A federal judge said at a hearing Tuesday she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison.
US District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland issued her order after Trump officials continually refused to retrieve Abrego Garcia, saying they defied a “clear” Supreme Court order.
She also downplayed Monday’s comments by White House officials and El Salvador’s president that they were unable to bring back Abrego Garcia, describing their statements as “two very misguided ships passing in the night.”
“The Supreme Court has spoken,” Xinis said, adding that what was said in the Oval Office on Monday “is not before the court.”
Here’s how Tuesday played out.
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Federal judge bars immigration agents from arresting MIT student from China whose visa has been revoked — 9:18 p.m.
By Tonya Alanez and Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio, Globe Staff
A federal judge on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting immigration authorities from detaining a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from China who has had her student visa revoked, according to court filings and a recording of the hearing.
The 22-year-old student is identified in court records only as “Jane Doe.” She filed a civil suit in federal court in Boston on Friday against the US Department of Homeland Security, its secretary, Kristi Noem, and Todd Lyons, the acting director for US Immigrations and Custom Enforcement.
On Monday, the student was notified by the US Department of State that her visa was revoked and that she needed to leave the United States “immediately,” one of the student’s lawyers said in court. In response, the student filed a motion seeking the temporary restraining order, records show.
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At Tuesday’s hearing in federal court in Boston, lawyer Stephen J. Antwine said his client is set to graduate in six weeks and plans to pursue a PhD afterward. He said she found out from MIT that her F1 student visa was terminated on April 4.
This isn’t the first time Trump has mistakenly deported someone — 8:49 p.m.
By the New York Times
In August 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term, an Iraqi immigrant named Muneer Subaihani went missing.
A refugee who had been living in the United States for nearly 25 years, Subaihani was among hundreds of Iraqis who had been protected from deportation under a federal court order. His lawyers figured he was still in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he had been placed after he was swept up in an ICE raid.
A search of the federal ICE database turned up nothing, so the attorneys went to the Justice Department, looking for an answer. Within a day, they got one.
The government said it had made a mistake, according to Margo Schlanger, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School who was one of Subaihani’s lawyers. Subaihani had been deported to Iraq, in violation of the court order.
The case has striking similarities to one that is playing out now in Trump’s second term, after the United States deported a Salvadoran man because of what the government has acknowledged was an “administrative error.”
Harvard is preparing for a showdown with Trump — 8:34 p.m.
By Mike Damiano, Globe Staff
As Harvard University prepares for a titanic showdown with the Trump administration over its academic independence, the president on Tuesday threatened the school’s tax exempt status while the first effects of a $2 billion freeze in federal funding began to be felt on campus.
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The university has yet to file a legal challenge opposing the government’s crushing punishment for refusing the administration’s demands to implement extraordinary policy changes and submit to federal oversight. But lawyers and higher education leaders said Tuesday that the fight is virtually certain to end up in court.
The confrontation is as extraordinary for the stakes involved as it is for the combatants: the government of the world’s leading democracy against the nation’s most prestigious institution of learning.
Army to take over 170 square miles along southern border in anti-immigration effort — 8:04 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum said Tuesday that the Army will manage that terrain along the frontier with Mexico on an emergency basis to allow more foot patrols and infrastructure aimed at preventing illegal immigration.
Burgum announced during a visit to New Mexico that the land will be transferred for a period of three years. A detailed outline of the area was not made available.
A Friday memo from President Trump laid the groundwork for the transfer of the Roosevelt Reservation buffer zone from the Interior Department to the Department of Defense in an attempt to get around a federal law barring troops from being used in law enforcement on U.S. soil.
If soldiers are providing security for land that is part of an Army base, they can perform that function.
At least one presidential powers expert says a court challenge is likely.
Trump exempts dozens of coal plants from Biden-era rules on pollution from mercury, other toxics — 7:35 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The administration granted nearly 70 coal-fired power plants a two-year exemption from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene.
A roster posted on on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website lists 47 power providers — which operate at least 66 plants — that received exemptions from Biden-era rules under the Clean Air Act. The actions follow Trump’s executive order last week boosting the struggling coal industry, a reliable but polluting energy source that has long been in decline.
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Among those receiving an exemption are the massive Colstrip Generating Station in Montana, a leading emitter of pollutants such as lead and arsenic; Coal Creek Station, a large plant in North Dakota that is a top producer of mercury emissions; and the Oak Grove plant in Texas, another big polluter.
Maryland Democratic senator to travel to El Salvador — 7:22 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Sen. Chris Van Hollen announced that he will make the trip Wednesday to investigate the “wellbeing” of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was recently deported to a notorious prison in the Central American country in a move that officials have said was erroneous.
“Following his abduction and unlawful deportation, U.S. federal courts have ordered the safe return of my constituent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States,” Van Hollen said in a statement. “It should be a priority of the U.S. government to secure his safe release.”
The Supreme Court has ruled that the administration must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return, and a federal judge presiding over the case ordered an “intense” two-week investigation into the government’s conduct. During a Monday Oval Office meeting, President Trump and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said Garcia’s return was not possible.
Van Hollen earlier sent a letter to El Salvador’s U.S. ambassador requesting a meeting with Bukele, but he was rebuffed.
Biden: 30% of the country ‘has no heart’ — 7:20 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Toward the end of his speech Tuesday, the former president offered a somber reflection and said the country should not forget about upholding “fundamental American values.”
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After referring to how divided the nation is, Biden said there is “a 30% that has no heart.”
“It’s what we see in America. It’s what we believe in — fairness. And that’s the America we can never forget or walk away from,” Biden said.
His reference to heartless people was interpreted on social media by some conservatives as an insult to Trump supporters.
3 groups fighting child labor sue Department of Labor after millions in grant funding is cut — 7:09 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The groups, which combat child labor and slave labor around the world, filed the federal lawsuit Tuesday against the department after the Trump Administration canceled millions of dollars of international grants funding the programs.
The plaintiffs are the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, American Institutes for Research and Global March Against Child Labor. The nonprofits had 15 federal grants worth more than $100 million combined, but their funding and work agreements were terminated in March as part of spending cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency.
They want a judge to order the Labor Department to reinstate the grants and their programs.
The grants were administered through the department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs. The department says the bureau’s work , including the grant funding, has helped reduce the number of child laborers worldwide by 78 million over the last two decades.
Army and Air Force libraries ordered to review books for DEI material — 7:07 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Army and Air Force libraries have been told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to new memos obtained by The Associated Press.
The orders from service leaders come about two weeks after the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office to get rid of those that promote DEI.
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The latest orders are part of the Trump administration’s far-reaching efforts to purge so-called DEI content from federal agencies.
The memos suggest that any book removals will happen only after the initial lists are reviewed more closely. That slower pace may reflect a desire to be more careful about what is pulled from shelves after the Navy faced criticism over some that it removed.
Trump directs RFK Jr. to examine Medicare drug pricing — 6:48 p.m.
By the Associated Press
In an executive order he signed Tuesday, the president directed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to look at the Medicare prescription drug pricing negotiation program established under the Biden administration.
He called on Kennedy to improve transparency around the process. A law passed by Congress during the Biden years allowed Medicare to negotiate what it pays for some prescription drugs.
So far 25 of Medicare’s costliest and most popular drugs — including diabetes medications Ozempic and Wegovy and blood thinner Eliquis — have been selected for negotiations, which are expected to lower costs and save taxpayers billions of dollars.
Trump also called on Kennedy to lower Medicare drug coverage premiums.
Biden warns that Trump administration ‘taking hatchet’ to Social Security — 6:47 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Former President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday that President Trump has “taken a hatchet” to Social Security, weighing in on a critical issue for millions of Americans as the 82-year-old Democrat briefly returned to the national stage.
Biden, who has largely avoided speaking publicly since leaving the White House in January, delivered his pointed message during an evening speech at the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago.
While Biden has made a handful of public appearances in recent weeks, Tuesday’s high-profile address focuses on a critical issue for tens of millions of Americans that could define next year’s midterm elections. It also marks the first time that he has explicitly attacked Trump, who continues to blame Biden for many of the nation’s problems and often attacks his predecessor by name.
Trump signs more executive orders and a presidential memorandum — 6:45 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president has signed more executive orders seeking to overhaul federal contracts and the government’s procurement process, as well as a memorandum meant to ensure only U.S. citizens can receive Social Security benefits.
One order directs federal officials drawing up contracts to take advantage of “the competitive marketplace and the innovations of private enterprise.” Another seeks to improve how the government buys goods and services by overhauling decades-old regulations.
The presidential memorandum, meanwhile, expands Social Security Administration fraud investigation efforts and directs officials to scrutinize earnings reports for people over 100.
It also asks officials to consider reinstating civil monetary penalties for Social Security fraud, which have been on pause.
Protesters removed from Rep. Taylor Greene town hall — 6:31 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Three opponents were dragged out of a town hall featuring U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, including one against whom Acworth police deployed an electrical stun gun.
“This is a town hall, this is not a political rally, this is not a protest,” Greene said as she took the stage, before thanking officers for removing the people.
Afterward she launched into a full-throated defense of Trump’s policy before a mostly friendly room of more than 150 people, arguing that the “real economy” and immigration enforcement are thriving under him.
She argued that Trump’s political opponents unfairly ignored a stock market decline during the middle of Joe Biden’s presidency and also said measures that touch everyday people are improving.
“This is the real economy, ladies and gentlemen, that affects you every single day in your life and it’s only been three months,” Greene said. “We look forward to seeing more of this.”
Joe Biden makes first public speech since leaving office — 6:25 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The former president is now taking the stage at the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago.
He was introduced by Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who said Biden led the country out of the coronavirus pandemic and “into the strongest economic recovery of any country in the developed world.”
O’Malley served as Social Security administrator under Biden. He criticized Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk for threatening the health of Social Security.
Trump signs executive actions on federal office space and environmental permitting — 6:23 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump has signed two executive orders related to federal office space and environmental permitting.
One directs the government to “apply modern technologies” when evaluating environmental permits. Its goal, the White House says, is to alleviate “significant delay to important infrastructure projects.”
The other one repeals executive orders signed by former Democratic presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton that directed the government to prioritize central business districts when establishing federal facilities in urban areas.
The new order notes that the US population is spread out among urban, suburban and rural areas and says undoing the previous actions will allow for more “efficient and effective government service.”
Trump signs executive order for tariff investigation on critical minerals — 6:22 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The order signed Tuesday starts an investigation into importing of critical minerals, possibly setting up more tariffs against China and other nations.
It gives Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick 90 days to complete an internal review on national security grounds using Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
Minerals such as lithium, cobalt and rare earths are critical pieces of the global supply chain for phones, computers and other electronics.
The investigation could open an additional front in the tariff-driven trade wars that Trump has launched.
In 2022 the federal government listed 50 critical minerals as important for the economy and national security.
Trump might give money and airplane tickets to immigrants who leave voluntarily — 6:14 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president said he wants to give them to any immigrant who is in the country illegally who chooses to “self-deport” and also to work to get those who are “good” back in the US, a break from his usual hardline immigration rhetoric.
Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to carry out mass deportations, said in a recorded interview with Fox Noticias that his administration is focused right now on getting “murderers” out of the country. But for others in the U.S. illegally, he said, he intends to implement “a self-deportation program.”
Trump offered few details about the plan, including timing, but he added, “We’re going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we’re going to work with them — if they’re good — if we want them back in, we’re going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can.”
Joe Biden will speak about Social Security in his return to the national stage — 6:10 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Former president Joe Biden returns to the national stage Tuesday to elevate liberal concerns that President Donald Trump’s agenda is threatening the health of Social Security.
The 82-year-old Democrat has largely avoided speaking publicly since leaving the White House in January, which is typically the tradition for immediate past presidents. That’s even as Trump frequently blames Biden for many of the nation’s problems, often attacking his predecessor by name.
Biden is expected to fight back in an early evening speech to the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago. While Biden has made a handful of public appearances in recent weeks, Tuesday’s high-profile address focuses on a critical issue for tens of millions of Americans that could define next year’s midterm elections.
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In a bid to corral the anti-Trump resistance, Bernie Sanders and AOC visit red states — 5:36 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Sanders, alongside his fellow progressive champion Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, took his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour deep into Trump territory this week and drew the same types of large crowds they got in liberal and battleground states.
Outside Boise on Monday, the Ford Idaho Center arena was filled to capacity, with staff forced to close the doors after admitting 12,500 people. There are just 11,902 registered Democratic voters in Canyon County, where the arena is located, according to the Idaho Secretary of State’s office.
While Idaho, Utah and Montana will almost certainly remain Republican strongholds for the near future, the events offer a glimpse of widespread Democratic anger over the direction Trump’s administration and a dose of hope to progressives living in the places where they’re most outnumbered.
Judge lets Justice Department cut funding for legal education programs for people facing immigration court — 5:11 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A federal judge has allowed the US Department of Justice to temporarily stop funding legal education programs for people facing deportation or immigration court while a lawsuit moves forward in court.
The decision from US District Judge Randolph D. Moss in Washington, D.C., means a coalition of nonprofit groups that offer the education programs will lose their federal funding Wednesday, and possibly some access to potential clients inside detention centers.
Unlike criminal cases, people in immigration courts and detention centers do not have a right to an attorney if they cannot afford one themselves. Proponents of the legal education programs say they ease the burden on immigration judges and help immigrants navigate the complicated court system.
Congress allocates $29 million a year for the programs.
The Justice Department first instructed the nonprofits to stop work on the programs Jan. 22, citing an executive order targeting illegal immigration.
Judge orders sworn testimony over Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s mistaken deportation — 5:08 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A federal judge said that she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison.
US District Judge Paula Xinis sternly told administration attorneys that Thursday’s ruling by the Supreme Court was clear in its order to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the US.
She also disregarded Monday’s comments by White House officials and El Salvador’s president that they were unable to bring back Abrego Garcia, calling their “two very misguided ships passing in the night.”
“The Supreme Court has spoken,” Xinis said, adding that what was said in the Oval Office “is not before the court.”
Trump hosts Navy football — 5:07 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president welcomed the team to the White House on Tuesday in recognition of its defeat of Army and Air Force to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy last fall.
Trump introduced the Midshipmen’s coach and co-captains to deliver brief remarks, received a football and a ring from the team and invited them to tour the Oval Office.
It was the latest victory celebration hosted by Trump in recent days.
Judge blocks the freezing of billions in climate and infrastructure funding — 4:56 p.m.
By the Associated Press
A federal judge ordered several federal agencies to halt efforts to freeze billions of dollars meant to finance climate and infrastructure projects across the country.
US District Judge Mary McElroy, who was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, sided with conservation and nonprofit groups and issued a preliminary injunction until she rules on the merits of the lawsuit.
In her ruling, McElroy demanded that the Environmental Protection Agency, the Energy Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of the Interior and the Agriculture Department end their practice of freezing, halting or pausing funding the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
Washington mayor orders hiring and overtime freezes — 4:46 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Washington’s mayor ordered a freeze in hiring and overtime Tuesday and told staffers to prepare for potential facility closures.
Mayor Muriel Bowser’s wide-ranging order comes as the capital looks to reconcile a $1.1 billion hole left in its budget last week when the House adjourned without addressing it.
The order also gives the city administrator until April 25 to present a plan for furloughing employees and closing facilities. Public schools and Department of Human Services shelters are listed as exempt, but police and fire stations are not.
“We’re concerned when people call 911, they won’t get the same level of help that they see now,” said David Hoagland, president of the D.C. firefighters union.
Agencies can seek waivers on a case-by-case basis.
Bowser said Monday that she notified Congress that the city was using federal law to increase its budget by 6%, which it can do without lawmakers’ approval.
Income tax day is here, but Trump is unlikely to release his returns like most presidents before him have done — 4:38 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump interrupted that tradition in his first term, insisting he couldn’t release the returns because they were being audited. He held to that reasoning even after the IRS said taxpayers under audit are free to release their returns.
A White House spokesperson doubted that Trump would release his returns.
Trump’s immediate predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, released his income tax returns annually during his four-year term.
Representatives for Vice President JD Vance’s office did not respond to an email request for comment on whether he’s releasing his 2024 return.
The administration has repeatedly claimed it is the most transparent in history.
Tariff confusion, rapid-fire orders and potential cuts are troubling, Alaska Senator Murkowski says — 4:31 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The confusion over tariffs in the first months of the Trump administration, along with a head-spinning rash of executive orders and potential cuts to safety-net social programs, are exceptionally concerning, Sen. Lisa Murkowski said.
“We are all afraid,” Murkowski said at a leadership seminar for nonprofit and tribal representatives, the Anchorage Daily News reported. “It’s quite a statement. But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before. And I’ll tell ya, I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because retaliation is real. And that’s not right.”
The moderate Republican has been one of the few in the GOP to challenge both her party and the president when she felt it necessary, such as voting against Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary.
Murkowski criticized some of the administration’s approaches to implementing policy measures and service cuts, saying some were “unlawful.”
“It is as hard as anything I have been engaged in, in the 20-plus years I’ve been in the Senate,” Murkowski said.
Harvard draws on lawyers with conservative track records to fight Trump administration — 4:13 p.m.
By Julian E.J. Sorapuru, Globe Staff
When Harvard on Monday sent a letter to the Trump administration saying it would not cede to the president’s demands, the university’s defiance wasn’t the only statement being made. The names signed at the bottom of the document — attorneys Robert Hur and William Burck — also sent a message.
The two high-powered, DC-based lawyers both have deep conservative connections, including to those in President Trump’s orbit — a notable resume as Harvard and institutions across the US find themselves defending against the administration’s broadsides for alleged liberal positions.
Trump border czar not ready to comment on legality of sending Americans to El Salvador prison — 4:00 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Tom Homan told reporters he’d only gotten back to Washington and had yet to discuss the issue with the president.
Homan said he didn’t want to be “opining on something I really don’t have the information on.”
When he met in the Oval Office with El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, Trump reiterated that he’d like to send US citizens who commit violent crimes to the prison. Such a move likely would be illegal.
Key vaccine committee meets for the first time under RFK Jr. — 3:39 p.m.
By the Associated Press
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading voice in the US anti-vaccine movement.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ two-day meeting is taking up policy questions that had been put on hold when the US Department of Health and Human Services abruptly postponed the panel’s February meeting.
The committee is slated to vote Wednesday afternoon on whether to make new recommendations regarding three kinds of vaccines, including one for meningitis and another to prevent a mosquito-borne illness.
It seems likely those recommendations would fall to Kennedy to decide on.
US judge to question Trump officials’ refusal to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia — 3:29 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The administration has continued to refuse to retrieve Abrego Garcia from an El Salvador prison, even after the Supreme Court ordered his return to the US.
The 4 p.m. hearing in a US District Court comes a day after White House advisers repeated the claim that they lack the authority to bring back the Salvadoran national from his native country. The president of El Salvador also said Monday that he would not return Abrego Garcia, likening it to smuggling “a terrorist into the United States.”
Abrego Garcia, 29, lived in the US for roughly 14 years, during which he worked construction, got married and was raising three children with disabilities, according to court records.
Federal judge bars Trump administration from taking action against student from India — 3:15 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The University of Wisconsin-Madison engineering student is slated to graduate in less than a month.
The order comes as the Trump administration is revoking the legal status of foreign students across the country with little notice.
The judge granted Krish Lal Isserdasani, 21, a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from revoking his student visa or detaining him.
US District Judge William Conley wrote that Isserdasani “was given no warning, no opportunity to explain or defend himself, and no chance to correct any potential misunderstanding before his F-1 student visa record was terminated.”
The judge set a hearing for April 28, less than two weeks before Isserdasani is to graduate.
Trump wants an apology from Harvard, White House press secretary says — 2:52 p.m.
By Jim Puzzanghera, Globe Staff
In addition to demanding Harvard change some of its policies, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Trump wants the university to apologize for what she called illegal harassment and discrimination against Jewish American students.
“He also wants to see Harvard apologize, and Harvard should apologize, for the egregious antisemitism that took place on their college campus against Jewish American students,” Leavitt told reporters.
The administration is not backing down after Harvard refused its demands, with Trump threatening the university’s tax-exempt status Tuesday after federal officials froze $2.2 billion in funding for the university on Monday. Leavitt would not provide any more details on that threat, referring questions to the Internal Revenue Service.
“Unfortunately, Harvard has not taken the president or the administration’s demands seriously. All the president is asking [is] don’t break federal law and then you can have your federal funding,” she said.
Leavitt also suggested Harvard should not be receiving so much federal funding in the first place.
“I think the President is also begging a good question: more than $2 billion out the door to Harvard when they have a more than $50 billion endowment,” Leavitt said. “Why are the American taxpayers subsidizing a university that has billions of dollars in the bank already? And we certainly should not be funding a place where such grave antisemitism exists.”
NAACP sues Trump administration over efforts to limit diversity, equity and inclusion at schools — 2:49 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The lawsuit challenges actions by the Department of Education threatening federal funding for schools that don’t end DEI programs, saying the department is prohibiting legal efforts to give equal opportunity to Black students.
“In direct conflict with its mission, the Office for Civil Rights has baselessly characterized vital efforts to advance racial equality to themselves be racially discriminatory, thus weaponizing the anti-discrimination laws against the very communities they are meant to protect,” said Michaele N. Turnage Young, senior counsel at the Legal Defense Fund, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of NAACP.
Visa revocations for international students pile up, with hundreds of students fearing deportation — 2:46 p.m.
By the Associated Press
At least 600 students at more than 90 colleges and universities around the US have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press tally.
Advocacy groups collecting reports from colleges say hundreds more students could be caught up in the crackdown.
The speed and scope of the visa and status terminations have alarmed students, schools and immigration lawyers, who say they’ve been flooded with calls from panicked students. Some students have begun to challenge the terminations in court, with one student in New Hampshire granted a temporary restraining order.
White House says ‘the ball is in China’s court’ on resolving tariffs and trade issues — 2:10 p.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump imposed new tariffs of as much as 145 percent on Chinese goods on the premise that the taxes will generate new revenues, help reduce the federal budget deficit and force China to make concessions in talks. So far, the Chinese government has shown no willingness to back down by placing 125 percent tariffs on US goods.
“The ball is in China’s court,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Tuesday’s news briefing. “China needs to make a deal with us. We don’t have to make a deal with them. There’s no difference between China and any other country except they are much larger. And China wants what we have, what every country wants ... the American consumer. Or to put it another way, they need our money.”
Trump thanks Omani leader for hosting first round of US and Iran talks — 2:00 p.m.
By the Associated Press
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump and the sultan of Oman spoke earlier Tuesday.
Trump thanked him for hosting last Saturday’s talks and stressed the need for Iran to end its nuclear program through negotiations.
Leavitt said the leaders also discussed US military operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen and emphasized they’ll “pay a severe price” until attacks against ship traffic in the Red Sea are halted.
As Trump considers auto tariffs pause, parts exemptions could be key for US industry — 1:37 p.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump hinted he might temporarily relieve the auto industry from “permanent” tariffs he previously imposed on the business. The president didn’t specify how long the potential pause would be or what it would entail, but the auto sector is awaiting how rules might change on 25 percent tariffs based on US parts, if duties remain on assembled vehicles.
Experts have said short pauses aren’t likely to give carmakers enough of an opportunity to adjust their vast global supply chains, though parts exemptions would certainly bolster the industry amid Trump’s trade war whiplash.
Trump told reporters Monday that automakers “need a little bit of time because they’re going to make them here, but they need a little bit of time. So I’m talking about things like that,” referring to relocation production from Canada, Mexico and elsewhere. The news drove global auto stocks up Tuesday.
Harvard’s challenge to Trump administration could test limits of government power — 1:11 p.m.
By the Associated Press
On one side is Harvard, the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, with a brand so powerful that its name is synonymous with prestige. On the other side is the Trump administration, determined to go farther than any other White House to reshape American higher education.
Both sides are digging in for a clash that could test the limits of the government’s power and the independence that’s made US universities a destination for scholars around the world.
On Monday, Harvard become the first university to openly defy the Trump administration as it demands sweeping changes to limit activism on campus. The university frames the government’s demands as a threat not only to the Ivy League school but to the autonomy the Supreme Court has long granted American universities.
“The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” the university’s lawyers wrote Monday to the government. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.”
‘This is an all hands on deck moment,’ Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries says — 1:02 p.m.
By the Associated Press
His comments came ahead of former President Joe Biden’s planned speech Tuesday in Chicago about protecting Social Security.
On a call with reporters to preview the Social Security Day of Action, Jeffries accused Republicans of engaging in “cult-like behavior” as many support the Trump administration’s plans for the Social Security Administration, which include massive cuts to the agency’s workforce and in-person services.
Jeffries said the administration is “trying to jam down the throats of American people” a plan for Social Security that many Americans disagree with. “Congress has a responsibility to work for the American people.”
“Its my hope that we sound the alarm, and over the days and weeks to come, that a handful of House Republicans will break from the most extreme elements of their party, to both protect and strengthen Social Security.”
Federal judge puts temporary hold on removals sought by Trump under 18th century wartime law — 12:55 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The law is known as the Alien Enemies Act.
District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney issued the emergency order Monday night after the American Civil Liberties Union requested it on behalf of two Venezuelan men being held in Denver who feared they would be falsely accused of belonging to the gang Tren de Aragua.
Trump has contended the gang is invading the United States, but his critics have said he’s using the gang as the pretext for an overhyped anti-migrant narrative.
Sweeney’s order temporarily bars removal of all noncitizens who are currently in custody in the District of Colorado and who may be subject to removal under the Alien Enemies Act, which Trump invoked last month. The act has been used only three other times in American history, most recently to intern Japanese-American citizens during World War II.
The US Supreme Court ruled last week that anyone being deported under the declaration deserved a hearing in federal court first.
Democratic groups like ActBlue and Indivisible prepare to be targeted by Trump — 12:28 p.m.
By the Associated Press
As Trump pushes the historical boundaries of executive power, some of the Democratic Party’s core political institutions are preparing for the possibility the federal government may soon launch criminal investigations against them.
The Democrats’ dominant national fundraising platform, ActBlue, and the party’s largest protest group, Indivisible, are working with their attorneys for just such a scenario, according to officials within both organizations. Trump’s top political allies have suggested both groups should face prosecution.
Other Democratic allies are planning for Trump-backed legal crackdowns as well. Wary of antagonizing the Republican president, most prefer to stay anonymous for now.
“Every one of our clients is concerned about being arbitrarily targeted by the Trump administration. We are going to great lengths to help clients prepare for or defend themselves,” said Ezra Reese, political law chair at Elias Law Group, which represents Democratic groups and candidates and is chaired by Marc Elias, the lawyer who has himself been a Trump target.
Afghan children will die because of US funding cuts, aid official says — 12:17 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The warning Tuesday follows the cancellation of foreign aid contracts by President Trump’s administration, including to Afghanistan where more than half of the population needs humanitarian assistance to survive.
Action Against Hunger initially stopped all US-funded activities in March after the money dried up suddenly. But it kept the most critical services going in northeastern Badakhshan province and the capital Kabul through its own budget, a measure that stopped this month.
Its therapeutic feeding unit in Kabul is empty and closing this week. There are no patients, and staff contracts are ending because of the US funding cuts.
“If we don’t treat children with acute malnutrition there is a very high risk of (them) dying,” Action Against Hunger’s country director, Cobi Rietveld, told The Associated Press. “No child should die because of malnutrition. If we don’t fight hunger, people will die of hunger. If they don’t get medical care, there is a high risk of dying. They don’t get medical care, they die.”
Another US aircraft carrier in Mideast waters ahead of second round of Iran-US nuclear talks — 12:09 p.m.
By the Associated Press
That’s shown in satellite photos analyzed Tuesday by The Associated Press.
The operation of the USS Carl Vinson and its strike group in the Arabian Sea comes as suspected US airstrikes pounded parts of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels overnight into Tuesday. American officials repeatedly have linked the monthlong US campaign against the Houthis under President Trump as a means to pressure Iran in the negotiations.
Questions remain over where the weekend talks between the countries will be held after officials initially identified Rome as hosting the negotiations, only for Iran to insist early Tuesday they would return to Oman. American officials so far haven’t said where the talks will be held, though Trump did call Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq on Tuesday while the ruler was on a trip to the Netherlands.
Judge grants Justice Department request to drop case against alleged East Coast MS-13 leader — 11:45 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The late March arrest of Henrry Josue Villatoro Santos in the suburbs outside Washington was celebrated by the Trump administration. But prosecutors moved to dismiss the gun case against him two weeks later, saying they planned to deport him instead.
Villatoro Santos’ lawyer, in an usual request, had urged the judge not to immediately dismiss the case, saying he feared his client would be deported to an El Salvador prison without a chance to challenge his removal.
Magistrate Judge William Fitzpatrick said during a court hearing Tuesday that he would grant the government’s request to dismiss the case. But the ruling won’t go into effect until Friday to give the defense a chance to explore other avenues before he’s handed over to immigration authorities.
Johnson & Johnson expects $400 million in tariff-related costs, mostly related to China — 11:38 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The costs will be felt primarily within the company’s medical technology unit, which makes a range of medical devices and surgical products. The most substantial impact comes from tariffs against China and retaliatory tariffs from China, said Joseph Wolk, Johnson & Johnson’s chief financial officer, in a conference call with analysts following the company’s latest earnings results.
The company’s estimate also includes the impact from tariffs on aluminum and steel, along with tariffs against key US trading partners Canada and Mexico. Johnson & Johnson said contractual agreements already in place limit its leverage on price increases that could potentially soften the impact.
The cost estimate doesn’t include possible tariffs on imports of pharmaceuticals. The Trump administration has launched an investigation into imports of pharmaceuticals, which is a step towards imposing tariffs.
Mexico officials seek to negotiate with Trump administration over taxes on tomatoes — 11:30 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Mexican officials said Tuesday they’re convinced they can negotiate with the Trump administration over a 21 percent duty on Mexican tomato exports the US says it will impose in 90 days.
And they warned they could respond with taxes on chicken and pork imports.
“Mexico always has the possibility of applying sanctions in the case of the chicken or pork meat,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said.
The Trump administration has justified the tax with dumping allegations, claiming it was backing out of a 2019 agreement in order to protect domestic tomato growers from “unfair pricing.”
Mexico, a leading tomato producer, exports billions of dollars a year in tomatoes to the US and the tax could deal a blow to Mexican agricultural producers.
The number of people entering the country illegally remained low for a second month — 11:11 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The numbers from March show only a slight decrease from February, according to federal data.
About 264 daily apprehensions were the average recorded along the southern border in March, according to US Customs and Border Protection. Border agents stopped 7,181 people attempting to cross illegally into the country last month compared to about 8,346 in February.
“US Border Patrol’s apprehensions along the southwest border for the entire month of March 2025 were lower than the first two days of March 2024,” Pete Flores, Acting Commissioner of CBP, said in a statement shared Monday.
Compared to March of 2024, border apprehensions for that month were 95 percent higher, with 137,473 arrests.
Wall Street drifts in a rare quiet day following weeks of tariff turmoil — 10:58 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The S&P 500 was up 0.2 percent in early trading Tuesday, though it’s been prone to huge swings not just day to day but also hour to hour. It’s regularly careened more than 1 percentage point within each day as markets struggle to keep up with Trump’s trade war, which economists warn could cause a global recession unless it’s scaled back.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 44 points, or 0.1 percent, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3 percent higher.
Perhaps more importantly, the US bond market was also showing more signs of calm after its sudden and sharp moves last week raised worries that investors worldwide may no longer see US government bonds as a no-brainer go-to when times are scary.
Trump threatens Harvard’s tax-exempt status in Truth Social post — 10:55 a.m.
By Camilo Fonseca, Globe Staff
President Trump threatened Harvard University’s tax-exempt status in a social media post Tuesday morning, after the university said it would not comply with the administration’s attempt to force policy changes and federal oversight of the school’s affairs.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump suggested that Harvard should be treated as a “political entity,” claiming that the school “keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘sickness.’”
“Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST,” Trump wrote.
Harvard, like the vast majority of universities, is tax-exempt due to its registration as an educational nonprofit.
After Harvard administrators said the school would not comply with Trump’s demands — which included abolishing diversity programs, turning over admissions, hiring, and disciplinary information, and commissioning external audits of specific academic programs — the administration froze $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts with the university.
Trump’s Tuesday schedule — 10:53 a.m.
By the Associated Press
This afternoon, at 12:30 p.m., Trump and Vance will have lunch together at the White House. Later, at 2:30 p.m., Trump will sign executive orders. At 3:30 p.m., he’ll participate in a Commander-in-Chief Trophy Presentation to the Navy Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will also be holding a press briefing at the White House at 1 p.m.
Ranchers hope Trump’s tariffs boost demand for cattle but some fear market uncertainty — 10:19 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Rancher Brett Kenzy hopes President Trump’s tariffs will make imported beef expensive enough that Americans will turn to cattle raised at home for all their hamburgers and steaks.
That might raise prices enough to give Kenzy and others the incentive they need to expand their herds for the first time in decades. But doing that would take at least two years, and it’s not clear if Trump’s tariffs on most of the world besides China are high enough to make that worth the investment.
“If we can just fix a few key things, I think that we can reinvigorate rural America,” said the South Dakota rancher. “Just get these imports under control, get them to a level that we can understand and plan on, and then let us fill the void. And I think that the American rancher can do that.”
Trump has enjoyed overwhelming support in rural parts of the country in his three campaigns for president. Still, the uncertainty created by the trade war he instigated has given some ranchers pause as they’ve watched cattle prices drop after the tariffs were announced.
DOGE associate is made acting head of foreign assistance at State Department, US official says — 9:53 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The move by the Trump administration expands the power of adviser Elon Musk’s government-cutting team over the State Department.
A senior US official confirmed the new job for Jeremy Lewin, an associate of the Department of Government Efficiency earlier appointed to help finish dismantling the US Agency for International Development. The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on a personnel matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Lewin’s appointment gives Musk’s team, which has worked with the Republican administration to make deep cuts to government programs and services, one of its highest formal roles in the federal government.
South Africa’s new US envoy called Trump racist, homophobic and narcissistic in a 2020 speech — 9:34 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Mcebisi Jonas, a former deputy finance minister, was appointed Monday by President Cyril Ramaphosa as his representative to Washington, tasked with rebuilding South Africa’s deteriorating relationship with the US under Trump.
The Trump administration expelled the South African ambassador last month.
Trump has singled out South Africa, issuing an executive order in February suspending all U.S. funding to the country over what he claimed are its anti-white and anti-American policies.
The new South African envoy’s speech criticizing Trump and his first term was delivered Nov. 8, 2020, five days after the election where Joe Biden defeated Trump. His comments have been circulated in the media.
“Right now, the US is undergoing a watershed moment, with Biden the certain winner in the presidential race against the racist, homophobic Donald Trump,” Jonas said. “How we got to a situation where a narcissistic right-winger took charge of the world’s greatest economic and military powerhouse is something that we need to ponder over. It is something that all democracies need to ponder over.”
Joe Biden to speak about Social Security on return to the national political spotlight — 9:10 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The 82-year-old Democrat has been following the playbook for former presidents by laying low and ceding the political spotlight to his successor.
But Biden is set to reenter the fray this evening with a speech in Chicago to the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled. He’s expected to elevate liberal concerns that Trump’s agenda is a threat to the health of the Social Security program that millions of retirees depend on.
After taking office in January, Trump almost immediately began slashing the government workforce, including thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration.
A Trump adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, who’s overseeing the government downsizing, has also called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.”
Trump administration freezes $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard over campus activism — 8:16 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The federal government says it’s freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University, after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus.
The hold on Harvard’s funding marks the seventh time Trump’s administration has taken the step at one of the nation’s most elite colleges, in an attempt to force compliance with Trump’s political agenda. Six of the seven schools are in the Ivy League.
In a letter to Harvard Friday, Trump’s administration had called for broad government and leadership reforms at the university, as well as changes to its admissions policies. It also demanded the university audit views of diversity on campus, and stop recognizing some student clubs.
The federal government said almost $9 billion in grants and contracts in total were at risk if Harvard did not comply.
On Monday, Harvard President Alan Garber said the university would not bend to the government’s demands.
US Army to control land on Mexico border as part of base, migrants could be detained, officials say — 8:04 a.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 is 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 said the issue is still under review in the Pentagon.
Trump says he wants to imprison US citizens in El Salvador. That’s likely illegal — 8:02 a.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump on Monday reiterated that he’d like to send US 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 US citizens there, too.
Trump 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 US 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 considers pausing his auto tariffs as the world economy endures whiplash — 8:00 a.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump on Monday suggested that he might temporarily exempt the auto industry from tariffs he previously imposed on the sector, to give carmakers time to adjust their supply chains.
“I’m looking at something to help some of the car companies with it,” Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office. The Republican president said automakers needed time to relocate production from Canada, Mexico and other places, “And they need a little bit of time because they’re going to make them here, but they need a little bit of time. So I’m talking about things like that.”
Trump’s statement hinted at yet another round of reversals on tariffs as Trump’s onslaught of import taxes has panicked financial markets and raised deep concerns from Wall Street economists about a possible recession.
When Trump announced the 25 percent auto tariffs on March 27, he described them as “permanent.” His hard lines on trade have become increasingly blurred as he has sought to limit the possible economic and political blowback from his policies.
Uncertainty over tariffs is causing chaos for some Massachusetts manufacturers — 5:35 a.m.
By Omar Mohammed, Globe Staff
They make their products in America, the kind of domestic manufacturing President Trump says he wants to encourage with his punishing tariffs on the country’s global trading partners.
But the plush cotton in the luxurious towels the linen company Matouk makes here comes from Egypt; the broccoli in the prepared dishes Blount Fine Foods sells to restaurants comes from Guatemala and Mexico; and while a lot of the raw materials Davico uses to manufacture automotive parts in nearby New Bedford come from the United States, some are imported from as far away as India.
Here, on the South Coast of Massachusetts, where manufacturers already employ thousands, where production lines already churn out American-made goods for sale to American consumers, the whipsaw of tariff directives from Trump has filled factory bosses with annoyance, dread, and feelings of paralysis.
US moves ahead on tariffs with investigations into computer chips and pharmaceuticals — 2:12 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration has taken its next steps toward imposing more tariffs on key imports, launching investigations into imports of computer chips, chip making equipment, and pharmaceuticals.
The Department of Commerce posted notices about the probes late Monday on the Federal Register, seeking public comment within three weeks. It had not formally announced them earlier.
Although President Trump paused most of his biggest tariff hikes last week for 90 days, apart from those for imports from China, he has said he still plans tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs, lumber, copper, and computer chips.
Core Democratic groups are preparing to be targeted by the Trump administration — 12:30 a.m.
By the Associated Press
As President Trump pushes the historical boundaries of executive power, some of the Democratic Party’s core political institutions are preparing for the possibility that the federal government may soon launch criminal investigations against them.
The Democrats’ dominant national fundraising platform, ActBlue, and the party’s largest protest group, Indivisible, are working with their attorneys for just such a scenario, according to officials within both organizations. Trump’s top political allies have suggested both groups should face prosecution.
Other Democratic allies are planning for Trump-backed legal crackdowns as well. Wary of antagonizing the president, most prefer to stay anonymous for now.