Trump slams his own supporters as 'weaklings' for falling for what he now calls the Epstein 'hoax'

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is lashing out at his own supporters as he tries to clamp down on criticism over his administration’s handling of much-hyped records in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation. And Trump told reporters Wednesday that “it's all been a big hoax” that, in his words, has been ”perpetrated by the Democrats." He says “some stupid Republicans and foolish Republicans” have fallen “into the net.” There is no evidence Democrats played any role in promoting conspiracies about the files, which members of Trump’s administration stoked for years. The rhetoric marks a dramatic escalation for the Republican president, who has broken with some of his most loyal backers on issues in the past, but never with such fervor.

Trump says he's 'highly unlikely' to fire Fed's Powell after floating that idea in private

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he's “highly unlikely” to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. His public statement Wednesday came less than 24 hours after suggesting in a private meeting that he was leaning in favor of dismissing Powell. Trump confirmed to reporters that in a White House meeting Tuesday night with about a dozen House Republicans, he'd discussed the “concept” of dismissing Powell. The Fed chair has long been a target because of his refusal to lower interest rates as Trump wants. Trump's team recently has accused Powell of mismanaging a $2.5 billion renovation project at the Fed. Trump said Wednesday he's “highly unlikely” to dismiss Powell — ”unless he has to leave for fraud.”

Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone

A U.S. Army veteran arrested during an immigration raid at a California marijuana farm says he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle on his way to work. George Retes, a native of Ventura City, California, says he was pinned to the ground by ICE officials on his back and his neck after getting caught between protesters and authorities last week at Glass House Farms in Camarillo. Retes was held for three days before being release without charges and without being allowed to contact a lawyer. He said Wednesday he plans to sue the federal government over his ordeal.

Trump's bid to claw back $9B in foreign aid and public broadcasting funds nears Senate vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is poised to pass Donald Trump’s request to cancel about $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting spending, moving forward on one of the president’s top priorities despite concerns from several Republican senators. The legislation would then go to the House. It would have a tiny impact on the nation’s rising debt but could have major ramifications for the spending that is targeted, from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to U.S. food aid programs abroad. It could also complicate efforts to pass additional spending bills this year, as Democrats and some Republicans have argued that they are ceding spending powers to Trump.

Republican senators caution Trump against firing Fed chair Jerome Powell

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is gaining some key backing on Capitol Hill from Republican senators. They fear the repercussions if President Donald Trump follows through with threats to try and remove the politically independent central banker. As Trump seemingly waffled back and forth between moving to dismiss the Fed chair this week, some Republicans in Congress began to speak up to warn that such a move would be a mistake. Still, plenty of other Republicans think that dismissing Powell is a fine idea.

Judge won't rule this week on releasing Kilmar Abrego Garcia from jail

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge in Tennessee says he won't immediately rule on whether to release Kilmar Abrego Garcia from jail as he awaits trial on human smuggling charges. A decision to free the Salvadoran national could allow President Donald Trump's administration to try to deport him for a second time. A hearing to review the matter was held Wednesday in Nashville. The construction worker who was living in Maryland became a flashpoint in the debate over the Republican administration’s immigration policies when he was wrongfully deported to his native El Salvador in March. The U.S. returned Abrego Garcia last month to face the federal smuggling charges. His lawyers say the case is preposterous.

Prince Harry retraces Diana's footsteps by walking through a land mine field in Angola for charity

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Prince Harry has followed in his late mother’s footsteps by wearing a flak jacket and walking down a path in an active land mine field in Angola to raise awareness for a charity’s work clearing explosives from old war zones. The Duke of Sussex is in the southern African country with the Halo Trust organization. It's the same group Princess Diana worked with when she went to Angola in January 1997. She was killed in a car crash in Paris seven months later. Diana’s advocacy and the images of her walking through a minefield helped mobilize support for a land mine ban treaty.

What to know about the African kingdom of Eswatini, where the US sent 5 deportees

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The United States has deported five immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba, Yemen and Laos to Eswatini, a small country in southern Africa where the king still holds absolute power. Eswatini says it is holding the men in correctional facilities until they can be sent back to their home countries. Eswatini is one of the few countries in the world that are still absolute monarchies, and the only one in Africa. That means the king has absolute power over government and is not just a figurehead or a ceremonial position. The country was previously known as Swaziland but changed to Eswatini in 2018.

Feds charge 3 current or former Louisiana police chiefs in an alleged visa fraud scheme

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Federal authorities have charged three current or former Louisiana police chiefs with taking bribes in exchange for filing false police reports that would allow noncitizens to seek a visa that lets certain crime victims stay in the U.S. U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook said at a news conference Wednesday that the forged police reports would indicate that the immigrant was a victim of a crime. He said the police officials were paid $5,000 for each name they provided falsified reports for, and that there were hundreds of names. Two other people, including a marshal and a businessman from the small city of Oakdale, are also charged in the alleged scheme.

Researchers try new ways of preserving more hearts for transplants

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two university hospitals are pioneering new ways to expand access to the lifesaving heart transplants for adults and babies. They aim to overcome some barriers to retrieving hearts donated after circulatory death, when the heart stops beating after withdrawal of life support. Surgeons at Duke and Vanderbilt universities say they've separately devised some simpler approaches. In the New England Journal of Medicine, they describe small but early successes, transplanting an infant at Duke and three men at Vanderbilt. These are the kinds of transplantable hearts that too often aren’t retrieved depending on how would-be organ donors die.