SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The president of South Korea early Wednesday lifted the martial law he imposed on the country hours earlier, bending to political pressure after a tense night in which troops surrounded parliament and lawmakers voted to reject military rule.
President Yoon Suk Yeol, who appeared likely to be impeached over his actions, imposed martial law late Tuesday out of frustration with the opposition, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against opponents who control parliament and that he accuses of sympathizing with communist North Korea.
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People bock a martial law vehicle as they gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A man wearing a national flag stands on the wall of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A helicopter flies over the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Korean martial law soldiers leave the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP)
People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
In this photo taken from video released by South Korea's National Assembly Speaker's Office on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik delivers his speech. (South Korea's National Assembly Speaker's Office via AP)
People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, top center, speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP)
A National Assembly staff sprays fire extinguishers to block soldiers entering the main hall of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Jo Da-un/Yonhap via AP)
A man shouts to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korean martial law soldiers try to enter the National Assembly compound in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Cho Sung-bong/Newsis via AP)
South Korean martial law soldiers try to enter the National Assembly compound in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Cho Sung-bong/Newsis via AP)
South Korean martial law soldiers try to enter the National Assembly compound in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Cho Jung-woo/Newsis via AP)
Police officers stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Police officers stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A man watches his smart phone showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's televised briefing at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
In this photo provided by South Korea Presidential Office, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (South Korea Unification Ministry via AP).
Police officers stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
People try to enter as police officers stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
People watch a TV screen showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's televised briefing at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
People watch a TV screen showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's televised briefing at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
FILE - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol answers a reporter's question during a news conference at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP, File)
Police and military personnel were seen leaving the grounds of parliament following the bipartisan vote to overrule the president, and the declaration was formally lifted around 4:30 a.m. during a Cabinet meeting.
Parliament acted swiftly after martial law was imposed, with National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring that the law was “invalid” and that lawmakers would “protect democracy with the people.”
In all, martial law was in effect for about six hours.
The president’s surprising move harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders that the country has not seen since the 1980s, and it was immediately denounced by the opposition and the leader of Yoon’s own conservative party.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the liberal Democratic Party, which holds the majority in the 300-seat parliament, said the party’s lawmakers would remain in the Assembly’s main hall until Yoon formally lifted his order.
Woo applauded how troops quickly left the Assembly after the vote.
“Even with our unfortunate memories of military coups, our citizens have surely observed the events of today and saw the maturity of our military,” Woo said.
While announcing his plan to lift martial law, Yoon continued to criticize parliament’s attempts to impeach key government officials and senior prosecutors. He said lawmakers had engaged in “unscrupulous acts of legislative and budgetary manipulation that are paralyzing the functions of the state.”
Jo Seung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker, claimed that security camera footage following Yoon’s declaration showed that troops moved in a way that suggested they were trying to arrest Lee, Woo and even Han Dong-hoon, the leader of Yoon’s People Power Party.
Officials from Yoon’s office and the Defense Ministry did not respond to requests for comment early Wednesday.
Seemingly hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Assembly, waving banners and calling for Yoon’s impeachment.
Some protesters scuffled with troops ahead of the lawmakers’ vote, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or major property damage. At least one window was broken as troops attempted to enter the Assembly building. One woman tried unsuccessfully to pull a rifle away from one of the soldiers, while shouting “Aren’t you embarrassed?”
Under South Korea’s constitution, the president can declare martial law during “wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states” that require the use of military force to maintain peace and order. It was questionable whether South Korea is currently in such a state.
When martial law is declared, “special measures” can be employed to restrict freedom of press, freedom of assembly and other rights, as well as the power of courts.
The constitution also states that the president must oblige when the National Assembly demands the lifting of martial law with a majority vote.
Following Yoon’s announcement of martial law, South Korea’s military proclaimed that parliament and other political gatherings that could cause “social confusion” would be suspended, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said. The military said anyone who violated the decree could be arrested without a warrant.
In Washington, the White House said the U.S. was “seriously concerned” by the events in Seoul. A spokesperson for the National Security Council said President Joe Biden’s administration was not notified in advance of the martial law announcement and was in contact with the South Korean government.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said there was no effect on the more than 27,000 U.S. service members based in South Korea.
The South Korean military also said that the country’s striking doctors should return to work within 48 hours, Yonhap said. Thousands of doctors have been striking for months over government plans to expand the number of students at medical schools.
Soon after martial law was declared, the parliament speaker called on his YouTube channel for all lawmakers to gather at the National Assembly. He urged military and law enforcement personnel to “remain calm and hold their positions.
All 190 lawmakers who participated in the vote supported the lifting of martial law.
At one point, television footage showed police officers blocking the entrance of the National Assembly and helmeted soldiers carrying rifles in front of the building. An Associated Press photographer saw at least three helicopters, likely from the military, that landed inside the Assembly grounds, while two or three helicopters circled above the site.
The leader of Yoon’s conservative party called the decision to impose martial law “wrong.” Lee, who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election, said Yoon’s announcement was “illegal and unconstitutional.”
Yoon said during a televised speech that martial law would help “rebuild and protect” the country from “falling into the depths of national ruin.” He said he would “eradicate pro-North Korean forces and protect the constitutional democratic order.”
“I will eliminate anti-state forces as quickly as possible and normalize the country,” he said, while asking the people to believe in him and tolerate “some inconveniences.”
Yoon — whose approval rating dipped in recent months — has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022.
His party has been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition over next year’s budget bill. The opposition has also attempted to impeach three top prosecutors, including the chief of the central Seoul prosecutors’ office, in what the conservatives have called a vendetta against their criminal investigations of Lee, who has been seen as the favorite for the next presidential election in 2027 in opinion polls.
During his televised announcement, Yoon also described the opposition as “shameless pro-North Korean anti-state forces who are plundering the freedom and happiness of our citizens.” He did not elaborate.
Yoon has taken a hard line on North Korea over its nuclear ambitions, departing from the policies of his liberal predecessor, Moon Jae-in, who pursued inter-Korean engagement.
Yoon has also dismissed calls for independent investigations into scandals involving his wife and top officials, drawing quick, strong rebukes from his political rivals.
Yoon’s move was the first declaration of martial law since the country’s democratization in 1987. The country’s last previous martial law was in October 1979, following the assassination of former military dictator Park Chung-hee.
Sydney Seiler, Korean chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, argued that the move was symbolic for Yoon to express his frustration with the opposition-controlled parliament.
“He has nothing to lose,” said Seiler, comparing Yoon’s move to the Hail Mary pass in American football, with a slim chance of success.
Now Yoon faces likely impeachment, a scenario that was also possible before he made the bold move, Seiler said.
Natalia Slavney, research analyst at the Stimson Center’s 38 North website that focuses on Korean affairs, said Yoon’s imposition of martial law was “a serious backslide of democracy" that followed a “worrying trend of abuse” since he took office in 2022.
South Korea “has a robust history of political pluralism and is no stranger to mass protests and swift impeachments,” Slavney said, citing the example of former President Park Geun-hye, the country’s first female president, who was ousted from office and imprisoned for bribery and other crimes in 2017.
Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and Matt Lee, Didi Tang and Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.
People bock a martial law vehicle as they gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A man wearing a national flag stands on the wall of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A helicopter flies over the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
South Korean martial law soldiers leave the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Ju-sung/Yonhap via AP)
People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
In this photo taken from video released by South Korea's National Assembly Speaker's Office on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik delivers his speech. (South Korea's National Assembly Speaker's Office via AP)
People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
People gather to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap via AP)
South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, top center, speaks at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Kim Ju-hyung/Yonhap via AP)
A National Assembly staff sprays fire extinguishers to block soldiers entering the main hall of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Jo Da-un/Yonhap via AP)
A man shouts to demand South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korean martial law soldiers try to enter the National Assembly compound in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Cho Sung-bong/Newsis via AP)
South Korean martial law soldiers try to enter the National Assembly compound in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Cho Sung-bong/Newsis via AP)
South Korean martial law soldiers try to enter the National Assembly compound in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (Cho Jung-woo/Newsis via AP)
Police officers stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Police officers stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A man watches his smart phone showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's televised briefing at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
In this photo provided by South Korea Presidential Office, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a press briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (South Korea Unification Ministry via AP).
Police officers stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
People try to enter as police officers stand guard in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
People watch a TV screen showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's televised briefing at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
People watch a TV screen showing South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's televised briefing at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
FILE - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol answers a reporter's question during a news conference at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (Kim Hong-Ji/Pool Photo via AP, File)
President Donald Trump will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis issued a major rebuke to the Trump administration’s mass deportation of migrants, warning the program to forcefully deport people purely because of their illegal status deprives them of their inherent dignity and “will end badly.”
Here's the latest:
Vance will visit the former concentration camp Thursday after he arrives in Munich.
On Friday, he’ll hold talks with Zelensky, says a person familiar with Vance’s schedule who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about events not yet announced.
Vance is set to address the annual Munich Security Conference on Friday.
Dachau was the first concentration camp set up by the Nazis in 1933. More than 200,000 people from across Europe were held there and more than 40,000 prisoners died. U.S. forces liberated the camp during World War II. It’s now a memorial.
— Aamer Madhani
Johnson said he “wholeheartedly” agrees with Vice President JD Vance that courts shouldn’t try to control the president’s power as DOGE slashes through the federal government.
“The courts should take a step back and allow these processes to play out,” Johnson said at the Capitol.
Johnson said he met with Musk as the billionaire’s Department of Government Efficiency is upturning the government — doing what the speaker said Republicans in Congress have been unable to accomplish alone as they try to cut waste.
Dozens of lawsuits are being filed against the Trump administration and several judges are halting its actions.
A memo from the OPM recommends federal employees “consider departure by 2 p.m.” on Tuesday.
Forecasters predict between 4 and 7 inches of snow starting Tuesday afternoon.
It’s the first snow event of President Trump’s second administration, which has prioritized bringing all federal workers back to the office five days a week. And it comes in the midst of a harsher-than-usual winter in the D.C. area. In January, prior to Trump’s inauguration, several inches of snow blanketed the area, closing down schools across the region.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson, Dave Pares, said it’s “important we take a considered approach.”
“We’re working with industry and our U.S. counterparts to work through the detail,” he said. “We are already engaging with the U.S. system on this issue.”
Asked if Britain would impose retaliatory tariffs, he said he wasn’t going to “get ahead of those conversations with industry.”
The U.S. accounted for about 5% of U.K. steel exports in 2023 and 6% of U.K. aluminum exports, according to British government figures.
The charge related to duping donors who gave money to a private effort to build a wall along the U.S. southern border. It’s a case the conservative strategist has decried as a “political persecution.”
Bannon, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty to one scheme to defraud count as part of a plea agreement that spares him from jail time in the “We Build the Wall” scheme. He received a three-year conditional discharge, which requires he stay out of trouble to avoid additional punishment.
Asked how he was feeling as he left the courtroom, Bannon said, “Like a million bucks.”
Bannon spoke to reporters afterward and called on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to begin an immediate criminal investigation into New York Attorney General Leticia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Defense attorney Arthur Aidala called the case against Bannon flimsy, saying it was never about his client.
The district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
▶ Read more about Steve Bannon and the border wall case
The resignations are in protest of President Trump’s efforts to bring the agency to a standstill.
Eric Halperin, the director of enforcement, and Lorelei Salas, the director of supervision, sent emails this morning announcing their departures.
“As you know we have been ordered to cease all work,” Halperin wrote in an email. “I don’t believe in these conditions I can effectively serve in my role, which is protecting American consumers.”
Salas also said she could not continue to serve in her role.
“I do not believe it is appropriate, nor lawful, to stop all supervisory activities and examinations,” she wrote.
Both emails were viewed by The Associated Press.
It comes the day after Trump announced new 25% tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum that have been decried by Europe.
Von der Leyen earlier Tuesday in a statement said the U.S. tariffs “will not go unanswered” and will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc.
Neither Vice President Vance nor von der Leyen directly address the tariffs in their brief comments to reporters.
Vance said he expected they would discuss trade and economic issues as well as security. Trump has been pressing for NATO members to dramatically increase domestic spending.
“We also want to make sure that we’re actually engaged in a security partnership that’s good for both Europe and the United States,” Vance said.
Von der Leyen said she hoped Europe and the United States could work together with “optimism.”
As of Friday, 65,000 workers had accepted the offer to quit while still getting paid until Sept. 30. An administration official, who requested anonymity to discuss internal figures, said the number has been growing since then.
U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr. heard arguments over the deferred resignation program Monday in his Boston courtroom. Labor unions said the plan is illegal, while administration lawyers described it as a fair offer to workers.
— Chris Megerian
In a social media post, he says he’s directing EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to reinstate less energy efficient water standards issued in his first term. Trump incorrectly described Zeldin as “Secretary” and many of the standards he cited are regulated by the Energy Department.
Trump on his first day back in office pledged to “empower consumer choice” in vehicles, showerheads, toilets, washing machines, lightbulbs and dishwashers. He repeatedly pushed changes in his first term to increase water flow for showers and continue production of incandescent lightbulbs that are being phased out.
Most U.S. manufacturers comply with energy efficient standards imposed by Joe Biden and other presidents.
Ebrard pointed out that Mexico imports more steel from the United States than it exports to the U.S. And while steel imports from the U.S. have risen over the past two years, steel exports to the U.S. have fallen.
Furthermore, the U.S. has a trade surplus with Mexico when it comes to the value of steel and aluminum crossing the border.
“It’s unjust taking into account President Trump’s own statements,” he said.
Ebrard said Mexico will take this information to the Trump administration urging “common sense.”
“Don’t destroy what we have built over the last 40 years,” he said.
Trump imposed a 25% tax on all steel and aluminum imports and said over the weekend that more import duties would come later in the week.
Fear around tariffs has been at the center of Wall Street’s moves recently and experts say the market likely has more swings ahead. The price of gold, which often rises when investors are feeling nervous, came back down to $2,909 an ounce Tuesday after hitting a record $2,930 an ounce Monday.
But Trump has shown he can be just as quick to pull back on threats, like he did with 25% tariffs he’d announced on Canada and Mexico, suggesting they may be merely a negotiating chip rather than a true long-term policy.
▶ Read more about the financial markets
More than two-dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans — ranging from the Episcopal Church and the Union for Reform Judaism to the Mennonites and Unitarian Universalists — filed a federal court lawsuit Tuesday challenging a Trump administration move giving immigration agents more leeway to make arrests at houses of worship.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, contends that the new policy is spreading fear of raids, thus lowering attendance at worship services and other valuable church programs. The result, says the suit, infringes on the groups’ religious freedom — namely their ability to minister to migrants, including those in the United States illegally.
“We have immigrants, refugees, people who are documented and undocumented,” said the Most Rev. Sean Rowe, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.
▶ Read more about the lawsuit over immigration
His comments Tuesday at a Paris summit were a rebuke to European efforts to curb AI’s risks and the speech underscored a widening, three-way rift over the future of the technology.
The United States, under President Donald Trump, champions a hands-off approach to fuel innovation, while Europe is tightening the reins with strict regulations to ensure safety and accountability. Meanwhile, China is rapidly expanding AI through state-backed tech giants, vying for dominance in the global race.
The U.S. was noticeably absent from an international document signed by more than 60 nations, including China, making the Trump Administration the glaring outlier in a global pledge to promote responsible AI development.
▶ Read more about the AI summit
Francis took the remarkable step Tuesday of addressing the U.S. migrant crackdown in a letter to U.S. bishops who’ve criticized the expulsions as harming the most vulnerable.
History’s first Latin American pope has long made caring for migrants a priority of his pontificate, demanding that countries welcome, protect, promote and integrate those fleeing conflicts, poverty and climate disasters. Francis has also said governments are expected to do so to the limits of their capacity.
In the letter, Francis said nations have the right to defend themselves and keep their communities safe from criminals.
“That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness,” he wrote.
▶ Read more about Pope Francis and migrants
The allies are keen to understand how America now plans to influence the course of the war in Ukraine.
Hegseth’s trip comes just ahead of the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Most U.S. allies fear Russian President Vladimir Putin won’t stop at Ukraine’s borders if he wins, and that Europe’s biggest land war in decades poses an existential threat to their security.
Trump has promised to quickly end the war. He’s complained that it’s costing the American taxpayer too much money. Some allies worry a hasty deal might be clinched on terms that aren’t favorable to Ukraine.
▶ Read more about NATO and Ukraine
The White House issued a statement Tuesday morning saying Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese discussed “concerns about China’s aggressiveness.”
They also talked about “mutually beneficial trade and investment” as Trump prepares to enact reciprocal tariffs on other countries. That means the U.S. will slap import duties on products from countries that impose similar duties on American goods.
Trump and Albanese also stressed their commitment to growing the U.S.-Australia partnership and upholding a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The Department of Government Efficiency’s embed into the federal government has raised a host of concerns, transforming a debate over how to cut government waste into a confrontation over privacy rights and the nation’s financial standing in the world.
DOGE, spearheaded by billionaire Donald Trump donor Elon Musk, has rapidly burrowed deep into federal agencies and taken drastic actions to cut spending. This includes trying to get rid of thousands of federal workers, shuttering the U.S. Agency for International Development and accessing the Treasury Department’s enormous payment systems.
Advocacy groups and labor unions have filed lawsuits in an attempt to save agencies and federal worker jobs, and five former treasury secretaries are sounding the alarm on the risks associated with Musk’s DOGE accessing sensitive Treasury Department payment systems and potentially stopping congressionally authorized payments.
▶ Read more about experts’ concerns about DOGE’s access
Trump said Monday that a precarious ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas should be canceled if Hamas doesn’t release all the remaining hostages it is holding in Gaza by midday on Saturday — though he also said that such a decision would be up to Israel.
Trump was responding to Hamas saying it will delay the further release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the three-week-old ceasefire.
“If they’re not here, all hell is going to break out,” Trump said. He added of the ceasefire, “Cancel it, and all bets are off.”
Those comments came after Trump said in an interview with Fox News Channel that Palestinians in Gaza would not have a right to return under his plan for U.S. “ownership” of the war-torn territory — contradicting other officials in his administration who have sought to argue Trump was only calling for the temporary relocation of its population.
▶ Read more about Trump’s comments on the ceasefire
President Donald Trump will host Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday as he escalates pressure on the Arab nation to take in refugees from Gaza — perhaps permanently — as part of his audacious plan to remake the Middle East.
Trump has proposed the U.S. take control of Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East,” with Palestinians in the war-torn territory pushed into neighboring nations with no right of return.
He suggested on Monday that, if necessary, he would withhold U.S. funding from Jordan and Egypt, longtime U.S. allies and among the top recipients of its foreign aid, as a means of persuading them to accept additional Palestinians from Gaza.
Jordan has flatly rejected Trump’s plan to relocate civilians from Gaza.
In addition to concerns about jeopardizing the long-held goals of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Egypt and Jordan have privately raised security concerns about welcoming large numbers of additional refugees into their countries even temporarily.
▶ Read more about the upcoming meeting
President Trump is hitting foreign steel and aluminum with a 25% tax. If that sounds familiar, it’s because he did pretty much the same thing during his first term.
Trump’s original metals tariffs gave America’s struggling steel and aluminum producers some relief from intense global competition, allowing them to charge higher prices. In anticipation of the new tariffs, shares of steel and aluminum producers climbed Monday. Nucor rose 5.6%, Cleveland-Cliffs jumped 17.9% and Alcoa ticked up 2.2%.
But the tariffs took a toll last time, too, damaging U.S. relations with key allies and driving up costs for “downstream’’ U.S. producers that buy steel and aluminum and use them to manufacture goods.
The overall economic impact on the United States was limited then – and is likely to be limited again -- because steel and aluminum imports amount to barely a ripple in the almost $30 trillion U.S. economy.
▶ Read more about the impact this will have on the economy
FILE - President Donald Trump stands with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the White House, June 25, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Washington. (Photo/Alex Brandon)