Meanwhile, Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, according to two U.S. officials.

The Latest:

Why the tariff picture may seem more confusing

The more Trump talks about his efforts to reach deals with America's trading partners, the more confusing the tariff picture gets. His team seems good with that, saying Trump is using "strategic uncertainty" to his advantage.

Trump says the U.S. doesn't have to sign any deals, but he also says the U.S. could sign 25 of them right now. He says he's looking for fair deals on all sides, but also that he doesn't care about other countries' markets. He says his team can sit down to negotiate the terms of a deal, and that he might just impose a set of tariffs on his own.

?Read more about how the trade talks may play out

Trump administration rescinds layoff notices to CDC program for 9/11 responders

The Trump administration has rescinded layoff notices to about 15 workers in a federal program that cares for 9/11 responders and survivors.

The layoff notices went out last week, setting an end to the World Trade Center Health Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program provides medical monitoring and treatment of 9/11-related health conditions for about 133,000 people, and was one of the few parts of the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that has not been eliminated in recent staffing or budget cuts.

The workers got notices Tuesday that their employment will continue.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the reversal. When asked for the reason, he said there are issues with human resources records.

-By Mike Stobbe

Trump appears to throw cold water on NY congressman's gubernatorial hopes

Trump is endorsing Rep. Mike Lawler -- just not for the office the congressman has been eyeing.

Trump said he's backing the Republican for reelection in his New York swing district, writing on Truth Social that "HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"

But Lawler isn't up for reelection until next year and has been teasing a potential run for governor for months. Meanwhile, Rep. Elise Stefanik, passed over for ambassador to the United Nations, is considering campaigning for governor and has been encouraged to run by major New York donors, state Republican officials and White House officials, AP has reported.

Lawler is "grateful for the President's support," his spokesperson said in a statement, but added: "As Congressman Lawler has said repeatedly, he will make a decision on running for Governor in June."

Trump designates Thursday as a day for US to celebrate victory in World War II

Trump has complained on social media that the United States doesn't celebrate its military victories like the rest of the world. He said he'd create a "Victory Day" for World War I and World War II, then backtracked and said he'd declare national holidays instead.

Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday declaring Thursday as a "day in celebration of Victory Day for World War II."

Cities from London to Moscow will be awash with parades, flyovers and memorials this week as the world marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day -- the day Nazi Germany surrendered to Allied forces. World War II ended on May 8, 1945.

Trump said the victory wouldn't have been possible without the U.S.

Millions of people would lose Medicaid under Republicans' changes, nonpartisan budget office says

Their plans could reduce the federal deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars, but states would be left to pick up costs, too. Medicaid is a joint program run by states and the federal government.

Republicans are considering a menu of options including reducing the federal share, which is as much as 90% in some cases -- and capping federal spending on each Medicaid enrollee's health care.

Those two changes could result in more than 5 million people becoming uninsured, the Congressional Budget Office announced Wednesday morning.

Treasury secretary is testifying for a second day on Capitol Hill

Scott Bessent is now before the House Financial Services Committee to discuss international financial systems.

He's also been asked about the looming X-Date when the U.S. could default on its debt, China's economic influence, Russia sanctions and his participation in a Signal chat group with other Trump administration officials.

As for cryptocurrency in the U.S., Bessent said, "we believe the United States should be the premier destination for digital assets ... so that U.S. best practices are best used around the world."

A digital assets project called World Liberty Financial that Trump launched while campaigning has taken in billions of dollars from investors around the world.

RFK Jr. announces researchers will get access to data from autistic Medicare, Medicaid enrollees

The nation's health department is launching a research project that will examine claims data and electronic medical records of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees who have been diagnosed with autism.

The program will involve a data sharing agreement between the National Institutes of Health, the government's health research arm, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which has access to claims data from nearly 150 million Americans across the country.

"We're using this partnership to uncover the root causes of autism and other chronic diseases," HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement.

The agreement will be "fully compliant with privacy and security laws," the department said in its statement.

Turkish Tufts University student detained by ICE can be sent to Vermont, appeals court rules

The 2nd Circuit Court appellate panel ruled in favor of Rumeysa Ozturk, whose lawyers sought her return to New England for hearings to determine whether her detention violates her constitutional free speech and due process rights.

The 30-year-old doctoral student has been detained in Louisiana for six weeks following an op-ed she co-wrote last year criticizing the university's response to Israel's war in Gaza. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said without providing evidence that Ozturk had engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group.

The Justice Department argued that an immigration court in Louisiana has jurisdiction. The court ordered Ozturk's transfer to ICE custody in Vermont no later than May 14.

US special envoy to informally brief UN Security Council members on aid to Gaza

Steve Witkoff is in New York on Wednesday to provide the unofficial briefing, according to a U.S. and a U.N. diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose private diplomatic meetings.

For more than two months, Israel has blocked any food, water, shelter or medication from being trucked into the Palestinian territory, where the U.N. says the vast majority of the population is reliant on humanitarian aid to survive. Israel alleges that Hamas was diverting supplies.

The U.S. is supporting a proposal for a new independent foundation to facilitate aid deliveries within the confines set by Israel, but it would not be an Israeli project, according to a person involved in the planning, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a plan not yet made public.

It's unclear if Witkoff will be discussing this foundation in his briefing. The Security Council, with the exception of the U.S., has criticized Israel's blockade.

-- By Farnoush Amiri and Matthew Lee

Wisconsin Republican will miss House votes, cancels town hall due to 'credible threat'

Rep. Derrick Van Orden canceled a planned tele-town hall on Wednesday and will be missing votes in the House due to a "credible threat made against his wife, children, and grandchildren," his office said.

The threat was delivered in a letter to his Washington office and has been reported to the authorities, his office said, blaming "increasingly radical and violent rhetoric fueled by far-left Democrats who encourage hatred rather than healthy discourse."

The second-term, swing-district congressman called on both Democrats and Republicans to "fully condemn it when they see it."

Federal judge orders release of pandemic aid money for schools

Trump's Education Department has frozen the last of the U.S. relief money meant to help schools recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vast majority of the $189 billion in aid approved by Congress has been spent, but some districts received extensions on deadlines to spend the money, and some were using it for things like after-school tutoring.

On March 28, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent a letter to schools saying she had moved the deadline up to that day. Several states and the District of Columbia sued in response, leading to the court order.

Attorney General meets with victims' families after federal death row commutations

Pam Bondi is meeting privately at the Justice Department Wednesday with 10 families whose relatives were killed by people who were awaiting execution until President Joe Biden commuted their sentences to life in prison.

"They need closure," Bondi told reporters at the White House. "And they do know that going forward, the Trump administration is seeking the death penalty again on future criminal defendants and keeping our streets safe."

Bondi has lifted a moratorium on federal capital punishment and sharply criticized the Democratic president's decision to commute the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row.

Vance talks free speech, Ukraine at security conference

The vice president spoke Wednesday at a meeting held in Washington by the Munich Security Conference, which also hosted a February summit in Germany where Vance ruffled feathers by declaring that free speech is "in retreat" across the continent.

Vance said Wednesday that his comments were not meant to imply "Europe bad, America good," but that both Europe and the United States under Biden had gotten "a bit off track" when it comes to protecting free speech.

He said the administration's next goals for brokering an end to the Russia-Ukraine war is to get both sides to start directly negotiating a long-term settlement.

GOP legislators push restrictions on citizen initiatives

Lawmakers in about a dozen states have advanced roughly 40 measures this year that would make it harder for citizen initiatives to get on ballots. Many already have been signed into law. The measures limit who can circulate petitions, add content requirements and in some cases raise thresholds needed for voter approval.

Republican lawmakers are making these moves in states where voters have been able to decide on initiatives proposed by progressive groups.

"This is not a bill to restrict. It is a bill to protect -- to make sure that our constitutional system is one of integrity, and that it's free of fraud," said state Sen. Jennifer Bradley of Florida, where the new initiative requirements already have been challenged in court.

But Dane Waters, chair of the Initiative and Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California, sees direct democracy on the retreat in many states. Lawmakers often perceive the initiative process as "an assault on their power and authority, and they want to limit it," Waters said.

Ahead of Trump's visit, Disney announces a new theme park in the UAE

The theme park -- Disney's 7th -- will be built on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, the company said Wednesday.

Trump has promised a series of business deals with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates during his trip to the region next week.

Disney posted solid quarterly profits and revenue from its theme parks and streaming service on Wednesday, boosting its annual profit expectations. But it's not immune from Trump's trade war, including his threat of a 100% tariff on films made outside the U.S., and Trump's Federal Communications Commission said it's scrutinizing the company's diversity practices.

Secretary of State celebrates bringing these Venezuelans into the US

Marco Rubio described it as a rescue operation of five members of Venezuela's political opposition who had sheltered inside the Argentine diplomatic compound in Caracas for more than a year to avoid arrest.

"Following a precise operation, all hostages are now safely on U.S. soil," Rubio said on X Tuesday night.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government had no immediate comment.

The group included the campaign manager and communications director of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who called it an "impeccable and epic operation for the Freedom of five heroes of Venezuela."

China says it agreed to US request for talks, but remains opposed to tariffs

The upcoming trade talks between the U.S. and China have been initiated by Washington, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday in Beijing.

"China's position of firmly opposing the arbitrary imposition of tariffs by the U.S. has not changed," said spokesperson Lin Jian. And while Beijing is open to dialogue, he repeated that any talks "must be based on equality, respect and mutual benefit."

"Any form of pressure or coercion against China will not work," Lin said. "China will firmly safeguard its legitimate interests and uphold international fairness and justice."

The National Transportation Safety Board's only Black member is removed without explanation

The Trump administration removed the board's vice-chairman, Alvin Brown, whose term ends in 2026. The White House didn't say why and Brown has not publicly commented.

The NTSB is currently investigating nearly 1,250 active U.S. cases and supports more than 160 foreign investigations, according to NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy's congressional testimony, including the deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and Army helicopter that killed 67 people in January.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former NTSB and FAA accident investigator, said he has never seen an administration remove a member of the board.

By Tuesday evening, Brown's photo and biography had been removed from NTSB's website.

Wall Street is poised to open with gains

Futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average rose slightly before the bell Wednesday as the Federal Reserve wraps up a two-day policy meeting. The Fed will almost certainly leave interest rates unchanged despite Trump's pleas for a rate cut as he pursues a worldwide trade war.

Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed officials have signaled that they want to see how the duties -- including 145% on all imports from China -- impact consumer prices.

Uncertainty has made U.S. households more pessimistic, fueling a surge in imports ahead of potentially more severe tariffs that drove the U.S. trade deficit to a record $140.5 billion and shrank the U.S. economy at a 0.3% annual pace.

Columbia University lays off nearly 180 after Trump pulled $400M over his antisemitism concerns

Columbia University said Tuesday that it will be laying off nearly 180 staffers in response to Trump's decision to cancel $400 million in funding over the Manhattan college's handling of student protests against the war in Gaza.

Those receiving non-renewal or termination notices Tuesday represent about 20% of the employees funded in some manner by the terminated federal grants, the university said in a statement Tuesday.

"We have had to make deliberate, considered decisions about the allocation of our financial resources," the university said. "Those decisions also impact our greatest resource, our people. We understand this news will be hard."

University spokesperson Jessica Murphy declined to say whether more layoffs were expected, but said Columbia is taking a range of steps to create financial flexibility, including maintaining current salary levels and offering voluntary retirement incentives.

? Read more about the layoffs at Columbia

Declassified intelligence memo contradicts Trump's claims linking gang to Venezuelan government

A newly declassified U.S. intelligence assessment confirms that analysts at American spy agencies found no coordination between Tren de Aragua and the Venezuelan government, contradicting statements the Trump administration used to justify invoking the Alien Enemies Act and deporting Venezuelan immigrants.

The relatives of Venezuelan migrants in the U.S. who were flown to a prison in El Salvador by the U.S. government who alleged they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang, protest outside of the United Nations building in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

The redacted memo from the National Intelligence Council said there was no indication that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro or other senior government officials are directing the actions of Tren de Aragua, a gang that originated in a prison in Venezuela. That is even as some mid- to low-level Venezuelan officials may have ties to the gang for financial gain, the document says.

Trump has invoked the Alien Enemies Act to speed the deportations of people his administration has labeled members of the gang. The 18th century wartime law was created to give the president the power to imprison or deport noncitizens in a time of war. It has been used three times, most recently when Japanese Americans were detained during World War II.

? Read more about the declassified document

Trump says only 21 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza now believed to be alive

Trump said Tuesday that three hostages held by Hamas in Gaza have died, leaving only 21 believed to be still living.

One American, Edan Alexander, had been among the 24 hostages believed to be alive, with the bodies of several other Americans also held by Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel.

The president's comments came as Israel approved plans Monday to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, in a bid to recover the hostages and try to fulfill its war aims of destroying Hamas. If implemented, the move would vastly expand Israel's operations there and likely draw fierce international opposition.

? Read more about Trump's comments on the hostages

Top US officials will meet with Chinese delegation in Switzerland in first major talks of trade war

Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland in the first major talks between the two nations since Trump sparked a trade war with stiff tariffs on imports.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their counterparts in Geneva in the most-senior known conversations between the two countries in months, the Trump administration announced Tuesday. It comes amid growing U.S. market worry over the impact of the tariffs on the prices and supply of consumer goods.

After plans for the talks had been announced, Bessent said on Fox News' "The Ingraham Angle" that as the U.S. has engaged in negotiations with various trading partners, "China has been the missing piece."

Trump had claimed previously that the U.S. and China were holding negotiations on lowering tariffs, which Beijing has denied, saying Trump must first lower his stiff tariffs.

? Read more about the upcoming meeting

Trump plans to announce that the US will call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf, officials say

Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, according to two U.S. officials.

Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the Gulf.

The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of "Gulf of Arabia" and "Arabian Gulf" is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran -- formerly Persia -- threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company's decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.

The U.S. military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases.

The two U.S. officials spoke with on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The White House and National Security Council did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

-By Matthew Lee

? Read more about Trump's expected announcement