U.S. President Donald Trump continues his extensive tour of Asia with a significant stop in South Korea on Wednesday. His agenda includes a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the historic city of Gyeongju, which serves as the backdrop for this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Trump’s visit follows a successful stop in Japan, where his charm offensive yielded a massive $490 billion in investment commitments. However, replicating this success in South Korea seems challenging. Trump aims to secure $350 billion in investment for the U.S., but a trade deal with South Korea remains elusive.
This diplomatic visit unfolds amid heightened tensions, as North Korea announced on Wednesday that it had launched sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters, marking yet another demonstration of its advancing military strength.
In related news, a significant development has occurred within the U.S. judiciary. A federal judge has disqualified Bill Essayli, the acting U.S. Attorney in Southern California and a Trump appointee, from overseeing multiple criminal cases. The decision, made on Tuesday, is based on the finding that Essayli has exceeded the permissible duration for holding his temporary position under legal stipulations.
Court disqualifies Trump-appointed US attorney from overseeing multiple criminal cases in Southern California
A federal judge disqualified acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli in Southern California from several cases after concluding Tuesday that the Trump appointee has stayed in the temporary job longer than allowed by law.
U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright disqualified Essayli from supervising the criminal prosecutions in three cases, siding with defense lawyers who argued that his authority expired in July.
“Simply stated: Essayli unlawfully assumed the role of Acting United States Attorney for the Central District of California,” Seabright wrote in his decision. “He has been unlawfully serving in that capacity since his resignation from the interim role on July 29, 2025. Essayli may not perform the functions and duties of the United States Attorney as Acting United States Attorney. He is disqualified from serving in that role.”
JUST IN: Court disqualifies Trump-appointed US attorney in Southern California from overseeing multiple criminal cases
Appeals court vacates ruling that could have allowed Trump to deploy troops in Portland
A federal appeals court has vacated a decision by a three-judge panel last week that could have allowed Trump to deploy troops in Portland, Oregon.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said late Tuesday it will rehear arguments in the case with a broader court of 11 judges.
The case involves efforts by the city and the state to prevent the administration from deploying hundreds of National Guard troops. Trump says the troops are needed protect federal property, including an Immigration and Customs Enforcement building that has been the site of protests.
City officials say the troops are not needed, and that federal agents themselves have inflamed tensions by arbitrarily firing tear gas and projectiles — including at city police.
White House urged firing live bombs, not dummies, for Trump’s visit to Navy celebration: AP sources
The White House pressed U.S. Navy officials to launch 2,000-pound live bombs instead of dummy explosives during an elaborate military demonstration for the service’s 250th anniversary celebration that the president attended, two people familiar with planning for the event told The Associated Press.
One person familiar with the planning said White House officials insisted to Navy planners that Trump “needed to see explosions” instead of just a “big splash” during the Oct. 5 demonstration.
Original planning called for military personnel to use dummies and not live bombs, a third person familiar with the Navy’s planning said.
That person, who like the others was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity, would not comment on why the Navy decided to switch to live bombs.
The White House said no switch was made. Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly in a statement said: “Organizers always planned to use live munitions, as is typical in training exercises.”
▶Read more about the White House urging the firing of live rounds
JUST IN: White House urged firing live bombs, not dummies, for celebration for US Navy that Trump attended, AP sources say
Trump says he’d love a third term. House Speaker Johnson says there’s ‘no path’
Trump’s musings about a potential third-term bid for the White House have run up against at least one obstacle: House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Johnson, the Republican leader who has built his career by drawing closer to Trump, said they have discussed the issue, but the speaker held the line against a Constitution-bending third term.
“I don’t see a path for that,” Johnson said Tuesday at his daily press conference at the Capitol.
The speaker described how the Constitution’s 22nd Amendment does not allow for a third presidential term and changing that, with a new amendment, would be a cumbersome, decade-long process to win over states and votes in Congress.
The speaker’s remarks come as Trump, just 10 months in office in his second term, is testing the powers of the presidency in new and often jarring ways — and repeatedly has raised the idea of trying to stay in power at the White House.
▶ Read more about Trump’s comments here
Judge indefinitely blocks firings of government workers during shutdown
A federal judge in San Francisco has indefinitely blocked the Trump administration from firing federal workers during the government shutdown.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction that bars the firings while a lawsuit challenging them plays out. She had previously issued a temporary restraining order against the job cuts that was set to expire Wednesday. Illston, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, has said she believes the evidence will ultimately show the mass firings were illegal and in excess of authority.
The Republican administration has been slashing jobs in education, health and other areas it says are favored by Democrats. Lawyers for the government argued personnel issues should be heard in a separate venue.
North Korea says it test-fired cruise missile ahead of Trump’s visit to South Korea
North Korea said Wednesday it has fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles into its western waters, in another display of its growing military capabilities as Trump travels to South Korea for a regional summit.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency described Tuesday’s test as a success and claimed that the weapons would contribute to expanding the operational sphere of the country’s nuclear-armed military.
South Korea’s military didn’t immediately confirm whether it had detected the tests.
The North Korean report came hours before an expected summit between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the city of Gyeongju, where South Korea is hosting this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.
Nvidia says it’s been shut out of Chinese market
Nvidia has been shut out of the Chinese market, and has taken China out of its quarterly forecast, CEO Jensen Huang said Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
“We are currently completely shut out of China,” Huang said. “Our market share has gone from 95% to 0%, which is very, very, very disappointing.”
Earlier this year, Huang had persuaded the U.S. government to allow Nvidia to sell its H20 chips to China, but Beijing reportedly banned the AI chips in September due to alleged security concerns.
Washington does not allow the sale of the most advanced American chips to China, while China has vowed to achieve self sufficiency in semiconductor production to power its tech race with the United States.
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