson says he and Trump hope the Senate will vote to keep the government open

Johnson says they “are both very happy with the outcome of the vote” in the House to fund the government past Friday’s deadline and are “watching very closely what happens in the Senate.”

“I hope they keep the government open,” he said after an annual Irish luncheon at the Capitol.

He warns that Democrats are “going to regret” not joining Republicans to pass the bill and that if Senate Democrats block the bill, “it’s going to be a Schumer shutdown,” referring to the Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer. “I don’t think he wants that.”

Scientists see EPA’s regulatory rollbacks as latest form of ‘Republican climate denial’

“They can no longer deny climate change is happening, so instead they’re pretending it’s not a threat, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence that it is, perhaps, the greatest threat that we face today,” University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann said.

The United States is the second largest carbon polluter in the world, after China, and the largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases.

“The Trump administration’s ignorance is trumped only by its malice toward the planet,” said Jason Rylander, legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute. “Trump and his cronies are bent on putting polluter profits ahead of people’s lives.”

EPA chief says removing clean-air rules will ensure ‘American energy remains clean’

Zeldin said EPA will rewrite a rule restricting air pollution from fossil-fuel fired power plants and a separate measure restricting emissions from cars and trucks that Zeldin and Trump incorrectly label an electric vehicle "mandate.'′

Former President Joe Biden made fighting climate change a hallmark of his presidency, pledging that half of the new cars and trucks sold in the U.S. would be zero-emission by 2030.

Zeldin's EPA also is undoing restrictions on mercury and other air toxins, federal protections for wetlands and a three-decade effort to improve conditions in areas heavily burdened by industrial pollution.

“This isn’t about abandoning environmental protection — it’s about achieving it through innovation and not strangulation,” Zeldin wrote. “By reconsidering rules that throttled oil and gas production and unfairly targeted coal-fired power plants, we are ensuring that American energy remains clean, affordable and reliable.”

Trump administration resumes detention of migrant families after Biden-era pause

Fourteen immigrant families were being held in a South Texas detention facility as of Monday, according to RAICES, a legal nonprofit providing services to migrant families at the Karnes Detention Center. They’re from nations including Colombia, Romania, Iran, Angola, Russia, Armenia, Turkey and Brazil.

Faisal Al-Juburi, RAICES’ chief external affairs officer, said the nonprofit noticed the shift in detention population last week after adult detainees were moved out.

Detaining family members together was largely halted, but not abolished, during the Biden administration, which briefly considered restarting it in 2023.

Ukraine has run out of longer-range ATACMS missiles

Pentagon shipments of weapons to Ukraine have restarted, but officials acknowledged on Wednesday that Kyiv no longer has any of the longer-range Army Tactical Missile System weapons.

That’s according to a U.S. official and a Ukrainian lawmaker in the defense committee. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to provide military weapons details.

The American official said the U.S. provided fewer than 40 of those missiles overall and that Ukraine ran out of them in late January. Senior U.S. defense and military leaders had told Ukraine there would only be a limited number of the ATACMs delivered and that the U.S. and NATO allies considered air defense systems to be far more valuable.

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Associated Press reporters Lolita C. Baldor and Samya Kullab contributed to this report.

▶ Read more about the Russia-Ukraine war

To be combative or conciliatory? 2 Democrats diverge sharply on Trump strategy

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has tried to sound collaborative when it comes to Trump, declaring that she looks forward to talking with him about border security.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, meanwhile, began suing the Trump administration at a fast clip.

“I don’t think you can yield to authoritarian, anti-democratic behavior when it’s in the White House and when our country is in as much danger as it is right now,” Mayes said. “Our country has never been in this much peril since the Civil War.”

Both seek reelection next year in a state that went for Trump. Their starkly different approaches show how Democrats nationwide are struggling to shore up winning coalitions.

▶ Read more about Democrats and Trump

There’s new data on how many immigrants have been arrested since Trump took office

A senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity said during a call with reporters that they have arrested 32,809 people so far, 14,111 of which were convicted criminals and 9,980 with pending criminal charges.

A further 8,718 had violated U.S. immigration law, which usually means they crossed the border illegally but haven’t committed other crimes since arriving.

The official also said there are about 47,600 people currently in ICE detention, which he described as “maxed out.”

White House national security adviser speaks with Russian official about ceasefire proposal

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an appearance on Fox News Channel that Mike Waltz spoke Wednesday with his Russian counterpart.

Leavitt also confirmed that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will be headed to Moscow for talks with Russian officials. The Trump administration wants Russia to sign off on the U.S. proposed ceasefire agreement to pause fighting with Ukraine for 30 days.

She did not say with whom Witkoff will be meeting.

A person familiar with the matter said Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin later his week. The person was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity

EPA administrator declares ‘most consequential day of deregulation in American history’

EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced rollbacks Wednesday of 31 environmental regulations including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants, climate change and electric vehicles.

“We are driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion and ushering in America’s Golden Age,’′ Zeldin said in an essay in the Wall Street Journal.

Zeldin says these actions will eliminate trillions of dollars in regulatory costs and “hidden taxes,” lowering the cost of living for American families and reducing prices for buying cars, heating homes and operating businesses.

▶ Read more on EPA regulatory rollbacks

Trump says the friendship between the US and Ireland is ‘strong and unbreakable’

The president made the comment during the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon on Capitol Hill.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson toasted the relationship between the two countries, and the Irish dance group “Riverdance” — which is performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. — made a surprise appearance to round out the event.

The Irish prime minister called Trump “a great friend of Ireland” and said he hopes to welcome him back to the country soon.

“We’re going to do this at least three more times,” Trump said of the remaining years in his term, to laughter in the room.

Layoffs hit nearly half the staff at the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights

The layoffs effectively gut an office that was already facing a backlog of thousands of complaints from students and families.

Among a total of more than 1,300 layoffs announced Tuesday were roughly 240 in the department’s civil rights office, according to a list obtained and verified by The Associated Press. Seven of the civil rights agency’s 12 regional offices were entirely laid off, including busy hubs in New York, Chicago and Dallas.

Some staffers who remain say there's no way to pick up all of their fired colleagues' cases, which involve families trying to get school services for students with disabilities, allegations of bias related to race and religion, and complaints over sexual violence at schools and college campuses.

Department officials insist the cuts will not affect civil rights investigations.

Research group says state-required abortion reporting should be scaled back

A research organization that advocates for abortion rights is calling on state governments to stop requiring providers to submit reports on every terminated pregnancy.

Data can be collected voluntarily and in the aggregate instead, says the Guttmacher Institute, which noted that Trump has appointed abortion opponents to key federal jobs.

“It would be a mistake for anyone to assume now that the information a state could collect about abortion would not be used to harm people,” said Kelly Baden, Guttmacher’s vice president for public policy.

▶ Read more about how abortions are tracked nationwide

Federal Trade Commission requests delay to Amazon Prime deceptive practices trial

The commission asked a federal judge for more time to prepare, citing staffing and budgetary challenges. The FTC filed the suit in 2023, and the trial is scheduled for September.

“Our resource constraints are severe and really unique to this moment,” Jonathan Cohen, an FTC attorney, told Judge John Chun during a status hearing at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. “We have lost employees in the agency, in our division and on the case team.”

When Chun asked if this was in reference to recent cuts in the federal government, Cohen said it was, adding that some employees who resigned could not be replaced due to the federal hiring freeze.

Trump and Vance show guarded optimism about Russia accepting ceasefire proposal

Vice President JD Vance says the administration believes it is in a “very good place” as it pushes the Kremlin to sign off on a U.S.-backed proposal to pause the fighting with Ukraine for 30 days.

Trump says he has received some good feedback to the proposal. He has offered no details.

“I’ve gotten some positive messages, but a positive message means nothing. This is a very serious situation,” Trump said. “This is a situation that could lead to World War III.”

Dems want to see the economic impact from Trump’s tariffs

Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and other Democratic senators are proposing a bill that would require the International Trade Commission to investigate the impact of tariffs on consumers, companies and the job market.

“The last thing we need are tariffs that will raise prices,” Alsobrooks said in a statement. “My bill will force a nonpartisan study on this Administration’s tariffs and how they will impact everyday Americans.”

The proposed Tariff Transparency Act would force the Trump administration to provide details of the latest taxes on imports for evaluation by the commission, just as the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation evaluate the impact that Congress’ proposals could have on the economy.

Trump says ‘it’s up to Russia now’ as US presses for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine

“Hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia,” Trump said during an extended exchange with reporters during an Oval Office meeting with the Irish prime minister. “And if we do, I think that would be 80% of the way to getting this horrible bloodbath” ended.

The president again made veiled threats of hitting Russia with new sanctions.

“We can, but I hope it’s not going to be necessary,” Trump added.

▶ Read more on U.S.-Ukraine-Russia diplomacy

Catholic Charities group says Trump administration owes it $42 million — and counting

A federal judge is weighing a request by Catholic Charities of Fort Worth to force the Trump administration to resume payments under its contract to provide aid to refugees.

The charity says the money owed is growing by the day since the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services paused payments in January.

An attorney for HHS said the pause is temporary, meant to ensure the money is being spent properly.

Catholic Charities attorney Edward Waters said the funding freeze appears part of an effort to “grind this program to a halt.”

Republican rejoice that a Democratic senator is not running for reelection

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s decision brings to an end the 78-year-old New Hampshire senator’s long political career and deals a significant blow to Democrats, who are already facing a difficult path to reclaiming the Senate majority.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who leads the Senate Republican campaign arm, wrote on the social platform X, “New Hampshire has a proud tradition of electing common-sense Republicans — and will do so again in 2026!”

The GOP holds 53 seats in the Senate compared with the Democrats’ 47, including two independents who caucus with Democrats.

Critics say Trump, who campaigned as free speech protector, now threatens it

Trump boasted in his joint address to Congress last week that he has "brought free speech back to America."

First Amendment advocates say they’ve never seen the freedom so under attack.

Trump's Republican administration has threatened to investigate Democratic members of Congress for criticizing conservatives, pulled federal grants that include language it opposes, sanctioned law firms that represent Trump's political opponents and detained a student protest organizer, which Trump called "the first arrest of many to come."

“Your right to say something depends on what the administration thinks of it, which is no free speech at all,” said Will Creeley, legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan First Amendment group.

Even some Trump allies seem uncomfortable with targeting people over their language

“There’s almost no one I don’t want to deport,” conservative commentator Ann Coulter wrote on X, “but, unless they’ve committed a crime, isn’t this a violation of the first amendment?”

▶ Read more about Trump and the First Amendment

Election winners have a message for Trump: Greenland is not for sale

Trump told a joint session of Congress last week that the U.S. would get Greenland "one way or the other."

The surprise winners in Greenland’s parliamentary elections are pushing back, saying the results show Greenlanders alone will decide their future.

"We don't want to be Americans. No, we don't want to be Danes. We want to be Greenlanders. And we want our own independence in the future," Demokraatit leader Jens-Friederik Nielsen told Sky News.

▶ Read more about how Greenlanders in Nuuk see Trump

Emirati diplomat identified as carrying Trump letter meets with Iran’s foreign minister

Iranian state television showed Emirati official Anwar Gargash meeting with Abbas Araghchi. Garachi was identified by Iran as carrying a letter from Trump seeking to jumpstart talks over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Trump said its intended recipient is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has said he's not interested in talks with a "bullying government."

Iran continues to struggle with economic woes, and Trump has imposed even more sanctions over its nuclear program. That pressure, coupled with internal turmoil and direct attacks by Israel, has put the theocracy in one of its most-precarious positions yet.

▶ Read more about U.S.-Iran nuclear diplomacy

US Jewish groups are sharply divided over Trump effort to deport campus protester

The Anti-Defamation League welcomed the detention of Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident who led pro-Palestinian campus protests that accused Israel's military of "genocide" in Gaza and pushed the university to end investments in Israel.

“We appreciate the Trump Administration’s broad, bold set of efforts to counter campus antisemitism,” the ADL said. “We also hope that this action serves as a deterrent to others who might consider breaking the law on college campuses or anywhere.”

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said the the Trump administration “is exploiting real concerns about antisemitism to undercut democracy: from gutting education funding to deporting students to attacking diversity, equity, & inclusion."

"This makes Jews — & so many others — less safe,” she posted on Bluesky.

▶ Read more on how Khalil became the face of campus protests

Trump says the latest inflation numbers are ‘very good news’

U.S. inflation slowed last month for the first time since September and a measure of underlying inflation fell to a four-year low, even as widespread tariffs threaten to send prices higher.

The US imposes sanctions on the Foxtrot Network

The Sweden-based group is suspected of orchestrating an attack on the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm in January 2024 on behalf of Iran, and of trafficking drugs and carrying out attacks on Israelis and Jews in Europe.

“Iran’s brazen use of transnational criminal organizations and narcotics traffickers underscores the regime’s attempts to achieve its aims through any means, with no regard for the cost to communities across Europe,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said. “Treasury, alongside our U.S. government and international partners, will continue to hold accountable those who seek to further Iran’s thuggish and destabilizing agenda."

Wisconsin governor: ‘This is a clown show we have to stop’

Gov. Tony Evers said he expects Democratic state attorneys general to sue over the Education Department cuts. A former teacher, school administrator and state superintendent, he joined two other former teachers, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, on a conference call.

Walz said Minnesota will prioritize schools, but states can’t possibly replace the federal education funding being cut. He said “this is undermining our economic well being for the future,” as well as “the moral authority that every child truly matters.”

Meyer said he and other governors spoke Tuesday with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, but are getting mixed messages: “I’m not sure they know what they’re doing,” he said.

Congressional hearing ends abruptly after GOP representative calls transgender colleague a man

When Texas Republican Rep. Keith Self introduced the first openly transgender lawmaker in Congress as “Mr. McBride," Rep. Sarah McBride responded by referring to Self as “Madam Chair” and tried to move on to her remarks.

The subcommittee’s top Democrat, Rep. William Keating, called Self “out of order,” asking, “Have you no decency?” He insisted that Self “introduce a duly elected representative the right way.”

Self adjourned the meeting instead.

Republican lawmakers have targeted McBride and refused to acknowledge trans people’s identity after Trump signed executive orders declaring only two sexes.

“No matter how I’m treated by some colleagues, nothing diminishes my awe and gratitude at getting to represent Delaware in Congress,” McBride later posted. “I simply want to serve and to try to make this world a better place.”

The United Nations secretary-general says there are no winners in a trade war

Antonio Guterres was responding to a question on the threat of a trade war following tariffs imposed by Trump and retaliatory tariffs on American products, including by Canada, China and the European Union.

Guterres said we all live in a global economy where everything is interlinked.

“And obviously one of the great advantages of having a situation of free trade is to create conditions for all countries to benefit,” he told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York. “When we enter into a trade war, I believe all will lose."

Chinese commerce officials meet with Walmart representatives over tariffs

China’s state broadcaster CGTN says the Chinese officials warned the U.S retail giant that its demand for lower prices to absorb the impact from tariffs could disrupt the supply chain and hurt both sides.

CTGN indicated in its blog post that Beijing would like to see American and Chinese businesses working together to cope with the challenges caused by the tariffs.

United Nations secretary-general calls Ukraine ceasefire proposal 'a positive first step’

Antonio Guterres hopes Russia agrees and a ceasefire “will materialize.”

“And we hope that it will pave the way for peace — a just peace” he told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York.

Guterres stressed in response to questions from reporters that a just peace must be based on the U.N. Charter, which requires every country to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all other countries, international law and U.N. General Assembly resolutions, which have demanded the withdrawal of all Russian troops.

Canada and Europe retaliate quickly to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs

Canada will announce retaliatory tariffs that add up to $21 billion in U.S. dollars, according to a senior Canadian government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak before the announcement.

The European Union also announced retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products, responding within hours to the Trump administration's increase in tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%.

Canada is the largest foreign supplier of steel and aluminum to the U.S.

US inflation cooled last month, though trade war threatens to lift prices

U.S. inflation slowed last month for the first time since September, and a measure of underlying inflation fell to a four-year low even as additional tariffs on steel and aluminum that kicked in Wednesday threaten to send prices higher.

The consumer price index increased 2.8% in February from a year ago, Wednesday's report from the Labor Department showed. Sticky inflation could create problems for Trump, who promised while campaigning to "knock the hell out of inflation."

Grocery prices were unchanged overall last month from January, but the cost of eggs jumped 10.4% and are nearly 60% more expensive than a year ago.

▶ Read more about where consumer prices stand ahead of the impact of tariffs

Trump pressured Ukraine for a peace deal. Will it push Russia as well?

Rubio wouldn’t say as he spoke with reporters en route to talks with U.S. allies in Canada.

“We don’t think it’s constructive to stand here today and say what we’re going to do if Russia says no,” Rubio said, adding he wants to avoid statements about Russia that “are abrasive in any way.”

Rubio did note that Biden administration sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin over his 2022 invasion of Ukraine remain in place.

Rubio defends arrest of pro-Palestinian Columbia student

The secretary of state says that if a green card holder supports Hamas, riles up anti-Jewish activities and shuts down college campuses, “we’re going to kick you out. It’s as simple as that.”

“This is not about free speech. This is about people that don’t have a right to be in the United States to begin with. No one has a right to a student visa. No one has a right to a green card,” Rubio said.

Mahmoud Khalil, a legal U.S. resident born in Syria who was a graduate student at Columbia until December, was detained Saturday and flown to an immigration jail in Louisiana.

Student leaders say their broad anti-war movement also includes Jewish students and groups and is not antisemitic.

▶ Read more on Columbia student's detention

US says the ball is in Russia’s court on talks to end its war on Ukraine

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. is pursuing multiple points of contact to see if Putin is ready to negotiate an end to his war against Ukraine.

“The ball is truly in their court,” Rubio said after mediation in Saudi Arabia saw Ukraine agree to start immediate talks with Russia on ending their three-year war.

Rubio expressed hopes that Russia will stop attacks on Ukraine within the next few days as a first step, saying “It’s hard to start a process when people are shooting at each other and people are dying.”

▶ Read more on Russia-Ukraine ceasefire efforts

The Education Department was created to ensure equal access. Who would do that in its absence?

Officials have suggested other agencies could take over the Education Department’s major responsibilities once it’s dismantled.

But the question remains about what could happen with a more lofty part of its mission — promoting equal access for students in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal.

Without the department, advocates worry the federal government would not look out in the same way for poor students, those still learning English, disabled students and racial and ethnic minorities.

▶ Read more about the impact of the Education Department's layoffs

Education Department cuts half its staff, a prelude to Trump's elimination

The Education Department plans to lay off more than 1,300 of its employees, a prelude to Trump's plan to dismantle the agency.

The Trump administration had already been whittling the agency’s staff, through buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees. After Tuesday’s layoffs, the department’s staff will sit at roughly half of its previous 4,100, the agency said.

Department officials said it would continue to deliver on its key functions such as the distribution of federal aid to schools, student loan management and oversight of Pell Grants.

▶ Read more about the layoffs at the Department of Education

Trump’s 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports go into effect

Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday, promising that the taxes would help create U.S. factory jobs at a time when his seesawing tariff threats are jolting the stock market and raising fears of an economic slowdown.

Trump removed all exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on the metals, in addition to increasing the tariffs on aluminum from 10%. His moves, based off a February directive, are part of a broader effort to disrupt and transform global commerce.

Trump told CEOs in the Business Roundtable on Tuesday that the tariffs were causing companies to invest in U.S. factories. The 8% drop in the S&P 500 stock index over the past month on fears of deteriorating growth appears unlikely to dissuade him, as Trump argued that higher tariff rates would be more effective at bringing back factories.

▶ Read more about Trump's tax on steel and aluminum

UK calls Trump tariffs disappointing but doesn’t retaliate

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, however, did not rule out future tariffs on U.S. imports and said he would “continue to engage closely and productively with the U.S. to press the case for U.K. business interests.”

Britain is not part of the European Union, which on Wednesday announced import taxes on American goods.

Center-left U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has worked to build strong ties with Trump, in hope of avoiding the tariffs levied on many other U.S. trading partners.

▶ Read more about the UK not retaliating against Trump's tariffs

The EU retaliates against Trump's tariffs, slapping duties on produce from Republican states

The European Union announced retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products.

The world's biggest trading bloc was expecting the U.S. tariffs and prepared in advance, but the measures still place great strain on already tense transatlantic relations. Only last month, Washington warned Europe that it would have to take care of its own security in the future.

The EU measures will cover goods from the U.S. worth some 26 billion euros ($28 billion), and not just steel and aluminum products, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods.

The EU duties aim for pressure points in the U.S. while minimizing additional damage to Europe. The tariffs — taxes on imports — primarily target Republican-held states.

▶ Read more about the EU's tariffs on GOP states

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Credit: AP