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In the news today: The latest set of U.S. tariffs, including a 104% levy on Chinese imports, has gone into effect; the acting IRS chief resigns over a deal to send immigrants’ tax data to ICE; and Beijing rejects Ukraine’s claim that significant numbers of Chinese troops are fighting alongside Russia. Also, Instagram users under 16 will no longer be able to livestream or unblur nudity in direct messages without parental approval, the company said.

A man walks near an electronic board displaying stock prices at the Indonesia Stock Exchange, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

POLITICS

LIVE: President Trump’s new tariffs go into effect, including a combined 104% levy on China

Asian shares sank again on Wednesday as the latest set of U.S. tariffs, including a 104% levy on Chinese imports, went into effect. The sharply higher tariffs kicked in after midnight Eastern time in the U.S., even as investors have no idea what to make of President Donald Trump’s trade war. Read more.

Why this matters:

• BREAKING: China is raising its retaliatory tariff on the US to 84%, up from 34%, effective April 10.
  
  

• Asian and European shares slid early Wednesday, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 dipping more than 5%.
  
  

• Uncertainty is still high about what President Donald Trump will do with his trade war. On Tuesday, the S&P 500 dropped 1.6% after wiping out an early gain of 4.1%. That took it nearly 19% below its record set in February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8%, while the Nasdaq composite lost 2.1%.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• AP wins reinstatement to White House events after judge rules government can’t bar its journalists

   

• Republicans are going public with their growing worries about Trump’s tariffs

   

• Trump’s top trade rep under fire before Senate committee after days of market chaos

   

• Will the tariffs lead to a recession? Here’s how to know if we’re in one

   

• WATCH: Despite market tumult, Trump says 'we're making a fortune with tariffs'

   

• Justice Department will disband its crypto-related enforcement team

   

• Senate confirms Trump’s nominee for top Pentagon policy job

   

• Trump fails to sway many House GOP holdouts as his ‘big’ bill of tax breaks and spending cuts stalls

   

• Trump signs executive orders to boost coal, a reliable but polluting energy source

   

• Trump administration halts $1 billion in federal funding for Cornell, $790 million for Northwestern

   

• Trump administration says it cut funding to some life-saving UN food programs by mistake

   

• New offers for buyouts and early retirement offered to Homeland Security staff

   

• Northern Virginia leaders plead for state’s help amid federal job cuts

   

• Suspected US strikes in Yemen kill at least 8 people, Houthi rebels say

   

• Army adjusts tracker policy and flight training following January collision with passenger jet

   

• Texas AG Ken Paxton launches Senate primary challenge against Republican Sen. John Cornyn

   

• New Mexico governor mobilizes National Guard to tackle crime emergency in Albuquerque

   

• Most of the families applying for Alabama’s new school vouchers have kids in non-public schools

POLITICS

IRS acting commissioner is resigning over deal to send immigrants’ tax data to ICE, AP sources say

The acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Melanie Krause, who had served as acting head since February, is resigning over a deal to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S., according to two people familiar with the decision. Read more.

Why this matters:

• The agreement will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records. The Treasury Department says the agreement will help carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda to secure U.S. borders and is part of his larger nationwide immigration crackdown.
  
  

• Advocates say the IRS-DHS information-sharing agreement violates privacy laws and diminishes the privacy of all Americans. Tom Bowman, policy counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, said disclosing immigrant tax records to DHS for immigration enforcement “will discourage tax compliance among immigrant communities, weaken contributions to essential public programs, and increase burdens for U.S. citizens and nonimmigrant taxpayers. It also sets a dangerous precedent for data privacy abuse in other federal programs.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Trump touts Supreme Court deportation ruling on Venezuelan migrants as a major victory, but legal fight is far from over
  
  
• Waiver allows Trump administration to bypass environmental rules to build more border walls
  
  
• Trump administration cancels $188M in grants New York City was using to shelter migrants

WORLD NEWS

Beijing rejects Ukraine’s claim significant numbers of Chinese troops are fighting alongside Russia

Ukraine’s claim that significant numbers of Chinese nationals are fighting alongside Russia’s invading army is “totally unfounded,” a Beijing official said Wednesday. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Tuesday that the Ukrainian military had captured two Chinese men fighting alongside the Russian army in the eastern Donetsk region and had information that “significantly more” are with Russian forces. 
  
  

• Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in Beijing that China has played a “constructive role in politically resolving the Ukraine crisis.” His comments appeared to indicate that the captured Chinese had joined Russia’s ranks on their own initiative.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

• Japan says it wants to join a NATO command for the support of Ukraine
  
  
• Thousands of Ukrainian civilians are still held by Russia with uncertain hope of release
  
  
• Beijing ups diplomatic pressure on Africa as the US pulls back

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Most populous Muslim-majority nation: Indonesia offers to shelter Palestinians from Gaza

Online safety: Kids under 16 will no longer be allowed to livestream on Instagram without parental consent

Today in History: In 1942, during World War II, some 75,000 Philippine and American soldiers surrendered to Japanese troops, ending the Battle of Bataan

WATCH

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A CHANGE OF PACE

A plate with fresh white asparagus, ham, potatoes, and melted butter is served at a restaurant in Beelitz, Germany. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

It’s the time of year when Germany indulges its passion for white asparagus
Asparagus season has arrived in Germany, signaling the unofficial beginning of springtime. That's the time when the country indulges its passion for — some say obsession with — white asparagus. Enthusiasm for the delicacy is legendary, with Ancient Romans considering the vegetables an aphrodisiac and supposedly bringing them to Central Europe.

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