Trump signs executive order aimed at ‘dismantling’ Department of Education ‘once and for all’: Live updates

John Bowden reports from Washington, D.C.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that “all nuclear power plants belong to the people of Ukraine” after reports that his US counterpart Donald Trump said an American takeover of the country’s nuclear power would offer the “best protection” for it.

But Kyiv says the discussions referred only to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian occupation.

In his latest affront to the nation’s allies, President Donald Trump claimed the European Union has “raped and pillaged” the U.S.

Trump didn’t directly answer when asked if he would rule out the possibility of a recession, claiming instead that the country’s problems were fueled by their allies.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Billionaire Elon Musk’s repeated attacks on Social Security are reportedly causing disquiet among Republicans, who fear any cuts to the welfare service by his Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE, will lead to disruption and inspire an angry backlash from their constituents.

Joe Sommerlad has the story.

Donald Trump ranted about US judges who have issued rulings against his presidential actions in a pair of posts on Truth Social Thursday evening.

Trump specifically called out federal Judge James Boasberg, who ordered the administration to stop flying deportees to El Salvador and has demanded evidence that the president is complying with his orders.

“Judge James Boasberg is doing everything in his power to usurp the Power of the Presidency. He is a local, unknown Judge, a Grandstander, looking for publicity, and it cannot be for any other reason, because his ‘Rulings’ are so ridiculous, and inept. SAVE AMERICA! “ Trump wrote on Thursday evening.

He also railed against judges more broadly, accusing any who oppose him of being “radical” leftists who want to seize power for themselves.

Unlawful Nationwide Injunctions by Radical Left Judges could very well lead to the destruction of our Country! These people are Lunatics, who do not care, even a little bit, about the repercussions from their very dangerous and incorrect Decisions and Rulings. Lawyers endlessly search the United States for these Judges, and file lawsuits as quickly as they find them. It is then the obligation of Law abiding Agencies of Government to have these “Orders” overturned. The danger is unparalleled! These Judges want to assume the Powers of the Presidency, without having to attain 80 Million Votes. They want all of the advantages with none of the risks. Again, a President has to be allowed to act quickly and decisively about such matters as returning murderers, drug lords, rapists, and other such type criminals back to their Homeland, or to other locations that will allow our Country to be SAFE. It is our goal to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and such a high aspiration can never be done if Radical and Highly Partisan Judges are allowed to stand in the way of JUSTICE. STOP NATIONWIDE INJUNCTIONS NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. If Justice Roberts and the United States Supreme Court do not fix this toxic and unprecedented situation IMMEDIATELY, our Country is in very serious trouble!

Jerce Reyes Barrios, described by his attorneys as a professional soccer player and a youth soccer coach, fled Venezuela for the United States after he was arrested and “tortured” by “election shocks and suffocation” for marching in demonstrations protesting Nicolas Maduro’s regime.

He doesn’t have a criminal record, and a judge is scheduled to hear his asylum claims next month, according to his attorney.

But last week, Barrios was put on a plane with dozens of other Venezuelan men and sent to a prison in El Salvador.

Alex Woodward has the details.

President Donald Trump and his allies are in the middle of a weeks-long attempt to undermine the judges overseeing an avalanche of lawsuits against them. Judges who rule against him have been cast as corrupt, impeachable or criminal, and the president is incredulous that any federal judge could strike down a command from the executive branch as unconstitutional.

The administration has already repeatedly tested how far it can defy court orders, but a legal fight over the president’s authority to deport immigrants under a rarely used wartime law is steering the United States towards a dangerous constitutional crossroads, according to legal experts.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick used an appearance on Fox News to encourage viewers to buy stock in Tesla, as the company struggles amid Elon Musk’s involvement in the Trump administration.

Although cabinet secretaries traditionally do not endorse individual stocks, Lutnick told viewers of Jesse Watters Primetime that Musk – a “special government employee” of President Donald Trump – was “the best person to bet on” and that Tesla’s stock will “never be this cheap again.”