News Wrap: White House asks Supreme Court to allow it to remove deportation protections

Amna Nawaz:

Back here at home, the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow it to remove deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants. They want the justices to block a district court order that upheld temporary legal status. The order relates to more than half-a-million people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Those protections were granted by a Biden era policy that allowed people to fly to the U.S. if they had a financial sponsor and pass security checks. In their filing, Justice Department lawyers argued that the lower court — quote — "nullified one of the administration's most consequential immigration policy decisions."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says his agency is reviewing the visa status of protesters who clashed with security guards at Columbia University. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanted and hung flags at the school's main library as students were studying for finals. Police say at least 80 people were taken into custody.

Columbia's acting president called the protest utterly unacceptable, adding that she is — quote — "deeply disturbed that, at a moment when our international community feels particularly vulnerable, a small group of students would choose to make our institution a target."

President Trump is pulling his pick to be the top federal prosecutor for the nation's capital after it became clear he did not have the votes among Republican senators. Ed Martin Jr. has been acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia since Trump's first week back in office in January.

A leading figure in Trump's Stop the Steal movement following the 2020 election, Martin represented several January 6 defendants in court. He also stirred controversy by firing and demoting a number of prosecutors who worked on politically sensitive cases.

The Trump administration is replacing the acting head of FEMA. Cameron Hamilton was removed from his post just a day after making the case for the agency's relevance before a congressional committee. President Trump has floated the idea of getting rid of FEMA altogether. Hamilton's dismissal comes less than a month before the start of hurricane season.

Also today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says it will no longer track the cost of major natural disasters. Those are weather events that cause at least $1 billion in damage. Scientists say such disasters are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

Ukraine and Russia are accusing each other of violating a three-day cease-fire called by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the nation's Victory Day holiday. A Ukrainian official says Russia violated its own truce more than 700 times starting at midnight last night.

In the Meantime, Putin welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin today. He's referred to Xi as the main guest for tomorrow's military parade marking 80 years since victory over Nazi Germany.

In Kyiv, that anniversary was marked as a somber day of remembrance. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the difference between Ukraine's observances and the show of force that's expected in Moscow tomorrow.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through interpreter):

It will be a parade of cynicism, a parade of bile and lies, as if it were Putin personally who defeated Nazism. Thank God Ukraine has not forgotten that 80 years ago dozens of Allied states fought against Nazism, and more than eight million Ukrainians, sadly, died in that struggle.

Amna Nawaz:

Elsewhere, the anniversary of V.E. Day was marked across Europe. German leaders laid wreaths in Berlin, where this year's anniversary was marked as a one-off public holiday.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier then warned Parliament that Russia's invasion of Ukraine and America turning its back on alliances are defining concerns for this century. In France, President Emmanuel Macron led a military parade down the Champs Elysees, before lighting the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

And in London's Westminster Abbey, King Charles and Britain's royal family attended a service of thanksgiving where they too remembered the lives lost in the war.

And on Wall Street today, stocks rallied amid hopes that President Trump can firm up trade deals with other nations. The Dow Jones industrial average added around 250 points. The Nasdaq jumped nearly 200 points, or about 1 percent. The S&P 500 tacked on about 30 points on the day.

And America's current first lady made a rare public appearance today by helping pay tribute to a former first lady at the White House.

Woman:

One, two, three.

(Applause)

Amna Nawaz:

Melania Trump hosted the unveiling of a new postage stamp featuring Barbara Bush. As wife to George H.W. Bush, she served as first lady from 1989 to 1993. Mrs. Bush was also the mother of George W. Bush, the nation's 43rd president, who was notably absent from today's event.

As such, she joins Abigail Adams as the only two women to be wife of one president and mother to another. Barbara Bush died in 2018. Presales of her stamp begin on Saturday.