UR MAG

By Bo Erickson

WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday requested a ‌10% cut in non-defense, discretionary spending for ‌the 2027 fiscal year, and an increase to defense spending ​by $500 billion, according to a White House budget document.

The president's proposed budget changes need to be approved by the U.S. Congress, which requires bipartisan ‌support, and the ⁠spending requests are often treated by lawmakers as suggestions.

But the 2027 budget requests ⁠reflect the administration's political priorities ahead of the 2026 midterm elections in November, when Trump's Republicans hope ​to maintain ​their small majorities in ​both the U.S. Senate ‌and U.S. House of Representatives.

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"Savings are achieved by reducing or eliminating woke, weaponized, and wasteful programs, and by returning state and local responsibilities to their respective governments," the White House said ‌in a budget fact sheet.

Some ​proposed cuts follow the Trump ​administration's pursuit against "green ​energy" spending, as well as eliminating ‌nearly 30 Justice Department programs ​that they ​deem "duplicative" or "weaponized" against the American people.

At the same time, the fiscal year 2027 budget requests ​a 13% ‌increase to "maximize" the Justice Department's "capacity to bring ​violent criminals to justice."

(Reporting by Bo Erickson; ​editing by Michelle Nichols)

PresidentDonald Trumpreceived his worst approval on the economy across both his presidencies in a new poll byCNN/SSRS released April 1.

The poll found 31% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the economy, compared to 39% in January 2026. The decline in approval on the issue is even higher among Republicans, especially Republicans under 45 years old, according to CNN.

The poll, conducted March 26-30 among 1,201 U.S. adults, found 35% approve of Trump's job performance overall. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

How does that compare to Trump'soverall approval rating? What else did thepoll show about voters' viewson the economy? Here is what to know:

'Outrageous':Sky-high gas prices are changing the way Americans live

President Trump speaks to the nation on Iran from the White House

CNN poll shows gas prices after Iran frustrating Americans

The new CNN poll comes as gas prices in the U.S. have surpassed$4 per gallonon average, according to AAA. Before theU.S. and Israel struck Iran, low gas prices were a talking point for the Trump administration facingnegative public opinionon the economy overall.

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CNN reported that their poll found about two-thirds of Americans say Trump's policies have worsened economic conditions and 27% say they approve of Trump's handling of inflation.

CNN also reported 63% of Americans say the prices at the pump have caused financial hardship in their household, including 15% calling it "severe."

One poll respondent told CNN and the pollster about the most important issue facing the country: "Prices! Everything is so expensive. Makes it very difficult to do anything other than work and go home. Trips to the grocery store are ridiculous! Between gas and grocery prices, we are poor!"

Trump addressed the concerns about gas prices in his address to the nation on April 1, saying the Strait of Hormuz would reopen when the conflict was over and theprices would fall again.

What is Trump's average approval rating?

Here is a look at some polling aggregators to understand how CNN/SSRS's poll compares to the average Trump approval numbers as of April 2:

• New York Times: 39% approve, 57% disapprove, both the worst in this term per the Times

• Silver Bulletin: 39.7% approve, 56.6% disapprove

• RealClearPolitics Poll Average: 41.2% approve, 56.6% disapprove

Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her onX (Twitter),Threads,BlueskyandTikTok.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Donald Trump's approval rating on the economy hits new low per CNN

Cuba's government will free 2,010 prisoners in the largest such release in years, it announced Thursday, asthe island bucklesunder increasing pressure from the Trump administration.

The government decided to grant its pardon based on the inmates' good conduct, their health status, and the nature of their "acts committed," according to the notice in Granma, the ruling Communist Party's official newspaper.

It added that the prisoners included young people, women, people above 60 years old, and foreigners. The list does not include prisoners who committed crimes such as murder, homicide, sexual assault or "crimes against authority."

Cuba regularly detains and targets dissidents, including activists, journalists, protesters and political opponents, according to Human Rights Watch.

Havana has previously conducted sweeping prisoner releases as part of deals with international parties – for instance, in early 2025, Cuba released 553 prisoners after negotiations with the US and the Vatican, in which the Biden administration pledged to ease sanctions on the island.

US President Donald Trump rescinded the deal after taking office – prompting Cuba totemporarily pausethe prisoner release, before completing it in March.

The Granma statement made no mention of the US in its announcement, citing the release to "the religious celebrations of Holy Week" as Christians around the world celebrate Easter. But Cuba has been slammed by the Trump administration's pressure campaign, worsening the island's already-struggling economy.

Earlier this year, through military action in Venezuela and threats of tariffs on Mexico, the Trump administrationshut off the flow of oilto Cuba – attempting to strong-arm the communist-run island into making significant political and economic reforms.

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Trump has insisted the Cuban government needs to finally open the island's centralized economy before it collapses. He hasfrequently talkedabout wanting to "take Cuba."

Many of Trump's political allies, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, are Cuba hawks who have long called for the overhaul of its communist leadership.

The island is now quickly running out of whatever oil it has left, which it uses to power vehicles and generate electricity – exacerbating along-running energy crisis.

The island was already prone to prolonged power outages, but those have gotten worse, with power plants lacking sufficient fuel to operate. In March, Cuba sufferedtwo nationwide blackoutsin just one week – leaving its more than 10 million people without power.

Life has ground to a halt, with classes suspended at many schools, workers furloughed to save energy, and flights from some places canceled because Cuba doesn't have enough jet fuel for long-haul flights.

Earlier this week, Trump allowed a Russian-flagged oil tanker into Cuban waters, breaking thefuel blockade,saying: "They have to survive." The White House afterward said this was "not a policy change."

Since Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro overthrew the US-backed regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, the country has been under a strict economic embargo from the US, blocking most commercial activity on the island involving Americans and creating significant legal barriers to any new investment.

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Lauren Coughlin and Japan's Nasa Hataoka and Miyu Yamashita formed a three-way tie atop the leaderboard after one round of the inaugural Aramco Championship on Thursday in Las Vegas.

The leaders posted rounds of 5-under-par 67 at Shadow Creek Golf Course. Three more are on their tails at 4-under 68: World No. 2 Nelly Korda, Jing Yan and South Korea's Hyo Joo Kim, who has won two straight LPGA Tour events entering the week.

The Aramco Championship, co-sanctioned by the LPGA and Ladies European Tour, features a purse of $4 million and replaces the T-Mobile Match Play on the schedule.

Coughlin, 33, is trying to get back in contention for an LPGA victory after winning her first two titles in 2024 and being shut out in 2025.

She could have been the outright first-round leader after collecting six birdies through 17 holes, but she made her only misstep of the day with a bogey at her final hole, the par-4 ninth.

"I feel like I know this place really well," said Coughlin, who lost in the final of the Match Play last year. "Been in a lot of the places (on the course) that you don't want to be, so I feel like I've been able to ... I just know the spots that I need to land it to a lot of the pins, where to miss if you have to."

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Hataoka's round was the inverse of Coughlin's. She bogeyed the first hole, immediately bounced back at the second and went on to total six birdies.

"Before tournament get (started) we talk about my goal is 5-under total for four days," Hataoka said. "It was (not a) windier condition. That's why I made so many good birdies today."

Yamashita stood at 1 over through her first eight holes but turned it around thanks to an eagle 3 at the 18th hole and four birdies on her second nine, the front side.

"The course is tough, but it's fun to figure it out," Yamashita said through a translator. "So there is always a chance of making bogey, but I want to play patience in golf."

Korda played her first round with her sister Jessica Korda, who recently returned to competition after giving birth to her first child.

"I'm super rusty obviously but I had such a fun time," said Jessica Korda, who posted 3-over 75. "Her and Charley (Hull) are just such great players. I've been on the commentating side and the spectating side, and being inside (the ropes) is so much fun."

--Field Level Media

In the minutes after his vehicle overturned on a narrow Jupiter Island, Florida, road, Tiger Woods said he was on the phone with President Donald Trump, according tonewly released body camera video.

Woods' SUVcollided with a slower pickup truck's trailer on Fridayand overturned onto its driver's side. Woods himself climbed out of the vehicle through the passenger side, and spoke with arriving officers at the scene for some time afterward. The officers observed Woods acting in an impaired fashion and placed him under arrest.

At one point, Woods walked down a nearby lane and was called back to the scene. He could be heard saying "Thank you so much. All right. You got it. Bye," and later tells the officer, "I was just talking with the president."

It's not clear who called whom.

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"I feel so badly He's got some difficulty. There was an accident, and that's all I know," Trump said shortly after Woods' incident. "A very close friend of mine, he's an amazing person, an amazing man. But some difficulty."

Woods told an officer at the scene that "he was very apologetic about what he did last night" — apparently a reference to Trump saying that Woods would not be playing in the Masters this year.

Trump and Woods have a long history, having played golf together for many years. Trump awarded Woods the Congressional Medal of Freedom in 2019. Woods is now dating Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr.

Woods was arrested on charges of DUI and refusing to submit to a lawful test, and was later released. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his attorney has sought permission for Woods to leave the country for treatment.