AP Top News at 11:22 p.m. EDT

Asian shares deepen losses after another Wall St retreat as tariffs due to take effect

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares sank again on Wednesday as the latest set of U.S. tariffs, including a massive 104% levy on Chinese imports, was due to take effect. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index initially lost nearly 4% and markets elsewhere in the region also declined. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 dropped 1.6% after wiping out an early gain of 4.1%. That took it nearly 19% below its record set in February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8%, while the Nasdaq composite lost 2.1%. Uncertainty is still high about what President Donald Trump will do with his trade war. The sharply higher tariffs were scheduled to kick in after midnight Eastern time in the U.S., and investors have no idea what to make of President Donald Trump’s trade war.

White House keeps world guessing as clock ticks down to Trump’s new tariffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Less than one hour before the stock market closed on Monday, journalists gathered in the Oval Office for their only chance of the day to ask President Donald Trump about the turmoil caused by his tariff plans. Are the new tariffs, scheduled to take effect on Wednesday, a bargaining chip to reach better trade deals? Or are they etched in stone in a mission to revamp the global economy? Investors around the world were hanging on Trump’s every word, but he did little to clear up the situation. “It can both be true,” he said. “There can be permanent tariffs, and there can also be negotiations.” The markets skidded to a close.

IRS acting commissioner is resigning over deal to send immigrants’ tax data to ICE, AP sources say

WASHINGTON (AP) — The acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service is resigning over a deal to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S., according to two people familiar with the decision. Melanie Krause, who had served as acting head since February, will step down over the new data-sharing document signed Monday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The agreement will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.

Trump signs executive orders to boost coal, a reliable but polluting energy source

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a series of executive orders aimed at boosting the struggling coal industry, a reliable but polluting energy source that’s long been in decline. Under the four orders, Trump uses his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars. Trump also directed federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on U.S. lands. In a related action, Trump also signed a proclamation offering coal-fired power plants a two-year exemption from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene.

Netanyahu-Trump meeting reveals unexpected gaps on key issues

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Washington for a hastily organized White House visit bringing a long list of concerns: Iran’s nuclear program. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The surging influence of rival Turkey in Syria. And the 18-month war in Gaza. Netanyahu appeared to leave Monday’s meeting largely empty-handed — a stark contrast with his triumphant visit two months ago. During an hourlong Oval Office appearance, Trump appeared to slap down, contradict or complicate each of Netanyahu’s policy prerogatives. On Tuesday, Netanyahu declared the meeting a success, calling it a “very good visit” and claiming successes on all fronts.

AP wins reinstatement to White House events after judge rules government can’t bar its journalists

A federal judge ordered the White House on Tuesday to restore The Associated Press’ full access to cover presidential events, affirming on First Amendment grounds that the government cannot punish the news organization for the content of its speech. U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, an appointee of President Donald Trump, ruled that the government can’t retaliate against the AP’s decision not to follow the president’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico. The decision, while a preliminary injunction, handed the AP a major victory at a time the White House has been challenging the press on several levels.

The roof collapses at a Dominican Republic nightclub, killing at least 79 people

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The roof of an iconic nightclub in the Dominican capital collapsed early Tuesday during a merengue concert attended by politicians, athletes and others, leaving at least 79 people dead and 160 injured, authorities said. Crews were searching for potential survivors in the rubble at the one-story Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations. “We continue clearing debris and searching for people,” he said on Tuesday night. “We’re going to search tirelessly for people.” Nearly 12 hours after the top of the nightclub collapsed onto patrons, rescue crews were still pulling out survivors from under the debris, shushing those around them so they could listen for faint cries for help.

Kentucky watches for surging rivers to recede so widespread cleanup can begin

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — After days of deluges overfilled rivers to near-record levels across Kentucky, residents were anxious Tuesday to return to their flooded homes and assess what’s salvageable, even as stubbornly high waters kept some of them waiting even longer. Susan Williams returned to her rural Franklin County home with her four dogs and three cats. She left Sunday while the waters kept rising. Now, her house and a neighbor’s looked like they were on an island in brown waters. Williams and some friends loaded her animals onto a small boat and paddled back and forth, dropping them off at the house built by her parents.

Texas measles outbreak tops 500 cases, including multiple at a day care in Lubbock

A day care facility in a Texas county that’s part of the measles outbreak has multiple cases, including children too young to be fully vaccinated, public health officials say. West Texas is in the middle of a still-growing measles outbreak with 505 cases reported on Tuesday. The state expanded the number of counties in the outbreak area this week to 10. The highly contagious virus began to spread in late January and health officials say it has spread to New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Mexico. Three people who were unvaccinated have died from measles-related illnesses this year, including two elementary school-aged children in Texas.

Octavio Dotel, who once held record of pitching for 13 major league teams, dies in DR roof collapse

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Octavio Dotel, who pitched for 13 major league teams in a 15-year career and won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals, was among the dead after a roof collapsed at a nightclub in his native Dominican Republic where he was attending a merengue concert. He was 51. Officials initially said Dotel was rescued from the debris and transported to a hospital, but spokesman Satosky Terrero from the Professional Baseball League of the Dominican Republic confirmed to The Associated Press that Dotel died later Tuesday. At least 79 people died and 160 were injured after the collapse at the Jet Set nightclub, officials said.