
News Wrap: Trump asks SCOTUS to allow Pentagon trans ban
Clip: 4/24/2025 | 5m 20sVideo has Closed Captions
News Wrap: Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow ban on trans service members
In our news wrap Thursday, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the Pentagon to ban transgender service members as legal challenges play out, a federal judge has ordered the administration to bring back another man who was deported to El Salvador and the president insisted his administration is in active trade negotiations with China but Beijing has denied any such meetings.
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Major corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by...

News Wrap: Trump asks SCOTUS to allow Pentagon trans ban
Clip: 4/24/2025 | 5m 20sVideo has Closed Captions
In our news wrap Thursday, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the Pentagon to ban transgender service members as legal challenges play out, a federal judge has ordered the administration to bring back another man who was deported to El Salvador and the president insisted his administration is in active trade negotiations with China but Beijing has denied any such meetings.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipAMNA NAWAZ: We start the day's other headlines with a slew of legal actions by and against the Trump administration.
In an emergency request today, the administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the Pentagon to ban transgender service members while legal challenges play out.
The ban was blocked in a lower court in March.
An appeals court refused to block that ruling while a challenge is pending.
As a result, Politico reports tonight that the Pentagon is poised to resume gender-affirming care for transgender service members.
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to bring back another man who was deported to El Salvador.
The Trump-appointed judge said the administration must facilitate the return of a 20-year-old Venezuelan man identified only by the name Cristian, who was deported in violation of a court settlement last year.
Cristian arrived in the U.S. as an unaccompanied minor and has appending asylum claim.
In the meantime, the Trump administration has told a federal judge in Texas that it's giving just 12 hours for migrants to contest their deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.
That revelation came after a judge today unsealed a document filed by Homeland Security about the notice process.
Three more federal judges tonight also blocked a number of President Trump's initiatives on everything from immigration to voting to education.
One judge blocked parts of the White House's sweeping overhaul of U.S. elections, including its proof of citizenship requirement to register to vote.
Another judge ruled that the Trump administration cannot deny federal funds to so-called sanctuary cities that didn't cooperate with immigration enforcement.
And in a third ruling, a judge paused the Department of Education's push to cut K-12 public school funding over diversity initiatives.
All three rulings, which occurred in district court, can be appealed.
Turning overseas, the world's two largest economies made contradicting claims today on whether or not they're engaged in tariff talks.
President Trump again insisted that his administration is in active trade negotiations with China.
Hours earlier, Beijing denied any such meetings and called on the U.S. to cancel its -- quote -- "unilateral tariffs."
GUO JIAKUN, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson (through translator): This is all false information.
As far as I know, China and the U.S. have not conducted consultations or negotiations on tariff issues, let alone reached an agreement.
This tariff war was initiated by the U.S.. And China's stance is consistent and clear.
We will fight if we must, and our doors are open if the U.S. wants to talk.
AMNA NAWAZ: The back-and-forth comes as the head of the International Monetary Fund warned that such trade disputes and the uncertainty they bring threatened the global economic outlook.
The IMF urged countries to resolve them swiftly.
Tensions are rising between India and Pakistan following an attack two days ago in the disputed territory of Kashmir that left 26 people dead.
India blames Pakistan for that massacre and today revoked visas for Pakistani nationals.
It also closed a main border crossing between the countries.
Pakistan retaliated by revoking Indian visas, closing its airspace to Indian planes, and suspending all trade with its neighbor.
Tuesday's shooting was one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the region in years.
Former President of South Korea Moon Jae-in has been indicted for bribery.
Prosecutors alleged that Moon took bribes totaling more than $150,000 from an airline executive who gave Moon's former son-in-law a high-paying job, even though he had no industry experience.
Moon is the fifth South Korean leader in the last 20 years to be indicted, tried, jailed, or accused of crimes while serving or after leaving office.
The most recent president, Yoon Suk Yeol, is charged with rebellion after imposing martial law in December, ultimately leading to his impeachment.
Back in this country, as a wildfire rages in New Jersey, police there have arrested a 19-year-old man and charged him with arson.
They say he failed to extinguish a bonfire, sparking what's believed to be the largest wildfire the state has seen in two decades.
No injuries or deaths have been reported, but the massive blaze is still burning through parts of New Jersey's rural Pine Barrens.
Thick smoke put nearby Philadelphia and the greater New York City area under air quality alerts.
And there was more good news on Wall Street, as this week's stock market rally kept on rolling.
The Dow Jones industrial average shot up by nearly 500 points, and that was the smallest gain on the day.
The Nasdaq approached a 3 percent gain, while the S&P 500 rose by 2 percent.
Still to come on the "News Hour": we speak with a Russian-born Harvard scientist from the detention center where she's being held; how lawmakers are responding to increasingly frustrated constituents at town halls; and the financial toll of President Trump's steep tariffs on aluminum.
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Major corporate funding for the PBS News Hour is provided by BDO, BNSF, Consumer Cellular, American Cruise Lines, and Raymond James. Funding for the PBS NewsHour Weekend is provided by...