President says he’s delaying the 50% U.S. on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports. The countries reached a deal buying time for more negotiations and avoiding for now another strain in . The South Korean and U.S. militaries detailed how they’re , a reduction Trump ordered in an apparent bid to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. And primary voters elevated a progressive Democrat for Senate in Florida, where Trumpās chosen candidate, , could become the stateās first Black governor.
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Trump says he told Mills to end reelection bid
The president, who prides himself as the GOPās political kingmaker, said Wednesday that he had asked scandal-plagued Rep. Cory Mills to abandon his reelection attempt.
But āhe wouldnāt listen,ā Trump said in a social media post. āHe thought he could win, so who can blame him?ā
Mills lost the support of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other top Florida Republicans amid allegations of domestic violence against a former girlfriend, which Mills denied.
Trump had backed Mills earlier this year, but Mills was conspicuously missing when the presidentās social media account re-upped his endorsements ahead of Tuesdayās primaries. Republicans nominated former television correspondent Ryan Elijah instead.
āWe now have a great candidate, Ryan Elijah, running in his place!ā Trump wrote. āRyan stands for EVERYTHING MAGA, and is respected by ALL. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!ā
Americans have elected just 3 Black governors. That could change this year
Across 250 years, only three of the thousands of elected U.S. governors have been Black ā all of them Democrats and men, including current Maryland Gov. .
With Florida Republicans nominating U.S. Rep. on Tuesday, there are now seven Black major party gubernatorial nominees in addition to Moore ā men and women, Democrats and Republicans ā on November ballots.
āWe do have a unique moment here,ā said Moore, who .
The Black nominees typically emphasize their experience and policy proposals, not the history at stake.
āFlorida is a great meritocracy in America,ā Donalds told reporters after not mentioning his race at all in his Tuesday night victory speech. āIāll let you guys write about that.ā
The other nominees are Republicans in Minnesota and in Michigan; and Democrats in Nevada, in Georgia, in South Carolina and in Wisconsin.
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Sen. Darline Graham in debate: āIām not that informed on national securityā
The recently appointed senator stumbled over a foreign policy question in a debate Tuesday night as she competes in next weekās Republican primary runoff in South Carolina.
āAre Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States and if so, why or how?ā a moderator asked.
Graham started her answer by saying, āIām just going to be honest here.ā
āIām not a polished politician up here, national security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military,ā she said moments later.
Grahamās brother, Lindsey, died unexpectedly on July 11. She was appointed to fill his seat temporarily and Trump has endorsed her against in the for her own term.
Kennedy Center tells court it wonāt move to return Trumpās name before Sept. 8
The Kennedy Center has told a federal court it wonāt try to to the buildingās facade before at least Sept. 8 as another legal battle takes shape over the future of the performing arts venue.
In a status report filed late Tuesday, opponents of the move said members of the Kennedy Centerās Trump-aligned board āseem intentā on defying an earlier court order requiring the presidentās name to be removed. The Kennedy Center said it wouldnāt move forward with its plans until after Labor Day āat the earliestā to allow time for legal arguments.
Lawyers for Rep. , an Ohio Democrat who is an ex-officio member of the board, pressed U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper for an earlier ruling, arguing there is āevery reason to believe that Defendants will attempt to effectuate some or part of this latest unlawful resolution at the earliest opportunity after September 8.ā
Israeli military says it has reviewed 150 cases of troop conduct in Gaza, and decided five
Israelās military says it will launch criminal investigations into two high-profile attacks on Palestinians during ā the killings of , and of .
The military said it would not investigate three other attacks that killed aid workers from and Doctors Without Borders.
The Wednesday statement did not mention other high-profile killings that the military has pledged to investigate throughout the war, such as the Israeli in August 2025 that killed five journalists including , a visual journalist who freelanced for The Associated Press and other news organizations.
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Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys
A mysterious political firm admitted to fabricating multiple election polls this month. The fake results from a company called Median Strategies, none of which appeared in AP coverage, claimed to evaluate support in the Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin, the gubernatorial race in Nevada, and the mayoral race in Los Angeles.
The California poll was shared by Mayor Karen Bassā campaign on social media and covered by local news outlets before the company admitted its results were faked and shut down.
The trajectory of the false data offer a cautionary tale about the perils of trusting unvetted polling. While high-quality political polls still exist, they appear amid a slew of other surveys produced by outside groups, campaigns or super PACs using undisclosed or questionable methodologies.
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Canadians say Trumpās tariffs delay falls well short of a deal
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement āsubstantial progressā had been made but that important work remained, confirming Canada had agreed to the three-day delay while negotiations continued.
Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Candace Laing said in a statement that the three-day tariff delay offered businesses some relief but fell short of the certainty a signed interim agreement would provide.
āThis limbo state is not anyoneās preferred outcome,ā she said, urging negotiators to reach a deal quickly.
US sanctions International Criminal Court president, senior prosecutor
The International Criminal Court has responded to the latest Trump administration sanctions it faces, saying they undermine the rule of law. āWhen judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,ā its statement says.
The State Department said Tuesday it had hit ICC president Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who is from Senegal, with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in U.S. jurisdictions or come into contact with the U.S. financial system.
The Trump administration has sought , which it accuses of trying to unfairly prosecute U.S. and Israeli soldiers for alleged crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubioās statement calls it āa corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate.ā
Election takeaways: Donalds joins historic field and progressive scores upset victory in Florida
As the long, contentious primary season nears its end, Democratic voters elevated another progressive Senate candidate in Florida, while Trumpās chosen candidate in his adopted home state, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, won the nomination to be the stateās first Black governor.
It was a mixed bag for incumbents in the state, where Republican-led redistricting efforts scrambled congressional maps. Voters in Alaska, Wyoming and California were also choosing their nominees, sometimes considering multiple people running with matching last names.
Tuesdayās contests will help shape the to determine control of Congress, where Republicans have a narrow edge.
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South Korean and US militaries shorten drills by about half after Trump ordered a reduction
The South Korean and U.S. militaries detailed how theyāre , a reduction Trump ordered in an apparent bid to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump had ordered his Pentagon chief to āsubstantially reduceā the alliesā summertime just before they began Monday for an 11-day run. Trump cited what he said was a good relationship with Kim and South Koreaās refusal to support him over
South Korean officials said Trumpās surprise announcement came without prior notice, baffling many people in the Asian country and raising concerns about joint defense readiness.
South Koreaās military said Wednesday the allies agreed to adjust the duration and scale of the exercises at the request of the U.S. It said the would end Friday, not Aug. 27 as initially planned. The allies also agreed to downsize some joint field training exercises.
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Trump says US and Canada have reached last-minute deal to delay 50% US tariffs on Canadian imports
President says heās delaying the 50% U.S. on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports. The countries reached a deal buying time for more negotiations and avoiding for now another strain in .
āI have paused the 50% Tariffs against Canada, that were scheduled to kick in tomorrow morning for a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!ā Trump posted on Truth Social.
If they had gone into effect as scheduled at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Trumpās import taxes would have hit Canadian products ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors.
But the political impact would likely have been bigger than the economic one. Canada had threatened to retaliate against any new tariffs with levies of its own, aggravating a trade fight between countries that sold each other $880 billion worth of goods and services last year.
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Judge rules paint tests on Eisenhower Building can proceed, advancing Trumpās makeover plans for now
A federal district judge said Tuesday that paint tests on a 19th-century historic landmark building next to the White House can go ahead, advancing Trumpās plans to add a to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, for now.
Trump has suggested the massive building be painted as part of his and beautify the nationās capital. Planners said the paint job would cost at least $7.5 million.
The has alarmed preservationists, architects, historians and others who argue that granite is not meant to be painted and that paint would trap moisture and degrade the stone.
U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich said plaintiffs in an ongoing case had not shown that minimal tests planned for the historic building would cause irreparable harm if those tests go ahead.
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