The Latest: Trump overhauls H-1B visa for high-skilled workers and adds new $100,000 annual fee

President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will require a new annual $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, among other changes to the program for highly skilled foreign workers.

H-1B visas are meant to bring the best and brightest foreigners for high-skilled jobs that tech companies find difficult to fill with qualified U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The program instead has turned into a pipeline for overseas workers who are often willing to work for as little as $60,000 annually. That is far less than $100,000-plus salaries typically paid to U.S. technology workers.

Historically, these visas — 85,000 per year — have been doled out through a lottery system. This year, Amazon was by far the top recipient of H-1B visas with more than 10,000 awarded, followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple and Google.

Critics say H-1B spots often go to entry-level jobs, rather than senior positions with unique skill requirements.

The Latest:

Trump order calling for denying federal funds to programs promoting gender ideology violates First Amendment, judge rules

Trump’s executive order violated the First Amendment when it rendered projects deemed to promote gender ideology less likely to receive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the federal judge ruled.

The ruling applies only to the plaintiffs in the case and is not a national injunction.

The order is titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.” U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith in Rhode Island found it restricted artists’ speech because it assigned negative weight to the expression of certain ideas on the issue of gender identity.

He prohibited the endowment from disfavoring plaintiff applications that “promote gender ideology” and prohibited the agency from requiring that plaintiffs comply with the executive order when using endowment funds.

The National Endowments for the Arts didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

ICE arrests nearly 550 in Chicago area in ‘Midway Blitz’

Immigration enforcement officials have arrested almost 550 people as part of an operation in the Chicago area dubbed “Midway Blitz” that launched a little less than two weeks ago.

The updated figures were announced Friday evening, only hours after a senior immigration official revealed in an interview with The Associated Press that more than 400 people had been arrested in the operation so far.

The numbers from the Department of Homeland Security include arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as other federal agencies assisting in the operation.

The figures offer an early gauge of what is shaping up as a major enforcement effort that comes after similar operations were launched in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

▶ Read more about the Chicago arrests

Trump says the US has carried out another fatal strike targeting alleged drug-smuggling boat

Trump said in a social media posting that the strike killed three and was carried out against a vessel “affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.”

He did not provide more precise details about the location of the strike.

The U.S. twice earlier this month carried out fatal strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels that had originated from Venezuela.

▶ Read more about the third fatal strike

US attorney under pressure to charge Letitia James is resigning, AP sources say

A federal prosecutor in Virginia whose monthslong mortgage fraud investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James has not resulted in criminal charges is resigning under pressure from the Trump administration, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Erik Siebert is leaving his position amid a push by Trump administration officials to bring charges against James, a perceived adversary of the president who has successfully sued him for fraud.

The people who confirmed his plans to resign spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

▶ Read more about the resignation

—Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker

Trump announces ‘gold’ and ‘platinum’ visas costing up to $5 million

The U.S. will start selling a “Trump Gold Card” visa with a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship. The card be available for a processing fee and a $1 million contribution after vetting. For companies, it will cost $2 million.

The “Trump Platinum Card,” meanwhile, will be available for a $5 million contribution and will allow foreigners to spend up to 270 days in the U.S. without being subject to U.S. taxes on non-U.S. income.

Trump announced a $5 million gold card in February to replace an existing investor visa — this is now the platinum card.

Trump teases news conference next week on autism findings

Trump says his administration is going to hold a news conference early next week to reveal new findings on the cause of autism.

“I think you’re going to see some things that are amazing that we’ve learned that somebody else wouldn’t have learned,” Trump said. “It’s out of control, autism. Out of control. And I think we maybe have the reason why.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promised that his agency would determine the cause of autism by September. Kennedy is a longtime vaccine critic who has pushed a discredited theory that routine childhood shots cause the developmental disability.

Trump responds to CDC panel change on COVID-19 shot guidance

Trump was asked Friday if he was comfortable with the recommendation by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new advisers on COVID-19 vaccines or if he’d like Americans to take the shots that were developed under Operation Warp Speed at the height of the pandemic.

Trump said he remained “very proud” of Operation Warp Speed, as well as Regeneron, which he took in 2020 when he contracted COVID-19 and has credited with helping his recovery.

“I had the vaccine and I was very happy with it. Here I am, right?” he quipped.

Asked if Kennedy was undoing his success with Operation Warp Speed, Trump said he tapped Kennedy as health secretary “because I want to have opposite views.”

“That’s OK,” he said.

Trump administration ends temporary status for about 4,000 Syrians, according to DHS

The decision Friday to end the temporary status that has allowed about 4,000 Syrians to live and work in the U.S. for more than a decade comes as the White House moves to make more immigrants in America eligible for deportation.

During the Biden administration, the number of people protected by temporary protected status grew significantly to more than 1 million. Trump has already ended the status for Venezuelans, Hondurans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Ukrainians and thousands of others.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said conditions in Syria have improved and “no longer prevent their nationals from returning home.” She said Syrians that were protected by temporary protected status have 60 days to voluntarily depart the U.S. After that, they will be detained and deported, she said.

Trump signs proclamation imposing $100K annual fee for H-1B visa applications

The move is among the changes to the program for highly skilled foreign workers that has come under scrutiny by the Trump administration.

H-1B visas are intended to bring skilled foreigners for jobs that tech companies struggle to fill with U.S. citizens. Critics argue the program allows companies to pay lower wages and fill entry-level jobs.

Trump insisted that the tech industry would not oppose the move.

“I think they’re going to be very happy,” he said.

▶ Read more about the overhaul to the H-1B visa program

Trump pushes back against UN panel that found Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

Asked about the report that was issued by the international body this week, Trump didn’t directly answer whether he believes Israel is committing genocide. Instead, he noted the atrocities committed by Hamas.

“Did anybody commit genocide on Oct. 7? What do you think about that?” Trump asked. “That was genocide at the highest level. That was murder, genocide, you can call it whatever you want.”

A team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, issuing a report Tuesday that calls on the international community to end the genocide and act to punish those responsible for it.

Trump says he wants to remove US attorney in Virginia

Erik Siebert, the top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, faces removal as administration officials push him to bring charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, an opponent of Trump.

The president’s allies have accused James of mortgage fraud. Trump initially said, “I’m not following it very closely,” then spoke about the situation in detail.

“It looks to me like she’s really guilty of something, but I don’t really know,” Trump said.

Then he complained that Siebert was approved by two Democratic senators from Virginia whom he described as “among the worst.”

“I said pull him, because he can’t be any good,” Trump said.

Trump praises FCC leader after Cruz criticism

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz compared Brendan Carr, head of the Federal Communications Commission, to a mob boss for threatening broadcast licenses if Jimmy Kimmel wasn’t punished for his commentary about Charlie Kirk.

But Trump said Carr had his full support, calling him “an incredible American patriot with courage.”

“I think Brendan Carr doesn’t like to see the airwaves be used illegally and incorrectly and purposefully horribly,” he said.

Trump to be briefed on reported Russian incursion into Estonian airspace

The president told reporters he was aware of the reports of the incursion and expected to soon be briefed his national security aides.

“I don’t love it,” Trump said, adding, “I don’t like when that happens. It could be big trouble, but I’ll let you know later. They’re going to brief me in about an hour. “

Estonia summoned a Russian diplomat to protest after three Russian fighter aircraft entered its airspace without permission Friday and stayed there for 12 minutes, the Foreign Ministry said. Just over a week earlier, NATO planes downed Russian drones over Poland and heightened fears that the war in Ukraine could spill over.

Trump targets television networks again

The president reiterated his complaints that broadcasters treat him too negatively.

“That’s no longer free speech,” he said. “It’s just cheating.”

On Thursday, Trump said federal licenses could be revoked when networks “give me only bad publicity.”

Trump predicts ‘closed country’ as Congress veers toward shutdown

The president said Friday that the country could end up “closed” for a “period of time” as lawmakers struggle to pass legislation that would keep the federal government operating past Sept. 30.

The House voted earlier Friday on a bill that would fund the government for seven weeks beyond the end of this month. But the Senate later rejected that bill, and a separate, competing bill to keep the government running -- increasing the prospects for a partial government shutdown.

“We’ll continue to talk to the Democrats, but I think you could very well end up with ... a closed country for a period of time,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Friday.

Trump claims TikTok deal is done

He said American investors are lined up and that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been “a gentleman” about it.

However, he was vague on the crucial question of whether China would continue to control the algorithm for the social video platform.

“It’s all being worked out,” Trump said. “We’re going to have very good control.”

US diplomats meet with Syrian foreign minister

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack have discussed Syria’s future and its ties with Israel during a meeting in Washington with Asaad al-Shibani.

The State Department also said in a statement Friday that Landau “underscored this historic opportunity for Syria to build a peaceful, prosperous, and sovereign nation following President Trump’s announcement on sanctions relief.”

It’s the first official visit to the United States by a top Syrian official in 25 years as the new government in Damascus struggles to recover from a civil war and boost relations with the West following the fall of autocrat Bashar Assad.

Judge temporarily blocks USDA from collecting data about SNAP applicants in 21 states

A judge has temporarily barred the federal government from collecting personal information about residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 21 states and Washington, D.C.

U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney in California issued the temporary restraining order against the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday, and said a hearing would be held next month to determine if a longer-term prohibition is necessary.

Chesney found states were likely to succeed in their argument that the personal data can only be used for things like administering the food assistance program, and that it generally can’t be shared with other entities.

The states said they feared it the data would be used to aid mass deportation efforts.

SSA Commissioner walks back comments on raising the retirement age

Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano has walked back comments that the agency is considering raising the retirement age in order to shore up Social Security.

“Raising the retirement age is not under consideration at this time by the Administration,” Frank Bisignano said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press on Friday.

Bisignano appeared on Mornings with Mario on Thursday, and responded, “I think everything’s being considered, will be considered,” when asked whether raising the retirement age was a possibility to maintain the old age program’s solvency.

The date at which Social Security will no longer have enough funds to pay full benefits has been moved up to 2034, instead of last year’s estimate of 2035. After that point, Social Security would only be able to pay 81% of benefits, according to an annual report released in June.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to strip legal protections from Venezuelan migrants

The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court for an emergency order allowing it to strip legal protections from more than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants.

The Justice Department asked the high court to put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in San Francisco that the administration wrongly ended Temporary Protected Status for the Venezuelans.

The federal appeals court in San Francisco refused to put on hold the ruling by U.S. District Judge Edward Chen while the case continues.

Kennedy’s vaccine advisers decline to recommend COVID-19 shot for all Americans

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisers added confusion Friday to this fall’s COVID-19 vaccinations — declining to recommend them for anyone and leaving the choice up to those who want a shot.

Until now, the vaccinations had been routinely provided to nearly all Americans who wanted them. The Food and Drug Administration recently put new restrictions on this year’s shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax, reserving them for people over 65 or younger ones who are deemed at higher risk from the virus.

In a series of votes, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t specifically recommend vaccination but said people could make individual decisions. The divided panel narrowly avoided urging states to require a prescription for the shot.

Senate confirms Mike Waltz as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations

The Senate on Friday confirmed Mike Waltz to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, filling the last vacancy in Trump’s Cabinet after eight months of delays and the withdrawal of a previous nominee.

The bipartisan vote for Waltz came after a recent procedural hurdle sent his nomination back to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where it had to be voted on again on Wednesday.

The Senate did not vote on a separate matter that would formally designate Waltz as a representative at the General Assembly, due to objections from Democrats, according to a person familiar with the Senate deliberations.

It is unclear how or whether Waltz would be able to participate at the annual gathering in New York next week. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.

Trump to host Turkey’s leader at the White House on Sept. 25

Trump said on his social media site that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be coming to Washington, with plans to discuss the purchases of Boeing aircraft and a deal for F-16 fighter jets. There will also be negotiations over the sale to Turkey of F-35 fighter jets, which Trump said “we expect to conclude positively.”

The U.S. president said on Truth Social that he has “always” enjoyed a “very good relationship with Erdogan.

Trade will also be part of their Sept. 25 conversation, but Trump did not indicate whether they would discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine. The president has said he would place tariffs on China for buying Russian oil if other members of NATO, including Turkey, also committed to stop buying Russian energy products.

Cruz says FCC chair’s threat to ABC is ‘dangerous as hell’

Sen. Ted Cruz said on his latest podcast that Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr’s threat to punish ABC over comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is “dangerous as hell.”

Cruz said Friday that while Carr is a “great guy” and he’s glad ABC took Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air indefinitely, threatening ABC’s broadcasting license eventually “will end up bad for conservatives.”

“There will come a time when a Democrat wins again, wins the White House,” Cruz said. “They will silence us. They will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly.”

Trump administration puts more pressure on Harvard University

The Education Department on Friday imposed greater oversight over the Ivy League school’s finances and threatened sanctions if it refuses to provide more data on admissions, marking an escalation of the administration’s feud with Harvard, which has sued over the White House’s demands for extensive reforms.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the university is refusing to comply with the department’s demands for admissions records. The department says universities need to demonstrate they are not using race in the admissions process.

The department also said it was placing the school on “Heightened Cash Monitoring,” which will force Harvard to use its own funds for student financial aid and then seek reimbursement from the government.

Harvard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kremlin describes Trump’s comments that Putin ‘let him down’ as emotional and ‘understandable’

Trump’s comments saying that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has “let him down” over Moscow’s war in Ukraine are “understandable,” the Kremlin told Russian state media Friday.

Speaking with state news agency Tass, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov characterized Trump’s statements as “emotional.”

“We can assume that the United States and President Trump himself still maintain the political will and the intention of continuing their efforts to facilitate a settlement in Ukraine,” Peskov said when asked about Trump’s statement, which he made while on a state visit to England on Thursday.

He also stressed that Putin was still willing to end the war “politically and diplomatically.”

Senate rejects competing bills to avoid government shutdown

The Senate rejected competing measures to fund federal agencies for a few weeks when the new budget year begins Oct. 1, increasing prospects for a partial government shutdown on that date.

Leaders of the two parties sought to blame the other side for the standoff. Democrats accused Republicans of not negotiating with them to address some of their priorities on health care as part of the funding measure.

Republicans said Democrats were making demands that would dramatically increase spending and were not germane to the core issue of keeping agencies fully running for a short period of time while negotiations continued on a full-year spending measure.

Alex Acosta defends Jeffrey Epstein plea deal to lawmakers

Alex Acosta, the former U.S. attorney who oversaw a plea agreement with Jeffrey Epstein in 2008, is defending his handling of the case in a closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee, according to lawmakers.

“He would not admit -- as a matter of fact -- stands by the decision to give him Mr. Epstein a sweetheart deal,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the committee’s top Democrat, told reporters.

Under the 2008 nonprosecution agreement, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. He served 13 months in a work-release program and was required to make payments to victims and register as a sex offender.

Acosta described a case that had limited evidence to pursue higher charges, according to a Republican lawmaker.

“He had to go with what he had,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, of Tennessee. “He apparently didn’t have what we all thought he had.”

US attorney whose office is investigating Letitia James is told he’s being removed, AP source says

The U.S. attorney whose office has been investigating mortgage fraud allegations against New York Attorney General Letitia James has been told to resign or be fired, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press Friday, amid a push by Trump administration officials to bring criminal charges against the perceived adversary of the president.

The move to replace Erik Siebert, a career prosecutor in the prestigious Eastern District of Virginia, was described by a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter. It was not immediately clear who told Siebert he was being removed, what reason was given or who might replace him.

Spokespeople for Seibert’s office and the Justice Department declined to comment Friday.

-By Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker

Federal judge tosses Trump’s $15B defamation lawsuit against New York Times

A federal judge in Florida on Friday tossed Trump’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against New York Times.

The lawsuit named a book and an article written by Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig that focuses on Trump’s finances and his pre-presidency starring role in television’s “The Apprentice.”

Trump said in the lawsuit that they “maliciously peddled the fact-free narrative” that television producer Mark Burnett turned Trump into a celebrity — “even though at and prior to the time of publications defendants knew that Trump was already a mega-celebrity and an enormous success in business.”

White House releases tribute video days before Charlie Kirk’s funeral

The three-and-a-half-minute video features the remarks by his widow, Erika Kirk, when she spoke for the first time after he was assassinated in Utah on Sept. 10.

There also are clips of the 31-year-old conservative activist giving speeches and media interviews, on his wedding day, with his wife and two children and with Trump, along with scenes from memorials and vigils that have been held for him.

Kirk was one of Trump’s biggest supporters, and the president is expected to attend the funeral Sunday in Arizona.

Trump asks Supreme Court to halt order on transgender passport sex markers

The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to halt a judge’s order allowing transgender and nonbinary people to continue to choose the sex marker on their passports.

The court order allows transgender or nonbinary people to request a male, female or “X” identification marker, rather than being limited to the marker that matches the gender on their birth certificate.

▶ Read more on this developing story

Democrats explain no vote on resolution honoring Kirk

The resolution honoring Kirk’s “life and legacy” had a number of other clauses that Democrats took issue with, including a line that said Kirk’s “commitment to civil discussion and debate stood as a model for young Americans.”

The resolution also said Kirk’s “steadfast dedication to the Constitution, civil discourse, and biblical truth inspired a generation.”

“While I condemn his violent murder, this resolution sought to elevate Charlie Kirk as a role model,” Rep. Bennie Thompson said after he and 57 other Democrats voted against the resolution.

In a statement following the vote, the Congressional Black Caucus condemned political violence, including the assassination of Kirk, but added: “We strongly disagree with many of the beliefs Charlie Kirk promoted.”

The House finally restores funding to DC, but now it needs Senate passage

After months of delay, entreaties from Washington, D.C., officials and public support from Trump, House Republicans put a fix into the spending bill that passed on Friday. It could restore the $1 billion the House cut in D.C. funding earlier this year.

The fix is part of the overall bill the House passed to avert a shutdown. The Senate, which unanimously passed a stand-alone bill allowing D.C. to access its own locally raised revenue, takes up the overall bill next.

The original cut came when the House enacted a continuing resolution setting D.C.’s budget at 2024 levels although the city was midway through its next budget year.

Trump will meet Xi at upcoming South Korea summit, then go to China next year

Trump says on his social media site that he made progress on trade, TikTok and Russia’s war in Ukraine in his Friday call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Trump said he and Xi will meet in person on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea that runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.

Trump also said he would visit China “in the early part of next year, and that President Xi would, likewise, come to the United States at an appropriate time.”