Migrants want asylum? Pay up, Trump says

Ashley Shaffer
Updated
Families hoping to seek asylum in the United States wait on the bridge connecting Reynosa, Mexico, to Hidalgo, Texas, on March 15, 2019.
Families hoping to seek asylum in the United States wait on the bridge connecting Reynosa, Mexico, to Hidalgo, Texas, on March 15, 2019.

Venezuela faces an uprising as fake videos still swindle us online. It's Ashley at USA TODAY with the news everyone's talking about today.

But first, a Yeti? The Indian Army spotted mysterious footprints near the Nepalese border that may belong to the “mythical beast Yeti,” it claimed. The internet has other explanations.

Give me your tired, your poor — for a price

President Donald Trump wants new rules for migrants to make it more difficult — and more expensive — to seek refuge in the U.S. The rules would, for the first time, require asylum-seekers to pay an application fee, restrict work permits and require their hearings conclude within six months. Critics say the changes would unfairly punish the most vulnerable people on the planet. In the memorandum signed Monday, Trump gave administration officials 90 days to implement the changes to stem what he called an asylum "crisis" plagued by "rampant abuse."

Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by Customs and Border Protection at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico.
Asylum-seeking families with their children staying in tents housing waiting for their names to be called by Customs and Border Protection at the border in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico.

They're trying to oust Venezuela's president

Clashes erupted in Venezuela Tuesday with officials loyal to President Nicolas Maduro saying they confronted a "coup” after opposition leader Juan Guaido called for an uprising. In an effort to oust Maduro from the presidency, Guaido called on the military to support him and called on the Venezuelan people to take to the streets. Guaido's surprise move could be a make-or-break moment in the long-simmering struggle for power in Venezuela.

Here's what we do know:

  • What's happening? An escalating showdown between President Maduro and opposition leader Guaido has sparked violence and unrest in Venezuela.

  • How'd it start? Maduro’s reelection was marred by accusations of fraud and election rigging, so Guaido declared himself interim president after Maduro took office in January.

  • Who's the U.S. side with? The U.S. and more than 50 other countries called on Maduro to step down and threw support to Guaido as the legitimate leader.

  • What's next? The situation is extremely fluid and volatile. Some experts say that if Guaido does not gain momentum, the opposition will face mass arrests and the country will sink (further) into a dictatorship. If Guaido succeeds, it will still be a long road to recovery for Venezuela.

An anti-government protester walks near a bus that was set on fire by opponents of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro during clashes between rebel and loyalist soldiers in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó took to the streets with a small contingent of heavily armed troops early Tuesday in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust Maduro. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Real quick

President Trump: 'You’re fired sued.'

President Trump and three of his children – Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr. – are suing Deutsche Bank and Capital One to prevent them from revealing the family’s financial records to Congress as part of an investigation into Trump's finances. Democrats call the lawsuit another effort to thwart investigations of Trump's activities, but the president's attorneys say they aim to protect the Trumps' "privacy rights." In the lawsuit filed Monday, Trump asked the court to declare subpoenas for the records invalid and prevent the banks from complying with congressional orders. Deustche Bank has said it plans to comply with the subpoenas.

President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump, the daughter
President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump, the daughter

Watch the (Japanese) throne

Japan’s Emperor Akihito is stepping down after a 30-year reign, the first emperor to abdicate in 200 years. At a palace ceremony on Tuesday, Akihito, 85, announced his abdication and thanked his people for their support during his reign. Akihito’s reign ends at midnight Tuesday, after which his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, ascends the throne as new emperor. President Donald Trump expressed his appreciation for Akihito and Empress Michiko and used the occasion to "recognize the tremendous importance" of the U.S. relationship with Japan.

Deepfake: The next way to fool you online

Have you been tricked by the fake video of Obama slamming Trump? It’s called a deepfake, and the technology behind it could be dangerous. Deepfakes are video manipulations that make it look as if someone is saying or doing something they never said or did. Barack Obama and Selena Gomez have been featured in these videos — have you been tricked?

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Migrants want asylum? Pay up, Trump says