By LAURIE KELLMAN

LONDON (AP) — The world may be rethinking the American dream.

For centuries, people in other countries saw the United States as place of welcome and opportunity. Now, President Donald Trump’s drive for mass deportations of migrants is riling the streets of Los Angeles, college campuses, even churches — and fueling a global rethinking about the virtues and promise of coming to America.

“The message coming from Washington is that you are not welcome in the United States,” said Edwin van Rest, CEO of Studyportals, which tracks real-time searches by international students considering studying in other countries. Student interest in studying in America has dropped to its lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, it found. ”The fact is, there are great opportunities elsewhere.”

There has long been a romanticized notion about immigration and America. The reality has always been different, with race and ethnicity playing undeniable roles in the tension over who can be an American. The U.S. still beckons to the “huddled masses” from the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The strong economy has helped draw millions more every year, with the inflow driving the U.S. population over 340 million.

Early clues across industries — like tourism, trade, entertainment and education — suggest the American dream is fading for foreigners who have historically flooded to the U.S.

Polling by Pew Research Center from January through April found that opinions of the U.S. have worsened over the past year in 15 of the 24 countries it surveyed.

Trump and many of his supporters maintain that migrants in the country illegally threaten American safety, jobs and culture. But people in the country legally also have been caught in Trump’s dragnet. And that makes prospective visitors to the U.S., even as tourists, leery.

Trump’s global tariff war and his campaign against international students who have expressed pro-Palestinian sympathies stick especially stubbornly in the minds of people across American borders who for decades clamored to participate in the land of free speech and opportunity.

“The chances of something truly horrific happening are almost certainly tiny,” Duncan Greaves, 62, of Queensland, Australia, advised a Reddit user asking whether to risk a vacation to the land of barbeques, big sky country and July 4 fireworks. “Basically it’s like the Dirty Harry quote: ‘Do you feel lucky?’”

Trump has married two immigrants

For much of its history, America had encouraged immigration as the country sought intellectual and economic fuel to spur its growth.

But from the beginning, the United States has wrestled with the question of who is allowed to be an American. The new country was built on land brutally swiped from Native Americans. It was later populated by millions of enslaved Africans.

The American Civil War ignited in part over the same subject. The federal Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers for a decade. During World War II, the U.S. government incarcerated about 120,000 people of Japanese descent in 10 concentration camps. About two-thirds were U.S. citizens.

Still, the United States has always been a nation of immigrants, steered by the “American Creed” developed by Thomas Jefferson, which posits that the tenets of equality, hard work and freedom are inherently American.

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Everyone, after all, comes from somewhere — a fact underscored on-camera in the Oval Office this month when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave the president the framed birth certificate of Trump’s grandfather, also named Friedrich, who emigrated from Germany in 1885. He was one of millions of Germans who fled war and economic strife to move to the United States in the late 19th Century.

There’s a story there, too, that suggests the Trump family knows both the triumphs of immigration and the struggle and shame of being expelled.

After marrying and making a fortune in America, the elder Trump attained U.S. citizenship and tried return to Germany. He was expelled for failing to complete his military service — and wrote about the experience.

“Why should we be deported? This is very, very hard for a family,” Friedrich Trump wrote to Luitpold, prince regent of Bavaria in 1905, according to a translation in Harper’s magazine. “What will our fellow citizens think if honest subjects are faced with such a decree — not to mention the great material losses it would incur.”

Trump himself has married two immigrant women: the late Ivana Zelníčková Trump, of what’s now the Czech Republic, and his current wife, Melania Knauss Trump of Slovenia.

Coming to America

It’s hard to overstate the degree to which immigration has changed the face and culture of America — and divided it.

Immigration in 2024 drove U.S. population growth to its fastest rate in 23 years as the nation surpassed 340 million residents, the U.S. Census Bureau said in December. Almost 2.8 million more people immigrated to the United States last year than in 2023, partly because of a new method of counting that adds people who were admitted for humanitarian reasons. Net international migration accounted for 84% of the nation’s 3.3 million-person increase in the most recent data reported.

Immigration accounted for all of the growth in 16 states that otherwise would have lost population, according to the Brookings Institution.

But where some Americans see immigration largely as an influx of workers and brain power, Trump sees an “invasion,” a longstanding view.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has initiated an far-reaching campaign of immigration enforcement that has pushed the limits of executive power and clashed with federal judges trying to restrain him over his invocation of special powers to deport people, cancel visas and deposit deportees in third countries.

In his second term, unlike his first, he’s not retreating from some unpopular positions on immigration. Instead, the subject has emerged as Trump’s strongest issue in public polling, reflecting both his grip on the Republican base and a broader shift in public sentiment.

A June survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 46% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s handling of immigration, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than his approval rating on the economy and trade. The poll was conducted at the beginning of the Los Angeles protests and did not include questions about Trump’s military deployment to the city.

‘Shaken their confidence’

The U.S. is still viewed as an economic powerhouse, though people in more countries consider China to be the world’s top economy, according to the Pew poll, and it’s unclear whether Trump’s policies could cause a meaningful drain of international students and others who feel under siege in the United States.

Netherlands-based Studyportals, which analyzes the searches for international schools by millions of students worldwide, reported that weekly pageviews for degrees in the U.S, collapsed by half between Jan. 5 and the end of April. It predicted that if the trend continues, the demand for programs in the U.S. could plummet further, with U.S. programs losing ground to countries like the United Kingdom and Australia.

“International students and their families seek predictability and security when choosing which country to trust with their future,” said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, which represents international educators. “The U.S. government’s recent actions have naturally shaken their confidence in the United States.”

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO and AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just over a month after Pope Leo XIV became the first U.S.-born pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church, a new poll shows that American Catholics are feeling excited about their new religious leader.

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About two-thirds of American Catholics have a “very” or “somewhat” favorable view of Pope Leo, according to the new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, while about 3 in 10 don’t know enough to have an opinion. Very few Catholics — less than 1 in 10 — view him unfavorably.

Among Americans overall, plenty of people are still making up their minds about Pope Leo. But among those who do have an opinion, feelings about the first U.S.-born pope are overwhelmingly positive. The survey found that 44% of U.S. adults have a “somewhat” or “very” favorable view of Pope Leo XIV. A similar percentage say they don’t know enough to have an opinion, and only about 1 in 10 see him unfavorably.

As he promises to work for unity in a polarized church, Americans with very different views about the future of the church are feeling optimistic about his pontificate. Terry Barber, a 50-year-old Catholic from Sacramento, California, hopes Leo will seek a “more progressive and modern church” that is more accepting of all.

“I’m optimistic. Certainly, the first pope from the United States is significant,” said Barber, who identifies as a Democrat. “Since he worked under the previous pope, I’m sure he has similar ideas, but certainly some that are original, of his own. I’m looking forward to seeing what, if any changes, come about under his leadership.”

Bipartisan appeal

About half of Democrats have a favorable view of the new pope, as do about 4 in 10 Republicans and independents. Republicans are a little more likely than Democrats to be reserving judgment. About half of Republicans say they don’t know enough to have an opinion about the pope, compared to about 4 in 10 Democrats.

Republicans, notably, are no more likely than Democrats to have an unfavorable opinion of the pope. About 1 in 10 in each group view Pope Leo unfavorably.

Victoria Becude, 38, a Catholic and Republican from Florida, said she’s excited about the first U.S.-born pope and hopes he can steer the country back to Catholic doctrine and make Americans proud.

“I’m rooting for him,” she said. “I hope that America can get back to faith, and I hope he can do that.”

Being a political liberal or conservative, of course, isn’t the same thing as identifying as a liberal or conservative Catholic. But the poll found no discernible partisan gap among Catholics on Pope Leo, and Catholics across the ideological spectrum have expressed hope that Leo will be able to heal some of the divisions that emerged during the pontificate of his predecessor, Pope Francis.

Pope Leo recently criticized the surge of nationalist political movements in the world as he prayed for reconciliation and dialogue — a message in line with his pledges to make the Catholic Church a symbol of peace.

Before becoming pope, Cardinal Robert Prevost presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms of Pope Francis’ pontificate by having women serve on the Vatican board that vets nominations for bishops. He also has said decisively that women cannot be ordained as priests.

Donald Hallstone, 72, a Catholic who lives in Oregon, said he expects that Leo will continue to promote women in governance positions “at a time when there’s a shortage of priests” and other leaders in the church.

“It’d be great to see women in those roles,” he said. “Women were not excluded in the first centuries.”

On the other hand, some right-wing U.S. Catholics hope Leo will focus on Catholic doctrinal opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion.

Becude, the Republican, said she’s against same-sex relationships because she believes that unions should be between a man and a woman, something that Pope Leo has reiterated. Even though she describes herself as “very conservative,” though, she’s in favor of reproductive rights even when church teaching opposes abortion.

“I don’t believe that they should stop women from having abortions,” she said. “We should have our own rights because you don’t know the circumstances behind the reason why a woman would want the abortion in the first place.”

Few have negative views — yet

There’s plenty of room for views to shift as Leo’s agenda as pope becomes clear.

Pope Leo XIV waves as he arrives for his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Not all Americans have formed an opinion of the new pope yet; particularly, members of other religious groups are more likely to be still making up their minds. About half of born-again Protestants, mainline Protestants, and adults with no religious affiliation don’t know enough to have an opinion about the pope, although relatively few — about 1 in 10 — in each group have an unfavorable view of him.

Older Americans — who are more likely to identify as Catholics — are also more likely than younger Americans to be fans of Leo’s. About half of Americans ages 60 and older have a favorable view of Pope Leo, compared to about 4 in 10 Americans under 30.

But even so, only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults under 30 have an unfavorable view of the pope right now.

Mercedes Drink, 31, is from the pope’s hometown of Chicago. She still hopes that women will become ordained under his pontificate.

“It’s cool; I like him because he brings something different,” said Drink, who lives in Minnesota and identifies as being part of the “religious nones” — atheists, agnostics, or nothing in particular.

“As a young woman, I hope that he can bring change … considering who he is, he brings something new to the table. I hope he opens the world’s eyes to modernizing the church, bringing more people in, having more diversity.”

Henao reported from Princeton, N.J.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,158 adults was conducted June 5-9, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

By LINLEY SANDERS

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republican senators consider President Donald Trump’s big bill that could slash federal spending and extend tax cuts, a new survey shows most U.S. adults don’t think the government is overspending on the programs the GOP has focused on cutting, like Medicaid and food stamps.

Americans broadly support increasing or maintaining existing levels of funding for popular safety net programs, including Social Security and Medicare, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. They’re more divided on spending around the military and border security, and most think the government is spending too much on foreign aid.

The poll points to a disconnect between Republicans’ policy agenda and public sentiment around the domestic programs that are up for debate in the coming weeks.

Here’s the latest polling data on how Americans view federal funding:

Most want Medicaid and SNAP funding increased or kept as is

Many Americans see Medicaid and food assistance programs as underfunded — even as Congress proposes significant cuts to Medicaid and food and nutrition assistance programs — and few say “too much” money is going to these programs.

About half of U.S. adults say “too little” funding goes to Medicaid, which is a government health care coverage program for low-income people and people with certain disabilities. Nearly half, 45%, say food and nutrition assistance programs like food stamps, SNAP or EBT cards are underfunded, according to the poll. About 3 in 10 U.S. adults in each case say those programs are receiving “about the right amount” of funding, indicating that most Americans likely do not want to see significant cuts to the two programs.

About 2 in 10 say Medicaid is overfunded, while about one-quarter say that about food assistance programs.

Republicans are especially likely to say “too much” is spent on food and nutrition assistance programs when compared with Democrats and independents — 46% of Republicans say this, compared with about 1 in 10 Democrats and independents.

When it comes to Medicaid, fewer Republicans, about one-third, say the government is spending “too much.”

A demonstrator on wheelchair protests outside the office of Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on the proposed cuts to Medicaid on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Many believe Medicare, Social Security and education are underfunded

About 6 in 10 Americans say there is not enough government money going toward Social Security, Medicare or education broadly. But Democrats overwhelmingly think “too little” money is allocated to these areas, while Republicans are happier with the status quo.

Very few think Medicare, Social Security and education are getting “too much” funding. Only about 1 in 10 Republicans say this about either Medicare or Social Security. Roughly one-quarter of Republicans say too much is spent on education.

When it comes to Social Security, about half of Republicans say “too little” is spent, compared with about 7 in 10 Democrats.

Activists with the Poor People’s Campaign protest against spending reductions across Medicaid, food stamps and federal aid in President Donald Trump’s spending and tax bill being worked on by Senate Republicans this week, outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Americans are divided on money for border security and the military

Americans are more divided on whether the government is devoting too much money to the military or border security.

About 3 in 10 say the government is spending “too much” on the military, while a similar share say the government is spending “too little.” Close to 4 in 10 say the government is spending “about the right amount.”

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Republicans are much less likely to say “too little” is being spent on border security than they were before Trump took office again in January. Now, 45% of Republicans say “too little” is being spent, down from 79% in a January AP-NORC poll.

On the other hand, Democrats are more likely to say that “too much” is being spent on border security. About half of Democrats now say this, compared with about 3 in 10 in January.

Most US adults say foreign aid gets too much funding

The Trump administration has asked Congress for deep reductions to foreign aid programs, including cuts to global health programs and refugee resettlement initiatives.

Foreign aid is one area with more general agreement that there is “too much” federal spending. Most U.S. adults, 56%, say the U.S. government is spending too much on assistance to other countries, which is down from 69% in an AP-NORC poll from March 2023.

There is a deep partisan divide on the issue, though. About 8 in 10 Republicans say the country is overspending on foreign aid, compared with about one-third of Democrats.

The AP-NORC poll of 1,158 adults was conducted June 5-9, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge dismissed a juror in the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday after concluding that his conflicting answers about where he lives might indicate he had an agenda or wanted to stay on the jury for a purpose.

Judge Arun Subramanian made the ruling after rejecting arguments by Combs’ attorneys that it would disrupt the diversity of the jury to replace the Black man with a white juror.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges after his September arrest at a New York hotel. He was denied bail multiple times and has remained incarcerated at a federal lockup in Brooklyn ever since.

Subramanian had first announced late Friday that he was dismissing the juror after questions arose over whether he resided in New York or New Jersey most of the time, but multiple defense lawyers protested and the judge waited until Monday to announce his final decision.

The judge said a review of the juror’s answers to questions about his residency during jury selection, along with his subsequent responses to similar questions in the robing room, revealed “clear inconsistencies.”

“Taking these all together, the record raised serious concerns as to the juror’s candor and whether he shaded answers to get on and stay on the jury,” he said.

Subramanian said to leave the juror on the panel could threaten the integrity of the judicial process, and he rejected a defense request that he question him further, saying it could lead to “another set of shifting answers. … In other words, there’s nothing that the juror can say at this point that would put the genie back in the bottle and restore his credibility.”

The judge expressed disappointment that the defense asked him again in a weekend letter to consider the racial makeup of the jury in his ruling as it accused prosecutors of misconduct.

“The court should not, indeed cannot, let race factor into the decision of what happens. Here, the answer is clear. Juror No. 6 is excused,” Subramanian said before the jury, minus Juror No. 6, was brought into the courtroom for the resumption of testimony.

Defense lawyers in the letter also accused prosecutors of misconduct in a “coordinated effort to try to destroy one of the most successful Black men in American history.”

“The government’s case is all about his personal life, and what he and his romantic partners have done in the privacy of the bedroom,” the lawyers wrote.

“There has been no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct brought to the court’s attention. Zero,” the judge said, rejecting the defense’s third request for a mistrial.

Prosecutors have said they expect to rest sometime this week. The trial is in its sixth week.

On Monday, prosecutors called what’s known as a summary witness to read aloud numerous text messages that jurors hadn’t previously heard.

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They included exchanges in which the woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane” complained to Combs about their “hotel night” and “wild king night” sex marathon lifestyle and to his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, about his threats to release explicit videos of her having sex with other men.

Jane, who dated Combs from 2021 until his arrest last year, excoriated the hip-hop star in a series of text messages after his former longtime girlfriend Cassie, the R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit against him alleging years of sexual abuse, control and violence.

On Nov. 28, 2023, about two weeks after Combs settled the lawsuit, Jane told him that she felt he exploited her with their “dark and humiliating lifestyle.” She wrote that for the three years they were together, she felt confused by their relationship and that being with Combs had deprived her of work opportunities.

A month later, Jane texted Khorram that Combs “just threatened me about my sex tapes that he has on two phones. He said he would send them to my baby daddy.”

Jane noted that she didn’t typically involve Khorram in such matters, but said she needed help because Combs was having one of his “evil-ass psychotic bipolar” episodes and, along with threatening her, was saying he’d call the police on her.

Jane told Khorram that she was heavily drugged in the tapes.