US military says some humanitarian aid gets to Iran \u2014 5:21 p.m.<\/p>\n
By the Associated Press<\/p>\n
It has allowed 15 merchant vessels \u201csupporting humanitarian aid\u201d through a blockade of Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command said in a social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n They include both merchant ships allowed to dock in Iranian ports as well as ships that were allowed to sail out of Iranian ports and into open waters, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the command.<\/p>\n The social media post noted that since the blockade began on April 13, U.S. forces have redirected 67 commercial vessels and disabled four more \u201cto ensure compliance\u201d with the restrictions.<\/p>\n Immigration authorities detain former Kansas mayor who fears deportation over voting controversy \u2014 5:11 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n The former mayor of a conservative Kansas town is in the custody of federal immigration authorities, a possible step toward deportation.<\/p>\n It comes months after Joe Ceballos acknowledged he voted in elections despite not being a U.S. citizen. Ceballos was 4 when his family brought him from Mexico. The 55-year-old is now a legal permanent resident.<\/p>\n His lawyer says that while seeking citizenship, Ceballos admitted that he had voted \u2014 apparently not knowing his status doesn\u2019t allow it. Immigration officials didn\u2019t return a message seeking comment. Ceballos\u2019 supporters were outside the immigration building in Wichita, Kansas.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m extraordinarily disappointed in my government,\u201d Jess Hoeme, his attorney, told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n Ceballos was twice elected mayor of Coldwater, population 700, and also served on the city council. He won a new term in November but resigned after state Attorney General Kris Kobach charged him with voting without being qualified and election perjury.<\/p>\n US deportations to El Salvador double as Bukele aligns himself with Trump agenda \u2014 4:37 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Official figures show that the number of people deported to El Salvador from the United States nearly doubled in the first months of 2026.<\/p>\n The jump comes as Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has positioned himself as an ally willing to help the Trump administration accelerate deportations.<\/p>\n The U.S. deported 5,033 Salvadorans back to their country in the first three months of 2026 compared with 2,547 deportees during the same period in 2025, according to El Salvador migration authority figures obtained by The Associated Press.<\/p>\n In March 2025, Bukele\u00a0accepted 238 Venezuelan deportees\u00a0accused of being members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.<\/p>\n The U.S. government has lined up allies across Latin America to help him carry out Trump\u2019s agenda. While Mexico and other Central American nations have quietly accepted deportees from third countries, Bukele has boldly embraced Trump\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n Vance says US has made headway in Iran talks \u2014 4:00 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n The vice president says he thinks the U.S. is making progress in its talks with Iran over the war, but that it\u2019s too soon to tell if it\u2019s enough to ensure that Iran will never be able to have a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n Vance was asked about the status of negotiations while taking reporters\u2019 questions at a press conference Wednesday for his anti-fraud task force.<\/p>\n He said he spent \u201ca good amount of time\u201d on the phone with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff on Wednesday morning, as well as \u201ca number of our friends in the Arab world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think that we are making progress,\u201d Vance said. \u201cThe fundamental question is, do we make enough progress that we satisfy the president\u2019s red line?\u201d<\/p>\n Vance pushes back on question about Trump\u2019s comment playing down economy as a factor in Iran negotiations \u2014 3:17 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters Wednesday at an event on healthcare fraud, the vice president was asked whether he agrees with Trump\u2019s comments from a day earlier that said Americans\u2019 financial situations are not a factor in negotiations with Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I don\u2019t think the president said that,\u201d Vance told a reporter<\/a> who paraphrased Trump\u2019s remark. \u201cI think that\u2019s a misrepresentation of what the president said. But look, I agree with the president that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump commented on Tuesday as he departed the White House for a summit in Beijing. He said economic issues were not a factor in negotiations, \u201cnot even a little bit.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think about Americans\u2019 financial situation,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI don\u2019t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n Q: “When approaching the war with Iran, do you agree with the president’s position that Americans financial situations should not be a consideration in that decision making process?”<\/p>\n VP Vance: “I agree with the president that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon.” pic.twitter.com\/x0WQ61kBAv<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CSPAN (@cspan) May 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Senate confirms Trump pick Warsh as Fed chair \u2014 3:06 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Kevin Warsh was confirmed Wednesday<\/a> in a largely party-line vote. His nomination had been thrown into doubt in recent months after Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he would block the nomination while the Justice Department investigated Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The Powell probe was dropped in April, clearing the way for the Senate to confirm Warsh.<\/p>\n Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., urged colleagues to support Warsh during a floor speech Wednesday morning, saying it\u2019s critical that a Fed chair \u201cunderstand not only the macro\u201d but also \u201cappreciate the microeconomy: and that\u2019s the hardworking Americans, their jobs and their livelihoods.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKevin Warsh is just such a person,\u201d Thune said.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Louisiana advances plan to eliminate majority-Black US House district after court ruling \u2014 2:38 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Republican senators in Louisiana have advanced a plan to eliminate one of two majority-Black, Democratic-held congressional seats. The Senate committee vote early Wednesday follows a\u00a0US Supreme Court ruling\u00a0that struck down the state\u2019s House map as an illegal racial gerrymander.<\/p>\n Committee members heard hours of testimony from Black residents and Democrats opposed to the move. Republicans chose not to target both Democratic seats.<\/p>\n The Supreme Court\u2019s recent ruling weakening Voting Rights Act protections has prompted similar redistricting efforts in Southern states like\u00a0Tennessee\u00a0and\u00a0Alabama. Those efforts are part of a broader national redistricting battle that has involved about one-third of the states. A similar attempt fizzled Tuesday in the\u00a0South Carolina\u00a0Senate.<\/p>\n Efforts undoing minority districts mark the latest phase in a 10-month national redistricting battle. It grew after Trump urged Texas Republicans to redraw House districts to win more seats in the midterm elections.<\/p>\n US and China seek to repair damage from tariff war that sent trade into a freefall \u2014 1:31 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s trade war with Beijing has sent US-China trade into a freefall and forced companies on both sides of the Pacific to regroup. US firms are looking for suppliers outside of China. And Chinese firms have pursued business in Europe and Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n The sparring goes beyond tariffs.<\/p>\n China has cut off purchases of US soybeans and deprived US manufacturers of crucial minerals and metals. The US has blocked China from getting advanced computer chips.<\/p>\n The world\u2019s two biggest economies have shown they can hurt each other. Now, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are trying to stabilize the relationship during their\u00a0meeting in Beijing.<\/p>\n Senate again rejects bid to end Iran war, but GOP opposition grows \u2014 1:29 p.m.<\/p>\n By the New York Times<\/p>\n The Senate on Wednesday blocked Democrats\u2019 seventh attempt to halt the war in Iran, as Republicans banded together almost unanimously to beat back the first such effort since President Donald Trump blew past a 60-day deadline to seek congressional authorization to continue the fighting.<\/p>\n But another Republican who had opposed earlier attempts defected from the party line Wednesday, in a sign of growing cracks in the GOP\u2019s patience with the conflict and the president\u2019s handling of it.<\/p>\n Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska for the first time joined Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky in voting with Democrats to advance the measure. The effort failed on a vote of 50-49, with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania again joining Republicans in opposition.<\/p>\n With one GOP senator absent Wednesday, the measure would have passed had Fetterman not voted with Republicans.<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n Memphis residents claim harassment, arrest and abuse by Trump-ordered Memphis Safe Task Force \u2014 1:15 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n Four Memphis residents say they have been harassed, arrested and physically mistreated for engaging in First Amendment protected activities by observing and recording the actions of law enforcement in their city.<\/p>\n A lawsuit filed on Wednesday in federal court in Tennessee targets the\u00a0Memphis Safe Task Force. The task force comprises agents from 13 federal agencies that President Donald Trump ordered to the city to fight crime alongside Tennessee State Troopers and the\u00a0Tennessee National Guard.<\/p>\n The suit asks the court to declare retaliation against the plaintiffs for observing and recording law enforcement activity unconstitutional and prohibit agents from further retaliation.<\/p>\n Since late September, hundreds of law enforcement personnel tied to the task force have made traffic stops, served warrants and searched for fugitives in the majority Black city of about 610,000 people. The lawsuit says the task force has conducted over 120,000 traffic stops.<\/p>\n Visitors to US with World Cup tickets won\u2019t have to pay to enter country \u2014 1:12 p.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n The Trump administration is suspending a requirement<\/a> that foreign visitors from certain countries pay as much as $15,000 in bonds if they are confirmed World Cup ticket holders, the State Department told The Associated Press on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The department\u00a0imposed the bond requirement\u00a0for countries that it said had\u00a0high rates of people overstaying their visas\u00a0and other security issues as part of the administration\u2019s broader crackdown on immigration.<\/p>\n The bond move is a rare easing of immigration requirements under the administration.<\/p>\n World Cup team players, coaches and some staff were already exempt from the bond requirement. But that didn\u2019t apply to ordinary fans until Wednesday.<\/p>\n A former private prison executive will become ICE\u2019s acting leader \u2014 11:57 a.m.<\/p>\n By the Associated Press<\/p>\n David Venturella will serve as the acting head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Trump administration says, after the agency\u2019s current leader steps down at the end of the month.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said late Tuesday that Venturella would succeed\u00a0Todd Lyons, who led the agency through much of the administration\u2019s tumultuous crackdown on immigration. ICE did not immediately respond to an email seeking additional information Wednesday.<\/p>\n Venturella left the Geo Group in early 2023 and has been working at ICE leading the division that oversees detention contracts, members of Congress wrote in a public letter earlier this year.<\/p>\n At the Geo Group, Venturella served in a number of posts, including executive vice president overseeing corporate development, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. It said he also has worked for federal contractors, including one that specializes in security clearances and background checks.<\/p>\n Geo has benefited from Trump\u2019s mass deportation push,\u00a0garnering big contracts\u00a0to open shuttered facilities.<\/p>\n![\"David](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FRRJ7HLE6HC7NLXSMZ3X562DHQ.jpg\")
David Venturella, Senior Vice President of GEO, presented information about a proposed new immigration detention facility at a public hearing in McFarland, Calif., in February 2020.JENNA SCHOENEFELD\/NYT<\/p>\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/7CEA7HSDGJHJLLMSEORYP6EA2M.jpg\")
People gathered to watch President Trump’s motorcade in Beijing on May 13.PEDRO PARDO\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Nvidia](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BTZO3J2NP744E3FLOQTL22LZNA.jpg\")
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.David Paul Morris\/Photographer: David Paul Morris\/Starmer has \u2018confidence\u2019 in health secretary said to be about to challenge him \u2014 9:16 a.m.<\/p>\n![\"Elon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/U3N7S2W375VCHWKEBSWKKEUXWY.jpg\")
Elon Musk, one of the business executives accompanying President Trump, arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. KENNY HOLSTON\/NYTThe Chinese offered Trump a pomp-filled welcome \u2014 8:16 a.m.<\/p>\n![\"US](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GEHRZBGCBZCHZNG4BCFXXUIDXQ.jpg\")
US President Trump walks off Air Force One as he arrives at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on May 13, 2026. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI\/AFP via Getty ImagesThe meat of Trump\u2019s summit in China won\u2019t happen until Thursday \u2014 8:13 a.m.<\/p>\n![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HELIX7OW4BAMBOIPXJOY6WTA3E.jpg\")
President Trump (C) is escorted by China’s Vice President Han Zheng (R) upon his arrival at Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on May 13, 2026. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI\/AFP via Getty ImagesUS and China have \u201ccandid\u201d exchanges in South Korea\u2019s trade talks, CCTV says \u2014 7:14 a.m.<\/p>\n