Taxes on imports could soon go up, as President Donald Trump signed a measure to have tariff rates match what other countries charge. “We had a very unfair system to us,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Everybody took advantage of the United States.”
Higher tariffs under current law would be paid by Americans , either directly or in the form of higher prices. The White House has treated these tariffs as a tool to negotiate new trade deals and raise government revenues.
If other countries retaliate and the tariffs stay in place, most economists say growth would suffer and inflationary pressures would intensify.
Here's the latest:
Trump says he trusts Putin on ending the war in Ukraine
“I trust him on the subject. I think he’d like to see something happen,” the U.S. president said about Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Trump also repeated his long-standing criticism that President Joe Biden had invited the conflict by assuring Ukraine it would eventually join NATO.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Putin was encouraged to invade because he sensed U.S. and NATO weakness after the chaotic withdrawal of allied troops from Afghanistan.
Trump said Russia’s expulsion from the G8 group of leading industrialized countries after its 2014 annexation of Crimea was another key factor in forcing Putin’s hand.
The Trump administration is escalating its efforts to reduce the federal workforce
The Office of Personnel Management has told federal agencies to lay off all their probationary employees, who generally have less than a year on the job and don’t have full civil service protection.
The notification was confirmed by a person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
It’s an expansion of previous directions from OPM, which told agencies earlier this week that probationary employees should be fired if they weren’t meeting high standards.
—By Chris Megerian
Kennedy trashes USAID. His uncle established the agency
Kennedy spoke at his swearing-in and said USAID has become a “sinister propagator of totalitarianism” and that he supported Trump’s efforts to downsize the development assistance agency.
President John F. Kennedy – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s uncle -- established USAID in November 1961 to house several existing foreign assistance organizations and programs under one agency.
Senator: C-17 Military Flight to deport 104 Indian migrants cost $2.5 million
A C-17 military flight to India last week to deport 104 Indian nationals cost $2.5 million to operate, New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said Thursday at a hearing on border security. Other flights by the large C-17 military cargo aircraft have cost an average of $30,000 an hour to operate.
Shaheen and other lawmakers questioned the heads of U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command on why cheaper commercial chartered flights were not taken instead. The data on cost was briefed to lawmakers by the military last week, according to an official familiar with the briefing who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details that were not publicly known. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the flight costs.
Those flights – and now more than 5,000 active duty troops under federal orders who have been deployed to the border are part of a large-scale effort by the military to respond to President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency at the border on his first day in office. The number of troops under federal orders at the border is expected to grow, Northern Command Gen. Gregory Guilllot told lawmakers.
—By Tara Copp
Trump says his delay on enforcement of a TikTok ban could be extended
Asked by reporters for any updates on negotiations to keep TikTok alive in the U.S., Trump said the deadline for a sale that he imposed could be pushed further.
“I have 90 days from about two weeks ago and I’m sure it can be extended but let’s see, I don’t think you’ll need to,” he said.
A law passed with bipartisan support and signed by President Joe Biden last year required TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to find an approved buyer for its U.S. platform by Jan. 19 or face a ban. The Supreme Court upheld the law a few days before Trump was inaugurated.
An executive order Trump signed shortly after being sworn in as president enabled the app to continue operating for 75 days, or until early April.
RFK Jr. swears in as secretary of health and human services
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now Trump’s health secretary, was sworn into office in the Oval Office, by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, just hours after the Senate confirmed his nomination on a narrow, 52-48 vote.
Kennedy was joined by his wife, other family members and several members of Congress.
Trump announced that Kennedy will lead a new commission on making America healthy again.
▶ Read more on HHS Secretary RFK Jr.
Acting CFPB director crowdsources enforcement of his stop-work order
When Russ Vought took over as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, he ordered all employees to stop working.
Now he’s trying to enforce that.
The agency has advertised a tip line on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. "Are you being pursued by CFPB enforcement or supervision staff, in violation of Acting Director Russ Vought’s stand down order? If so, DM us or send an email.”
EPA chief says he will seek return of $20 billion in clean-energy grants awarded by Biden
The Environmental Protection Agency chief says he’ll try to rescind $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects.
In a video posted on X, Administrator Lee Zeldin said the EPA would revoke contracts for tens of thousands of projects to fight climate change and promote environmental justice.
The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund was approved by Congress — without a single Republican vote — under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The money has already been awarded to eight nonprofits, including the Coalition for Green Capital, Climate United, Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity and the Community Preservation Corporation, for projects aiding disadvantaged communities.
“The days of irresponsibly shoveling boatloads of cash to far-left activist groups in the name of environmental justice and climate equity are over,” Zeldin said.
▶ Read more about the new EPA chief and the “green bank”
US sanctions top ICC prosecutor over its investigations of Israel
The U.S. has sanctioned the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor, following up on President Donald Trump’s order last week targeting the court because of its investigations of Israel.
The prosecutor, Karim Khan, was added Thursday to Washington’s list of “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.” They are barred from doing business with Americans and face restrictions on entry to the U.S.
The U.S. never has recognized the Hague-based court’s authority.
Trump’s Feb. 7 executive order imposed sanctions on the ICC and foreshadowed “tangible and significant consequences” for those responsible for the court’s “transgressions.”
The court’s president has condemned the move.
Judge extends stay on Trump order pulling most USAID staffers off the job
A court order halting Trump administration plans to pull all but a fraction of USAID staffers off the job worldwide will stay in place for at least another week.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ordered the extension after a nearly three-hour hearing, much of it focused on how employees were affected by the abrupt moves to put thousands of workers on leave and freeze foreign aid funding.
He closely questioned the government about keeping employees on leave safe in high-risk overseas areas. When a Justice Department attorney could not provide detailed plans, the judge asked him to file court documents after the hearing.
Nichols said he plans to issue a written ruling in the coming days on whether the week-long pause will continue indefinitely.
Trump: ‘Everybody took advantage of the United States’
“We had a very unfair system to us,” Trump said as he signed his reciprocal tariffs order.
Trump said he won’t be basing these new import taxes solely on other nations’ tariff rates. The subsidies that foreign countries provide their companies as well as value added taxes — which are similar to sales taxes — also would be part of the calculation.
Higher tariffs under current law would be paid by U.S. consumers and businesses, either directly or in the form of higher prices. The White House has treated these tariffs as a tool to negotiate new trade deals as well as a way to raise government revenues.
If other countries retaliate and the tariffs stay in place, most economists say growth would suffer and inflationary pressures would intensify.
▶ Read more about Trump’s tariffs
Trump says he wants to restart denuclearization talks with China and Russia and cut all three nations’ defense spending
Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday that once the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have settled down, he wants to meet with Russia and China to discuss all three nations drastically cutting back their defense spending.
“When we straighten it all out, then I want to one of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say, let’s cut our military budget in half,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Such a move would cuts against decades of traditional Republican national defense posturing.
He said he also wants to restart denuclearization talks with both nations.
An unwanted double: US sales fall for American whiskeys as trade war threats heat up
Like a watered-down drink, domestic sales for American whiskeys were unsatisfying in 2024, as inflation reined in consumer spending on some distilled spirits. But tariffs loom as one of the stiffest challenges ahead.
The Distilled Spirits Council says the biggest risk is in the European Union, where tariffs set to double are set to resume April 1 at double the rate on American whiskey producers, undoing their strong rebound since a 25% EU tariff was suspended a few years ago.
“The reimposition of these tariffs at a 50% rate would gut this growth and do irreparable harm to distillers large and small,” council CEO Chris Swonger said. “It would be a catastrophic blow that will force many distillers out of our largest export market.”
▶ Read more on prospects for American whiskey if tariffs are imposed
RIFs up to 50% at some federal workplaces
Employees at the National Science Foundation and the Housing and Urban Development Department have already been told that reductions in force are coming — and as much as half the workforce could get laid off, according to a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it.
NSF employees were told to expect a 25% to 50% reduction within two months, while HUD workers were told to plan for a 50% reduction.
Employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were also bracing for RIFs.
Manhattan US attorney resigns after refusing orders to drop case against New York City mayor
The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan resigned Thursday rather than obey a Justice Department order to drop corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The resignation of Danielle Sassoon, a Republican who was the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was confirmed by a spokesperson for the office.
It came after acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove directed New York prosecutors to drop the case against Adams, who was accused of accepting illegal campaign contributions and bribes of free or discounted travel from people who wanted to buy his influence.
Bove’s memo Monday said the case should be dismissed so the Democratic mayor could help the president crack down on immigration.
▶ Read more about the NYC mayor’s federal case
Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, advances for a full Senate vote
Republicans have advanced Kash Patel’s FBI director nomination to the Senate floor, pushing past Democratic concerns that he’s an unstable Trump loyalist who would target perceived adversaries for retribution.
Patel’s vast catalog of incendiary past statements raised alarm, but he denied creating an “enemies list,” and disavowed a highly unusual Justice Department demand for the names of all agents who helped investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
A letter from Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin cites undisclosed sources in saying Patel was covertly involved despite swearing he didn’t know of plans to fire agents. A Patel spokeswoman called the allegations “gossip” pushing a “false narrative.”
“We are inviting a political disaster if we put Kash Patel into this job,” Durbin warned his colleagues. “I know none of you want a call from Elon Musk reminding you what he might do to somebody who votes the wrong way, but this really gets down to the heart of the future of an agency that is critical to the security of this nation.”
▶ Read more about Kash Patel and the FBI
Trump signs reciprocal tariffs plan, ushering in economic uncertainty
President Donald Trump has rolled out his plan to increase U.S. tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports, possibly triggering a broader economic confrontation with allies and rivals alike as Trump hopes to eliminate any trade imbalances.
“It’s fair to all. No other country can complain,” Trump said as he signed the order on Thursday.
Trump’s Republican administration insists the tariffs will level the playing field between U.S. manufacturers and foreign competitors, though these new taxes would likely be paid by American consumers and businesses, either directly or in the form of higher prices.
The politics of tariffs could easily backfire if Trump’s agenda pushes up inflation and grinds down growth.
▶ Read more about the details of Trump’s tariffs order
Oh Canada: The idea of US statehood can’t be serious .... can it?
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Canada should be the 51st U.S. state. The very notion is ludicrous to Canadians.
Canada at first reacted as though Trump must be joking. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flatly rejected it. But Trudeau later shared concerns behind closed doors that Trump’s sustained annexation calls may be “a real thing.”
The U.S. Constitution requires approval by the House and Senate and signing into law by the president to admit a new state. Canada would probably have to have a referendum to gauge its voters’ interests in joining the U.S. before the process could begin — and that looks to be a non-starter.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford spun out a counteroffer: “How about, if we buy Alaska, and we’ll throw in Minnesota and Minneapolis at the same time.”
White House chief of staff and VP’s wife among those Trump names to Kennedy Center board
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles replaces Jon Batiste, a seven-time Grammy Award winner who sang a reimagined version of the national anthem at the Super Bowl.
The president tapped himself to replace Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary under his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump is also chairman of the board of the performing arts center.
Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, is now a board member, too.
Trump also named Sergio Gor, his personnel director, to the seat once held by Mike Donilon, a top and longtime adviser to Biden.
Trump’s new task force to examine anti-Christian bias renews questions over religious persecution
Though the numbers of people without religion have grown to about 3 in 10 American adults, Christians still make up nearly two-thirds of the population and Christian conservatives have a strong grip on the levers of government. That dominance is leaving many to question why President Trump’s new task force on eradicating anti-Christian bias is needed.
Critics see the two-year task force initiative, chaired by Attorney General Pam Bondi and composed of Cabinet and other government representatives, as unnecessary and pandering to Trump’s base. But some Christian supporters said it is overdue, claiming the Biden administration had discriminated against them through actions and inactions.
The task force is assigned to review and “identify any unlawful anti-Christian” actions under the Biden administration, change any objectionable policies and recommend steps to rectify any past failures. A White House action focused on a specific religion is not unprecedented. The Biden administration, for example, issued strategy plans to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia.
▶ Read more about the Trump administration’s new task force
Democrats warn that McMahon’s ‘school choice’ advocacy could harm public schooling
A Senate committee has wrapped a confirmation hearing for Linda McMahon and scheduled a vote for Thursday, Feb. 20, on her nomination as education secretary.
McMahon faced questioning by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for two and a half hours Thursday.
She garnered praise from Republicans and criticism from Democrats, including Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who said her agenda would defund and privatize public schools.
“Billionaires that are in charge of our government today; they don’t know anything about the public school system because they don’t need it,” Murphy said at a news conference after the hearing.
Treasury Secretary said the U.S. seeks “economic cooperation” with Ukraine in exchange for continued U.S. assistance
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Wednesday, stating that President Donald Trump will do “whatever it takes” to end the war in Ukraine.
Bessent, the first high-ranking U.S. official in the Trump administration to travel to Ukraine, told reporters in Kyiv that President Donald Trump “would like an economic cooperation agreement, in exchange the U.S. will continue to provide material support to Ukraine.”
Ukraine has offered to strike a deal with Trump for continued American military aid in exchange for developing Ukraine’s mineral industry, which could provide a valuable source of the rare earth elements that are essential for many kinds of technology.
The meeting between Bessent and Zelenskyy comes as Trump said he would likely meet soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a peace deal in the almost three-year war in Ukraine.
Bessent said the U.S. President “has a plan to end this war.”
Judge weighing block on USAID
A federal judge grilled lawyers for USAID unions, probing how workers are being affected by the U.S. government stopping funding for the agency.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols is trying to decide whether to keep blocking the Trump administration from pulling employees off the job.
He pointed to a government plan to pay for travel if workers overseas return home within 30 days, and asked how that would cause legal harm.
An attorney for unions said that on the ground, things have been playing out in chaotic and deeply disruptive ways, especially in high-risk areas.
First-year federal workers are easier to fire
Now that the window has closed on the Trump administration’s offer to pay federal workers to resign, more sweeping layoffs could be coming. Most vulnerable are “probationary” employees who have less civil service protection for their first year on the job.
The full scope of the firings remains unclear. Some probationary employees have already been fired at the Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Agencies were told by the Office of Personnel Management earlier this week that any probationary employees who aren’t meeting high performance standards should be let go. The guidance was shared by a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly.
America First Policy Institute president confirmed as agriculture secretary
The 72-28 vote for Brooke Rollins puts a close ally of President Donald Trump into a key Cabinet position as mass deportation plans could lead to farm labor shortages and tariffs could hit agricultural exports.
Rollins served as chief for domestic policy during Trump’s first administration. Now she must oversee nearly all aspects of the nation’s food system, including standards on farming practices and livestock rearing, federal subsidies to farmers or agribusinesses and setting nutrition standards for schools and public health officials nationwide.
She acknowledged that deporting people could lead to labor shortages on farms that count on migrants to harvest crops. But she said “the president’s vision of a secure border and a mass deportation at a scale that matters is something I support.”
▶ Read more about Trump’s agriculture secretary
McConnell explains his ‘no’ vote against Kennedy
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, was the only “no” vote among Republicans as they confirmed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.‘s’ appointment as health secretary.
“I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world,” his statement says. “I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”
The rest of the GOP, however, has embraced Kennedy’s focus on chronic diseases such as obesity.
“We’ve got to get into the business of making America healthy again,” said Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho.
Trump to create MAHA commission to Make America Healthy Again
Kennedy will be sworn into office later Thursday in the Oval Office, said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
She also said Trump will sign an executive order to create a “MAHA” commission, to study how to Make America Healthy Again.
Kennedy has talked a lot about how unhealthy the United States is as a nation.
▶ Read more on the health secretary’s confirmation
Defense secretary says NATO’s military spending goals shouldn’t apply to the US
Pete Hegseth once again suggested that the U.S. isn’t willing to meet the defense spending goal that he and Trump have said other NATO allies must hit.
He began his remarks to reporters at the alliance headquarters Thursday saying that it isn’t enough for NATO countries to spend 2% , 3% or 4% of GDP on defense, and that it should be “more like 5%.”
When asked later if the U.S. – which spends nearly 3.4% -- would also meet the 5%, he demurred: “3.4% is a very robust investment, larger than most.”
Europe, he said, must spend more to defend its own countries, otherwise the U.S. is forced to “be everywhere for everybody, all the time.”
Linda McMahon defers on questions about DEI order’s impact on schools
President Donald Trump’s nominee for education secretary said she’s not certain whether classes on African-American history would run afoul of his executive order against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
McMahon was addressing questions from Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat who defeated her in a 2012 race for U.S. Senate.
She said schools should not be discouraged about holding events marking Black History Month and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But she said she would need to look into it further to know the impact on clubs supporting students of similar ethnicity and classes such as African-American history.
US defense secretary denies making concessions to Putin ahead of talks
Pete Hegseth is telling reporters at NATO that neither Russia or Ukraine will “get everything that they want” in the negotiations to end the war.
He faced repeated questions at the Brussels headquarters about whether the U.S. took bargaining chips off the table when he said Wednesday that Ukraine cannot join NATO and can’t expect to return to its former borders.
“Everything is on the table,” he said, but “realism” can’t be ignored.
“Simply pointing out realism like the borders won’t be rolled back to what everybody would like them to be in 2014 is not a concession to Vladimir Putin,” he insisted.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as Trump’s health secretary after a close Senate vote
The Senate’s vote confirming Kennedy puts the prominent vaccine skeptic in control of $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine recommendations and food safety as well as health insurance programs for roughly half the country.
Republicans fell in line behind Trump despite hesitancy over Kennedy views on vaccines, voting 52-48 to elevate the scion of one of America’s most storied political — and Democratic — families to secretary of the Health and Human Services Department.
Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, who had polio as a child, was the only “no” vote among Republicans, mirroring his stands against Trump’s picks for the Pentagon chief and director of national intelligence.
All Democrats were opposed.
▶Read more about RFK Jr.’s confirmation
US Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota will not seek reelection, dealing a blow to Democrats
U.S. Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota made the announcement on a video posted to social media. The 66-year-old said she wants to spend more time with her family after 20 years of work in the public sector.
Trump’s pick for education chief says an act of Congress is needed to shut down the department
Linda McMahon also told senators that the Trump administration wants to “do this right” and craft a plan that senators will support.
McMahon used softer language than Trump has invoked in his pledge to close the Education Department. If confirmed, she vowed to “reorient” the department without ending some of its core work, adding that “defunding is not the goal here.”
“We’d like to make sure that we are presenting a plan that I think our senators could get on board with, and our Congress could get on board with, that would have a better functioning Department of Education,” McMahon said.
Capitol Police removed a person in the audience who disrupted the hearing by speaking about the importance of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to protect students with disabilities.
▶ Read more on McMahon’s confirmation hearing
NATO is in disarray after the US announces that its security priorities lie elsewhere
In just one speech by the U.S. defense secretary, the most powerful member of NATO has thrown the world’s biggest military alliance into disarray, raising troubling questions about America’s commitment to European security.
Pete Hegseth told almost 50 of Ukraine ’s Western backers that he came “to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.”
“The United States faces consequential threats to our homeland. We must — and we are — focusing on security of our own borders,” he said.
NATO’s credibility is underpinned by Article 5, its collective security guarantee to come to the aid of any member whose sovereignty or territory might be under attack. Hegseth has now raised doubts about the U.S. commitment to that pledge, although he did say that his country is not planning to leave the alliance.
▶ Read more about NATO’s reaction to new Trump policy
The Associated Press
