Nuclear analysts have said they could be a potential acceptable third party to the Iranian Republic to take possession of the enriched uranium, which could be used to make a nuclear weapon, as part of a potential deal with the U.S. to end the war.

Edited By  BRIDGET BROWN, MICHAEL WARREN, CURTIS YEE, AISHA I. JEFFERSON, NELL CLARK and TAREK HAMADAUpdated 5:46 PM GMT-4, May 27, 2026

Here’s what we’re following:

• President Donald Trump is meeting with his Cabinet at a precarious moment for talks aimed at ending the war with Iran, just days after insisting that his administration and Tehran had “largely negotiated” a settlement but with the negotiations still in a state of flux. But he risks finding that closure to his war of choice comes with an unsatisfactory ending — one that puts off many critical issues to be resolved later.
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, easily defeating four-term Sen. John Cornyn in the latest contest where Trump sought to oust an incumbent he saw as insufficiently loyal.
• Trump had another medical exam on Tuesday, putting his health under renewed public scrutiny after he has worked to dismiss concerns over his age and stamina. The 79-year-old president spent more than three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what the White House described as preventive medical and dental checkups. In a social media post after the visit, Trump said that he had just finished his “6 month physical” and that “everything checked out PERFECTLY.”

You’re watching breaking news unfold in real time.

AP’s network of journalists works around the clock and from nearly 100 countries to gather facts, verify information and send updates to editors who compile them into the blog you’re following now. 

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4:36 p. m. GMT-4

House Dems introduce bill to block Trump’s proposed Arch

By MATTHEW DALY

House Democrats are introducing a bill to block construction of Trump’s proposed “triumphal arch” near the Lincoln Memorial. The bill comes after a federal commission approved the design for the project, which Trump wants to serve as an entrance to the nation’s capital.

Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia and Dina Titus of Nevada called the arch a “vanity project,” saying it relies on illegal funding manipulations without congressional authorization and violates the Commemorative Works Act.

Beyer’s district includes Arlington National Cemetery, adjacent to the arch site. He called the cemetery sacred ground, adding: “It is unthinkable that we would desecrate this hallowed space to build a monument to Donald Trump’s ego.”

The 250-foot arch is one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his imprint on Washington.

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4:20 p. m. GMT-4

Wall Street hangs near its records as oil prices sink

By STAN CHOE

U.S. stocks are hanging near their records on Wednesday as oil prices fall, easing pressure on households and businesses worldwide.

The S&P 500 rose 0.1% and added to its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 243 points, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.1%.

Bath & Body Works and Abercrombie & Fitch both rallied after becoming the latest companies to deliver stronger profit reports for the start of 2026 than analysts expected. That’s even though U.S. consumers have been getting more discouraged about inflation.

Stocks of oil-and-gas companies fell after the price of Brent crude dropped more than 4%. Treasury yields eased.

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4:19 p. m. GMT-4

Trump uses Cabinet meeting to play mayor and offer lengthy update on Washington construction

By WILL WEISSERT, MICHELLE L. PRICE

The president took on a new role during his latest Cabinet meeting, acting more like a small-town mayor than commander-in-chief.

He spent 10 minutes describing in great detail helping lead his administration’s efforts to fix fountains and spruce up the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool, which Trump mistakenly called the “reflecting lake” and “reflecting pond.”

Workers “sandblasted it, and then we pebble-blasted,” Trump said, explaining it as “a bigger version of sand.”

His comments were far more extensive than what was said on meatier issues like the war in Iran, the economy or the upcoming midterm elections.

Trump even talked about fixing “the floor” of an outdoor park near the White House – meaning brick walkways in Washington’s Lafayette Park.

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3:19 p. m. GMT-4

South African government and Afrikaners reject US claim of a humanitarian emergency for white people

By MICHELLE GUMEDE

The South African government and advocacy groups for the country’s Afrikaner white minority on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s position that there’s a humanitarian emergency affecting white people in South Africa.

The argument served as the administration’s rationale for raising the U.S. refugee cap by 10,000, but only for white South Africans. The Trump administration announced the increase on Tuesday and cited “an unforeseen emergency refugee situation.”

The South African government calls these allegations unfounded, saying some beneficiaries of the refugee program have chosen to return to South Africa. Around 6,000 South Africans have moved to the U.S. since the Afrikaner program started last year, according to the U.S. government.

Afrikaner groups such as Solidariteit and AfriForum say that refugee status isn’t a solution, and they aim to improve conditions in South Africa. Critics argue the U.S. decision prioritizes white South Africans over refugees from war-torn regions.

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PUBLICIDAD

2:34 p. m. GMT-4

Iran insists on peace in Lebanon as part of a US deal as Israeli-Hezbollah fighting expands

By WAFA SHURAFA, MELANIE LIDMAN

The Israeli military on Wednesday told residents across southern Lebanon to leave as it expands its operations and applies “extreme force” against Hezbollah militants. Already, Israeli troops clashing with Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters have pushed north of the strategic Litani river as Lebanon and Israeli delegations head to talks in Washington. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the expansion amid a surge in Hezbollah’s exploding drone attacks.

More than one million people in Lebanon have been displaced, and over 3,200 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, since open warfare began on March 2 with Hezbollah rockets fired toward Israel in solidarity with Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said 23 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed, along with two civilians.

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2:17 p. m. GMT-4

Alabama attorney general says state did not intentionally discriminate against Black voters

By MARK SHERMAN, KIMBERLY CHANDLER

Steve Marshall also said Alabama should be allowed to hold new elections this year under a map chosen by lawmakers, not judges.

More than 879,000 voters cast ballots statewide in Alabama’s May 19 primaries, using a court-ordered map that led to the 2024 election of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, a Black Democrat. State Republicans want voters to return to polls and use their map instead. It would reduce the Black voting age population in his district from 48% to 39% with the aim of reclaiming the seat for the GOP.

Alabama’s GOP-controlled legislature already voided the May 19 results in the four districts affected by the map switch. Marshall is asking for Supreme Court action by Monday as the state prepares for new special primaries for Aug. 11 in those districts.

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1:46 p. m. GMT-4

Trump ends public portion of latest Cabinet meeting

By JOSHUA BOAK

Trump wrapped up the public portion of his latest Cabinet meeting after roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The U.S. president started the meeting shortly before noon. He talked about his renovation and architectural plans for Washington, as well as the Iran war, efforts to lower prescription drug prices and the vice president’s task force on fraud, among other subjects.

“We’re doing great,” Trump said before dismissing the reporters in attendance. “Our country is doing fantastically well, and this group of people is outstanding.”

1:42 p. m. GMT-4

Trump says he opposes Russia or China retrieving Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile

By MICHELLE L. PRICE

“That would not make me comfortable,” the president said.

The two countries have the closest relations with Tehran. Nuclear analysts have said they could be a potential acceptable third party to the Iranian Republic to take possession of the enriched uranium, which could be used to make a nuclear weapon, as part of a potential deal with the U.S. to end the war.

But Trump seemed to shut down that possibility Wednesday.

Under a 2015 deal that then-President Barack Obama negotiated, Russia took a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that Iran had at the time.

1:35 p. m. GMT-4

Trump spends 5 minutes talking about Reflecting Pool project

By BILL BARROW, RAHMAT GUL

The president offered painstaking details on his Reflecting Pool project.

He introduced the lengthy tangent as “a slightly smaller subject,” then walked through work on the 2,400-foot pool between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, saying it’ll be done by July 4.

“We cleaned it. We fumigated it. We had 10 major truck – dumpsters of garbage taken out. Can you believe it?” Trump said.

He blamed his Democratic predecessors for the “disgusting” conditions and disrepair.

“We made the surface as good as it can be,” Trump said. “And we’re now covering it with the most beautiful blue, very thick – you can think of it as a very sophisticated form of rubber. No leaks. No problems. And it’s beautiful. It’s called American flag blue.”

Trump at one point justified his intense oversight: “I’ve built hundreds of pools,” he said, later adding, “It’s not as simple as people think.”