President Donald Trump is remaking the traditional boundaries of Washington, asserting unprecedented executive power and daring anyone to stop him.
Here's the latest:
Trump’s demand for lower interest rates isn’t that simple
Trump has pledged cheaper prices and lower interest rates, but an economy transformed by the pandemic will make those promises difficult to keep.
Economic growth is solid, driven by healthy consumer spending. Budget deficits are huge and could get even larger.
And if Trump follows through on his promises to impose widespread tariffs on imports and deport millions of immigrants, economists expect inflation could worsen, making it less likely the Federal Reserve will cut its key interest rate much this year.
▶Read more about how Trump’s promises for the economy will be tough to keep
What to know about Trump’s executive order regarding transgender people
An executive order that Trump signed on his first day back in office offers a new federal government definition of the sexes that could have a major impact on transgender people.
The order calls for the federal government to define sex as only male or female and for that to be reflected on official documents such as passports and policies such as federal prison assignments. As for federal spending, it’s not clear what his vow to end broader gender classifications will mean on the ground.
▶Read more about Trump’s executive order
Trump signs order aimed at ‘removing barriers’ to US leadership in AI
Trump has signed an executive order on artificial intelligence that will revoke past government policies his order says “act as barriers to American AI innovation.”
To maintain global leadership in AI technology, “we must develop AI systems that are free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas,” the order says.
The new order doesn’t name which existing policies are hindering AI development but calls for the development of an AI action plan within 180 days. The move comes after Trump repealed the Biden administration’s guardrails for fast-developing AI technology, a sweeping executive order signed in 2023.
Hegseth told senator he paid $50,000 to woman who accused him of 2017 sex assault
Hegseth paid $50,000 to the woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017, according to answers he provided to a senator during his confirmation process that The Associated Press has obtained.
The answers were provided to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren in response to additional questions she had for Hegseth as part of the vetting process.
Hegseth attorney Timothy Parlatore declined to comment on the dollar figure Thursday. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing. He told senators during his confirmation hearing last week that he was “falsely accused” in the 2017 incident and completely cleared.
Trump says he is not bothered by Musk’s criticism of the Stargate project
Trump said he is unbothered by the fact that Elon Musk has been critical of the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project he announced this week, telling reporters that Musk is critical because one of the people involved in the deal is “one of the people he happens to hate.”
Trump brushed aside the clash that’s been unfurling online between two of his tech business allies, Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Musk has questioned the value of the AI investment, of which OpenAI is a partner.
“People in the deal are very, very smart people. But, Elon, one of the people he happens to hate. But I have certain hatreds of people, too,” Trump said. The president did not elaborate.
Trump pardons anti-abortion activists who blockaded clinic entrances
Trump announced Thursday he would pardon anti-abortion activists convicted of blockading abortion clinic entrances.
Trump called it “a great honor to sign this.”
“They should not have been prosecuted,” he said as he signed pardons for “peaceful pro-life protesters.”
Among the people pardoned were those involved in the October 2020 invasion and blockade of a Washington clinic.
In the first week of Trump’s presidency, anti-abortion advocates have ramped up calls for Trump to pardon protesters charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which is designed to protect abortion clinics from obstruction and threats. The 1994 law was passed during a time where clinic protests and blockades were on the rise, as well as violence against abortion providers, such as the murder of Dr. David Gunn in 1993.
Trump says no date set yet for new tariffs on China
Trump said he hasn’t set a date on imposing new tariffs on China, but he’s reiterating that he wants a 10% tax on Chinese imports in retaliation for it making the chemicals used in fentanyl.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Thursday that he still plans to tariff Canada and Mexico at 25% rates starting as soon as Feb. 1. He said he was comfortable charging higher tariffs on those countries because he had already placed higher tariffs on China during his first term.
Trump signs order to boost US role in crypto industry
Trump has signed an executive order aimed at boosting the U.S.’s role in the cryptocurrency industry.
Once a skeptic, Trump has embraced crypto and even launched his own meme coin just before taking office.
Thursday’s executive order establishes a “Working Group on Digital Asset Markets” made up of senior government leaders who will make recommendations for a new “regulatory framework” governing crypto. The group will also study the potential creation of a strategic reserve of digital assets.
Trump’s executive order also repeals executive orders related to crypto signed during the Biden administration and prohibits the U.S. government from creating its own “Central Bank Digital Currency.”
On the campaign trail, Trump promised his administration would be staffed with crypto supporters who would take a light touch in regulating digital currencies.
“We’re going to make a lot of money for the country,” Trump said at an Oval Office signing ceremony, where he praised his new “Crypto Czar” David Sacks.
Trump says he expects Fed to listen to him on lowering rates
Trump says he expects a chain reaction in which lower oil prices will lead to lower interest rates across the U.S. economy, but he also plans to bring up the issue with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that “when the energy (prices) comes down” it would also knock down overall inflation and “automatically bring the interest rates down.”
Asked if he expects the Fed to listen to him on rates, Trump said: “Yeah.”
Trump says he will talk to Powell about lowering rates “at the right time.” The Fed controls short-term rates that influence inflation and the supply of money in the economy.
Trump has talked to lawmakers about reshaping FEMA
Trump is preparing to reshape the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has been on the frontlines of responding to recent wildfires in California and last year’s hurricane in North Carolina.
He spoke at length about the issue with congressional Republican leaders on Tuesday, discussing whether the agency should continue providing assistance to states in the same way, according to a person familiar with the conversation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss it.
Conservatives have previously suggested reducing the amount that states are reimbursed for preventing and responding to disasters like floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and more.
▶Read more about Trump’s plans for FEMA
Trump orders declassification of JFK, RFK and MLK Jr. records
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aiming to declassify remaining federal records relating to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Trump said, “Everything will be revealed.”
The order directs the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to develop a plan within 15 days to declassify the remaining John F. Kennedy records, and within 45 days for the other two cases. It was not clear when the records would actually see the light of day.
Trump had ordered the substantial release of the John F. Kennedy assassination records in his first term, but some were redacted or withheld due to concerns raised by the intelligence community.
Trump handed the pen used to sign the order to an aide and directed it to be given to RFK’s son Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his nominee to be health and human services secretary who has long called for their release.
The Department of Justice will ‘vigorously defend’ Trump's executive order redefining birthright citizenship
In a statement after the federal judge’s ruling Thursday that temporarily blocked the order, the department said the executive order “correctly interprets the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”
“We look forward to presenting a full merits argument to the Court and to the American people, who are desperate to see our Nation’s laws enforced,” the department said.
U.S. District Judge John Coughenour in Seattle called the executive order “blatantly unconstitutional” during the first hearing Thursday in a multi-state effort challenging the order.
Trump says he’s open to meeting people charged or convicted for the Jan. 6 Capitol attack
President Donald Trump says he’s open to meeting with the roughly 1,500 people charged or convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack whom he pardoned on Monday in his first hours in the White House.
Trump said he didn’t know if he would meet with those who faced criminal consequences for trying — violently in many cases — to prevent Congress from certifying his 2020 election defeat, but added, “I’d be open to it, certainly.”
Trump expected to give prerecorded address to March for Life
President Donald Trump is expected give a prerecorded video address to anti-abortion protesters Friday at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.
The news come after Trump offered vague, contradictory answers to questions on abortion on the campaign trail and often attempted to distance himself from anti-abortion allies, despite boasting about nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down a federal right to abortion.
“This pro-life president has gone nowhere,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America, while announcing Trump’s appearance during a Thursday press briefing.
Abortion rights advocates pointed to his appearance at the event as evidence of what they’ve been saying all along -- that Trump cannot be trusted to stay out of abortion rights.
“No matter what they said on the campaign trail to win an election, this shows their intentions to continue to attack abortion access,” said Ryan Stitzlein, vice president of political and government relations for the national abortion rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All. “This is just proving us right.”
Senate advances Pete Hegseth as Trump’s defense secretary, despite allegations against him
The Senate advanced the nomination of Pete Hegseth as President Donald Trump’s defense secretary Thursday on a largely party-line vote, despite grave objections from Democrats and stirring unease among Republicans over his behavior and qualifications to lead the U.S. military.
Two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, broke ranks with Trump and his allies who’ve mounted an extensive public campaign to push Hegseth toward confirmation. The former combat veteran and Fox News host faces allegations of excessive drinking and aggressive actions toward women, which he’s denied. The vote was 51-49, with a final vote on confirmation expected Friday.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer implored his colleagues to think seriously, “Is this the best man we have to lead the greatest military in the world?”
Murkowksi, in a lengthy statement, said his behaviors “starkly contrast” with what is expected of the U.S. military. She also noted his past statements that women should not fill military combat roles.
▶ Read more about Pete Hegseth’s nomination
Experts worry Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons will legitimize political violence and embolden extremists
After President Donald Trump pardoned around 1,500 Jan. 6 Capitol rioters on Monday, far-right activists cheered the move and said it strengthened their loyalty to him. Some also borrowed from the president’s own rhetoric, calling for retribution.
“We’ll never forget, we’ll never forgive. You can’t get rid of us,” a California chapter of the far-right Proud Boys posted on Telegram.
Enrique Tarrio, the former national Proud Boys leader whose 22-year sentence on seditious conspiracy charges was pardoned by Trump, went on the podcast of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones after his release.
“The people who did this, they need to feel the heat,” Tarrio said. “We need to find and put them behind bars for what they did.”
The pardons and rhetoric of retribution from some of those released this week are raising deep concern among attorneys, former federal investigators and experts who follow extremism. They worry the indiscriminate release of everyone charged in the riots could embolden extremists and make political violence more common, including around contentious political issues such as border security and elections.
“This move doesn’t just rewrite the narrative of January 6,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. “It sets a dangerous precedent that political violence is a legitimate tool in American democracy.”
▶ Read more about the Jan. 6 pardons and extremists
The Senate confirms John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA, giving Trump his second Cabinet member
The Senate on Thursday confirmed John Ratcliffe as CIA director, giving President Donald Trump the second member of his new Cabinet.
Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during Trump’s first term and is the first person to have held that position and the top post at the CIA, the nation’s premier spy agency. The Texas Republican is a former federal prosecutor who emerged as a fierce Trump defender while serving as a congressman during Trump’s first impeachment.
The vote was 74-25.
At his Senate hearing last week, Ratcliffe said the CIA must do better when it comes to using technology such as artificial intelligence to confront adversaries including Russia and China. He said the United States needed to improve its intelligence capabilities while also ensuring the protection of Americans’ civil rights.
▶ Read more about John Ratcliffe’s confirmation as CIA director
Trump’s freeze on health agency communications has also led to the cancellation of scientific meetings
The Trump administration’s freeze on communications from U.S. health agencies is leading to another disruption: the abrupt cancellation of scientific meetings.
The move covers a swath of health conditions, from a Presidential Advisory Council meeting on antibiotic-resistant germs to National Institutes of Health evaluations of grant applications for research into cancer and other diseases.
People registering for that antibiotic resistance meeting next week were greeted with a message Thursday that the sudden cancellation comes “as the new Administration considers its plan for managing federal policy and public communications.”
The new policy was a surprise, as some of those NIH grant-evaluation meetings were interrupted Wednesday by officials saying they had to shut down midstream. Unclear is whether it will lift in time for federal researchers to present data at scientific conferences like a major HIV meeting in early March.
A statement from the NIH said: “HHS has issued a pause on mass communications and public appearances that are not directly related to emergencies or critical to preserving health. This is a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization.”
A lengthy delay could have ripple effects as the NIH is the nation’s largest funder of medical research — important not just for drug discoveries but for jobs in universities and other labs.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar says he’s spoken with Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Saar said he talked with Rubio to express appreciation for President Donald Trump’s recent pro-Israel executive orders.
In the phone call Thursday, Saar told Rubio that Israel was grateful for Trump’s move against the International Criminal Court, his re-designation of Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organization and his removal of sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank accused of violence against Palestinians.
Saar said he invited Rubio, a staunch supporter of Israel, to the country and that they agreed to meet soon.
Saar said: “We are committed to working hard and closely with President Trump and his administration to deal with our common challenges and to expand our alliances.”
Some North Carolina officials follow Trump’s lead on DEI cuts
Two statewide offices in North Carolina, both run by Republicans, announced rollbacks of internal diversity, equity and inclusion policies Thursday in light of recent orders by President Donald Trump to eliminate DEI programs in the federal government.
North Carolina Labor Commissioner Luke Farley first said in a statement Thursday morning that his department would no longer use diversity, equity and inclusion metrics in employee evaluations. Instead, he said employees would be hired and assessed on their merit.
State Auditor Dave Boliek also announced that his office eliminated internal DEI practices, which he said are “divisive and brings little-to-no return on investment of time and resources.” Before taking office this year, Boliek served on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, where he supported cutting diversity, equity and inclusion spending at the flagship university last year.
Trump’s official biography makes several boastful claims
Among the claims on his official biography on the White House website are that he won “a landslide victory” last year and he “defines the American success story.”
But it leaves out what might be Trump’s most infamous assertion — his false insistence that he won the 2020 presidential election. Instead it describes his 2016 victory as his first and his 2024 comeback as his second.
“He remarkably won the Presidency in his first ever run for any political office,” the biography says. “He won a second time despite several assassination attempts and the unprecedented weaponization of law fare against him.”
Trump has refused to acknowledge that he lost in 2020 to Joe Biden, and he faced criminal charges for trying to overturn his defeat. The charges were dropped when he won last year’s election because longstanding Justice Department policy says presidents can’t be prosecuted while in office.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski to vote against Hegseth, first Republican to oppose a Trump Cabinet pick
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she’ll vote against Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense.
She’s the first Republican to publicly oppose any of Trump’s nominees.
In a statement ahead of a procedural vote on Hegseth’s nomination Thursday, Murkowski said she remains concerned “about the message that confirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those aspiring to join.” Hegseth has said in the past that he doesn’t believe women should serve in combat roles in the military.
Murkowski said past behaviors Hegseth has acknowledged, “including infidelity on multiple occasions,” show a lack of judgement. “These behaviors starkly contrast the values and discipline expected of servicemembers,” Murkowski wrote.
“Above all, I believe that character is the defining trait required of the Secretary of Defense, and must be prioritized without compromise,” she said.
▶ Read more about Pete Hegseth’s nomination
A federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship regardless of the parents’ immigration status.
U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour ruled in the case brought by the states of Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon, which argue the 14th Amendment and Supreme Court case law have cemented birthright citizenship.
The case is one of five lawsuits being brought by 22 states and a number of immigrants rights groups across the country. The suits include personal testimonies from attorneys general who are U.S. citizens by birthright, and names pregnant women who are afraid their children won’t become U.S. citizens.
▶ Read more about birthright citizenship
More former Trump officials lose security protections
President Donald Trump has revoked government security protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his top aide Brian Hook. They’ve faced threats from Iran ever since they took hardline stances on the Islamic Republic during Trump’s first administration.
A congressional staffer and a person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss personal security details, confirmed the change. Neither could offer an explanation.
They said Pompeo and Hook were told of the loss of protection Wednesday and that it took effect at 11 p.m. that night.
It comes a day after Trump revoked Secret Service protection for John Bolton, who was fired as Trump’s national security adviser during his first term, as well as his security clearance and those of dozens of former intelligence officials.
— Matthew Lee
Democrats determined not to let congressional Republicans move on from Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons
Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters during a Thursday news conference: “Shame on my House Republican colleagues. What happened to backing the blue?”
Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes for participating in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters previously that the president made his decision, and “I don’t second guess those.”
“The release of violent felons who brutally beat police officers and women doesn’t make America safer,” Jeffries told reporters.
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The Associated Press has removed an item from US-Trump-The-Latest about an NSA diversity official being laid off. It was based off a social media post that the person said was a joke.
The Associated Press
