By Jade Walker

Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced his intention to end the Defense Department’s Women, Peace and Security program, which increases the participation of women at all levels of conflict prevention and resolution. Although Hegseth described it as a “woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative,” it was President Donald Trump who signed the Women, Peace and Security Act into law in 2017. The law was championed by his daughter, Ivanka, and backed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he was a member of the Senate and by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when she was a member of the House. Experts say ending the WPS initiative will have significant consequences for women in the military. 

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko sign a deal to give the US preferential access to Ukrainian minerals and fund investment in Ukraine's reconstruction. US Department of the Treasury/Reuters

Minerals deal

After months of tense negotiations, the US and Ukraine have signed an agreement that will give Washington preferential access to Kyiv’s rare earth minerals in exchange for providing funding for reconstruction. The global production of rare earth minerals has long been dominated by China. Seeking an alternative, Western nations have looked to Ukraine, which contains deposits of 22 of the 50 materials that are critical to the production of electronics, clean energy technologies and some weapon systems. Ukraine signed a similar deal with the EU in 2021. “This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.” 

Trump trade vote

A bipartisan effort to rebuke President Trump’s trade policy was thwarted late Wednesday night. Earlier in the evening, the Senate rejected the resolution, which would have effectively revoked the emergency order the president was using to enact his tariffs in a 49-49 vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune then moved to ensure that tariff opponents were unable to bring back their resolution at a later date, forcing Vice President JD Vance to travel to Capitol Hill to cast the tie-breaking vote. Trump’s trade policy places a 10% tariff on virtually everything coming into the US; imposes 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and many items from Mexico and Canada; and punishes China with a tariff of at least 145% for goods imported to the US. 

Immigration

The Venezuelan foreign ministry has accused the US of “kidnapping” a 2-year-old girl and demanded that she be returned to her family. Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Berna was separated from her mother as she was boarding a deportation flight back to Venezuela. The US also deported the girl’s father to a notorious prison in El Salvador. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security denied abducting the toddler, saying she was removed from the deportation flight list “for her safety and welfare.” Without providing evidence, the DHS accused her parents of being part of a Venezuelan gang. The child is currently staying with a foster family and is in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Venezuela has vowed to take all legal and diplomatic measures to secure her return.

Deadly storms

Severe weather left at least four people dead in Pennsylvania and at least two people dead in Oklahoma this week. The violent storms tore through more than a dozen states, bringing hurricane-strength wind gusts, hail and tornadoes. A derecho — a long-track storm with destructive winds — left a trail of damage across a path of more than 500 miles from eastern Indiana through much of Pennsylvania. Wind gusts as high as 90 mph toppled trees and ripped roofs off several buildings. In Oklahoma, first responders carried out dozens of swift-water rescues as floodwater levels rose, and portions of nearly a dozen state highways were closed. More than 900 flights within, into or out of the US were canceled due to the weather. At this time, more than 250,000 people in five states are also without power.

Manatees

Decades ago, the water in Florida's Indian River Lagoon was crystal clear. Now, it’s dark and murky. Pollutants from water treatment plants and septic tanks on the edge of the lagoon have slowly leaked nitrogen and phosphorus into the water, one expert said. The pollutants have fueled algae growth in the water, which destroys sea grass — the main source of food for the state's beloved manatees. These gentle sea cows need to eat up to 100 pounds of vegetation a day, which is why between December 2020 and April 2022, more than 1,200 manatees starved to death, mostly in the northern part of the lagoon. “They suffered immensely and for a very long time,” Katrina Shadix, executive director of Bear Warriors United, said. “When a manatee starves to death, it’s an extremely painful process.” Now, local environmentalists are trying to save the manatees from going extinct.

'50501' movement plans May Day demonstrations
The protests opposing the Trump administration’s actions and the rise of the “the Billionaire Takeover” are scheduled to take place today in all 50 states.

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Baseball fan hospitalized after scary fall
The unidentified man fell from the 21-foot right field wall and onto the field at PNC Park in Pittsburgh last night during the seventh inning of the Pirates and the Chicago Cubs game. Players from both teams took a knee while medical personnel attended to the injured fan.

Martin Scorsese scores Pope Francis’ last on-camera interview
The Oscar-winning filmmaker is co-producing a new documentary with the film production arm of Scholas Occurrentes, the late pontiff’s non-profit organization. “Aldeas – A New Story,” about a cinema program named Aldeas, will also feature clips of a conversation between Scorsese and Pope Francis.

Teen completes brutal swim across New Zealand’s Cook Strait
Californian Maya Merhige, 17, suffered thousands of jellyfish stings during the 14-hour, 27-mile swim. Crossing the Cook Strait, which separates New Zealand’s North and South Islands, is just one more step toward her ultimate goal: becoming the youngest person to complete the Oceans Seven — a series of brutal open water swims around the globe.

Slovenian superstar gives back to SoCal community
A vandalized mural depicting Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who died in a 2020 helicopter crash, may soon be repaired thanks to Luka Dončić. The Lakers' new guard donated $5,000 — the entire goal of a GoFundMe page created by artist Louie Palsino — to restore “Mambas Forever” in downtown Los Angeles. 

Singapore’s pandan cake craze is going global
Have you tried this light, fluffy, fluorescent green chiffon cake? The dessert is becoming so popular that the bakery famed for making it plans to expand sales throughout Asia — and possibly beyond.

Actress Priscilla Pointer dies at 100
In a Hollywood career that spanned six decades, Pointer became best known for playing formidable mothers in the film “Carrie” and on the hit TV soap “Dallas.” Along with her late husband, Jules Irving, she also co-founded the San Francisco Actor’s Workshop.

23 million

That’s how many people in Afghanistan are in dire need of life-saving assistance, according to Tom Fletcher, the UN's Under Secretary General in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

“We are living in a moment when the checks and balances upon which we have historically relied have begun to buckle. And we here know that when the checks and balances ultimately collapse, if Congress fails to do its part, or if the courts fail to do their part, or if both do their part but the president defies them anyway — well friends, that is called a constitutional crisis.”

— Former Vice President Kamala Harris, in her first major speech since leaving office. Harris spoke at the Emerge Gala in San Francisco Wednesday night. The event benefits an organization that supports women interested in entering politics. 

Astronaut training: Flight, navigation … farming?
Scientists are looking to cut down on the cost of food by having crews grow it themselves in space.

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