The president said reducing tariffs to 80 percent from the current 145 percent sounds right, as U.S. and Chinese negotiators prepare to meet in Switzerland.

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Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, left, Switzerland's Economy Minister Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin, center, Switzerland's President Karin Keller-Sutter, right, speak, during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and China, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP, Pool)2025-05-09T17:55:53Z WASHINGTON (AP) Who called first?Its the question that has put Beijing and Washington in a verbal sparring match even as the two countries are heading into a weekend meeting in Switzerland to discuss lowering sky-high tariffs that they slapped on each other in heated moments that have shaken financial markets and stirred worries about the global economy.The meeting is being held at the request of the U.S. side, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Wednesday. President Donald Trump disagreed. They said we initiated it? Well, I think they ought to go back and study their files, Trump said Wednesday when swearing in David Perdue as the new U.S. ambassador to China. That followed weeks of each side suggesting the other side had reached out first, including Trump implying Chinese President Xi Jinping had called him, only to be refuted by Beijing. When it comes to the worlds two largest economies readying themselves for what is expected to be tough trade talks, the public back-and-forth is no trivial matter. The obsession with who reached out first is a proxy fight over leverage, said Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies. For Washington, signaling that Beijing initiated the meeting reinforces the narrative that the tariffs are working. For Beijing, denying outreach preserves the illusion of parity and avoids domestic perception of weakness. Jockeying for dominanceDaniel Russel, a former U.S. diplomat who oversaw East Asian and Pacific affairs, called the exchange part diplomatic stalemate and part dominance display worthy of a nature documentary.In his decades-long career as a diplomat, Russel said he is unaware of a single instance where a Chinese leader initiated a call with a U.S. president. It may be pride, it may be protocol, but for Beijing, being the demandeur is to show weakness and thats something the Chinese system is hardwired to avoid, said Russel, now vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute. The Trumps administration is less accommodating. Their position is: If Xi wants the tariffs lifted, he knows how to reach us, Russel said.Not long after Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods to 145% and Beijing retaliated with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods, Trump suggested that China, like many other countries, was in talks with his administration. On April 22, he apparently directed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt to say were doing very well regarding a potential trade deal with China.I think its a process thats going to go pretty quickly with China, Trump said on the same day. I think were going to live together very happily and ideally work together. Back and forth ... and back againYet China quickly denied any talk towards a deal. When asked about such negotiations, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun responded: All is fake news. The next day, Guo asked the U.S. to stop creating confusion on tariff talks.Then came a TIME magazine interview when Trump claimed Xi had called him. Details? None provided. When? Trump didnt say. Hes called. And I dont think thats a sign of weakness on his behalf, Trump said in the interview published on April 25. Beijing dismissed it, saying there was no recent leadership phone call.Yet soon the word started to spread on Chinas social media that the Trump administration was contacting Beijing, and it was confirmed a few days later by the Chinese Commerce Ministry. The U.S. had repeatedly and proactively conveyed messages to China recently to express the hope to engage in negotiations with China, the ministry said on May 2. In this regard, the Chinese side is assessing it, the ministry said, in an apparent off-ramp move climbdown that prepared the public opinion for the announcement a few days later that Vice Premier He Lifeng would meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Switzerland this weekend.Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, said the reality is more complicated when the two governments have been in regular contact and each side may have its own understanding what constitutes reaching out for tariff talks. Technically, Sun said, both sides are correct. By Thursday, Trump appeared ready to move on. We can all play games who made the first call, who didnt make them. Doesnt matter, Trump said.Referring to the upcoming tariff talk this weekend in Switzerland, Trump said: It only matters what happens in that room. DIDI TANG Tang joined the AP Washington bureau in 2023 after spending 11 years in Beijing as a China correspondent. She covers anything related to the Indo-Pacific region with a focus on U.S.-China competitions mailto

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)2025-05-09T18:21:41Z WASHINGTON (AP) The Pentagon has ordered all military leaders and commands to pull and review all of their library books that address diversity, anti-racism or gender issues by May 21, according to a memo issued to the force on Friday.It is the broadest and most detailed directive so far on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths campaign to rid the military of diversity and equity programs, policies and instructional materials. And it follows similar efforts to remove hundreds of books from the libraries at the military academies.The Associated Press obtained a copy of the memo, which was signed Friday by Timothy Dill, who is performing the duties of the defense undersecretary for personnel.Educational materials at the libraries promoting divisive concepts and gender ideology are incompatible with the Departments core mission, the memo states, adding that department leaders must promptly identify books that are not compatible with that mission and sequester them by May 21. By then, the memo says, additional guidance will be provided on how to cull that initial list and determine what should be removed and determine an appropriate ultimate disposition for those materials. It does not say what will happen to the books or whether they will be stored away or destroyed. According to the memo, a temporary Academic Libraries Committee set up by the department will provide information on the review and decisions about the books. That panel provided a list of search terms to use in the initial identification of the books to be pulled and reviewed. The search terms include: affirmative action, anti-racism, critical race theory, discrimination, diversity, gender dysphoria, gender identity and transition, transgender, transsexual and white privilege.Early last month the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, removed nearly 400 books from its library after being told by Hegseths office to get rid of those that promote DEI. About two weeks later, the Army and Air Force libraries were told to go through their stacks to find books related to diversity, equity and inclusion.The Naval Academys purge led to the removal of books on the Holocaust, histories of feminism, civil rights and racism, and Maya Angelous famous autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, based on the list of 381 books that have been taken out of its library. In addition to Angelous award-winning book, the list includes Memorializing the Holocaust, which deals with Holocaust memorials; Half American, about African Americans in World War II; A Respectable Woman, about the public roles of African American women in 19th century New York; and Pursuing Trayvon Martin, about the 2012 shooting of the Black 17-year-old boy in Florida that raised questions about racial profiling. LOLITA C. BALDOR Baldor has covered the Pentagon and national security issues for The Associated Press since 2005. She has reported from all over the world including warzones in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. twitter mailto

Hundreds of people gather in Somerville, Mass., on March 26, 2025, to demand the release of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish student at Tufts University, who was arrested by federal agents Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Michael Casey, File)2025-05-09T10:51:26Z A federal judge in Vermont on Friday released a Turkish Tufts University student detained in a Louisiana immigration center more than six weeks after she was arrested while walking along a street in a Boston suburb, allowing her to return to her studies.U.S. District Judge William Sessions in Burlington released Rumeysa Ozturk pending a final decision on her claim that shes been illegally detained following an op-ed she co-wrote last year that criticized the schools response to Israels war in Gaza.Her immigration proceedings in Louisiana also will continue separately. Ozturk, detailing her growing asthma attacks in detention and her desire to finish her doctorate degree focusing on children and social media, appeared at a bail hearing remotely from the Louisiana center. She and her lawyer hugged after hearing his decision. Completing my Ph.D. is very important to me, she testified. She had been on track to finish her work in December when she was arrested. Lawyers for Ozturk, 30, said her detention violates her constitutional rights, including free speech and due process. Protesters gather outside federal court during a hearing for Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University doctoral student from Turkey who was detained by immigration authorities, April 3, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi, File) Protesters gather outside federal court during a hearing for Rumeysa Ozturk, a Tufts University doctoral student from Turkey who was detained by immigration authorities, April 3, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi, File) Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit Read More Ozturk was to be released Friday on her own recognizance with no travel restrictions, Sessions said. He said she is not a danger to the community or a flight risk, but that he might amend his release order to consider any specific conditions by ICE in consultation with her lawyers. He said he didnt think electronic monitoring would be in order, and that she would also have at least monthly contact with a staffer of the Burlington Community Justice Center to report on how shes doing, and her current and future plans. The idea is for her to try to reintegrate into her community after what has been a very traumatic event and incident, Sessions said. This is a woman who is just totally committed to her academic career, Sessions said. This is someone who probably doesnt have a whole lot of other things going on other than reaching out to other members of the community in a caring and compassionate way. ... She has done nothing other than essentially attend her university and expand her contacts within the community in such a supportive way. He said the government has not offered any additional evidence. There is no evidence here as to the motivation absent the consideration the op-ed.Sessions told Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher he wants to know immediately when she is released.Sessions said Ozturk raised serious concerns about her First Amendment and due process rights, as well as her health.Ozturk on Friday said the first of 12 asthma attacks came on at the Atlanta airport while she was waiting to be taken to Louisiana. The attack was severe, and she did not have all her medications.I was afraid, and I was crying, she said. A doctor who spoke with Ozturk said her condition could worsen if she is left in detention and could require emergency care. The U.S. Justice Department said an immigration court in Louisiana, which is conducting separate removal proceedings regarding Ozturk, has jurisdiction over her case. Sessions ordered Ozturks transfer to Vermont, where she was last confined before she was taken to Louisiana. The government requested a delay, but a federal appeals court upheld his decision Wednesday, ordering Ozturk to be transferred to ICE custody in Vermont no later than May 14. Sessions decided not to wait for the transfer, going ahead with the bail hearing.Ozturk waived her right to appear at the hearing in person, agreeing to participate remotely. Immigration officials surrounded Ozturk in Massachusetts on March 25 and drove her to New Hampshire and Vermont before putting her on a plane to a detention center in Basile, Louisiana. Her student visa had been revoked several days earlier, but she was not informed of that, her lawyers said.Ozturks lawyers first filed a petition on her behalf in Massachusetts, but they did not know where she was and were unable to speak to her until more than 24 hours after she was detained. A Massachusetts judge later transferred the case to Vermont. Ozturk was one of four students who wrote an op-ed in the campus newspaper, The Tufts Daily, last year criticizing the universitys response to student activists demanding that Tufts acknowledge the Palestinian genocide, disclose its investments and divest from companies with ties to Israel.Ozturk said Friday that if she is released, Tufts would offer her housing and her lawyers and friends would drive her to future court hearings.I will follow all the rules, she said.A State Department memo said Ozturks visa was revoked following an assessment that her actions may undermine U.S. foreign policy by creating a hostile environment for Jewish students and indicating support for a designated terrorist organization including co-authoring an op-ed that found common cause with an organization that was later temporarily banned from campus. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said in March, without providing evidence, that investigations found that Ozturk engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group.____Associated Press writer Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.

Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Yuriy Bukhenik holds up a hat which was found on the yard where John O'Keefe's body was found during the trial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Thursday, May 8, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, Pool)2025-04-28T16:21:15Z A defense attorney in Karen Reads second murder case on Friday grilled a top police investigator about delays in booking critical evidence connected to the death of Reads boyfriend, a Boston police officer. Prosecutors say Read, 45, backed her SUV into John OKeefe, 46, and left him to die on a snowy night in the front yard of another officers home after she dropped him off at a party there in January 2022. Her lawyers say she was framed in a police conspiracy and that someone inside the home that night must have killed him. A mistrial was declared last year. Reads second trial on charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and leaving the scene has so far appeared to follow similar contours to the first. What happened to the evidence?On Friday, Reads attorney Alan Jackson pressed one of the investigators, Sgt. Yuriy Bukhenik, about how the evidence including pieces of Reads taillight were processed.Jackson repeatedly suggested the evidence was collected at the scene by Michael Proctor, the disgraced state trooper who led the investigation. Bukhenik kept saying he wasnt sure who did what.Proctor was suspended for sending sexist and lewd text about Read soon after the first trial and subsequently fired in March. The State Police Trial Board also found Proctor guilty of providing sensitive and confidential information about the case to people outside of law enforcement and consuming alcohol while on duty. Bukhenik was disciplined but not fired for failing to reprimand Proctor for offensive text messages, some of which were read aloud on Friday. Jackson then questioned Bukhenik why about six pieces of Reads taillight from a total of 46 pieces collected in February 2022 werent logged into evidence for another two months. Bukhenik was shown an evidence bag with the items but couldnt say who filled out the evidence bag. Can you point to any documentation indicating where those items went, whose possession they were in and what circumstance between Feb. 10 and March 14, Jackson said, later displaying an evidence bag that had Proctors signature showing evidence collected Feb. 11.Bukhenik insisted the evidence was handled appropriately, saying you claiming it wasnt booked into something doesnt mean it wasnt properly handled in custody and under our control. Reads flirty text messagesThe defense on Friday also had Bukhenik read aloud text messages between Read and Brian Higgins, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The text messages took place in the weeks leading up to OKeefes death.According to the texts, Read initiated the conversation with Higgins, eventually calling him hot and telling him that she liked how much they were alike. Were single, Read at one point wrote to Higgins. We can do whatever we want.Higgins also called Read hot and asked, where did these feelings come from?During the initial trial last year, Jackson suggested Higgins lured OKeefe to the house party, where the two got into a fight.The texts on Friday also showed Read explaining she was discontent with her relationship with OKeefe and unhappy having to manage OKeefes children when she never wanted kids. I have issues with John and things are far from perfect, Read texted Higgins. On the night of Jan. 28, 2022, Higgins wrote well? after seeing Read and OKeefe at the Waterfall Bar and Grille, the last bar the two were spotted at before going to the party.John died, Read responded the next day. Proctors involvement is questionedJackson kicked off questioning Thursday by focusing on the integrity of the case, which Bukhenik defended. However, when the questioning turned to Proctors involvement, Bukhenik downplayed his former colleagues role and denied Proctor was considered the lead investigator on the OKeefe case. Instead, he said Proctor was assigned the case because he was the person on call.The investigation was conducted with honor and integrity, and all the evidence pointed in one direction, Bukhenik said. The investigation was handled with integrity by Michael Proctor.Proctor did not have a major role, Bukhenik said, explaining that would mean that Proctor was in charge of more than 50% of the case.Jackson then had Bukhenik read several search warrants that allegedly were spearheaded by Proctor but Bukhenik said he could not validate the forms. He later told Jackson that Proctor was keeping the team informed about what was happening, which search warrants were issued and which interviews were conducted. MICHAEL CASEY Casey writes about the environment, housing and inequality for The Associated Press. He lives in Boston. twitter mailto

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This combination of two booking photos provided by the California Department of Corrections shows Erik Menendez, left, and Lyle Menendez. (California Department of Corrections via AP, File)2025-05-09T04:12:02Z LOS ANGELES (AP) Resentencing hearings for Erik and Lyle Menendez will move forward next week after a series of delays.The brothers were sentenced in 1996 to life in prison without the possibility of parole for fatally shooting their entertainment executive father, Jose Menendez, and mother, Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home. The brothers were 18 and 21 at the time of the killings. Defense attorneys argued the brothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, while prosecutors said the brothers killed their parents for a multimillion-dollar inheritance.LA County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic on Friday set the hearings for next Tuesday and Wednesday.The hearing was supposed to be about the defense attorneys request to remove the Los Angeles district attorneys office from the case, but defense attorneys withdrew their motion. Prosecutors, meanwhile, tried again to withdraw the resentencing petition set under the prior district attorney. Jesic rejected their efforts.Heres what to know: Resentencing hearings on May 13 and 14Next week, the judge will hear arguments on the crucial question: Have Erik and Lyle Menendez been rehabilitated during 30 years in prison? The brothers attorneys say yes. Since their conviction, the brothers have gotten an education, participated in self-help classes and started various support groups for their fellow inmates.The extended Menendez family, with the exception of an uncle who died last month, has said they fully forgive the brothers for what they did and want them to be freed. Their cousins have said the brothers worked hard over the decades to better themselves and give back to the prison community.Defense attorney Mark Geragos said he plans to call seven family members to testify at the hearings. If the brothers are resentenced, they could become immediately eligible for parole. The state parole board would ultimately rule on whether to release them from prison. LA prosecutors oppose the brothers resentencingFormer LA County District Attorney George Gascn had opened the door to possible freedom for the brothers in October by requesting their sentences be reduced to 50 years with the possibility of parole. His office said the case wouldve been handled differently today due to modern understandings of sexual abuse and trauma, and the brothers rehabilitation during their 30 years in prison.But current district attorney Nathan Hochman reversed course and opposed the brothers resentencing.Hes argued the brothers have not taken full responsibility for their crimes because they have not admitted to lies told during their trials.Theyre not ready to be resentenced, Hochman told the judge Friday.The state parole board made available last month the preliminary results of risk assessments for Erik and Lyle Menendez conducted by a forensic psychologist. While the reports have not been made public, Hochman cited them as the reason why he could not support resentencing.According to Hochman, the reports said the brothers had recently broken prison rules by smuggling cellphones inside, which he argued demonstrated an inability to regulate their own behavior. It came to the conclusion that they were moderately more likely to engage in violence in the community, Hochman said. But Jesic disagreed.I dont see anything new, he said. Hes (Erik Menendez) had cellphones throughout the time hes been in custody. Geragos had filed a motion to remove the case from Hochmans office, arguing that Hochman has a bias against the brothers. But he withdrew that motion Friday. Hochman has said he has done nothing wrong and simply disagrees with the defense attorneys and their arguments as to why the brothers should be resentenced. Clemency from governor still on the tableThe Menendez brothers are still waiting for the full results of a state parole board risk assessment ordered by Gov. Gavin Newsom s office. The final hearing, scheduled for June 13, will influence whether Newsom grants the brothers clemency.While parts of the risk assessment were disclosed in court Friday that could be unfavorable to the brothers case, Geragos emphasized they were only one component of the parole boards evaluation, not meant to be made public and could still change.

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by Christopher Bing and Avi Asher-Schapiro ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as theyre published. The ranking member of the House Oversight Committee is launching an investigation into whether the General Services Administration has given preferential treatment to a technology startup competing for a lucrative government contract. The startup is backed by some of President Donald Trumps most influential Silicon Valley allies.The committees action follows reporting by ProPublica last month that revealed the GSA was eyeing New York-based payments company Ramp to remake a massive, $700 billion federal credit card program known as SmartPay. Our reporting showed that senior GSA officials met with Ramp executives at least four times before publicly opening up a SmartPay contract opportunity.Ethics experts flagged the early meetings as unusual and potentially problematic. Insiders at the GSA told ProPublica that, internally, Ramp was seen as the clear favorite for an initial $25 million pilot contract, which could act as an introduction to larger SmartPay work. The contract for the pilot program hasnt been awarded yet. A letter sent Friday to the GSA by Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., and reviewed by ProPublica says Democrats on the committee want information about the GSAs dealings with Ramp, a company with zero federal contracting experience that is backed by prominent Trump supporters, Trump family connections, and allies of Elon Musk.Connollys letter demands an array of GSA documents, including all communications between any GSA official, contractor or subcontractor and any representative of Ramp.Ramp did not respond to a request for comment about the investigation. The GSA did not respond to questions Friday. Asked about Ramp for a previous article, a GSA spokesperson told ProPublica that the agency refutes any suggestion of unfair or preferential contracting practices and that the credit card reform initiative has been well known to the public in an effort to address waste, fraud, and abuse.SmartPay, which provides Visa and Mastercard charge cards to government employees, enables the federal workforce to purchase office supplies and equipment, book travel and pay for gas. The cards typically are used for purchases up to $10,000.Sources within the GSA say Trump appointees at the agency, including acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian and Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, the nations top procurement officer, came into their roles saying SmartPay and other government payment programs were rife with fraud or waste.Yet both GOP and Democratic budget experts call this view inaccurate, saying SmartPay has implemented effective safeguards and monitoring tools.SmartPay has been worth hundreds of millions of dollars in fees for the financial institutions that currently operate it, U.S. Bank and Citibank. The GSA will decide by years end whether to extend SmartPay with the current contract or to remake the program more fundamentally.Ramps investors include some of Silicon Valleys most powerful figures, such as Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist who provided crucial early support to Trump and spent millions on Vice President JD Vances Ohio Senate run. Other major backers include Keith Rabois of Khosla Ventures, who sits on Ramps board; Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner; and 8VC, a firm run by Musk and Trump allies. In late April, as the GSA received a flurry of business pitches on the SmartPay pilot program, Ramps CEO, Eric Glyman, and Rabois appeared at a high-profile conference in Washington that brings together tech entrepreneurs, lawmakers and other senior government officials.During a livestreamed panel titled First Principles for a Smarter, Leaner Government, the pair touted Ramp as a transformational solution for government payments. Later, during an interview, Rabois pointed to the fact that SmartPay issues more charge cards than there are total government employees as evidence of fraud.But SmartPay experts say this betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of how the program works. Employees are issued separate cards for different types of purchases and often hold multiple cards at once.Rabois did not respond to questions from ProPublica on Friday. In his response for an earlier story, Rabois said he had no involvement in any government-related initiatives for the company.In the oversight committees letter to the GSA, Connolly writes that the Trump Administrations false claims about the SmartPay program may be an attempt to discredit the program to provide a new, Trump-affiliated contractor with a lucrative contract.

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