Trump blasts close ally Meloni, says she’s failing US on Iran

Meloni also confirmed Italy suspended its defense cooperation agreement with Israel amid Middle East tensions

2026-04-14 4:39pm EDT / Fox News

By Efrat Lachter Fox News

Published April 14, 2026 4:39pm EDT

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6393038848112

NATO allies have ‘abandoned’ their responsibilities as US allies, former Israeli ambassador says

Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren discusses President Donald Trump’s criticism of NATO allies for refusing to support a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on ‘America Reports.’

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Tensions between Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni escalated Tuesday after the U.S. president publicly rebuked one of his closest European allies, accusing her of lacking “courage” and failing to support Washington’s efforts against Iran.

In a phone interview with Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, Trump called Meloni “unacceptable” and said he was “shocked” by her stance, according to the outlet’s English-language version.

The dispute with Trump was further fueled by Meloni’s criticism of his recent remarks targeting Pope Leo XIV, which she called “unacceptable,” prompting Trump to respond that “she is the one who is unacceptable.”

In a scathing rebuke of the Vatican’s call for Middle Eastern de-escalation, President Trump took to Truth Social to blast Pope Leo XIV. Labeling the pontiff “WEAK on Crime” and “terrible for Foreign Policy,” Trump warned him to “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.” The post, which quickly went viral, accused the first American pope of “catering to the Radical Left” at the expense of global security.

MORE KEY US ALLIES BLOCK MILITARY FLIGHTS AS IRAN WAR RIFT WIDENS WITH TRUMP

In the interview to Corriere della Sera Trump also reiterated criticism of Pope Leo, saying the pontiff “has no idea what’s going on in Iran” and “doesn’t understand” what is at stake.

Tensions between President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni escalated Tuesday.(Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters)

She “isn’t giving us any help, I’m shocked by her,” Trump said about Meloni in the six-minute conversation.

He went further, accusing Meloni of relying on Washington while refusing to act.

“They depend on Donald Trump to keep it open,” he said, referring to global energy routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

The comments mark a sharp shift in tone toward Meloni, who attended Trump’s 2025 inauguration and was praised by him as “a great leader” just weeks ago.

The White House and Meloni’s office did not immediately respond.

The public rift comes as Meloni has begun distancing herself from both Washington and Jerusalem amid mounting domestic and political pressure over the widening Middle East conflict.

RUBIO SAYS US MAY NEED TO ‘REEXAMINE’ NATO MEMBERSHIP AFTER ALLIES BLOCKED BASING, AIRSPACE HELP

President Donald Trump delivers remarks, as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer applaud, following the signing of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in Egypt, Oct. 13, 2025.(Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

On Tuesday, Meloni confirmed in a statement that Italy had suspended the automatic renewal of a long-standing defense cooperation agreement with Israel, signaling a significant recalibration in ties.

“In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel,” she said, according to Reuters.

The move follows recent tensions between Rome and Jerusalem, including Israeli warning shots fired near Italian troops serving in southern Lebanon under a U.N. mandate, as well as growing Italian criticism of Israeli military operations in the region.

Israel downplayed the impact of the decision, saying the agreement was largely symbolic and “has never contained any substantive content,” Reuters reported.

In Israel, opposition leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized the government following Italy’s move.

“Italy’s decision to suspend the defense cooperation agreement with Israel is another embarrassing failure of the prime minister and the non-existent foreign minister,” Lapid wrote on X.

TRUMP SAYS HE’S CONSIDERING PULLING US OUT OF NATO OVER IRAN WAR STANCE

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is greeted upon arrival at the White House South Portico in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18, 2025.(Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

“Meloni is not a left-wing progressive European leader,” she added. “She belongs to the conservative right and understands the need to fight terrorism.”

Meloni’s shift reflects what analysts describe as a broader political repositioning, as the war’s economic fallout, particularly rising energy costs, weighs heavily on Italy’s import-dependent economy and public opinion.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani defended Meloni, reaffirming Italy’s alliance with the United States while emphasizing that cooperation must be grounded in “loyalty, respect and mutual frankness.”

The escalating tensions highlight growing fractures within Western alliances as the U.S.-led confrontation with Iran reverberates across Europe, forcing leaders like Meloni to balance strategic partnerships with domestic political realities.

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A ship passes through the Strait of Hormuz during a two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran on April 8, 2026.(Shady Alassar/Anadolu/Getty Images)

The Israel Defense Ministry declined to comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Efrat Lachter is a foreign correspondent for Fox News Digital covering international affairs and the United Nations. Follow her on X @efratlachter. Stories can be sent to efrat.lachter@fox.com.

Justice Department moves to dismiss Proud Boys and Oath Keepers’ seditious conspiracy convictions

2026-04-14 6:08 PM ET / CNN

By Hannah Rabinowitz

Updated Apr 14, 2026, 7:35 PM ET

PUBLISHED Apr 14, 2026, 6:08 PM ET

Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right group Oath Keepers, attends a hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on January 6th in the Rayburn House Office Building on January 14.

Heather Diehl/Getty Images/File

The Justice Department moved to dismiss the seditious conspiracy convictions of Proud Boys and Oath Keepers members Tuesday, undoing one of the Biden administration’s most celebrated victories against those who it said inspired the January 6, 2021, attack on American democracy.

If a judge approves the dismissals, it would erase the most serious convictions from the sprawling investigation of the US Capitol riot, one of the largest federal investigations in US history.

President Donald Trump has long lambasted the January 6 prosecutions as an injustice against his supporters, even referring to those in jail as “hostages.”

On his first day in office, Trump issued pardons to over 1,000 people convicted in the attack — every defendant except for 14 people, each of whom had their sentences commuted. One of those people was pardoned in March 2025,and the department now says twelve others — eight members and associates of the Oath Keepers and four from the Proud Boys — should have their convictions dismissed.

Supporters of President Donald Trump storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop the certification of the 2020 election.

Leah Millis/Reuters

Dismissing the convictions would also be a major blow to the Biden Justice Department, which across three trials had argued that the attack on the US Capitol was more than just a political protest that got out of control, but rather a violent attack on democracy and an effort to keep Joe Biden out of the Oval Office by any means necessary.

Xochitl Hinojosa, the former director of the DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs under Biden, said the Trump administration’s move “gave yet another nod to individuals who conspired against the United States government, stormed the Capitol on January 6th, and brutally attacked law enforcement.”

“This is a slap in the face to the American people and American democracy,” Hinojosa, who is now a CNN commentator, said in a statement.

The defendants whose convictions may be dismissed are Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and associates Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, Joseph Hackett, and David Moerschel; and Proud Boys associates Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola.

A spokesperson for US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro’s office declined to comment.

CNN is reaching out to attorneys for the defendants.

Nick Smith, who represents Nordean, told CNN that he is “grateful” to the DOJ for moving to vacate his client’s conviction.

“It is good for everyone of all political persuasions that sedition charges are not used for protests that turn into riots,” Smith said.

After the attack in the waning days of Trump’s first administration, the Justice Department and FBI launched a nationwide manhunt to identify and arrest rioters, which quickly turned into the biggest criminal probe in US history. Prosecutors charged more than 1,580 people and secured roughly 1,270 convictions.

Trump left office just two weeks after the riot and has since repeatedly called January 6 “a day of love and peace” and claimed his supporters posed “zero threat.” His comments are belied by hundreds of video clips of Trump supporters beating police with flagpoles, batons, wooden clubs and baseball bats, deploying stun guns and chemical sprays, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat with police officers.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

美国财政部3月20日发布伊朗石油制裁豁免，允许约1亿4000万桶石油流入全球市场。这项豁免将于4月19日到期。 （路透社）

路透社星期二（4月14日）引述两名美国政府官员的话报道，美国不会延长4月19日到期、对伊朗海上石油的30天制裁豁免。

美国官员透露，一项针对俄罗斯石油的类似制裁豁免已在上周末悄然到期。

其中一名美国官员说，这说明美国财政部将向伊朗“全力推进经济怒火行动”（Economic Fury）。这个“怒火”用词明显与美国向伊朗发动的“史诗怒火”行动相呼应。

特朗普政府长期以来说，美国对伊朗核计划以及它对中东地区武装组织的支持给予“极限施压”，尽管受制裁的伊朗石油仍继续流入中国。

美国财长贝森特上月说，美国财政部3月20日发布的豁免，允许约1亿4000万桶伊朗石油流入全球市场，有助缓解美以伊战争期间的能源供应压力。这项豁免将于4月19日到期。消息人士称，美国并没有续签4月11日到期的俄罗斯海上石油豁免。

这意味着，特朗普政府利用制裁豁免来释放更多石油供应、降低自美以伊战争爆发后全球能源价格飙升的争议性措施将不会延长。

美国两党议员都曾抨击政府，这些制裁豁免实际上是让伊朗和俄罗斯经济得益。

不过，其中一名消息人士说，华盛顿有一系列惩罚措施，可以针对与伊朗进行非法活动，例如购买伊朗石油的机构，包括次级制裁。

他说：“除此以外，联合国对伊朗恢复制裁，加上伊朗试图以看似合法的活动为幌子进行非法行为的历史，与德黑兰的任何活动都可能触发额外的制裁。”

一名消息人士称，美国财政部14日加大了对一些国家和政府的施压。这些国家和政府所在的银行被美国指控协助资金流入伊朗。美国财政部已致函中国、香港、阿拉伯联合酋长国、阿曼，指明了允许伊朗进行非法活动的银行。

Historians suing Trump administration say National Archives won’t commit to preserving presidential records during lawsuit

2026-04-14T22:13:37.673Z / CNN

By Tierney Sneed

PUBLISHED Apr 14, 2026, 6:13 PM ET

A man sits outside of the National Archives building in Washington, DC on October 14, 2025.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images/File

The historians who are suing over the Trump administration’s eschewal of a Watergate-era records retention law for presidential documents said Tuesday that the National Archives won’t agree not to destroy those records while their case is litigated.

The American Historical Association is seeking an emergency court order in a lawsuit it filed last week in the wake of a Justice Department memo that said the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional.

The Presidential Records Act requires presidents and their staff to preserve White House records and turn those records over to the National Archives at the end of their administrations.

The law was instrumental in the chain of events that led to President Donald Trump’s prosecution for allegedly mishandling classified documents that he took from the White House at the end of his first term.

Earlier this month, a Justice Department office that gives legal advice to the executive branch said it had concluded the law was unconstitutional. The opinion, from the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel, told the president he was no longer obligated to comply with it.

In filings Tuesday, the historians — who are being joined in the case by the left-leaning government transparency group American Oversight — said that, absent a court intervention, presidential records they intend to use for their research “will be irretrievably lost.”

“DOJ has no authority to direct the President to ignore a constitutionally-compliant statute, and its instruction that the President may do so violates the separation of powers,” the challengers wrote.

Related article This photo from the US Justice Department shows boxes of classified documents stored in a bathroom and shower in the Mar-a-Lago Club. US Department of Justice Trump’s DOJ tells Trump he can hold onto government docs when he leaves office, contrary to Watergate-era law 7 min read

A lawyer for the plaintiffs had reached out to the Justice Department seeking assurances that presidential records wouldn’t be destroyed while the case played out, according to the filings. The Justice Department said that it could not agree to those stipulations because it was “not yet in a position to make additional representations about the Government’s approach to those issues,” according to an email exchange included in the filings.

Specifically, the challengers had asked the National Archives to agree that it would not destroy records it maintains under the law. They also wanted an agreement that the Archives would continue to make presidential documents from prior administrations — including the first Trump term — available for public records request, as contemplated by the Presidential Records Act.

They asked for assurances that White House staff will preserve documents covered under the law and that administration personnel would also follow the law’s requirements for preserving communications sent on messaging apps like Signal and WhatsApp.

Neither the Justice Department nor the National Archives immediately responded to CNN request for comment. The White House referred CNN to the DOJ on the latest filings. The White House previously said that Trump “is committed to preserving records from his historic Administration and he will maintain a rigorous records retention program.”

“Staff should retain materials that reflect the performance of their duties, establish an administrative record, are of historical significance, or may be needed in litigation,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in an April 3 statement that stopped short of committing that those documents would eventually be handed over to the National Archives.

“The administration is already discussing with NARA how to move forward,” she said, referring to the National Archives.

The classified documents prosecution against Trump was shut down after he won reelection in 2024, and while a ruling dismissing the charges was still on appeal. Trump’s bitter feelings towards the National Archives apparently continued, and he fired the Archivist that in place when he returned to the White House last year, even though she did not take the role until after the classified documents investigation.

The historians are now seeking a preliminary court order that would block the destruction of presidential records and that would require White House staff to preserve on official channels any communications related to their duties that are sent on encrypted messaging apps.

US District Judge Beryl Howell quickly ordered that the parties come up with a briefing schedule for her to consider the request.

DOJ moves to dismiss Jan. 6 convictions against former Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, including seditious conspiracy charges

2026-04-14T17:36:00-0400 / CBS News

By Jacob Rosen,

Jacob Rosen Justice Department Reporter

Jake Rosen is a reporter covering the Department of Justice. He was previously a campaign digital reporter covering President Trump’s 2024 campaign and also served as an associate producer for “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”

Read Full Bio

Jacob Rosen, Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics

Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston.

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Joe Walsh

Updated on: April 14, 2026 / 6:25 PM EDT / CBS News

The Justice Department on Tuesday asked a federal court to vacate Jan. 6 convictions against a dozen former members of the right-wing Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, most of whom were convicted of seditious conspiracy — aiming to wipe away some of the final Capitol riot charges that are still standing.

Hours after returning to office last year, President Trump issued pardons for almost everybody convicted in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. But 14 people — including the 12 referenced by the Justice Department on Tuesday — instead had their sentences commuted to time served, allowing them to leave prison while leaving their convictions in place.

The 12 include Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers and one of the higher-profile Jan. 6 defendants. At the time of his conviction, prosecutors said Rhodes and other members of his group “began plotting to oppose by force the lawful transfer of presidential power” after Mr. Trump lost the 2020 election. On the day of the riot, Rhodes “coordinated activities” as a group of Oath Keepers marched on the Capitol, the Justice Department said.

Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges.

Also included are four Proud Boys who were convicted for their role in the Jan. 6 attack. Those include Ethan Nordean, one of the far-right group’s leaders, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison after being convicted of seditious conspiracy alongside Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl.

A fourth Proud Boy whose conviction the Justice Department is trying to vacate, Dominic Pezzola, became one of the more recognizable faces of the attempted insurrection after video showed him smashing a Capitol window with a riot shield. He was convicted of assaulting or resisting officers, robbery involving government property, obstruction and other charges.

The Justice Department said at the time that Nordean and Pezzola “participated in every consequential breach at the Capitol,” leading a group of Proud Boys onto the Capitol grounds, resulting in the dismantling of barricades, breaching of the Capitol building, assaults on police and destruction of property.

In three separate cases where the 12 rioters had appealed their convictions, the Justice Department on Tuesday asked for federal appeals panels to vacate lower court judgments with prejudice, meaning the cases could not be brought again.

“In the Executive Branch’s view, it is not in the interests of justice to continue to prosecute this case or the cases of other, similarly situated defendants,” federal prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia wrote in one filing signed by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. Prosecutors wrote that the defendants’ attorneys didn’t oppose the motions.

Pirro’s office declined to comment on the filings, and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Not included in the initial batch of motions on Tuesday evening was Thomas Caldwell, who authorities said assisted the Oath Keepers, and Jeremy Bertino, a former Proud Boy leader who pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy charges against him in 2022. Caldwell, who was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted on other counts, was separately pardoned by Mr. Trump in March 2025.

Last year, Trump-allied lawyer Peter Ticktin asked top Justice Department officials to consider granting full pardons to the remaining Jan. 6 riot defendants who were not given full clemency by Mr. Trump. Ticktin told CBS News last year he had been working on behalf of Rhodes, as well as Biggs, Nordean, Rehl and Pezzola.

Tuesday’s filings mark an attempt by the Justice Department to dismantle some of the final remnants of the Jan. 6 probe, which was the largest investigation in the department’s history.

Upwards of 1,500 people were arrested in connection with the riot, most of whom had been convicted or pleaded guilty to charges ranging from trespassing to assaulting police officers. More than 700 defendants completed their sentences or did not receive sentences of incarceration. Over 170 people were accused of using a deadly or dangerous weapon against police officers, such as a fire extinguisher or bear spray.

Mr. Trump has long decried the prosecutions, calling the defendants “hostages” who he claims were mostly innocent and treated “viciously” in prison. In some cases, he has sought to rewrite the events of Jan. 6, calling it a “day of love” prompted by his unproven claims of voter fraud, and referring to some of the assaults on police as “very minor incidents.”

4月14日，美国务院顾问尼德姆（左起）、美常驻联合国代表沃尔兹、美国务卿鲁比奥、美驻黎大使伊萨、黎驻美大使穆阿瓦德、以驻美大使莱特在国务院会谈前合影。 （法新社）

以色列和黎巴嫩星期二（4月14日）举行了30多年来首次高级别会谈。尽管以色列驻美大使称此举是“理性的胜利”，但官员们淡化了结束与黎巴嫩真主党战争的希望。

美国国务卿鲁比奥、美驻黎大使伊萨以及黎以两国驻美大使14日在华盛顿举行三方会谈后，美国国务院发表声明说，与会方一致同意，将在黎以双方商定的时间和地点正式启动两国直接谈判。

当天会谈持续两个小时。美方称，这是自1993年以来以黎政府间首次举行重要高级别接触。

声明说，美国支持以黎双方开展进一步会谈，以最终促成一项全面的和平协议。美方强调，任何以黎停火协议都“必须由两国政府直接达成”，由美国居中斡旋，而不能通过任何其他渠道进行。

声明暗示，以方在会谈中表示支持解除黎巴嫩真主党武装，承诺与黎政府合作实现这一目标。以方还承诺通过直接谈判解决所有悬而未决的问题，并实现“持久和平”。

黎巴嫩重申，当前迫切需要全面落实2024年11月达成的黎以停火协议。黎方强调领土完整与国家完全主权的基本原则，并呼吁实现停火，同时采取切实措施应对并缓解国家因持续冲突而遭受的严重人道主义危机。

以色列驻美大使莱特在会谈后说，黎巴嫩政府和以方对待真主党的立场“相同”。他说，会谈形成了“若干建议”，双方向各自政府提交后，很可能“在接下来几周内重新召开会议，继续在华盛顿进行讨论”。

路透社报道，莱特告诉记者，黎方在会谈中表明不再希望被真主党“占领”，双方还讨论了划定明确边界的长期愿景。

另据新华社报道，黎巴嫩驻美大使穆阿瓦德说，当天是“初步”会谈，具建设性，与以方进行下次直接会谈的日期和地点将“在适当时候公布”。

彭博社分析指，由于真主党未参与14日会谈，以色列放松对黎巴嫩军事行动的希望不大。

真主党获伊朗支持，黎巴嫩战事持续可能削弱美国总统特朗普缓和与伊朗冲突的努力。自美国和伊朗于4月7日达成为期两周的停火协议以来，以色列加大了行动力度。

黎巴嫩和以色列两国没有建立外交关系。

American flag maker, others settle US lawsuits alleging bogus ‘Made in the USA’ claims

April 14, 2026 5:40 PM UTC / Reuters

By Jonathan Stempel

April 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it settled three lawsuits accusing companies of falsely claiming their products were made in the United States, including a case against a seller of American flags sourced from China.

Tuesday’s settlements were announced one month after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the FTC to prioritize enforcement cases against companies that target patriotic consumers with bogus “Made in America” or “Made in the USA” claims.

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节点运行失败

A U.S. flag flutters at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

The FTC said Americana Liberty will reimburse $167,743 to consumers after the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company claimed that its China-sourced flag products, which also include flagpoles and military flags, were “Made in the USA,” “All-American Made” or “Built by Americans for Americans.”

A lawyer for Americana Liberty declined to comment.

The FTC said it also settled with TouchTunes Music, a New York-based maker of electronic dart boards with components from four non-U.S. countries, and Oak Street Bootmakers, a Chicago-based maker of footwear with materials from the Dominican Republic and Brazil. They will provide $625,000 and $75,000, respectively, to consumers.

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None of the defendants admitted or denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

US set to launch tariff refund system on April 20

2026-04-14 18:21:52 UTC / Reuters

By Tom Hals

April 14, 2026 6:21 PM UTC Updated 41 mins ago

节点运行失败

Shipping containers are stacked at a terminal at the port of Los Angeles in Long Beach, California, U.S., March 10, 2026. REUTERS/Caroline Brehman/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

• Summary

• CAPE system will consolidate refunds for importers
• Refund system will roll out in phases

April 14 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration plans to launch next Monday the system it will use for issuing refunds to American importers for $166 billion the companies paid in tariffs that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in February as unlawful.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a court filing on Tuesday that it has completed the development of the initial phase of the refund system, known as CAPE. ​The system will consolidate refunds so importers will receive one electronic payment, with ​interest when applicable, rather than processing refunds on an entry-by-entry basis.

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Agency official ⁠Brandon Lord made the declaration in the filing with the New York-based Court of International Trade. ​The agency disclosed the CAPE launch date in a separate announcement on Friday.

The Supreme Court ​ruled that Trump overstepped his authority in imposing sweeping global tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law meant for use in national emergencies.

Tuesday’s filing said that as of April 9 some 56,497 ​importers had completed the process to receive electronic refunds for tariffs affected by the ​court’s ruling, an amount totaling $127 billion.

The agency has said it plans to roll out the refund system in phases.

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Lord ⁠said in his declaration that the agency is considering options for processing refunds on a subset of entries that were subject to $2.9 billion in tariffs. Lord said these normally would require manual processing, which would dramatically increase the workload and divert personnel from the agency’s trade ​operations and enforcement.

After the ​Supreme Court’s decision, ⁠importers sued for refunds in the Court of International Trade, which is monitoring the development of the refund system.

More than 330,000 importers paid ​the tariffs at issue on 53 million shipments of imported goods, ​according to court ⁠documents.

Customs and Border Protection has said the CAPE system will initially process refunds on recently imported goods and straightforward entries.

Many smaller importers feared the cost of the refund process would outweigh the ⁠benefits of ​trying to get reimbursed, forcing some companies to explore creative ​financing options related to refunds.

Trump denounced the Supreme Court after its ruling and imposed a new temporary global tariff under ​a different law, though that also has been challenged in court.

Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

US appeals court shields Trump officials from probe over deportation flights

2026-04-14 16:39:08 UTC / Reuters

By Jan Wolfe

April 14, 2026 4:39 PM UTC Updated 3 hours ago

节点运行失败

A plane carrying Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States approaches landing at Simon Bolivar International Airport, in Maiquetia, Venezuela, January 19, 2026. REUTERS/Marco Bello Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Summary

• Ruling is a win for Trump in clash with Judge Boasberg
• Boasberg had launched a criminal contempt proceeding
• Ruling came in lawsuit over deportations of Venezuelans
• Trump administration invoked rarely used 1798 law

April 14 (Reuters) – In a victory for Donald Trump, a U.S. appeals court on Tuesday blocked ​a judge from conducting an investigation into whether the Republican president’s administration willfully violated a judicial order directing them to stop deportation ‌flights of Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in a 2-1 ruling faulted U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in his standoff with administration officials over the limits of presidential power.

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The D.C. Circuit decided that Boasberg encroached on “the autonomy of the executive branch” by demanding sworn testimony from administration ​officials to determine whether they purposely defied his March 2025 court order to turn around aircraft that were removing the Venezuelans from the ​United States.

“The district court proposes to probe high-level Executive Branch deliberations about matters of national security and diplomacy,” Circuit Judge ⁠Neomi Rao wrote, referring to Boasberg.

But Boasberg’s inquiry, known as a contempt proceeding, was a “clear abuse of discretion,” Rao wrote. Such criminal contempt proceedings can result ​in fines or other forms of censure.

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Rao was joined by Circuit Judge Justin Walker in Tuesday’s decision, with Circuit Judge J. Michelle Childs in dissent. Rao ​and Walker are both Trump judicial appointees. Childs was appointed by Democratic former President Joe Biden.

The dispute arose as part of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration under the Alien Enemies Act, with the plaintiffs arguing that the administration acted unlawfully with the deportation flights.

This 1798 law, which ​has been invoked rarely in U.S. history, gives presidents broad powers to detain and deport citizens of nations that are at war with the United ​States or have launched an invasion of U.S. territory.

The same judicial panel in December temporarily halted Boasberg’s contempt proceeding while considering the matter further.

Boasberg has ruled against Trump’s administration in ‌multiple cases. ⁠The president has called the judge a “Radical Left Lunatic” as well as a “troublemaker and agitator.”

The Venezuelan men at the center of the litigation were released from a Salvadoran prison last summer and returned to Venezuela as part of a U.S.-brokered prisoner swap. The United States has accused the men of being gang members. Lawyers and family members have disputed that allegation.

Boasberg concluded that the administration appeared to have acted “in bad faith” when it hurriedly assembled three deportation flights at the ​same time that he was conducting ​emergency court proceedings to assess the ⁠legality of the effort.

The judge sought testimony from a high-ranking Justice Department lawyer, as well as a former department attorney who became a whistleblower.

In her dissent on Tuesday, Childs said Boasberg was “just trying to understand the events of a ​single weekend in March (2025), including the actions which may have led to the willful violation” of one of the ​judge’s orders.

Childs said Tuesday’s ⁠ruling stymied Boasberg “in a way that will affect not only these contempt proceedings but will also echo in future proceedings against all litigants.”

ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said in a statement that the U.S. legal system “cannot tolerate the executive branch deliberately violating any court order, much less one that resulted in the horrific abuse and torture of ⁠dozens of ​men at a notorious Salvadoran gulag.”

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche wrote on X that the ​ruling “should finally end Judge Boasberg’s year-long campaign against the hardworking Department attorneys doing their jobs fighting illegal immigration.”

Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Will Dunham

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump meets US ambassador to China as tensions flare ahead of Xi showdown

2026-04-14 12:36pm EDT / Fox News

The meeting comes ahead of a planned Trump-Xi summit as a fragile tariff truce and Middle East tensions test both sides

By Morgan Phillips Fox News

Published April 14, 2026 12:36pm EDT

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President Donald Trump is set to meet with U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue Tuesday, as the administration prepares for a high-stakes summit between the U.S. president and Chinese President Xi Jinping in May.

The talks are expected to focus on both escalating tensions in the Middle East and the broader U.S.–China relationship, as Washington weighs its approach to Beijing ahead of the summit.

“President Trump looks forward to discussing the latest on U.S.-China relations with Ambassador Perdue, including preparations for the President’s upcoming trip to Beijing,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital.

The meeting comes just after the U.S. launched a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, where China remains the largest buyer of Iranian crude amid the conflict between the U.S., Iran and Israel.

The blockade risks pulling China more directly into the conflict. Any effort to enforce it against shipments bound for China could trigger a confrontation between the world’s two largest economies.

The talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to focus on escalating tensions in the Middle East and the broader U.S.–China relationship.(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

US, CHINA AGREE TO OPEN DIRECT MILITARY HOTLINE AFTER XI-TRUMP SUMMIT

“This will only aggravate confrontation, escalate tension, undermine the already fragile ceasefire and further jeopardize safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said of the blockade Tuesday in a daily press conference. “It is a dangerous and irresponsible move.”

The meeting also comes amid reports that China supplied Iran with weapons, which Chinese officials dismissed as “completely made up.” Trump has threatened China with 50% tariffs if the reports are accurate.

Meanwhile, Washington and Beijing remain locked in a fragile tariff standoff.

After the 2025 escalation pushed tariffs above 100% on both sides, the two countries agreed to a temporary rollback that lowered U.S. duties on Chinese goods to around 30% and China’s tariffs on American exports to roughly 10%. That truce has held into 2026, but core disputes over technology, market access and national security remain unresolved, with both sides continuing negotiations ahead of the planned summit.

President Donald Trump is set to meet with U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue on April 14, 2026.(Megan Varner/Reuters)

The meeting comes just after the U.S. launched a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, where China remains the largest buyer of Iranian crude.(Shady Alassar/Anadolu/Getty Images)

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The U.S. has escalated economic pressure beyond tariffs: the Trump administration has moved to eliminate a key loophole that allowed Chinese goods valued under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free, a step targeting companies like Temu and Shein and affecting millions of shipments.

Despite rising economic tensions, the U.S. military posture toward China remains more restrained.

The Trump administration’s national security and defense strategies prioritize defending the homeland from overseas conflicts, even as they identify China as the top long-term threat.

Recent intelligence assessments also have downplayed the likelihood of an imminent Chinese invasion of Taiwan, finding no fixed timeline for military action, suggesting Washington is focused more on deterrence than preparing for direct conflict.

The White House could not immediately be reached for comment on the purpose of the meeting.