White House says some employees were fired by mistake

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the White House's "right" to deny Oval Office entry to reporters, saying, "If we feel that there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room, we are going to hold those lies accountable."

"We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office. And you all have credentials to be here, including the Associated Press, who is in this briefing room today," Leavitt said.

When pressed on whether this was retaliatory for the journalist continuing to use the name "Gulf of Mexico" rather than "Gulf of America," Leavitt doubled down on the president's executive order.

"It is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America," she said. "And I'm not sure why news outlets don't want to call it that, but that is what it is."

During a briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed what she called an "extremely dishonest narrative" that there is a "constitutional crisis taking place here at the White House."

Instead, she said, "the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch, where district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally block President Trump's basic executive authority."

"As the President clearly stated in the Oval Office yesterday, we will comply with the law in the courts, but we will also continue to seek every legal remedy to ultimately overturn these radical injunctions and ensure President Trump's policies can be enacted," she added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he talked with Trump about "opportunities to achieve peace" during a phone call between the two leaders on Wednesday.

The two spoke "about opportunities to achieve peace, discussed our readiness to work together at the team level, and Ukraine’s technological capabilities -- including drones and other advanced industries," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy added that he and Trump also discussed "the preparation of a new document on security, economic cooperation and resource partnerships," the readout said.

"President Trump shared details of his conversation with Putin," Zelenskyy said in the readout.

During a press briefing Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump's conversation with Putin went "very well."

-ABC News' Nataliia Popova

Japan has requested an exemption from President Donald Trump's 25% tariffs on aluminum and steel, according to Japan's top spokesperson.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba barely had time to unpack from his trip to Washington before having to deal with the shock of Trump's new steel and aluminum tariffs. Japan is an export-driven nation. Tariffs send a shock through industries, markets and the people whose jobs depend on global trade.

Japan, for now, is in Trump’s crosshairs once again. The tariffs could impact sectors where this country is a dominant player such as automobiles, tech and steel. During Trump’s first term, businesses spent years adapting to his unpredictable policies. Now, they may have to do it all over again. Wash, rinse, repeat, Trump style.

-ABC News' Anthony Trotter