The Latest: Libraries cut some services across the US after Trump order to dismantle agency

President Donald Trump is hoping that separate phone calls Monday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will make progress toward a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine Trump expressed his hopes for a productive day Monday and a ceasefire in a social media post over the weekend His effort will also include calls to NATO leaders Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed the upcoming conversation would be pivotal given the talks that took place in Istanbul last week between Russian and Ukrainian authorities the first such negotiations since March Trump has struggled to end a war that began with Russia s invasion in February and that makes these conversations a serious test of his reputation as a dealmaker after having claimed he would swiftly settle the conflict once he was back in the White House if not even before he took office Here s the latest Libraries cut a few services after Trump s order to dismantle small agency Libraries across the U S have cut back on specific digital services weeks after the Trump administration s move to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services Maine has temporarily closed its state library and others across the country have paused their interlibrary loan programs The reductions in services coincide with a lawsuit filed by more than state attorneys general and the American Library Association to restore funding They argue only Congress has the authority to control federal spending E-book and audiobook programs are especially vulnerable to budget cuts even though those offerings have exploded in popularity since the COVID- pandemic Trump s new executive order targets barcodes on ballots Trump s executive order seeking to overhaul how U S elections are run includes a somewhat obscure reference to the way votes are counted Voting equipment it says should not use ballots that include a barcode or quick-response code Those insufficient technical words could have a big impact Voting machines that give all voters a ballot with one of those codes are used in hundreds of counties across states Trump in justifying the move reported in the order that his intention was to protect balloting integrity Trump tax cut package advanced out of House committee Trump s big bill advances in rare weekend vote House Republicans narrowly advanced Trump s big tax cuts package out of a key committee during a rare Sunday night vote but just barely as conservative holdouts are demanding quicker cuts to Medicaid and green potential programs before giving their full promotion House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing to approve the package and send it to the Senate by Memorial Day Democrats say they will fight what House party leader Hakeem Jeffries calls an extreme and toxic bill Former President Biden diagnosed with cancer Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer his office commented Sunday Trump posted on social media that he was saddened by the news and we wish Joe a fast and achieving recovery The finding came after the -year-old announced urinary reactions which led doctors to discover a nodule on his prostate He was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday with the cancer cells having spread to the bone Source