AP PHOTOS: Pakistan and India agree to a truce ending the worst military confrontation in decades

Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire to end the worst military confrontation between them in decades. They accused the other of violating the deal hours later.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals have soared since an attack at a popular tourist site in India-controlled Kashmir left 26 civilians dead, mostly Hindu Indian tourists, on April 22.

New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for backing the assault, an accusation Islamabad rejects.

The first word of the truce came from U.S. President Donald Trump, who posted on his Truth Social platform that India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

Students of an art school and their teacher carry hand-drawn portraits of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump as they celebrate the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, in Mumbai, India, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Pakistanis flash victory signs as they celebrate on top of a model of a tank following India and Pakistan have reached a ceasefire deal, during a demonstration, in Multan, Pakistan, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Asim Tanveer)

A Kashmiri family watches towards the sky as projectiles fly over the sky in Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Red projectiles are seen over Srinagar, in Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Supporters of a religious group 'Tahafuz-e-Namoos-e-Risalat Mahaz' chant anti-India slogans during a rally to condemn Indian strikes in Pakistan and to show their support with Pakistan Army, in Lahore, Pakistan, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

A residence, damaged by a Pakistan shelling, of a senior government official is seen in Rajouri, along the Line of Control, India, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo)

An Indian flag lies in front of a damaged shop following overnight shelling from Pakistan at Gingal village in Uri district, north of Srinagar in Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Indian police personnel inspect an object suspected to be parts of a projectile intercepted by the Indian Army at Nahlan village on the outskirts of Jalandhar, India, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo)

Workers ride on a motorcycle inside the premises of closed Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium after organizers suspended the Indian Premier League for one week following the escalating military tensions with Pakistan, in Lucknow, India, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo)

Supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami burn an effigy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Indian flag during a demonstration to condemn Indian strikes in Pakistan and to show their support for Pakistan military, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

People carry the body of a woman, who was killed in the overnight Indian shelling, near Shah Kot, in Neelum Vallery, a district of Pakistan's administered Kashmir, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)

A resident inspects his house damaged by Pakistani artillery shelling in Poonch, along the Line of Control, Indian controlled Kashmir, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

Students waves national flags during a demonstration to condemn Indian strikes in Pakistan and to show their support for Pakistan military, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Kashmiri villagers walk towards safer places after they evacuated their village after overnight shelling from Pakistan at Gingal village in Uri district, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

A Kashmiri villager examines damages to his house caused by overnight Indian shelling, in Shah Kot, in Neelum Vallery, a district of Pakistan's administered Kashmir, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)

A paramilitary soldier stand alert on a road near Karachi port following raising military tension between Pakistan and India, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Paramilitary soldiers patrol on an inflatable boat on Dal Lake after loud explosions were heard in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, May 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Kashmiri villager and a rescue worker examine damages to a house caused by overnight Indian shelling, in Shah Kot, in Neelum Vallery, a district of Pakistan's administered Kashmir, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/M.D. Mughal)

A Kashmiri villager inspects the damaged house after overnight shelling from Pakistan at Gingal village, in Uri, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

People browse their mobile phones for news updates sitting outside closed shops during a black out in Jodhpur, in the Indian state of Rajasthan, Thursday, May 8, 2025. ( AP Photo/Himanshu Vyas )

Pakistani police officers remove vehicles and people from the main entry of Nur Khan airbase following an Indian missile strike in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

Indian paramilitary soldiers stands guard at a temporary check point on a road leading to the airport after loud explosions were heard in Srinagar, in Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, May 10, 2025.(AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Rescuers and security personnel inspect a residential building damaged by a Pakistan's drone attack in Jammu, India, Saturday, May 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)

A local resident shows a piece of shell fired by Indian forces, at his damaged house in Haveli Kahuta, a district of Pakistan's administered Kashmir, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rashid Ahmed)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration's criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appeared on Monday to be emboldening defenders of the U.S. central bank, who pushed back against President Donald Trump’s efforts to exert more control over the Fed.

The backlash reflected the overarching stakes in determining the balance of power within the federal government and the path of the U.S. economy at a time of uncertainty about inflation and a slowing job market. This has created a sense among some Republican lawmakers and leading economists that the Trump administration had overstepped the Fed's independence by sending subpoenas.

The criminal investigation — a first for a sitting Fed chair — sparked an unusually robust response from Powell and a full-throated defense from three former Fed chairs, a group of top economic officials and even Republican senators tasked with voting on Trump's eventual pick to replace Powell as Fed chair when his term expires in May.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump did not direct his Justice Department to investigate Powell, who has proven to be a foil for Trump by insisting on setting the Fed's benchmark interest rates based on the data instead of the president's wishes.

“One thing for sure, the president’s made it quite clear, is Jerome Powell is bad at his job,” Leavitt said. “As for whether or not Jerome Powell is a criminal, that’s an answer the Department of Justice is going to have to find out.”

The investigation demonstrates the lengths the Trump administration is willing to go to try to assert control over the Fed, an independent agency that the president believes should follow his claims that inflationary pressures have faded enough for drastic rate cuts to occur. Trump has repeatedly used investigations — which might or might not lead to an actual indictment — to attack his political rivals.

The risks go far beyond Washington infighting to whether people can find work or afford their groceries. If the Fed errs in setting rates, inflation could surge or job losses could mount. Trump maintains that an economic boom is occurring and rates should be cut to pump more money into the economy, while Powell has taken a more cautious approach in the wake of Trump's tariffs.

Several Republican senators have condemned the Department of Justice's subpoenas of the Fed, which Powell revealed Sunday and characterized as “pretexts” to pressure him to sharply cut interest rates. Powell also said the Justice Department has threatened criminal indictments over his June testimony to Congress about the cost and design elements of a $2.5 billion building renovation that includes the Fed's headquarters.

“After speaking with Chair Powell this morning, it’s clear the administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on Monday.

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said on social media that the Fed “ignored” her office’s outreach to discuss the renovation cost overruns, “necessitating the use of legal process — which is not a threat.”

“The word ‘indictment’ has come out of Mr. Powell’s mouth, no one else’s,” Pirro posted on X, although the subpoenas and the White House’s own statement about determining Powell's criminality would suggest the risk of an indictment.

A bipartisan group of former Fed chairs and top economists on Monday called the Trump administration's investigation “an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks" to undermine the Fed's independence, stressing that central banks controlled by political leaders tend to produce higher inflation and lower growth.

“I think this is ham-handed, counter-productive, and going to set back the president’s cause,” said Jason Furman, an economist at Harvard and former top adviser to President Barack Obama. The investigation could also unify the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee in support of Powell, and means “the next Fed chair will be under more pressure to prove their independence.”

The subpoenas apply to Powell's statements before a congressional committee about the renovation of Fed buildings, including its marble-clad headquarters in Washington, D.C. They come at an unusual moment when Trump was teasing the likelihood of announcing his nominee this month to succeed Powell as the Fed chair and could possibly be self-defeating for the nomination process.

While Powell's term as chair ends in four months, he has a separate term as a Fed governor until January 2028, meaning that he could remain on the board. If Powell stays on the board, Trump could be blocked from appointing an outside candidate of his choice to be the chair.

Powell quickly found a growing number of defenders among Republicans in the Senate, who will have the choice of whether to confirm Trump's planned pick for Fed chair.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican and member of the Senate Banking panel, said late Sunday that he would oppose any of the Trump administration’s Fed nominees until the investigation is "resolved."

“If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none,” Tillis said.

Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Penn, said the Fed may have wasted public dollars with its renovation, but he said, “I do not think Chairman Powell is guilty of criminal activity.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune offered a brief but stern response Monday about the tariffs as he arrived at the U.S. Capitol, suggesting that the administration needed “serious” evidence of wrongdoing to take such a significant step.

“I haven’t seen the case or whatever the allegations or charges are, but I would say they better, they better be real and they better be serious,” said Thune, a Republican representing South Dakota.

If Powell stays on the board after his term as chair ends, the Trump administration would be deprived of the chance to fill another seat that would give the administration a majority on the seven-member board. That majority could then enact significant reforms at the Fed and even block the appointment of presidents at the Fed's 12 regional banks.

“They could do a lot of reorganizing and reforms” without having to pass new legislation, said Mark Spindel, chief investment officer at Potomac River Capital and author of a book on Fed independence. “That seat is very valuable.”

Powell has declined at several press conferences to answer questions about his plans to stay or leave the board.

Scott Alvarez, former general counsel at the Fed, says the investigation is intended to intimidate Powell from staying on the board. The probe is occurring now “to say to Chair Powell, ’We’ll use every mechanism that the administration has to make your life miserable unless you leave the Board in May,'" Alvarez said.

Asked on Monday by reporters if Powell planned to remain a Fed governor, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council and a leading candidate to become Fed chair, said he was unaware of Powell’s plans.

“I’ve not talked to Jay about that,” Hassett said.

A bipartisan group of former Fed chairs and top economists said in their Monday letter that the administration’s legal actions and the possible loss of Fed independence could hurt the broader economy.

“This is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets with weak institutions, with highly negative consequences for inflation and the functioning of their economies more broadly,” the statement said.

The statement was signed by former Fed chairs Ben Bernanke, Janet Yellen, and Alan Greenspan, as well as former Treasury Secretaries Henry Paulson and Robert Rubin.

Still, Trump's pressure campaign had been building for some time, with him relentlessly criticizing and belittling Powell.

He even appeared to preview the shocking news of the subpoenas at a Dec. 29 news conference by saying he would bring a lawsuit against Powell over the renovation costs.

“He’s just a very incompetent man,” Trump said. “But we’re going to probably bring a lawsuit against him.”

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AP writers Lisa Mascaro and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

FILE - Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, right, and President Donald Trump look over a document of cost figures during a visit to the Federal Reserve, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)