Trump admin live updates: Trump pardons former entertainment exec indicted by own DOJ

The United States has announced new visa restrictions targeting Nigerians accused of undermining religious freedom.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the new visa restrictions Wednesday, saying the U.S. is taking "decisive action" in response to mass killing and violence against Christians by radical Islamic terrorists.

The new policy, which will apply to Nigeria and any other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom, will allow the State Department to restrict visa issuance to individuals who have "directed, authorized, significantly supported, participated in, or carried out violations of religious freedom and, where appropriate, their immediate family members."

Earlier in November, the State Department officially designated Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern" alleging the Nigerian government was failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the west African country.

President Donald Trump then ordered ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria as he stepped up his criticism that the government was failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the west African country.

"If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump posted on social media. “I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”

Notably, Nigerian officials have denied the claims of targeted persecution and state that the violence is a complex issue affecting all faiths, often stemming from ethnic and resource conflicts.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan

As foreign ministers and allies gathered in Brussels on Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was noticeably absent from the gathering.

The last time a U.S. secretary of state skipped a NATO ministerial was more than 20 years ago, when then Secretary of State Colin Powell had to skip a meeting in 2003, which was attributed to the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

NATO leaders were expected to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, future support for Kyiv and possible pathways to end the conflict this week. The summit in Brussels comes a day after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in Moscow.

State officials brushed off Rubio's absence and have said the secretary has attended dozens of meetings with NATO allies and is constantly in communication with them.

"He's working extremely hard to take care not only of the situation of Ukraine, but of course many other issues which are on his plate," NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters ahead of the meeting. "So, I totally accept him not being able to be here tomorrow, and I would not read anything in it."

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is attending the Brussels meeting in Rubio's place.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan

New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani, in an interview on Tuesday night with Spectrum News NY1, said that he has spoken with President Donald Trump again since his Oval Office meeting with the president in late November.

"I’ve always kept it a conversation that’s focused on the welfare of New Yorkers,” Mamdani told Spectrum News NY1. “And the fact that New Yorkers are still struggling under a cost-of-living crisis; even though it’s been a few years since it was the focus of national headlines, it continues to be a focus for New Yorkers across the five boroughs."

The mayor-elect said he and Trump spoke before the protest on Saturday against possible ICE action in Chinatown. Mamdani later said he generally expressed to the president that "these raids are cruel and inhumane."

Mamdani also said he shared his condolences for National Guard members who were attacked in Washington, D.C., last week.

-ABC News' Oren Oppenheim

The Trump administration canceled interviews scheduled to begin this week with a group of finalists for the next chair of the Federal Reserve, with President Donald Trump saying his team has narrowed the search and they now "have it down to one" candidate.

The finalists were scheduled to sit down for an interview with Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News. The source cited a scheduling conflict with Vance as the reason for the interviews being canceled, though it's unclear if and when the interviews will be rescheduled. The vice president's office declined to comment when asked about the canceled interviews.

In late October, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed there were five main contenders in running to replace current Fed Chair Jerome Powell -- whose term ends in May 2026 -- including White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, whom Trump has shown he favors for the job.

"I want to thank you all for being here. It's a great group and I guess a potential fed chair is here too," Trump said during a White House event on Tuesday afternoon. "I don't know, we allowed to say that, potential? He's a respected person that I can tell you. Thank you, Kevin."

ABC News has reached out to the White House for comment.

-ABC News' Hannah DemissieEditor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the number of finalists who were going to be interviewed by Vance.