President Donald Trump says he's delaying the 50% U.S. tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports. The countries reached a deal less than two hours before the sanctions were to go into effect, buying time for more negotiations and avoiding for now another strain in already tense relations. The South Korean and U.S. militaries detailed how they're scaling back joint drills, a reduction Trump ordered in an apparent bid to re-engage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. And primary voters elevated a progressive Democrat for Senate in Florida, where Trump's chosen candidate, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, could become the state's first Black governor.
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Trump walks and waxes on white granite and grass
It was planned as a private event, but the president decided otherwise. He wanted the reporters to see him sign a massive stone, which would become part of the new helipad under construction.
So, a gaggle of reporters tailed Trump outside the White House as he noted the prior state of disrepair and now, “look at the columns, how perfect they are.” As for the grass, which he said, “has life like humans have life,” it will now “look so beautiful.” And the white granite, which is a “powerful stone” that “you’ll never see a crack in.”
Trump came to a stop flanked by construction workers in hi-vis vests, hard hats and sunglasses, standing silently as the president complimented them, and answered a few questions from reporters about the day’s news. The president signed the stone in sweeping strokes.
“I hope you liked it,” he told the assembled reporters.
Trump says underground portion of ballroom will be 5 stories deep
Trump complained that the lawsuit against his White House ballroom was “very unfortunate” because the filings in the case have made public details that might have been kept secret.
But Trump has also been talking about components of the portion of the ballroom that will be underground. And he has taken to referring to the structure as a “military complex” instead of a ballroom.
Trump said during the press tour that the part of the ballroom will be five stories deep underground. The precise depth of some structures, like the ballroom, is usually treated as a closely guarded secret.
Trump said he may reopen negotiations with Iran ‘at some point’
When asked by a reporter at the White House on Wednesday when he would plan to resume talks with Iran, Trump said, “Right now, I think the situation is so good, but maybe at some point.”
He reiterated that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon but didn’t offer any other details on his thinking.
Trump says he’s going to meet with North Korea’s leader
“Yeah, I will be,” Trump said to reporters on Wednesday when asked if he will meet with Kim Jong Un this year.
The president wouldn’t answer a question about whether he is exchanging letters with Kim but said he gets along with him.
Trump didn’t include any other details about a potential meeting.
He met with Kim several times during his first term and said that they “fell in love” while exchanging letters that he described as “excellent” and “beautiful.”
Over the weekend, he called for the Pentagon to scale back annual joint
Trump praises deal to stave off Canada tariffs
The U.S. president, after last-minute negotiations with the Canadian government, said the talks yielded a “very fair deal for both” sides.
“Our farmers are going to be thrilled, our manufacturers are going to be thrilled,” Trump said in an impromptu gaggle during a tour of South Lawn construction.
Trump noted that the agreement is all subject to the “finalization of documents” and that the tariffs, scheduled to go into effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, were paused for three days to allow for that.
Trump also said he had a “very good conversation” with Carney, with whom he has clashed in the past.
Trump hopes Supreme Court sides with him on White House ballroom
Trump said, “I can’t imagine” the high court would rule against the ballroom he’s building after he was asked about a continuing court fight to block it.
Trump criticized the lawsuit filed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which seeks to halt construction until Congress approves the project.
A federal appeals court panel ruled Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build the ballroom and that the work should be halted until Congress can weigh in.
The Trump administration argues that previous presidents made changes to the historic property and that Trump doesn’t need permission from Congress.
The Supreme Court has not yet announced whether it will hear the president’s appeal.
“Hopefully we’ll do very well,” with the justices, Trump said.
Norman says Senate no place for ‘training on the job’ after Graham’s misstep
Asked by reporters to respond to Graham’s stumble over the South China Sea question, Rep. Ralph Norman — her opponent in next week’s GOP runoff — said her lack of experience was apparent.
“You need to get fully versed in what issues you’re going to be dealing with,” he said.
Graham said “I’m not that informed on national security” — one of her late brother Lindsey Graham’s signature issues — when asked a question about Taiwan in their debate on Tuesday.
Asked afterward if she wanted to try again, she doubled down, saying she’s more focused on South Carolinians’ everyday concerns.
“They’re worried about their pocketbooks more than they’re worried about the South China Sea, quite honestly,” Graham said. “So that’s going to be my biggest focus.”
Trump takes the press on a tour of helipad
The White House suddenly summoned the press corps Wednesday morning for a surprise look at the helipad being constructed on the South Lawn.
“We are building a great heliport,” Trump said.
The president showed off the “flawless granite” and boasted of his construction and real estate acumen.
Construction continues on a helipad on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The helipad has been under construction for several weeks. It is being built because the new helicopters used as Marine One are so powerful that they can rip out the grass.
The president showed off the landing pad around the same that he was supposed to have a “policy meeting,” according to the schedule released by the White House.
Israel strikes on Gaza cast more doubt on ceasefire progress
Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 17 more people since Jared Kushner reportedly asked Israel to draw down its attacks in Gaza, casting doubt on new U.S. peace efforts.
Israel's military said Wednesday's strikes targeted a Hamas commander in Nuseirat who participated in the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people and another planning to attack Israeli troops. Palestinians said one person was killed in Nuseirat and at least nine in the strike on a Gaza City police station.
Israel's military said Tuesday's strike targeted a meeting of four Hamas commanders and additional militants, including one who participated in the 2023 attack. That strike, on a busy seaside cafe, killed seven Palestinians, including a child, according to hospitals, the Palestinian Red Crescent and Gaza's Health Ministry.
More than 73,400 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, including at least 1,273 people killed by Israel since the October ceasefire, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
Trump calls Alex Vindman’s loss ‘the most gratifying’ of Tuesday’s primary results
That’s because the retired Army lieutenant colonel and former National Security Council staffer had delivered searing testimony against Trump during the president’s 2019 impeachment trial.
Vindman had testified about a telephone call in which Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
In a social media post, Trump disparaged Vindman as a “real treasonous creep.”
Vindman lost his bid for the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida to progressive state lawmaker Angie Nixon. Trump predicted she will lose the general election to Republican Sen. Ashley Moody.
Democrats file Supreme Court brief to stop Trump’s ballroom
More than a dozen senators and representatives signed onto the amicus brief challenging what they said is Trump’s illegal demolition of the White House East Wing and plans to build a new ballroom without congressional authorization.
“The Constitution deems Congress the landlord of the White House and all federal property — presidents are only temporary tenants in the People’s House,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
He said Trump’s “ballroom stunt is plainly illegal, and the Supreme Court should put a stop to it.”
“Congress has not provided funding or authorization for Trump’s ridiculous vanity project, making this project an unconstitutional abuse of power,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. “We will continue fighting to stop this illegal use of taxpayer dollars.”
The administration has appealed challenges to the ballroom project to the Supreme Court.
North Korea shrugs off Trump’s scaled-back drills with South Korea
North Korea says a U.S. decision to scale back military exercises with South Korea doesn’t change anything.
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made the comments Wednesday night in her country’s first reaction to Trump’s drastic reduction of the annual U.S.-South Korean military drills.
Kim Yo Jong says it’s not even worth commenting on Trump’s move and that she has no interest in the matter.
She said “the provocative, aggressive nature” of the U.S.-South Korean drills won’t change even though their duration and size have been reduced.
Trump says he told Mills to end reelection bid
The president, who prides himself as the GOP’s political kingmaker, said Wednesday that he had asked scandal-plagued Rep. Cory Mills to abandon his reelection attempt.
But “he wouldn’t listen,” Trump said in a social media post. “He thought he could win, so who can blame him?”
Mills lost the support of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other top Florida Republicans amid allegations of domestic violence against a former girlfriend, which Mills denied.
Trump had backed Mills earlier this year, but Mills was conspicuously missing when the president’s social media account re-upped his endorsements ahead of Tuesday’s primaries. Republicans nominated former television correspondent Ryan Elijah instead.
“We now have a great candidate, Ryan Elijah, running in his place!” Trump wrote. “Ryan stands for EVERYTHING MAGA, and is respected by ALL. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Americans have elected just 3 Black governors. That could change this year
Across 250 years, only three of the thousands of elected U.S. governors have been Black — all of them Democrats and men, including current Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
With Florida Republicans nominating U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds on Tuesday, there are now seven Black major party gubernatorial nominees in addition to Moore — men and women, Democrats and Republicans — on November ballots.
"We do have a unique moment here," said Moore, who chairs the National Governors Association.
The Black nominees typically emphasize their experience and policy proposals, not the history at stake.
“Florida is a great meritocracy in America,” Donalds told reporters after not mentioning his race at all in his Tuesday night victory speech. “I’ll let you guys write about that.”
The other nominees are Republicans Lisa Demuth in Minnesota and John James in Michigan; and Democrats Aaron Ford in Nevada, Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Jermaine Johnson in South Carolina and David Crowley in Wisconsin.
Sen. Darline Graham in debate: ‘I’m not that informed on national security’
The recently appointed senator stumbled over a foreign policy question in a debate Tuesday night as she competes in next week’s Republican primary runoff in South Carolina.
“Are Taiwan and the South China Sea national security issues for the United States and if so, why or how?” a moderator asked.
Graham started her answer by saying, “I’m just going to be honest here.”
“I’m not a polished politician up here, national security is not my thing, not my area of expertise, but I do support the military,” she said moments later.
Graham's brother, Lindsey, died unexpectedly on July 11. She was appointed to fill his seat temporarily and Trump has endorsed her against Rep. Ralph Norman in the special election for her own term.
Kennedy Center tells court it won’t move to return Trump’s name before Sept. 8
The Kennedy Center has told a federal court it won't try to return Trump's name to the building's facade before at least Sept. 8 as another legal battle takes shape over the future of the performing arts venue.
In a status report filed late Tuesday, opponents of the move said members of the Kennedy Center’s Trump-aligned board “seem intent” on defying an earlier court order requiring the president’s name to be removed. The Kennedy Center said it wouldn’t move forward with its plans until after Labor Day “at the earliest” to allow time for legal arguments.
Lawyers for Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who is an ex-officio member of the board, pressed U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper for an earlier ruling, arguing there is "every reason to believe that Defendants will attempt to effectuate some or part of this latest unlawful resolution at the earliest opportunity after September 8."
Israeli military says it has reviewed 150 cases of troop conduct in Gaza, and decided five
Israel's military says it will launch criminal investigations into two high-profile attacks on Palestinians during the Gaza war — the killings of 5-year-old Hind Rajab and her family, and of 15 Palestinian paramedics.
The military said it would not investigate three other attacks that killed aid workers from World Central Kitchen and Doctors Without Borders.
The Wednesday statement did not mention other high-profile killings that the military has pledged to investigate throughout the war, such as the Israeli strikes on a hospital in southern Gaza in August 2025 that killed five journalists including Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who freelanced for The Associated Press and other news organizations.
Fake polling from mysterious company highlights danger of unvetted election surveys
A mysterious political firm admitted to fabricating multiple election polls this month. The fake results from a company called Median Strategies, none of which appeared in AP coverage, claimed to evaluate support in the Democratic primary for governor in Wisconsin, the gubernatorial race in Nevada, and the mayoral race in Los Angeles.
The California poll was shared by Mayor Karen Bass’ campaign on social media and covered by local news outlets before the company admitted its results were faked and shut down.
The trajectory of the false data offers a cautionary tale about the perils of trusting unvetted polling. While high-quality political polls still exist, they appear amid a slew of other surveys produced by outside groups, campaigns or super PACs using undisclosed or questionable methodologies.
Canadians say Trump’s tariffs delay falls well short of a deal
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement “substantial progress” had been made but that important work remained, confirming Canada had agreed to the three-day delay while negotiations continued.
Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Candace Laing said in a statement that the three-day tariff delay offered businesses some relief but fell short of the certainty a signed interim agreement would provide.
“This limbo state is not anyone’s preferred outcome,” she said, urging negotiators to reach a deal quickly.
US sanctions International Criminal Court president, senior prosecutor
The International Criminal Court has responded to the latest Trump administration sanctions it faces, saying they undermine the rule of law. “When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk,” its statement says.
The State Department said Tuesday it had hit ICC president Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who is from Senegal, with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in U.S. jurisdictions or come into contact with the U.S. financial system.
The Trump administration has sought to dismantle the tribunal, which it accuses of trying to unfairly prosecute U.S. and Israeli soldiers for alleged crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statement calls it "a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate."
Election takeaways: Donalds joins historic field and progressive scores upset victory in Florida
As the long, contentious primary season nears its end, Democratic voters elevated another progressive Senate candidate in Florida, while Trump’s chosen candidate in his adopted home state, Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, won the nomination to be the state’s first Black governor.
It was a mixed bag for incumbents in the state, where Republican-led redistricting efforts scrambled congressional maps. Voters in Alaska, Wyoming and California were also choosing their nominees, sometimes considering multiple people running with matching last names.
Tuesday's contests will help shape the midterms this fall to determine control of Congress, where Republicans have a narrow edge.
▶ Read more takeaways from Tuesday night
South Korean and US militaries shorten drills by about half after Trump ordered a reduction
The South Korean and U.S. militaries detailed how they're scaling back joint drills, a reduction Trump ordered in an apparent bid to reengage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump had ordered his Pentagon chief to "substantially reduce" the allies' summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, just before they began Monday for an 11-day run. Trump cited what he said was a good relationship with Kim and South Korea's refusal to support him over Iran.
South Korean officials said Trump’s surprise announcement came without prior notice, baffling many people in the Asian country and raising concerns about joint defense readiness.
South Korea's military said Wednesday the allies agreed to adjust the duration and scale of the exercises at the request of the U.S. It said the ongoing drills would end Friday, not Aug. 27 as initially planned. The allies also agreed to downsize some joint field training exercises.
Trump says US and Canada have reached last-minute deal to delay 50% US tariffs on Canadian imports
President Donald Trump says he's delaying the 50% U.S. tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports. The countries reached a deal less than two hours before the sanctions were to go into effect, buying time for more negotiations and avoiding for now another strain in already tense relations.
“I have paused the 50% Tariffs against Canada, that were scheduled to kick in tomorrow morning for a three day period, based on the fact that Canada and the U.S.A., subject to the finalization of documents, have a DEAL!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
If they had gone into effect as scheduled at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Trump’s import taxes would have hit Canadian products ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors.
But the political impact would likely have been bigger than the economic one. Canada had threatened to retaliate against any new tariffs with levies of its own, aggravating a trade fight between countries that sold each other $880 billion worth of goods and services last year.