JD Vance wants Elon Musk’s DOGE staffer who resigned over racist posts reinstated; Trump meets Japan PM: Live updates

Marko Elez, a 25-year-old programmer, posted his support for a “eugenic immigration policy” and called to “normalize Indian hate,” among other racist statements uncovered by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

“Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool,” Elez posted on his X account in July, according to WSJ’s review of archived posts.

Indonesian authorities have halted development of a tourism project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump.

The project, covering over 3,000 hectares, is a collaboration between Trump’s business partner, Indonesian billionaire Hary Tanoesoedibjo, and the Trump Organization.

Tanoesoedibjo attended Trump’s inauguration in Washington last month.

President Donald Trump, who campaigned claiming he could bring about a rapid end to Russia’s war on Ukraine, said on Monday he wanted Ukraine to supply the U.S. with rare earths and other minerals in return for financially supporting its war effort.

In an exclusive interview with Reuters on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded: “If we are talking about a deal, then let’s make one. We are only for it.”

Last autumn, Ukraine proposed opening its critical minerals to investment from allies, presenting a “victory plan” aimed at putting it in the strongest position for negotiations and compelling Moscow to engage in talks.

Zelensky said less than 20 percent of Ukraine’s mineral resources, including about half its rare earth deposits, were under Russian occupation.

Rare earths are crucial in producing high-performance magnets, electric motors, and consumer electronics. Zelensky suggested that Moscow could share these resources with its allies, North Korea and Iran, both of whom are staunch enemies of the U.S.

“We need to stop Putin and protect what we have — a very rich Dnipro region, central Ukraine,” he said.

Zelensky told Reuters that Ukraine has Europe’s largest reserves of titanium, which is essential for the aviation and space industries, and uranium, which is used for nuclear energy and weapons.

Many of the titanium deposits were marked in northwestern Ukraine, far from the fighting.

Ukraine has rapidly recalibrated its foreign policy approach to align with the transactional worldview of President Trump, Ukraine’s most important ally.

However, Zelenskiy emphasized that Kyiv was not proposing “giving away” these vital resources, but instead was interested in offering a mutually beneficial partnership to develop them jointly: “The Americans helped the most, and therefore the Americans should earn the most. And they should have this priority, and they will. I would also like to talk about this with President Trump.”

Just now: There will be a hearing on USAID workers’ motion for a temporary restraining order at 3 p.m.

Here’s what you need to know about the case:

President Donald Trump said that he expects to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky next week and wants to discuss the security of their assets, such as rare earths.

Bishop Ebli De La Rosa, overseeing Church of God of Prophecy congregations across nine southeastern states, is bracing for the worst.

His motto, he says, is “to prepare for the worst and pray for the best,” as the Trump administration’s rescission of policies protecting immigrants in sensitive locations, including churches, has put dozens of his pastors at risk.