5 things to know for May 1: Minerals deal, Trump trade vote, Immigration, Deadly storms, Manatees

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Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced his intention to end the Defense Department’s Women, Peace and Security program, which increases the participation of women at all levels of conflict prevention and resolution. Although Hegseth described it as a “woke divisive/social justice/Biden initiative,” it was President Donald Trump who signed the Women, Peace and Security Act into law in 2017. The law was championed by his daughter, Ivanka, and backed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he was a member of the Senate and by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when she was a member of the House. Experts say ending the WPS initiative will have significant consequences for women in the military. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. After months of tense negotiations, the US and Ukraine have signed an agreement that will give Washington preferential access to Kyiv’s rare earth minerals in exchange for providing funding for reconstruction. The global production of rare earth minerals has long been dominated by China. Seeking an alternative, Western nations have looked to Ukraine, which contains deposits of 22 of the 50 materials that are critical to the production of electronics, clean energy technologies and some weapon systems. Ukraine signed a similar deal with the EU in 2021. “This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.” A bipartisan effort to rebuke President Trump’s trade policy was thwarted late Wednesday night. Earlier in the evening, the Senate rejected the resolution, which would have effectively revoked the emergency order the president was using to enact his tariffs in a 49-49 vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune then moved to ensure that tariff opponents were unable to bring back their resolution at a later date, forcing Vice President JD Vance to travel to Capitol Hill to cast the tie-breaking vote. Trump’s trade policy places a 10% tariff on virtually everything coming into the US; imposes 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and many items from Mexico and Canada; and punishes China with a tariff of at least 145% for goods imported to the US. The Venezuelan foreign ministry has accused the US of “kidnapping” a 2-year-old girl and demanded that she be returned to her family. Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Berna was separated from her mother as she was boarding a deportation flight back to Venezuela. The US also deported the girl’s father to a notorious prison in El Salvador. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security denied abducting the toddler, saying she was removed from the deportation flight list “for her safety and welfare.” Without providing evidence, the DHS accused her parents of being part of a Venezuelan gang. The child is currently staying with a foster family and is in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Venezuela has vowed to take all legal and diplomatic measures to secure her return. Severe weather left at least four people dead in Pennsylvania and at least two people dead in Oklahoma this week. The violent storms tore through more than a dozen states, bringing hurricane-strength wind gusts, hail and tornadoes. A derecho — a long-track storm with destructive winds — left a trail of damage across a path of more than 500 miles from eastern Indiana through much of Pennsylvania. Wind gusts as high as 90 mph toppled trees and ripped roofs off several buildings. In Oklahoma, first responders carried out dozens of swift-water rescues as floodwater levels rose, and portions of nearly a dozen state highways were closed. More than 900 flights within, into or out of the US were canceled due to the weather. At this time, more than 250,000 people in five states are also without power.