WASHINGTON (AP) — Ed Martin Jr., who will be the Justice Department’s new pardon attorney after President Donald Trump pulled his nomination to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, said Tuesday that he plans to scrutinize pardons that former President Joe Biden issued on his way out of the White House.

The president has backtracked repeatedly on his tariff policies, creating a whiplash with downsides and few clear benefits so far.

U.S. President Donald Trump was set to meet Syria's president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday following a surprise announcement that the United States would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government despite lingering concerns about its leaders' former ties to Al Qaeda.

Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of remaining in office once his term ends. Examples from other countries show how presidents have circumvented constitutional term limits.

Saudi Arabia is of key diplomatic importance to the Trump White House, especially amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Pope Leo XIV had an initial one-word response when asked by a reporter on Monday if he had a message for his native United States. It left observers wondering if the pontiff would soon have more to say about President Donald Trump’s policies.

As the Supreme Court hears arguments Thursday on a major Donald Trump policy for the first time in his second term, the president could secure a significant win affecting many of the lawsuits against his administration out of a case that is otherwise widely seen as a legal loser.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade holds the first hearing on the challenges Tuesday morning in New York. Five small businesses are asking the court to block the sweeping import taxes that Trump announced April 2 – “Liberation Day,’’ he called it.