Trump administration hands over Medicaid recipients' personal data, including addresses, to ICE

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will gain access to personally identifiable information for all of the nation’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees. That's according to an agreement obtained by The Associated Press. ICE officials plan to track immigrants who may not be living legally in the United States. The agreement was signed Monday between officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security. Direct access will be given to the addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates as well as the ethnicity and race of all Medicaid enrollees.

House gives final approval to Trump's $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid. Democrats argued that the Republican administration’s animus toward foreign aid programs would hurt America’s standing in the world and create a vacuum for China to fill. The White House argued that the cuts best served the taxpayer and would incentivize other nations to do more to address humanitarian crises. The cancellation of $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Pubic Broadcast represents the full amount it is due to receive during the next two budget years. Some lawmakers voiced concern about what the cuts could mean for local public stations in their state.

Trump mired in Epstein controversy as Wall Street Journal reports on 2003 letter

WASHINGTON (AP) — The controversy over President Donald Trump’s handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation entered a new dimension Thursday as his administration struggles to make good on its promises to release details on the sex trafficking case involving a one-time friend of the now-president. Trump threatened a lawsuit after The Wall Street Journal on Thursday described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter. Trump in recent days has berated supporters vying for more records from the Epstein probe, after years of courting political support from those who have stoked claims of a coverup in the case.

House Republicans grasp for response to demands for transparency in Epstein case

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are trying to formulate a response to the Trump administration’s handling of records in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case. They ultimately put forward a resolution Thursday that carried no legal weight but nodded to the growing demand for greater transparency. The House resolution could potentially be voted on next week. It will do practically nothing to force the Justice Department to release more records in the case. Still, the Republican response showed how backlash from the Republican base is putting pressure on the Trump administration and roiling GOP lawmakers.

Syria's Druze find bodies in the streets while searching for loved ones after days of clashes

JARAMANA, Syria (AP) — Members of Syria's Druze community are searching for loved ones and counting their dead after days of clashes in a southern province that left bloodied bodies of civilians on the streets and homes looted. The fighting in Sweida province this week began with tit-for-tat kidnappings and attacks between local Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze armed factions. Government forces that intervened to restore order clashed with the Druze militias, but also in some cases attacked civilians. One monitoring group said dozens of civilians were rounded up by fighters and shot and killed. The violence has left Druze more skeptical of Syria’s new leadership and doubtful of peaceful coexistence.

Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' canceled by CBS, ends May 2026

CBS is canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” next May, shuttering a decades-old TV institution and removing from air one of President Donald Trump's most prominent late-night critics. The announcement came three days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global settling with Trump over a “60 Minutes” story, against the backdrop of a pending corporate merger. Network executives praised Colbert in a statement that noted the cancellation was “purely a financial decision” and “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.” David Letterman began hosting “The Late Show” in 1993 and Colbert took over in 2015.

Trump is checked for lower leg swelling and diagnosed with a common condition in older adults

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump had a recent medical checkup after he noticed “mild swelling” in his lower legs. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that tests by the White House medical unit showed that Trump has chronic venous insufficiency. It's a relatively common condition in older adults that occurs when little valves inside the veins that normally help move blood against gravity gradually lose the ability to work properly. Leavitt also addressed bruising on Trump’s hand, saying it's “consistent” with irritation from his “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.” Leavitt's announcement was notable given the president has routinely kept basic facts about his health shrouded in secrecy.

Here's what to know about chronic venous insufficiency

Swollen legs led to President Donald Trump being diagnosed with what’s called chronic venous insufficiency. It’s a fairly common condition among older adults but requires a thorough checkup to rule out more serious causes of swelling in the legs. It happens when veins in the legs can’t properly carry blood back to the heart, which can lead to blood pooling in the lower legs. In addition to swelling, usually around the feet and ankles, symptoms can include legs that are achy, heavy feeling or tingly, and varicose veins. Treatment can include wearing compression stockings, elevating the legs and achieving a healthy weight.

'Fear is the tool of a tyrant', fired federal prosecutor Maurene Comey tells colleagues

WASHINGTON (AP) — Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey who as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan worked on cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein, has told colleagues in a note that “fear is the tool of a tyrant” and that her firing without reason should fuel “a fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power.” In a message obtained by The Associated Press, she wrote that “if a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain." She told colleagues that they should not let that happen.

Syrian forces who fought Druze militias leave Sweida province under a ceasefire

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian government forces have started withdrawing from the southern province of Sweida following days of vicious clashes with militias from the Druze minority. Druze leaders and Syrian government officials announced a renewed ceasefire late on Wednesday that was mediated by the United States, Turkey and Arab countries. Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa said in an address early on Thursday that some Druze factions and clerics were appointed to maintain internal security in Sweida. However, Israeli strikes targeting government troops in defense of the Druze did not immediately stop. The dayslong fighting has threatened to unravel Syria’s postwar political transition and brought in further military intervention by Israel.