Trump marks his first 100 days in office in campaign mode, focused on grudges and grievances

WARREN, Mich. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday celebrated the 100th day of his second term — yet spent much of his rally marking it in campaign mode, fixated on past grudges and grievances.

He repeatedly mocked his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, attacking his mental acuity and even how he appears in a bathing suit. He again uttered the lie that he won the 2020 presidential election. And he attacked polling and news coverage not favorable to him.

And Trump again and again returned to immigration, his signature issue, at the rally that marked his largest political event since returning to the White House — boasting about his administration's “mass deportation” efforts that have sent arrests for illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico border plummeting.

“Removing the invaders is not just a campaign pledge,” Trump said in his 90-minute speech. “It's my solemn duty as commander-in-chief. I have an obligation to save our country.”

He paused his remarks to play a video of migrants who Trump asserts are gang members arriving at a notorious prison in El Salvador, with rallygoers cheering as images of deportees having their heads shaved were played. And while Michigan has seen unemployment rise since Trump reclaimed the White House, Trump used his speech to defend his administration’s steep tariffs on cars and auto parts — hours after the White House announced it was softening those.

___

Trump's tariffs loom over the economy as shipments from China fall

WASHINGTON (AP) — American businesses are cancelling orders from China, postponing expansion plans and hunkering down to see what trade policy surprises President Donald Trump plans to spring on them next.

The president’s massive and unpredictable taxes on imports seem likely to mean emptier shelves and higher prices for American shoppers, perhaps within weeks.

And the higher costs and paralyzing uncertainty could exact an economic toll: U.S. consumers are in the biggest funk since COVID-19 hit five years ago, and economists say recession risks are climbing.

An early sign of the damage is expected to emerge on Wednesday when the Commerce Department releases its first look at first-quarter economic growth.

The economy is forecast to have expanded at an annual pace of just 0.8% from January through March, according to a survey of economists by the data firm FactSet. That would be the slowest quarter of growth in nearly three years and would be down from a healthy 2.4% in the last three months of 2024. Many economists suspect things were even worse.

___

Canada's Liberals fall short of a majority in Parliament in the wake of comeback election victory

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney ’s Liberals fell short of winning an outright majority in Parliament on Tuesday, a day after the party scored a stunning comeback victory in a vote widely seen as a rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The vote-counting agency Elections Canada finished processing nearly all ballots in an election that could leave the Liberals just three seats shy of a majority, which means they will have to seek help from another, smaller party to pass legislation.

The Liberal party seemed likely to find the extra votes necessary, but it was not clear whether they would come from the progressive party, which backed the Liberals under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, or from a separatist party from French-speaking Quebec.

Carney's rival, populist Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, was in the lead until Trump took aim at Canada with a trade war and threats to annex the country as the 51st state. Poilievre not only lost his bid for prime minister Monday but was voted out of the Parliament seat that he held for 20 years.

That capped a swift decline in fortunes for the firebrand Poilievre, who a few months ago appeared to be a shoo-in to become Canada’s next prime minister and shepherd the Conservatives back into power for the first time in a decade.

___

Center-left party approves German coalition deal, paving the way for Merz to be elected chancellor

BERLIN (AP) — Germany ’s center-left Social Democrats have approved a deal to join a new coalition government, paving the way for parliament to elect conservative leader Friedrich Merz as the country’s new chancellor.

The party of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholtz will join a coalition led by Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union, which won Germany’s election in February with 28.5%.

The Social Democrats suffered their worst result since World War II, finishing third with just 16.4% of the vote. But the conservatives need their support to assemble a parliamentary majority without the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, which finished second.

The Social Democrats put a coalition agreement reached in early April to an online ballot of their 358,000-plus members, who voted over the last two weeks. The party’s youth wing had come out against the deal.

The party announced Wednesday that 56% of their members voted in the poll, of which 84.6% cast their ballots in favor.

___

Wisconsin high court suspends Milwaukee judge accused of helping man evade immigration authorities

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended a judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, saying Tuesday that it is in the public interest to relieve her of her duties as she faces two federal charges.

The FBI took Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan into custody Friday morning at the county courthouse. She has been charged with concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding.

In its two-page order, the court said it was acting to protect public confidence in Wisconsin courts during the criminal proceedings against Dugan. The order noted that the court was acting on its own initiative and was not responding to a request from anyone. Liberal justices control the court 4-3.

“It is ordered ... that Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah C. Dugan is temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the state of Wisconsin, effective the date of this order and until further order of the court,” the justices wrote.

In a statement, Dugan's legal team said it was disappointed “that the Court acted in unilateral fashion. We continue to assert Judge Dugan’s innocence and look forward to her vindication in court.”

___

Iran's foreign minister says next round of talks with US over nuclear program will be held in Rome

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran said Wednesday the next round of negotiations over its rapidly advancing nuclear program it will have with the United States will be in Rome on Saturday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the comment on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting, adding that Iran also anticipated having a meeting Friday with France, Germany and the United Kingdom to discuss the talks.

The talks with the U.S. again will be mediated by Oman. The sultanate has hosted two rounds of talks in Oman's capital, Muscat, and one round at its embassy in Rome.

The talks seek to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic closing in on a half-century of enmity.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran’s program if a deal isn’t reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels.

___

Vietnam celebrates 50 years since war’s end with focus on peace and unity

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam on Wednesday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the end of the war with the United States and the formation of its modern nation with a military parade and a focus on a peaceful future.

The fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975 marked the end of a Vietnam divided into the communist North and U.S.-allied South, and the country's top official told crowds the past decades had led to ever increasing unity.

“All the Vietnamese are the descendants of Vietnam. They have the rights to live and work, to have freedom to pursue happiness and love in this country," said To Lam, the Vietnam Communist Party's general secretary.

"In a spirit of closing the past, respecting differences, aiming for the future, the whole party, the people and the army vow to make Vietnam become a country of peace, unity, prosperity and development,” he added.

Thousands camped overnight on the streets of the former South Vietnamese capital, which was renamed Ho Chi Minh City after it fell to North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops, to get the best vantage point for the parade. Many lingered on the streets later in the afternoon and had picnics while waiting for drone and fireworks shows scheduled for the evening.

___

Fire tears through hotel in eastern Indian city of Kolkata, killing at least 14 people

NEW DELHI (AP) — A fire tore through a hotel in the city of Kolkata in eastern India, killing at least 14 people, police said Wednesday.

Senior police officer Manoj Kumar Verma told reporters that the fire broke out Tuesday evening at the Rituraj Hotel in central Kolkata and was doused after an effort that took six fire engines. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Photos and videos carried in Indian media showed people trying to escape through the windows and narrow ledges of the building.

Kolkata’s The Telegraph newspaper reported that at least one person died when he jumped off the terrace trying to escape.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X that he was “anguished” by the loss of lives in the fire.

___

Australian stands trial charged with murdering ex-husband's relatives with poisonous mushrooms

MELBOURNE (AP) — The Australian host of a weekend family lunch is on trial charged with murdering her estranged husband’s parents and an aunt and attempting to murder an uncle with poisonous mushrooms.

Prosecutor Nanette Rogers opened her case on Wednesday against Erin Patterson, 50, in the Victoria state Supreme Court. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

She served meals of beef Wellington, mashed potato and green beans at her home in the rural town of Leongartha on July 29, 2023. Her guests included her parents-in-law Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, Gail Patterson’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, and Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68.

All four guests were hospitalized the next day with poisoning from death cap mushrooms, also known as amanita phalloides, that were added to the beef and pastry dish. Ian Wilkinson survived after a liver transplant.

Erin Patterson’s husband, Simon Patterson, 50, was also invited to the lunch but declined.

___

Childcare in the Capitol: As more women run for office, some are bringing their kids

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — When Florida state Rep. Fiona McFarland's infant daughter, Grace Melton, crawled for the first time, the mom of four was right next door, hard at work with her legislative policy staff in the state Capitol.

Thanks to the on-site childcare available in the statehouse, McFarland didn't miss that magical first milestone in her 7-month-old's young life.

“The sitter I had with her just grabbed me out of my meeting right next door and I came over and got to witness it,” McFarland recalled.

As more women and young people run for public office, they're bringing more than fresh policy ideas to statehouses — some are bringing their kids.

Like working parents across the country, some lawmakers are scrambling to find childcare that fits their often unpredictable schedules, at a price they can afford. Rushing back and forth from their districts, they juggle meetings with constituents and coordinate their children's drop-offs, power through late-night floor sessions and step out to pump breast milk between votes, hoping to make it home for their kids' bedtime.