Here’s a look at what made news on May 8, 2025.

• **Military to Remove Transgender Troops Immediately**: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced the immediate ousting of transgender troops following the Supreme Court’s support for the Trump administration’s move. Officials are currently identifying and involuntarily discharging transgender personnel from service.
• **Excited Response to Chicago’s Pope Leo**: The announcement of Chicago’s Robert Prevost as Pope Leo saw an ecstatic response from local Catholics in the city, with celebrations likened to the Cubs winning the World Series.
• **Trump’s Deportation Plans and Migrant Abuse in Libya**: Plans to deport migrants from the U.S. to Libya, a country known for severe human rights violations and migrant abuse, have come under scrutiny.
• **BlackRock Mandates Full-Time Office Return for Senior Managers**: BlackRock is set to instruct about 1,000 managing directors globally to work from the office full-time, marking a major shift in its work-from-home policy.
• **EU Targets US Aircraft and Car Exports with New Tariffs**: The EU is considering new tariffs on US aircraft and car exports, among other categories, in an attempt to persuade President Trump to drop his current and proposed tariffs against the EU.
• **Trump Appoints Jeanine Pirro as Interim U.S. Attorney for DC**: Fox News host Jeanine Pirro has been appointed by President Trump as the interim U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C., replacing the rejected nominee Ed Martin.
• **Pope Leo XIV Criticizes Trump and Vance over Controversial Policies**: Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, the first American global leader of the Catholic Church, has been vocal in criticizing policies of the Trump administration and comments by JD Vance on social media.
• **Historic US-UK Trade Deal Announced**: President Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer have jointly announced a “historic” trade agreement between their countries, which reduces taxes on U.K. exports such as autos, steel, and aluminum.
• **Trump Administration Invokes State Secrets over Ábrego García Deportation Case**: The Trump administration is invoking “state secrets privilege” to avoid answering a judge’s questions about the erroneous deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García to El Salvador.
• **Les Misérables Cast Boycotts Kennedy Center Show over Trump’s Attendance**: At least 10 cast members of Les Misérables have chosen to boycott a Kennedy Center performance in Washington DC due to the anticipated attendance of Donald Trump.
• **Melania Trump Unveils Barbara Bush Postage Stamp**: First Lady Melania Trump and members of the Bush family have unveiled a U.S postage stamp bearing the portrait of former First Lady Barbara Bush at a White House event.
• **Vance’s Stance on India-Pakistan Conflict**: US Vice-President JD Vance has stated that the US will not intervene in the conflict between India and Pakistan, labeling it as “fundamentally none of our business.”
• **Democrats Oppose Trump’s Proposal to Reduce Veterans Affairs Personnel**: Lawmakers have criticized Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins for alleged stonewalling efforts to learn more about agency cuts and their impact on veterans.