But the Trump administration is recasting refugee status as conditional instead of permanent — a major change in how refugees have historically been regarded. The memo said refugees who haven’t adjusted their status must endure a second round of “congressionally mandated” vetting to screen for public safety, fraud and national security risks. The Trump administration also halted green-card processing months ago for scores of countries from which refugees originate, making it impossible to satisfy the requirement. There are no confirmed reports of DHS terminating an individual’s refugee status as a result of the operation. Owen, senior director of policy and advocacy at Refugee Council USA, said the memo directly threatens the very purpose of why the U.S. brings in refugees.

The U.S. merchandise trade deficit hit a record $1.2 trillion last year, despite President Donald Trump’s promise to eliminate it by imposing the highest tariffs in eight decades on foreign-made products. The president has described the trade deficit in goods, which the U.S. has run every year since 1975, as a “national emergency” resulting from unfair trade practices on the part of foreign nations. The sizable U.S. budget deficit, a sign of a nation living beyond its means, inevitably draws in large amounts of foreign goods, despite tariffs, they note. Although the president has failed thus far in his bid to shrink — let alone eliminate — the trade deficit, he has set in motion a fundamental reordering of global trade flows. At the beginning of 2025, businesses increased imports of foreign goods in hopes of front-running the new tariffs, which caused the trade deficit to balloon.

Attorney Brad Gage, who represented the officer’s mother, said they were disappointed after the two-week trial and planned to appeal. Steve McGuire argued that Tipping’s death was a tragic accident. According to the lawsuit, Cuellar and Tipping signed up for training that instructs bicycle officers on dealing with unruly people. An internal LAPD report on Tipping’s death found Tipping and the other officers involved in the training session followed standards set by a state agency. During his opening remarks, Gage described Tipping as a “by-the-book officer” who joined the force to make a difference.

It is normal for the department to stop employees from traveling across the country for various assignments, such as trainings, during a funding lapse, 10 current and former FEMA officials said. Typically, FEMA staffers who work on disasters are able to travel to and from ongoing recovery projects regardless of DHS funding issues. And a current veteran officials said that disaster travel is always allowed because it is mission-critical. “In most cases, FEMA’s ability to deploy staff to active disaster response and recovery operations is not impacted by a DHS funding lapse,” said former FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell. These rotations are critical to disaster work because they enable people who have been working nonstop to take a break and then come back to their work.

Air traffic at Newark Liberty International Airport was disrupted Wednesday evening after a JetBlue Airbus A320 experienced an engine failure during takeoff and returned to the airport, prompting an emergency evacuation. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft returned to Newark as a precaution. The aircraft came to a stop on a taxiway at approximately 5:55 p.m., where passengers and crew evacuated using emergency slides. Following the incident, airport operations were temporarily impacted. The FAA confirmed it will investigate the engine failure and associated smoke reports to determine the cause of the incident.

This week, the L.A. Times has announced their 46th annual Book Prizes. Among the honorees and finalists are a wide range of authors, literary advocates, and books across an array of genres. Winners will be announced Friday, April 17 at USC’s Bovard Auditorium, right before the 31st annual a prologue to the 31st annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, which runs April 18-19. Among the announced winners are Amy Tan, who will receive the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement. The Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose will be awarded to Adam Ross for his book Playworld.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Sports Minister Andrea Abodi urged the International Paralympic Committee to reconsider its stance due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying it contradicted the Olympic spirit. An IPC spokesman said later the organisation was in talks with the Italian government over the participation of the Russian and Belarusian paralympians. WINTER PARALYMPICS START ON MARCH 6Russia's embassy in Italy said it was unacceptable to target athletes with disabilities. An Italian ministerial source denied a report in newspaper La Repubblica suggesting that Tajani might move to block visas for Russians. "The Italian authorities would not take any action to block visas for athletes or their entourage if their participation was confirmed," the source said.

Either way, you’re upset and don’t understand how someone who you’re so close with could hurt you so deeply. AdvertisementHowever, if you do decide to end a relationship, Francis said there are two words you should always keep in mind as you’re doing it. “The shortcut that I always give is ‘clear and kind’ — be as clear as you can, be as kind as you can,” she explained. We are sensitive — but we’re not fragile in that way, and we’re actually owed the respect of clarity. And so [be] clear and kind.”Francis added that being “clear and kind” is actually a gift for the person you’re leaving.

Journalism Under PressureBehind the scenes, real journalism faces real resistance. We keep reporting anyway. Member support protects our independence and keeps tough stories in the light. Join today to help defend a free press. Already a member?

Journalism Under PressureBehind the scenes, real journalism faces real resistance. We keep reporting anyway. Member support protects our independence and keeps tough stories in the light. Join today to help defend a free press. Already a member?

None of it has convinced President Donald Trump to drop his tacit approval of the invasion. The escalation coincided with the cutoff of new U.S. military aid to Ukraine under Trump. Last June, in response to a Ukrainian attack on a Russian airfield, Trump again sided with Russia. Putin continued the attacks throughout the entire period, after which Trump claimed Putin had honored his pledge. To this day, Trump continues to call the investigation into that election interference a “hoax” that has also unfairly impugned Putin’s good name.

A claim that NFL star Sam Darnold, quarterback of 2026 Super Bowl champions the Seattle Seahawks, owed more in California state taxes than he earned by winning the big game circulated online in mid-February 2026. According to the NFL, Darnold signed a three-year contract with the Seahawks in 2025, valued at $100.5 million. Esiason broke it down as such:For winning the Super Bowl, the winning team, each player gets $178,000. In other words, the Super Bowl isn't a part of their salary… So each spends seven days in the state of California. Therefore, the $249,000 Darnold allegedly owes California was not just for the Super Bowl itself, but every working visit made to California during the season.

UN officials say several thousand civilians were killed in the RSF takeover of El Fasher, the Sudanese army’s only remaining stronghold in the Darfur. Only 40% of the city’s 260,000 residents managed to flee the onslaught alive, thousands of whom were wounded, the officials said. The RSF and their allied Arab militias, known as Janjaweed, overran El Fasher on Oct. 26 and rampaged through the city. Under the convention, a genocide determination could be made even if only one of the five were met. The RSF has been supported by the United Arab Emirates over the course of the war, according to UN experts and rights groups.

Bhattacharya will stay on as head of the NIH and will also serve as the head of the CDC until President Donald Trump can appoint a permanent leader. Prior to joining the Trump administration, Bhattacharya worked as a health economist and professor at Stanford University Medical School. As head of the NIH, Bhattacharya has seen pushback from hundreds of staffers. In June, some NIH scientists published what they called the Bethesda Declaration, named for the location of the NIH. As the head of the NIH, Bhattacharya has spoken extensively about restoring American’s faith in the federal government’s approach to health and science.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, looks round as he leaves after attending the Easter Matins Service at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England, April 20, 2025. via Associated PressAndrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to reports. AdvertisementUS Congress released as huge dossier of information about the dead paedophile Jeffrey Epstein at the end of last month. AdvertisementThames Valley Police said in a statement: “As part of the investigation, we have today arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. “We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance. Advertisement“It should be noted that ‘misconduct in a public office’ has a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.