Trump, Carney faceoff in Oval Office leaves gaping differences on tariffs, 51st state

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced off in the Oval Office on Tuesday and showed no signs of retreating from their gaping differences in an ongoing trade war that has shattered decades of trust between the two countries.

The two kept it civil, but as for Trump’s calls to make Canada the 51st state, Carney insisted his nation was “not for sale” and Trump shot back, “time will tell.”

Asked by a reporter if there was anything Carney could tell him to lift his tariffs of as much as 25% on Canada, Trump bluntly said: “No.”

The U.S. president added for emphasis, “Just the way it is.”

Carney acknowledged that no bit of rhetoric on tariffs would be enough to sway Trump, saying that “this is a bigger discussion."

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Supreme Court allows Trump ban on transgender members of the military to take effect, for now

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed.

The court acted in the dispute over a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service and could lead to the expulsion of experienced, decorated officers.

The court’s three liberal justices said they would have kept the policy on hold. Neither the justices in the majority or dissent explained their votes, which is not uncommon in emergency appeals.

Just after beginning his second term in January, Trump moved aggressively to roll back the rights of transgender people. Among the Republican president’s actions was an executive order that claims the sexual identity of transgender service members “conflicts with a soldier’s commitment to an honorable, truthful, and disciplined lifestyle, even in one’s personal life” and is harmful to military readiness.

In response, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a policy in February that gave the military services 30 days to figure out how they would seek out and identify transgender service members to remove them from the force. Those actions had been stalled by the lawsuits.

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India fires missiles into Pakistani territory in what Islambad calls 'act of war'

ISLAMABAD (AP) — India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least eight people including a child, in what Pakistan's leader called an act of war.

India said it struck infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.

At least three civilians were also killed in Indian-controlled Kashmir by Pakistani shelling, the Indian army said in a statement.

Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since the attack, which India has blamed Pakistan for backing. Islamabad has denied the accusation.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Wednesday’s airstrikes and said the “deceitful enemy has carried out cowardly attacks” and that his country would retaliate.

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The Latest: India fires missiles across the border with Pakistan

India fired missiles across the border into Pakistani-controlled territory in at least three locations early Wednesday, killing at a child and wounding two other people, Pakistani security officials said. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants. India also claims there are casualties from Pakistani fire in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.

Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors over last month’s militant attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled portion. India has blamed Pakistan for backing the militant attack, which Islamabad has denied.

India has moved to punish Pakistan after accusing it of backing the attack in Pahalgam, which Islamabad denies. The region has been split between India and Pakistan since 1949 and is claimed by both in its entirety.

Here's the latest:

An unknown aircraft has crashed on a school building in the outskirts of the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

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Top US officials will meet with Chinese delegation in Switzerland in first major talks of trade war

WASHINGTON (AP) — Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland in the first major talks between the two nations since President Donald Trump sparked a trade war with stiff tariffs on imports.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their counterparts in Geneva in the most-senior known conversations between the two countries in months, the Trump administration announced Tuesday. It comes amid growing U.S. market worry over the impact of the tariffs on the prices and supply of consumer goods.

No country has been hit harder by Trump’s trade war than China, the world’s biggest exporter and second largest economy. When Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2, China retaliated with tariffs of its own, a move that Trump viewed as demonstrating a lack of respect. The tariffs on each other’s goods have been mounting since then, with the U.S. tariffs against China now at 145% and China tariffs on the U.S. at 125%.

American firms have already begun canceling orders from China, postponing expansion plans and hunkering down as a result of the tariff war.

After plans for the talks had been announced, Bessent said on Fox News' “The Ingraham Angle” that as the U.S. has engaged in negotiations with various trading partners, “China has been the missing piece.”

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Conservative leader Merz overcomes historic defeat to become Germany’s chancellor

BERLIN (AP) — Conservative leader Friedrich Merz succeeded Tuesday in becoming Germany’s next chancellor, drawing applause and a palpable sense of relief in the parliament chamber after a historic loss in the first round of voting threatened the new government's promises of stability.

No other postwar candidate for German chancellor has failed to win on the first ballot. The stunning but short-lived defeat sent shock waves throughout Europe and dragged down the stock market. The DAX, the index of major German companies, fell by 1.8% at one point.

The first round of voting, which was conducted by secret ballot, could affect Merz's prospects for success and bring trouble to his coalition's agenda, which includes reviving a stagnant economy and dealing with the rise of the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany party.

As the most populous member state of the 27-nation European Union and the continent’s biggest economy, Germany is Europe's diplomatic and economic heavyweight. Many had hoped Merz’s ascension would help the continent navigate the war in Ukraine and the confrontational trade policy of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The whole of Europe, perhaps even the whole world, is watching this second round of elections,” Jens Spahn, the head of the center-right Union bloc in the German parliament, said before the final vote.

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Cardinals wrap up pre-conclave meetings still uncertain about who should follow Pope Francis

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals wrapped up their pre-conclave meetings Tuesday, trying to identify a possible new pope who could follow Pope Francis and make the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church credible and relevant today, especially to young people.

Although they come from 70 different countries, the 133 cardinal electors seem fundamentally united in insisting that the question before them isn't so much whether the church gets its first Asian or African pontiff, or a conservative or progressive. Rather, they say the primary task facing them when the conclave opens Wednesday is to find a pope who can be both a pastor and a teacher, a bridge who can unite the church and preach peace.

“We need a superman!” said Cardinal William Seng Chye Goh, the 67-year-old archbishop of Singapore.

It is indeed a tall task, given the sexual abuse and financial scandals that have harmed the church’s reputation and the secularizing trends in many parts of the world that are turning people away from organized religion. Add to that the Holy See’s dire financial state and often dysfunctional bureaucracy, and the job of being pope in the 21st century seems almost impossible.

Francis named 108 of the 133 electors and selected cardinals in his image. But there is an element of uncertainty about the election since many of them didn't know one another before last week, meaning they haven't had much time to suss out who among them is best suited to lead the 1.4-billion-strong church.

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Homeland Security chief says travelers with no REAL ID can fly for now, but with likely extra steps

WASHINGTON (AP) — Travelers who haven’t obtained a REAL ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security that they will be able to fly after additional identity checks. Her comments came Tuesday as people were waiting in long lines outside of government buildings from California to Chicago trying to update their IDs before the long-delayed deadline.

Kristi Noem told a congressional panel that 81% of travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements. She said security checkpoints will also be accepting passports and tribal identification when the deadline hits Wednesday.

Those who still lack an identification that complies with the REAL ID law “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step,” Noem said.

“But people will be allowed to fly,” she said. “We will make sure it’s as seamless as possible.”

The Transportation Security Administration warned people who don’t have the REAL ID to show up early and be prepared for advanced screening to avoid causing delays.

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Jury selection in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial expected to be completed Wednesday

NEW YORK (AP) — A jury in the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is expected to be in place sometime Wednesday, lawyers told a federal judge after dozens of prospective jurors were questioned over two days to see if they can judge the music mogul fairly.

The lawyers measured the progress made over two days after Judge Arun Subramanian completed questioning dozens of prospective jurors to weed out any biases.

Opening statements are scheduled for Monday, when prosecutors will cast Combs as the head of a criminal organization who exploited his fame and fortune to sexually abuse women and destroy young lives. Defense attorneys plan to counter by saying Combs was not committing crimes when he engaged in sexual activity with consenting adults.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment charging him with leading a racketeering conspiracy from 2004 to 2024 that resulted in various crimes, including kidnapping, arson, bribery and sex trafficking.

The Bad Boy Records founder has been held without bail since his arrest at a Manhattan hotel last September.

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Trump plans to announce the US will call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf, officials tell AP

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the U.S. will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf.

The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The White House and National Security Council didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf of Arabia” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran — formerly Persia — threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.

On Google Maps in the U.S., the body of water appears as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf.

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