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Pentagon says it will restore images taken down during DEI purge
The Pentagon has said it would restore images of legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, the Tuskegee Airmen, Navajo Code Talkers, female fighter pilots and others swept up by a purge of diversity, equity and inclusion content.
It comes after The Associated Press obtained and published a database with more than 26,000 images and other content that were flagged for removal.
Removed in the DEI purge was a photo of the Enola Gay, the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan, despite the Pentagon calling that false. As of Wednesday, an Enola Gay photo was still not restored.
Images honoring the Tuskegee Airmen also were still down, as were some images of the Navajo Code Talkers.
In a statement, the Pentagon defended the deletions but said historic photos that had been incorrectly removed would be restored.
“Everyone at the Defense Department loves Jackie Robinson, as well as the Navajo Code Talkers, the Tuskegee Airmen, the Marines at Iwo Jima and so many others — we salute them for their strong and in many cases heroic service to our country, full stop,” said Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot.
Judge refuses to block IRS from sharing taxpayer info to assist in immigration enforcement
The federal judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order prohibiting the IRS from disclosing confidential tax return information to the Department of Homeland Security for immigration cases.
U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich ruled that advocates for immigrants didn’t satisfy their legal burden to show that taxpayers’ sensitive information is imminently at risk of being unlawfully released.
Attorneys for two Illinois-based nonprofits who sued the IRS and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on March 7 argued that immigrants lacking permanent legal status who pay taxes are entitled to the same privacy protections as U.S. citizens and immigrants who are legally in the country.
Government attorneys told the judge that the IRS has not provided DHS with any tax return information related to the lawsuit’s allegations.
Friedrich gave the plaintiffs two weeks to respond to the government’s request to dismiss the lawsuit.
Judge orders Trump administration to return two transgender inmates to women’s prisons
The two transgender women had been sent to men’s facilities in the wake of Trump’s executive order truncating protections for transgender people.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ordered the federal Bureau of Prisons to “immediately transfer” the women back to women’s facilities and said the agency must continue to provide them with hormone therapy treatment for gender dysphoria.
The women said in court papers that they were living in constant fear of sexual assault and other violence after being moved to male prisons.
The Bureau of Prisons declined to comment.
The preliminary injunction is the latest in a series of rulings thwarting the agency’s efforts to comply with the executive order, which calls for housing transgender women in men’s prisons, and for halting gender-affirming medical care.
▶ Read more about the judge's order
Kentucky’s Democratic governor says Musk is trying to ‘break government, not fix it’
Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday that people across the political spectrum have issues with the federal government, but that the solution is to improve its performance, not to destroy it.
“Can we do things better? Yes. Should we always strive to do things better? Yes. But the idea that we would just indiscriminately fire tens of thousands of people in areas that the American people depend on, says that you’re not really looking out for the American people,” Beshear said.
Beshear says he’s concerned about the ability of federal agencies to function after Musk’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government.
The term-limited governor is widely seen as a potential candidate for the White House in 2028.
Maine ordered to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports or risk federal money and prosecution
A U.S. Department of Education investigation concluded that Maine’s education office violated the Title IX antidiscrimination law by allowing transgender girls play on girls’ sports teams and use girls’ sports facilities.
It’s an astonishingly quick turnaround for an investigation that began Feb. 21 — the department’s civil rights inquiries often take months or years.
Maine’s Democratic governor clashed with President Trump over the issue during a Feb. 21 meeting at the White House, saying “We’ll see you in court.”
An Education Department announcement said Maine has 10 days to accept a list of demands or the case will be referred to the Justice Department for prosecution.
Relatives of Tesla crash victims send letter to DOT urging stiff oversight of Elon Musk’s company
The letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy expressed fear that auto safety oversight will weaken due to Musk’s influence in the Trump administration. The letter also urged Duffy not to go through with reported plans to revoke a Biden administration requirement that automakers report all accidents involving self-driving technology to the agency.
Tesla has sent the most number of accident reports and Musk has complained about the reporting rule.
The Tuesday letter, first reported by Politico, also urged agency investigations into Tesla continue “free from improper influence.” In Senate testimony earlier this year, Duffy vowed not to interfere in Tesla probes.
Probationary employees fired at the CDC and NOAA will keep being paid to stay home
The workers’ pay has been extended in the wake of court rulings that found legal problems with the Trump administration’s mass firings.
Around 550 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees were terminated in mid-February and told they would receive administrative leave pay through March 14. Two federal judges late last week ordered that fired workers at the CDC and other agencies be rehired.
The CDC employees haven’t been told to report back to work, but their administrative leave has been extended “until further direction is provided,” according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press.
A similar memo went out to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees.
White House says federal judges are acting ‘erroneously’ in ruling against Trump
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted during her press briefing that judges are acting as “partisan activists” from the bench and are trying “to clearly slow walk this administration’s agenda.”
She said rulings setting back Trump’s sweeping agenda on deportations and other issues are “unacceptable” but that the administration will comply with the court orders while continuing to fight them in court.
“But it’s incredibly apparent that there is a concerted effort by the far left to judge shop,” Leavitt alleged.
Trump and his sweeping agenda suffered a string of legal setbacks Tuesday that included blocking enforcement of his executive order banning transgender people from military service.
Veterans and active members of the military join lawsuit to protect humanitarian parole
A group of American citizens and immigrants filed the lawsuit against the Trump administration for ending humanitarian parole.
Humanitarian parole is a long-standing legal tool presidents have used to allow people from countries where there’s war or political instability to enter and temporarily live in the U.S.
The amended lawsuit filed Tuesday seeks to reinstate parole programs like the Central American Minors Parole, Family Reunification Parole, Military Parole-in-Place, Uniting for Ukraine, Operation Welcome Allies, and the humanitarian parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, known as CHNV.
New plaintiffs joined the Haitian Bridge Alliance and 11 others who filed the original lawsuit at the end of February. They also filed a motion for preliminary injunction, looking for a rapid response from the judge to block the termination of parole.
Trump-Putin phone call gave the Kremlin leader a chance to pivot away from the war in Ukraine
They talked about the fighting in Ukraine, of course. But the U.S. and Russian presidents also chatted about improving relations between Washington and Moscow, peace in the Middle East, global security and even hockey games.
During the more than two-hour chat — the longest such call between the countries' leaders in years — Trump and Putin covered a range of topics. And importantly for Putin, the conversation gave him a chance to pivot away from the war in Ukraine and engage more broadly about global issues, drawing a line under Washington's past efforts to cast him as an international pariah.
Tuesday's phone call appeared to reflect both leaders' interest in mending the U.S.-Russian ties that have plummeted to their lowest point since the Cold War amid the 3-year-old conflict in Ukraine. The Kremlin and the state-controlled Russian media praised it as a long-sought launch of an equal dialogue between the two nuclear superpowers.
▶ Read more about the conversation between Trump and Putin
Fed keeps interest rate unchanged, sees slower growth, slightly higher inflation ahead
The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday and signaled it still expects to cut rates twice this year, though more policymakers forecast fewer cuts.
The Fed also now expects the economy to grow more slowly this year and next than it did three months ago, according to a set of quarterly economic projections also released Wednesday. It also expects the unemployment rate to tick higher, to 4.4%. Policymakers also expect inflation will pick up slightly by the end of this year, to 2.7% from its current level of 2.5%. Bother are above the central bank’s 2% target.
“Uncertainty around the economic outlook has increased,” the Fed said in a statement released after its two-day meeting.
Trump suggests to Zelenskyy that US should take ownership of Ukrainian power plants for security
Trump made the suggestion during Wednesday’s call with Zelenskyy.
Trump told Zelenskyy the U.S could be “very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise,” according to a White House statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz.
Trump added that “American ownership of those plants could be the best protection for that infrastructure.”
▶ Read more about the war in Ukraine
Trump administration suspends $175M in federal funding for Penn over transgender swimmer
The administration suspended the money for the University of Pennsylvania over the participation of a transgender athlete in its swimming program, the White House said Wednesday.
The Ivy League school has been facing an Education Department investigation focusing on in its swimming program. That inquiry was announced last month immediately after Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls and women's sports.
But the federal money was suspended in a separate review of discretionary federal money going to universities, the White House said. The money that was paused came from the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services.
A Penn spokesperson said the school hadn’t received any notification or details of the action.
▶ Read more about Penn's funding suspension
Trump warns Yemen’s Houthis ‘will be completely annihilated’
The president on Wednesday stepped up his rhetoric regarding Yemen’s Houthi rebels as the U.S. military launched more airstrikes against the group, warning they “will be completely be annihilated.”
Trump made the comment on his website Truth Social. He claimed, without offering evidence, Iranian military support to the rebels “has lessened” but said it needed to entirely stop.
“Let the Houthis fight it out themselves,” he wrote. “Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse — It’s not even a fair fight, and never will be. They will be completely annihilated!”
Despite more than a year of U.S. strikes and naval patrols, experts say commercial shipping will likely continue to stay out of the waters off Yemen because of the Houthi threat.
Trump looks forward to welcoming recently returned astronauts to the White House
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday after an unexpected nine-month stay in space.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said their splashdown off the coast of Florida represented “the very best of America.”
She said Trump “looks forward to welcoming Butch and Suni to the Oval Office when they are recovered.”
New York’s transit authority responds to the transportation secretary’s funding threat
The MTA’s policy chief says he’s happy to tell Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy how the transit system is working with police to reduce crime.
John McCarthy says “the good news is numbers are moving in the right direction: crime is down 40%” compared to right before the pandemic. And he said this year’s major crime numbers are better than any non-pandemic year ever.
Duffy gave the MTA until month’s end to explain exactly how it’s addressing assaults and other crimes, or possibly lose federal funding. The MTA’s $68 billion capital plan anticipates $14 billion in federal grants and funds.
▶ Read more about crime and federal funding for NYC transit
EU wants to break its security dependency on the US and buy more European weapons
The European Union's executive branch unveiled its "Readiness 2030" security strategy with the threat of Russian aggression at the forefront of concerns. NATO intelligence estimates suggest Russia could be capable of launching an attack in Europe again in three to five years.
Last month, the Trump administration signaled that U.S. security priorities lay elsewhere — on its own borders and in Asia — and that Europeans would have to fend for themselves and Ukraine in the future. That was as Europe's biggest land war in decades entered its fourth year.
Under the strategy, member countries will be urged to buy much of their military equipment in Europe, working mostly with European suppliers — in some cases with EU help to cut prices and speed up orders. They should only purchase equipment from abroad when costs, performance or supply delays make it preferable.
▶ Read more about the EU's plan to boost defense
Defense Department webpage on Jackie Robinson’s military service suddenly missing amid DEI purge
Wednesday's development comes after pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner and Japanese American service members were taken down — the Pentagon said that was a mistake — amid the department's campaign to strip out content singling out the contributions by women and minority groups, which the Trump administration considers "DEI."
According to Internet Archive, the page on Robinson previously included biographical information about his Army service during World War II, which occurred prior to his famously breaking baseball's color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. When that page's address was entered Wednesday, a message showed up saying it "might have been moved, renamed, or may be temporarily unavailable." The letters "dei" were also automatically added to the URL.
The page included an anecdote about Robinson refusing to move to the back of an Army bus in 1944, prompting the driver to call military police. Robinson was court martialed but acquitted.
▶ Read more about Jackie Robinson's removal from the website
DOGE official is taking a leadership role at USAID, an email obtained by the AP says
A senior official at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is taking a leadership role at the U.S. Agency for International Development, giving DOGE direct authority over an agency it has worked to dismantle, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press.
Pete Marocco, a Trump administration political appointee who was serving as deputy head of USAID, disclosed the change in the email to State Department staff. It comes after Marocco and DOGE oversaw the gutting of 83% of USAID contracts, shifting the remaining programs under the State Department.
Marocco said in his email that he’ll serve as the State Department’s head of foreign assistance.
Marocco wrote that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will “effective immediately” designate Jeremy Lewin as deputy administrator for policy and programs at USAID and as chief operating officer. Lewin is a DOGE official who has worked with Musk’s efforts at USAID and other federal agencies.
▶ Read more about the new leadership at USAID
Trump’s deportation efforts find support among South Florida Latinos
In Hialeah, Florida, a city that’s 95% Hispanic, only three residents showed up at a recent city council meeting to speak against a partnership with the federal government to enforce immigration laws.
The police departments in Hialeah, where three out of four people were born abroad, and Coral Gables, with a majority of Hispanics mostly of Cuban descent, have entered into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with very little visible pushback.
Trump's doubling of immigration arrests and ramping up of deportations could have a disproportionate effect on South Florida, home to some of the nation's largest communities of Cubans, Venezuelans and other Latin Americans. But reaction here to Trump's crackdown has been far more muted than during his first term, reflecting both the rightward shift of Latino voters and a belief among some that restrictive border measures are necessary.
▶ Read more about Trump's support among South Florida Latinos
Pianist and conductor András Schiff cancels US appearances for 2025-26 season in response to Trump
It’s a move that follows a similar decision by violinist Christian Tetzlaff.
Schiff, a 71-year-old British citizen who was born in Hungary, said Wednesday he called off a recital tour for next October and concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York Philharmonic scheduled in May 2026.
“Due to the recent and unprecedented political changes in the United States, I feel morally obligated to withdraw from all engagements in the U.S. for the 2025-26 season,” he said in a statement. “Some people might say, ‘just shut up and play.’ I cannot, in good conscience, do that.”
Schiff was made a knight in 2014 by Queen Elizabeth II.
Trump says he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke for about an hour
In a social media post, Trump said the call was to “align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs” as he seeks to bring about a ceasefire between the two countries.
“We are very much on track,” Trump added, saying he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz to provide more details on the conversation in a forthcoming statement.
House Democrats write to SSA Acting Commissioner over decision to end phone service
A group of 62 House Democrats wrote to the Social Security Administration’s Acting Commissioner Leland Dudek on Wednesday to express concern about the agency’s plan to end identify verification services over the phone to new applicants and existing recipients.
The agency announced Tuesday that beginning March 31, those who cannot properly verify their identity over the agency’s “my Social Security” online service, will be required to visit an agency field office in person to complete the verification process.
“Requiring beneficiaries to seek assistance exclusively online, through artificial intelligence, or in person at SSA field offices would create additional barriers, particularly for those who live far from an office,” the letter reads. “We strongly urge you to consider the individuals who may be harmed.”
Legal showdown as Justice Department resists judge’s demand for more details on deportation flights
In response to the federal judge's demand for more information about flights that took deportees to to El Salvador, the Justice Department argued Wednesday that the court should end its "continued intrusions" into the authority of the executive branch.
It's the latest development in a showdown between the Trump administration and the judge who temporarily blocked deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration. President Trump has called for the judge's impeachment as the Republican escalates his conflict with a judiciary after a series of court setbacks over his executive actions.
U.S. District Judge Jeb Boasberg, who was nominated to the federal bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, had ordered the Trump administration to answer several questions under seal, where the information would not be publicly exposed. There were questions about the planes' takeoff and landing times, and the number of people deported under Trump's proclamation.
▶ Read more about the legal showdown over Trump's deportations
Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have begun their call
White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino said in a post on X that Trump was conducting the call from the Oval Office.
Under pressure from Trump, Columbia plans its next move with other colleges watching closely
Confronted with huge cuts to its funding, Columbia University's leaders face a grim decision: They can yield to the Trump administration's demands over alleged antisemitism — ceding extraordinary control to the federal government — or they can fight back, potentially risking even more debilitating cuts in an escalating clash.
However it responds, Columbia carries tremendous weight. It's the first school to face such aggressive intervention from the Trump administration, but dozens of others have been put on notice they're next if they defy the president's orders on issues around antisemitism, diversity programs or transgender women in girl's sports.
“People in the academy around the country are looking to see what Columbia does here,” said Samuel Bagenstos, a law professor at the University of Michigan.
The Trump administration is acting quickly to make an example of Columbia as it demands stronger action against allegations of anti-Jewish bias on college campuses.
▶ Read more about Trump's pressure on Columbia University
White House says US and Russian technical teams to hold talks soon in Saudi Arabia
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said in a social media post that he spoke with his Russian counterpart, Yuri Ushakov. and the two have agreed that their “technical teams would meet in Riyadh in the coming days to focus on implementing and expanding the partial ceasefire President Trump secured from Russia.”
It wasn’t immediately clear who was part of the delegations or if Ukrainian officials were also invited to take part in the coming talks.
Trump and Putin spoke by phone Tuesday and agreed to a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure in Russia’s war on Ukraine, but Putin did not agree to Trump’s proposal for a broader 30-day ceasefire.
Trump was scheduled to speak by phone Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
US Institute of Peace and many of its board members have sued the Trump administration
They’re seeking to prevent their removal and stop Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from taking over and accessing the building and systems of the independent nonprofit.
The lawsuit filed late Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington describes the lengths institute staff resorted to, including calling the police, in an effort to prevent DOGE representatives from accessing its Washington headquarters.
An executive order last month from Trump targeted the institute and three other agencies for large-scale reductions.
The lawsuit accused the White House of illegally firing members of the board by email and said the remaining board members also ousted USIP President George Moose.
Stocks drift higher as Wall Street awaits Fed announcement on where interest rates may be heading
The S&P 500 was up 0.3% in early trading Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 129 points, or 0.3%, as of 9:35 a.m. ET, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.5% higher.
The modest moves are a respite following weeks of sharp and scary swings for the U.S. stock market. Uncertainty is high about how much pain President Trump will allow the economy to endure in order to remake the system as he wants. He's said he wants manufacturing jobs back in the United States and far fewer people working for the federal government.
Trump's barrage of announcements on tariffs and other policies have created so much uncertainty that economists worry U.S. businesses and households may freeze and cut back on their spending.
▶ Read more about the financial markets
Greenland’s election took place with no signs of foreign influence, Denmark’s intelligence services say
The March 11 race attracted international attention following controversial remarks made by Trump about the strategic importance to the U.S. of the Arctic island, which is a self-governing region of Denmark.
The pro-business Demokraatit party, which favors a slow path to independence from Denmark, won a surprise victory in the parliamentary election, outpacing the two left-leaning parties that formed the last government.
The Danish Defence Intelligence Service and the Danish Police Intelligence Service said in a news release published Tuesday that their monitoring of the election did not show any evidence of a foreign government or foreign intelligence service attempting to influence the results through systematic and coordinated campaigns.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the likely new prime minister, has rejected Trump’s effort to take control of the island, saying Greenlanders must be allowed to decide their own future as it moves toward independence.
▶ Read more about Greenland's recent election
Credit: AP
Credit: AP