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

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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.

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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.

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.

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

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.

The president is not jumping at the opportunity to campaign for Republican candidates in Virginia’s off-year elections this November.

Asked whether he would campaign for gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears or Jason Miyares, running for reelection as state attorney general, Trump said, “I’m going to have to look at some of them.”

Trump seemed to downplay the races, calling them a “semi-local election.”

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

The president said the government will continue to “take care” of the military and Social Security payments.

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.”

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.

The Trump administration has been easing sanctions imposed on Syria under Assad.

Al-Shibani is in negotiations with Israel to try reach a security agreement along the two countries’ tense border.

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.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a social safety net that serves more than 42 million people nationwide. Under the program formerly known as food stamps, the federal government pays for 100% of the food benefits but the states determine who is eligible for the benefits and then issue those benefits to enrollees.

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 so-called go-broke date — or 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.

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.

In May, the Supreme Court reversed an order from Chen that affected another 350,000 Venezuelans. The high court provided no explanation at the time, which is common in emergency appeals.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued in the new court filing that the justices’ May order should also apply to the current case.

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.

And the divided panel narrowly avoided urging states to require a prescription for the shot.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Friday that it has made 400 arrests in Chicago since launching “Operation Midway” Blitz” less than two weeks ago, offering an early gauge of what is shaping up as a major enforcement effort similar to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

The operation has brought allegations of excessive force and heavy-handed dragnets that have ensnared U.S. citizens, while gratifying supporters of Trump who say he is delivering on a promise of mass deportations.

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 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.

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.”

Carr said Wednesday on Fox News: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to take action on Kimmel or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

But Cruz, who chairs the Senate committee that oversees the FCC, said Carr’s comments sounded “right out of a mafioso.”

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.

The actions mark 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.

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 Thursday.

He also stressed that Putin was still willing to end the war, which Moscow triggered when it launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor 3-1/2 years ago, “politically and diplomatically.”

“Of course, President Trump is quite emotional, so to say, about this issue. That is completely understandable,” Peskov said.

The Senate rejected competing measures to fund federal agencies for a few weeks when the new budget year begins on 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, 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, R-Tenn., “He apparently didn’t have what we all thought he had.”

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.

The development comes as Trump administration officials have been aggressively pursuing allegations against James arising from alleged paperwork discrepancies on James’s Brooklyn townhouse and a Virginia home. The Justice Department has spent months conducting the investigation but has yet to bring charges and it not clear that prosecutors have managed to uncover any degree of incriminating evidence necessary to secure an indictment.

-By Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker

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 megacelebrity and an enormous success in business.”

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.

The fate of TikTok’s U.S. operations are still somewhat uncertain after Trump’s call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

The U.S. president wants an American buyer of the social media site’s U.S. operations for national security reasons and his post on social media about his call with Xi acted like a deal was ready.

Trump posted on Truth Social: “appreciate the TikTok approval.”

But it’s unclear just what Xi approved regarding the sale of the assets by the Chinese company ByteDance.

The Chinese government statement said the Chinese government “would be happy to see productive commercial negotiations in keeping with market rules lead to a solution that complies with China’s laws and regulations and takes into account the interests of both sides. The U.S. side needs to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese investors.”

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

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 that 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.”

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 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.”