New York Attorney General Letitia James is accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing the government after a federal agency referred her for potential criminal prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud.

Why it matters: It's the latest example of the administration following through on President Trump's pledges to seek retribution against his political enemies.

• Trump has already stripped security clearances from James, who is not facing any charges in relation to the criminal referral, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who secured a historic conviction in the president's hush money case.

State of play: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) director William Pulte wrote a criminal referral relating to James to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy AG Todd Blanche.

• He alleges that James "falsified bank documents and property records to acquire government backed assistance and loans and more favorable loan terms," per the letter seen by Axios and first reported by the New York Post on Tuesday evening, which cites media reports.
• Trump shared one of those reports in a Monday Truth Social post with the comment: "Letitia James, a totally corrupt politician, should resign from her position as New York State Attorney General, IMMEDIATELY. Everyone is trying to MAKE NEW YORK GREAT AGAIN, and it can never be done with this wacky crook in office."

Flashback: James successfully brought a $464 million civil fraud case against Trump, his companies and fellow defendants over the president's business practices.

• Trump is appealing the decision.

What they're saying: "Attorney General James is focused every single day on protecting New Yorkers, especially as this Administration weaponizes the federal government against the rule of law and the Constitution," said a spokesperson for the Office of the Attorney General in an emailed statement on Tuesday night.

• "She will not be intimidated by bullies — no matter who they are."
• A representative for the White House referred Axios to the FHFA and the Justice Department for comment. Neither immediately responded to Axios' requests for comment.

Go deeper: Trump's overflowing grudge list

The Pentagon placed two top officials on administrative leave on Thursday as part of an investigation into leaks at the Defense Department, a department official confirmed.

The big picture: Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was escorted out of the Pentagon building as part of an "unauthorized disclosure" investigation, Reuters first reported.

• Darin Selnick, the Pentagon's deputy chief of staff, was also placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, the Defense Department official told Axios, confirming Politico's reporting on the matter.

Context: The Pentagon launched an investigation last month into "unauthorized disclosures."

• Caldwell was named as Hegseth's representative in a now-infamous Trump administration Signal group chat last month, which The Atlantic's editor-in-chief was inadvertently added to as officials prepared to launch strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Go deeper: Signal chat records must be preserved, federal judge tells Trump administration

A federal judge on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from revoking a Biden-era migration program for people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Why it matters: It's a blow for President Trump's hardline immigration crackdown and a win for half a million people in the U.S. given temporary legal status under the CHNV Program, who were facing possible deportation after its scheduled end on April 24.

Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston, Massachusetts, issued a stay of the order, saying "the early termination, without any case-by-case justification, of legal status for noncitizens who have complied with DHS programs and entered the country lawfully undermines the rule of law."

• If the parole status of those on the program were allowed to lapse, they'd face "two unfavorable options: continue following the law and leave the country on their own, or await removal proceedings," Talwani wrote.
• "If Plaintiffs leave the country on their own, they will face dangers in their native countries, as set forth in their affidavits," she added.
• "For some Plaintiffs, leaving will also cause family separation. Leaving may also mean Plaintiffs will have forfeited any opportunity to obtain a remedy based on their APA [Administrative Procedure Act] claims, as leaving may moot those claims."

Zoom in: People on the program are allowed to enter the U.S. by plane after being vetted.

• They must also have sponsors in the U.S. before being provided protection from deportation and issued with work permits for two years.

What they're saying: "This ruling is a significant step toward justice for not only the hundreds of thousands of people who entered the U.S. through this important process, but for the American sponsors who welcomed them to their homes and communities," said Karen Tumlin, founder and director of immigrant advocacy group Justice Action Center, in a statement.

The other side: Trump administration officials said the judge "essentially ruled" that the president "can't use his own executive authority, the same authority Biden used, to revoke the parole that Biden granted," per Fox News.

• "It is pure lawless tyranny," a Trump administration spokesperson told the outlet.
• A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson in an emailed statement Tuesday afternoon called the Biden-era parole program "reckless."
• They added Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem "will use every legal option at the Department's disposal to end this chaos, prioritizing the safety of Americans."

Representatives for the White House, the Justice Department, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.

Flashback: Biden admin to resume migrant sponsor program with new safeguards

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from a DHS spokesperson.

President Trump said Sunday he'll announce tariffs on semiconductor chips "over the next week," though he indicated he could offer flexibility to some companies.

Why it matters: The White House indicated on Friday that smartphones and computers would be exempted from the 125% import levies Trump imposed on China, where Apple assembles most of its iPhones.

Driving the news: The White House on Friday also listed semiconductors as "excepted products" from China import levies in a memorandum titled "Clarification of Exceptions Under Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as Amended."

• However, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told ABC News Sunday the relief for smartphones and other electronics was only temporary.

What he's saying: Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled back to D.C. from Mar-a-Lago administration officials would discuss tariffs on products like iPhones and tablets with companies "because you have to show a certain flexibility, nobody should be so rigid."

• When asked if there would be flexibility for some products, Trump replied: "For some products." He declined to say which ones.
• Trump earlier Sunday denied in a Truth Social post that a tariff exception had been made on Friday and said administration officials were "taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations."
• He told reporters on Air Force One his administration "wanted to uncomplicate it from a lot of other companies, because we want to make our chips and semiconductors and other things in our country."

Thought bubble, via Axios' Courtenay Brown: The weekend began with welcome news for tech giants Apple and Nvidia that rely heavily on Chinese imports. It ends with Trump suggesting any tariff relief for imports of electronics from China will be fleeting — the latest reversal in White House trade policy that threatens to slam the economy.

Go deeper: China's Xi says tariffs war "will produce no winner"

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky invited President Trump to Ukraine during a "60 Minutes" interview broadcast Sunday in which he addressed his fiery White House meeting in February.

The big picture: Zelensky said through an interpreter there had not only been "a shift in tone" in the U.S., but also "a shift in reality" as he suggested Russian leader Vladimir Putin's narrative had cut through to the Trump administration and singled out Vice President JD Vance.

What they're saying: "I don't want to engage in the altered reality that is being presented to me," Zelensky told CBS' Scott Pelley during the interview that was filmed in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih,, where 10 adults and nine children were last week killed in a Russian missile attack near a playground.

• "First and foremost, we did not launch an attack," said Zelensky, addressing Trump's false claims in February that Ukraine had started the three-year-old war.
• "It seems to me that the vice president is somehow justifying Putin's actions," Zelensky said of Vance, who accused him during their White House meeting of showing disrespect and of misleading visitors by taking them on "propaganda tours."
• "I tried to explain, "You can't look for something in the middle. There is an aggressor and there is a victim. The Russians are the aggressor, and we are the victim," added Zelensky in the interview that was filmed on Friday, the day White House envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Russia.
• Representatives for the White House and Vance did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.

What we're watching: Zelensky spoke English when he appealed directly to Trump during the interview, saying Ukrainians "want you to come" and see for himself.

• "Please, before any kind of decisions, any kind of forms of negotiations, come to see people, civilians, warriors, hospitals, churches, children destroyed or dead," he said.
• "Come, look, and then let's move with a plan how to finish the war. You will understand with whom you have a deal. You will understand what Putin did. ... You can go exactly where you want, in any city which been under attacks."

Of note: Zelensky switched back Ukrainian as he paused to answer Pelley's question about whether he thinks the U.S. has Kyiv's back.

• "I want to answer truthfully and quickly that the United States is our strategic, strong partner. But the pause is doubt," he said.
• "I don't doubt that the people of America are with us. But in a long war, many details are forgotten. In Europe everyone fears that the United States may drift away from Europe," he added.
• "I think without the United States we will suffer great losses. Human and territorial. So, I wouldn't like to consider that. But this is our destiny, our land, our life. One way or another, we will end this war."

Go deeper... "Three strikes": Inside the Trump-Vance fury with Zelensky

Egg prices rose to a record high of $6.23 per dozen in March, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data released on Thursday.

The big picture: President Trump claimed credit last month for a drop in wholesale egg prices as bird flu outbreaks that forced producers to cull millions of chickens and led to shortages waned and his administration moved to tackle higher prices by boosting egg imports.

• However, consumers don't typically immediately see wholesale price drops reflected at the grocery store, per Axios' Kelly Tyko and Nathan Bomey.
• And eggs are in high demand over the Jewish holiday of Passover, which starts Saturday, and Easter, held on April 20 this year. This can drive prices higher.

By the numbers: The price for a dozen grade A large eggs increased from $5.90 in February to $6.23, per the BLS. In January, it was $4.95 a dozen.

• Wholesale egg prices have fallen from an average of $6.55 per dozen on Jan. 24 to $3.26 last Friday, per Agriculture Department data.

Between the lines: "In the same way that just because the barrel price of oil goes down does not mean that gas prices immediately go down, there's a delay here," said University of Arkansas agricultural economist Jada Thompson in a blog post this week.

• "Retailers get to choose their own price, and they took a lot of losses when prices were exceptionally high," Thompson added.
• "They may be saying, 'I've lost money over here, so I'm going to let what I have in stock go out at the price it currently is before I lower the price, to compensate for that earlier loss.'"

Go deeper: Why food prices are still high, five years after COVID

President Trump threatened Mexico with more tariffs and sanctions on Thursday over a water dispute at the southern border.

What he's saying: "Mexico OWES Texas 1.3 million acre-feet of water under the 1944 Water Treaty, but Mexico is unfortunately violating their Treaty obligation," Trump said in a Truth Social post, referring to a 1944 agreement that requires Mexico to deliver to the U.S. 1.75 million acre-feet of water over a five-year cycle.

• "This is very unfair, and it is hurting South Texas Farmers very badly. Last year, the only Sugar Mill in Texas CLOSED, because Mexico has been stealing the water from Texas Farmers," Trump said.
• "I will make sure Mexico doesn't violate our Treaties, and doesn't hurt our Texas Farmers. ... we will keep escalating consequences, including TARIFFS and, maybe even SANCTIONS, until Mexico honors the Treaty, and GIVES TEXAS THE WATER THEY ARE OWED!" he added.

Context: By the end of last year, Mexico had only delivered 488,634 AF of water since Oct. 2020, per U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission data.

• The State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs last month said on X Mexico's "continued shortfalls in its water deliveries" were "decimating American agriculture," particularly farmers in the Rio Grande valley.
• "As a result ... for the first time, the U.S. will deny Mexico's non-treaty request for a special delivery channel for Colorado River water to be delivered to Tijuana," it added.
• Mexican officials say extreme drought fueled by climate change was contributing to water shortages.

The other side: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum cited the three-year drought in a post to X addressing Trump's complaints and said "to the extent water is available, Mexico has been complying" with the treaty.

• She said she had instructed government officials "to immediately contact" the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State Department and she's "confident that, as on other issues, an agreement will be reached."

President Trump said his sudden announcement to pause hard-hitting tariffs except on Chinese imports the day they took effect on Wednesday happened after he'd been thinking about the matter "for a few days."

The big picture: Trump's sweeping tariffs push sent stock markets spiralling and the president noted to reporters at the White House on Wednesday about his abrupt reversal the day they took effect that stocks had since surged.

• Trump said his decision to suspend all but 10% baseline tariffs while hiking China levies to 125%, which caught Republicans off-guard, "probably came together early this morning" after he discussed the matter with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
• Lutnick said on X Wednesday that he and Bessent "sat with the President while he wrote one of the most extraordinary Truth posts of his Presidency," in announcing the pause.

Zoom in: Trump said they "just wrote it up" with no access to lawyers. "We wrote it up from our hearts, right? It was written from the heart and I think it was well written, too," he said.

• "We don't want to hurt countries that don't need to be hurt, and they all want to negotiate. The only problem is ... you can only do so many at one time," he added.
• "We want to get it right; we want to take care of them, but we have to take care of our country so... But this was something certainly, we've been talking about for a period of time and we decided to pull the trigger today, and we're happy about it."

More from Axios:

• Trump pauses most tariffs, but these are still in effect
• Republicans fume as Trump blindsides them with tariff pause
• Trump's tariffs sparked blowback from all corners of his MAGA base

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more comment from President Trump and further context.

U.S. officials will screen immigrants' social media accounts for antisemitic content as "grounds for denying" immigration benefit requests, the Trump administration announced in a policy that immediately went into effect Wednesday.

The big picture: The new rule that was criticized by free speech advocacy groups affects green card applicants, foreign students and immigrants "affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity," per a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services post.

Details: Consistent with President Trump's executive orders on antisemitism and foreign terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security "will enforce all relevant immigration laws to the maximum degree," the post said.

• The DHS will "protect the homeland" from extremists and terrorist, "including those who support antisemitic terrorism, violent antisemitic ideologies and antisemitic terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, or Ansar Allah aka: 'the Houthis,'" per the post.
• Immigration officials will consider social media content that indicates the "endorsing, espousing, promoting, or supporting antisemitic terrorism, antisemitic terrorist organizations, or other antisemitic activity as a negative factor" on applications, the post added.

What they're saying: "There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world's terrorist sympathizers, and we are under no obligation to admit them or let them stay here," said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs.

• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem "has made it clear that anyone who thinks they can come to America and hide behind the First Amendment to advocate for anti-Semitic violence and terrorism — think again," she added. "You are not welcome here."

The other side: "By surveilling visa and green card holders and targeting them based on nothing more than their protected expression, the administration trades America's commitment to free and open discourse for fear and silence, said the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) in social media posts.

• "Unfortunately, that chill appears to be the administration's aim."

Thought bubble: A little-known plan last year from the creators of Project 2025 called for using anti-Israeli remarks as a reason to deport student visa and green card holders.

• "Project Esther suggests that the administration use allegations of antisemitism as a reason to strip visas from legal residents who speak out on pro-Palestinian issues."
• The Heritage Foundation blueprint gives the administration legal arguments to pursue these measures but does not say anything about antisemitism from conservatives.
• It does not mention Elon Musk, who had a green card before he became a U.S. citizen in 2022 and who gave what scholars and rights groups said was a Hitlergruß, or Nazi salute.

Go deeper: Migrant detainees should be in El Salvador prison "for the rest of their lives," Noem says

FBI chief Kash Patel has been replaced as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, the ATF confirmed on Wednesday night.

The big picture: The Trump administration did not immediately give a reason for the unusual move to place a civilian military leader in charge of a federal law enforcement agency. Driscoll will continue to serve as Army secretary, per multiple reports.

Zoom in: "ATF can confirm the change in leadership to Acting Director Daniel Driscoll," said a spokesperson for the agency that's responsible for enforcing the U.S. firearms laws via email.

• The spokesperson did not immediately return Axios' request for comment in the evening on the reason behind the decision.
• A Justice Department official said Patel's removal was not a reflection on his performance in the job, per Reuters, which first reported on the change.

Zoom out: Patel, who was still listed as acting ATF director on the agency's site early Thursday, was sworn in for the role on Feb. 24 — three days after he became the FBI's ninth director.

• Representatives for the White House, the Justice Department and the Army did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment in the evening.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Panama Canal faces "ongoing threats" as he singled out China during a visit to the key trade route on Tuesday.

The big picture: Hegseth's comments following a meeting with Panama President José Raúl Mulino that the U.S. and Panamanian officials would "take back" the key trade route "from China's influence" built on previous warnings from Trump administration officials, and they drew a strong rebuke from Beijing.

China did not build this canal.

China does not operate this canal.

and China will not weaponize this canal.

Together, we will take back the canal from China’s influence. pic.twitter.com/CiFCOJJFw6

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) April 8, 2025

• The first visit by a U.S. defense secretary to Panama in 21 years comes after President Trump has said Panamanian authorities should lower fees for U.S. ships to transit the canal or return its control to the U.S.
• Mulino has rejected accusations of Chinese interference but pledged his government would conduct an audit of Beijing-operated ports at the canal and share findings with the U.S. He said Panama wouldn't renew its deal with China over its Belt and Road building initiative.

What they're saying: "The United States of America will not allow Communist China or any other country to threaten the canal's operation or integrity," Hegseth said during a ceremony for a U.S.-funded dock at the Vasco Nuñez de Balboa Naval Base in Panama City.

• "To this end, the United States and Panama have done more in recent weeks to strengthen our defense and security cooperation than we have in decades," he added.
• Hegseth pointed to "China-based companies" that "control critical infrastructure in the canal area," referring to two Panama ports that a consortium including the U.S. firm BlackRock is in discussions to buy from Hong Kong's CK Hutchison.
• This "gives China the potential to conduct surveillance activities across Panama," he added. "This makes Panama and the United States less secure, less prosperous and less sovereign."

The intrigue: After their meeting, Hegseth and Mulino released a joint statement in English and Spanish that included an agreement to work on compensation "for the payment of tolls and charges" for ships passing through the canal.

• AP notes that only the Spanish version states: "Secretary Hegseth recognized the leadership and inalienable sovereignty of Panama over the Panama Canal and its adjacent areas."
• Representatives for the Pentagon did not immediately respond to Axios' early morning request for comment.

The other side: "Who is truly safeguarding the canal's neutrality and prosperity? Who keeps clamouring to 'take back' the canal? Who is the real threat to it?" the Chinese Embassy in Panama said in a statement posted to social media, per a Reuters translation.

China's government said Tuesday it will "resolutely take countermeasures" if President Trump carries out his threat to impose an extra 50% tariff on Chinese goods.

Why it matters: In a sign that the trade war with Beijing will not end any time soon, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement carried by state media: "China will fight until the end if the U.S. side is bent on going down the wrong path."

• Stock markets have had a tumultuous week in response to Trump's across-the-board tariffs announcement, and Axios' Nathan Bomey notes investors are desperate for his administration to take an "off-ramp" from them, with the trade war triggering fears of recession.

Driving the news: A Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson accused the U.S. of "blackmail" after Trump wrote on Truth Social that he'd impose the additional tariffs that would take effect Wednesday if Beijing didn't withdraw by Tuesday the 34% tariffs it announced for all American goods.

• "The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake," the spokesperson said. "China will never accept this."

What they're saying: Trump in his post accused China of "long term trading abuses" and said if Beijing officials didn't pull the tariffs "all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated!"

• Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to Axios' early morning request for comment.

More from Axios:

• Markets lurch on false Trump tariff pause report
• Behind the Curtain: Trump's dark opening to Golden Age
• Republicans groan as Trump tariffs spur stock market turmoil

Editor's note: This article has been updated with further details of President Trump's post, more comment from China's Commerce Ministry and additional context.

President Trump praised Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for being "very smart" during a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday and suggested he could work as a mediator between Israel and Turkey.

Why it matters: Critics including Republican Against Trump slammed the president's praise for "autocratic leader Erdoğan" — a charge that's been leveled against Turkey's president for moves including last month having his main opposition rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, detained along with over 100 other officials, which rights groups said was "politically motivated."

• Erdoğan has been accused of "eroding" Turkey's democracy during his 22 years as president, with his government controlling the country's courts and most media.
• Trump's admiration for strongmen is well-documented. He sought to build close ties during his first term with leaders of traditional U.S. adversaries, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Driving the news: Trump was asked during a briefing with Netanyahu on Monday about Turkey's influence in Syria and Israel's objections to this, with Israeli forces in recent days striking Syrian targets and accusing Turkey of playing a "negative role" in the country following the collapse of the Assad regime — for which Trump on Monday credited Erdoğan.

• "I have a very, very good relationship with Turkey and with their leader, and I think we'll be able to work it out. So I hope that's not going to be a problem. I don't think it will be a problem," Trump said.
• "I happen to like him, and he likes me ... and we've never had a problem," Trump said of Erdoğan.
• Trump said he told Netanyahu, "If you have a problem with Turkey, I really think you're going to be able to work it out."
• He turned to Netanyahu and said, "Any problem that you have with Turkey, I think I can solve. I mean, as long as you're reasonable, you have to be reasonable. We have to be reasonable."
• Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment Monday evening.

More from Axios...

• Trump's stunning string of Putin-friendly moves
• Trump's new world order: Strongmen make the rules
• Scoop: Trump to visit Saudi Arabia in May for first foreign trip
• Trump's surprise love affair with North Korea's Kim Jong-un

Pope Francis surprised a St. Peter's Square, Vatican, congregation by appearing in a wheelchair toward the end of a mass for the sick and health care workers.

The big picture: It marked the 88-year-old pontiff's first public appearance since leaving on March 23 Rome's Gemelli hospital, where he was treated for double pneumonia after being admitted with bronchitis symptoms on Feb. 14.

• Ahead of Easter Sunday on April 20, the holiest days of the Catholic Church's year, doctors prescribed the pope with two months of rest and recovery.

Details: Francis had no scheduled appearances on Sunday, according to the Vatican.

• After the final blessing, the pope said to the cheering crowd: "Have a good Sunday, and thank you all very much."

Go deeper... Pope Francis is back home: Here's what his recovery will entail

A "significant" extreme weather system that's lashed the U.S. South and Midwest for days was shifting through the Southeast on Sunday — with forecasters warning of more severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and flooding threats.

The big picture: The National Weather Service said severe weather concerns would persist into Monday across portions of the Southeast from the storm system that's killed at least 18 people since it ramped up Wednesday, with officials in Tennessee confirming 10 storm-related deaths as of Sunday.

Go deeper: Rainstorms are getting more intense amid climate change

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more photos and information on the storm system.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advocated for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine during a visit to West Texas on Sunday to comfort two families whose children died of the disease.

Why it matters: Kennedy has been criticized for downplaying measles risks and the efficacy of vaccines, notes Axios' Marc Caputo, who first reported on the secretary's visit to Texas.

• The secretary has a long record of sowing skepticism about vaccines.

Driving the news: Both children in Gaines County who died of measles were not vaccinated, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

• Texas has the largest number of reported measles cases in the U.S. Kennedy wrote on X Sunday that 499 of the 642 confirmed cases in 22 states were in Texas.

What he's saying: Kennedy said on X Sunday he's visiting Gaines County, Texas, to "quietly to console the families and to be with the community in their moment of grief."

• He said he's also there to support Texas health officials and to learn how our HHS agencies "can better partner with them to control the measles outbreak."
• Kennedy pointed to the deployment of a CDC team "to bolster local and state capacity for response across multiple Texas regions, supply pharmacies and Texas run clinics with needed MMR vaccines and other medicines and medical supplies," among other measures he said he'd taken.
• "Since that time, the growth rates for new cases and hospitalizations have flattened," Kennedy said. "The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine."

Of note: Kennedy wrote on X later Sunday he'd met with two doctors, whom he described as "extraordinary healers," and said they had treated children using the steroid aerosolized budesonide and the antibiotic clarithromycin —which STAT News notes are "unorthodox, unproven" treatments for measles.

• Budesonide, which is used to help prevent asthma symptoms "may weaken your immune system," per the Mayo Clinic, which warns: "Avoid being around people who are sick or who have infections such as chickenpox or measles."
• When Kennedy promoted unconventional therapies for measles last month, health experts moved to emphasize they were not medically accepted treatments for the disease.

Flashback: In the face of criticism of his handling of the federal response to the outbreak, Kennedy wrote an op-ed for Fox News Digital last month with the headline "Measles outbreak is call to action for all of us" and the subheading "MMR vaccine is crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease."

• In the article, Kennedy wrote: "Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons," but said the decision to vaccinate is "a personal one."

Go deeper: White House fed up with RFK Jr.'s sluggish press shop

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more comment from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and further context.

Top congressional Democrats on Thursday night spoke out over reports that Gen. Timothy Haugh has been fired as National Security Agency director.

The big picture: The Washington Post first reported that Haugh had been removed from the NSA role and as U.S. Cyber Command chief, along with his civilian deputy Wendy Noble, citing a former U.S. official and two current ones.

• Several National Security Council members were fired earlier Thursday after conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer visited the Oval Office and pressed President Trump to oust specific NSC staffers, Axios first reported.

A spokesperson for the Pentagon told Axios they were aware of the reports but did not confirm their veracity.

• Representatives for the NSA declined to comment and referred Axios to the Pentagon. The White House referred Axios to the Department of Defense.

The latest: Loomer took to X early Friday to denounce Haugh and Noble and seemingly confirm their terminations.

• Loomer wrote that Haugh and Noble have been "disloyal to President Trump. That is why they have been fired."

What they're saying: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, posted on Bluesky that Haugh had "served our country in uniform, with honor and distinction, for more than 30 years."

• At a time when the U.S. faces "unprecedented cyber threats, as the Salt Typhoon cyberattack from China has so clearly underscored, how does firing him make Americans any safer?" he wrote.
• "It is astonishing that President Trump would fire the nonpartisan leader of the NSA while still failing to hold any member of his team accountable for leaking classified information on Signal — even as he apparently takes staffing direction from a discredited conspiracy theorist in the Oval Office."

Meanwhile, House Intelligence Committee ranking member Jim Himes (D-Conn.), in a statement posted to X, said he's "deeply disturbed by the decision to remove" Haugh from the NSA.

• "I have known General Haugh to be an honest and forthright leader who followed the law and put national security first — I fear those are precisely the qualities that could lead to his firing in this Administration," he said.
• "The Intelligence Committee and the American people need an immediate explanation for this decision, which makes all of us less safe."

Background: Haugh's career includes more than 30 years with the U.S. Air Force, much of it spent in cyber and intelligence roles, according to his biography.

• Then-President Biden nominated Haugh in 2023 to serve as leader of Cyber Command and the NSA.
• Biden announced soon after that Noble would serve as deputy NSA director.
• Noble began her NSA career in 1987 as a cryptologic linguist and "has served in numerous analytic, technical, and leadership roles spanning target and language analysis, strategy development, joint collection programs, and liaison operations, serving at both NSA Headquarters and various overseas locations," per her bio.

Go deeper... Scoop: Multiple firings on Trump's National Security Council after Loomer visit

Editor's note: This story was updated with additional developments.

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has been removed from office over his brief martial law declaration last December that saw troops deployed to the National Assembly.

Why it matters: The South Korean constitutional court's unanimous ruling on Friday morning local time upholding Parliament's impeachment vote means the country must hold a snap election to replace Yoon within 60 days, per Yonyap news agency.

The big picture: Yoon is due to stand trial on insurrection charges in relation to the emergency declaration that sparked massive protests and threw the U.S. ally into political turmoil before he rescinded it.

• He denies any wrongdoing and claimed the declaration was necessary to defend Seoul from "pro-North Korean" elements.
• Yoon is the first sitting president in South Korea to be both arrested and indicted on criminal charges.

State of play: His supporters swarmed the streets of the South Korean capital Seoul and video from the scene showed a heavy police presence as the court's verdict was delivered.

In photos: Yoon impeachment ruling sparks rallies

Go deeper: Yoon becomes South Korea's first sitting president to be indicted

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

A powerful multi-day storm system that's lashing the U.S. South and Midwest has killed at least seven people as it unleashes tornadoes and flooding rains.

The big picture: The storm that ramped up Wednesday has brought a "life-threatening, catastrophic," flash flood event to the Lower Ohio Valley and Mid-South. The National Weather Service said more "significant severe weather" was "expected from the Mid-South through the Ozarks and ArkLaTex," with "very large hail and strong tornadoes possible."

Go deeper: Rainstorms are getting more intense amid climate change

Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Officials in the European Union, China and North American neighbor Canada say they're preparing countermeasures in response to President Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports.

Why it matters: A global trade war is heating up following Trump's announcement of a baseline 10% tariff on U.S. imports, with higher levies hitting China, the EU and elsewhere, which threatens to trigger stagflation with profound consequences for global economies, per Axios' Ben Berkowitz.

Driving the news: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans Thursday for new measures in response to Trump's tariffs announcement a day earlier of an additional 20% tariffs imposed on EU imports. He hailed Wednesday as "Liberation Day" for the U.S.

• The new tariffs are due to start next Wednesday, while a 25% auto levy on imports took effect Thursday.
• Representatives for the Trump administration did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment in the evening.

What they're saying: "We are already finalizing a first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel," von der Leyen said during a visit to Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

• "And we are now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail," she said.
• "There seems to be no order in the disorder, no clear path to the complexity and chaos that is being created."

China's Commerce Ministry said in a statement carried by state media earlier Thursday that Chinese officials "will resolutely adopt countermeasures to safeguard its rights and interests."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday: "We are going to fight these tariffs with countermeasures."

Context: U.S. officials said the 25% tariffs applied on Canadian and Mexican imports that don't comply with the USMCA trade agreement will go into effect until the nations impose tighter border controls, per Axios' Courtenay Brown.

• With Canadian officials expecting levies from the U.S. on pharmaceuticals, lumber and semiconductors, Carney said, "In a crisis, it's important to come together. It's essential to act with purpose and with force, and that's what we'll do."

More from Axios:

• Senate votes to repeal Trump's Canada tariffs
• World leaders react to Trump's sweeping tariffs
• Trump's tariffs list is missing one big country: Russia
• Trump ends China tariff loophole used by Shein and Temu