Trump calls for famed Alcatraz prison to be reopened, expanded

Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed in 1963 and operates as a museum.

Last Updated: May 5, 2025, 2:53 AM EDT

President Donald Trump on Sunday that he doesn't know if he is supposed to uphold the Constitution and relies on his lawyers to follow the law.

"I don't know. I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said," Trump told NBC in an interview that aired Sunday on "Meet the Press."

Trump also said that he wouldn't seek a third term as president, though he has teased the possibility several times, and that he wouldn't fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell before his term ends in 2026.

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May 02, 2025, 4:55 PM EDT

EPA administrator announces agency reorganization

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced a significant reorganization for the agency the same day the Trump administration proposed billions of dollars in cuts to renewable energy, environmental and climate programs.

"EPA is creating the first-of-its-kind Office of State Air Partnerships within the Office of Air and Radiation. This office will be focused on working with, not against, state, local and tribal air permitting agencies to improve processing of State Implementation Plans and resolving air permitting concerns," Zeldin said in a video posted to YouTube.

Zeldin added that the EPA will also create a new Office of Clean Air program, make changes to its Office of Water and create an Office of Applied Science and Environmental Solutions.

Zeldin said the reorganization would save more than $300 million a year and that the agency's goal is to reduce staffing to match the level of Ronald Reagan's presidency.

--ABC News' Matthew Glasser

May 02, 2025, 4:08 PM EDT

A possible military parade takes shape for Trump's birthday

The US Army is weighing plans for a historic parade through the streets of Washington, D.C., this June that would involve some 6,600 soldiers, tanks and infantry vehicles, helicopter flyovers and parachute jumps, according to several people familiar with the ongoing planning effort.

The June 14 parade, if approved, would coincide with the Army’s long-planned 250th celebration, as well as President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.

The Army has long been planning to commemorate its milestone birthday with a festival on the National Mall that would include a fitness expo, staged vehicles and historical memorabilia. Officials said the parade is a potential add-on and cautioned that no final decisions have been made.

President Donald Trump gives a commencement address at the University of Alabama, May 1, 2025, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

The timing and White House involvement in planning efforts have stoked speculation that Trump is using the Army’s birthday as an excuse to get the kind of grand military parade he wanted during his first term in office. That event was scrapped after estimates topped $90 million.

The cost for this year’s June 14 parade is unclear, officials said. But it would likely be steep. The event will require involvement from several federal agencies, including those requiring security.

--ABC News' Anne Flaherty

May 02, 2025, 2:07 PM EDT

Trump admin settles with Maine over school meal funding freeze

The state of Maine and the Trump administration reached a settlement Friday to resolve a lawsuit over a recent funding freeze that Maine alleged was imposed to punish the state for its policies on transgender athletes.

The settlement was disclosed in a court filing on Friday afternoon, and lawyers with the Maine Attorney General’s office moved to dismiss their case shortly afterward.

Maine Governor Janet Mills listens as President Donald Trump hosts a business session with U.S. governors who are in town for the National Governors Association's annual winter meeting, at the White House in Washington, Feb. 21, 2025.
Leah Millis/Reuters

The terms of the settlement were not immediately disclosed.

“It’s unfortunate that my office had to resort to federal court just to get USDA to comply with the law and its own regulations. But we are pleased that the lawsuit has now been resolved and that Maine will continue to receive funds as directed by Congress to feed children and vulnerable adults,” Maine Attorney General Aaron M. Frey said in a statement Friday.

Last month, a federal judge blocked the Department of Agriculture from freezing millions of dollars related to child nutrition and other federal programs, finding the Trump administration likely violated the law when it attempted to cut off the previously appropriated funding.

The lawsuit followed a tense interaction between Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills in February over the president’s executive order prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous and Alexander Mallin

May 02, 2025, 11:45 AM EDT

Senate Democrats call on Trump to investigate Musk

Thirteen Senate Democrats wrote to President Donald Trump in a letter Friday to express concern that Elon Musk is "exploiting his position" as a senior White House advisor to "influence foreign governments for his own financial gain," and to call on him to investigate these allegations.

The letter cites reports that Musk is allegedly "taking advantage of his government role to coerce concessions from foreign governments for his own benefit, including unfettered market access as well as contracts with his companies, in exchange for favorable treatment by the U.S. government."

Democrats are particularly focused in this letter on recent reports about business deals struck between Musk's company Starlink and other countries. They cite reporting by the Washington Post about recent distribution deals and licensing deals reached between Starlink and several countries, including India and Bangladesh.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk attends a cabinet meeting held by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, April 30, 2025.
Evan Vucci/AP

If these actions took place in the White House or Blair House, Democrats say, they could be in violation of U.S. law. Democrats say this should be investigated and call on Trump to make public any findings.

"The fear that officials are misusing their authority for self-enrichment, be it through government contracting or through corrupt interactions with foreign governments, is not one that Americans should have to countenance. Brazen corruption of that sort is seen in despotic regimes, not the United States of America," the letter states.

ABC News' Allison Pecorin

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