The Trump administration said Tuesday that it would immediately lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and its intelligence sharing with Kyiv, more than a week after imposing the measures to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter talks to end the war with invading Russian forces.
The announcement came at talks between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine also said it was open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, subject to Kremlin agreement.
Here's the latest:
Trump administration to resume military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing
The Trump administration said Tuesday that it would immediately lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and its intelligence sharing with Kyiv, more than a week after imposing the measures to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter talks to end the war with invading Russian forces.
The announcement came at talks between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia. Ukraine also said it was open to a 30-day cease-fire in the war with Russia, subject to Kremlin agreement.
▶ Read more about the Russia-Ukraine war
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stops short of calling Canada a close ally of the US
“I think Canada is a neighbor. They are a partner. They have always been an ally,” Leavitt told the White House press corps during a briefing.
“Perhaps they are becoming a competitor now,” she said, especially in light of Trump’s announcement Tuesday to double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum for Canada in an escalation of the trade war with the U.S.’s northern neighbor.
Leavitt continued to press Trump’s suggestion that Canada would be well served becoming the 51st state in the United States.
“He believes Canadians would benefit greatly from becoming the 51st state of the United States of America,” she said.
White House press secretary calls market volatility a ‘snapshot'
“We are in a period of economic transition … from the mess that was created by Joe Biden,” Leavitt said while speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room.
She was touting increases in the automotive industry while pointing to the high inflation that occurred during the early part of Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.
“When it comes to the stock market, the numbers we see today, the numbers we saw yesterday, the numbers we will see tomorrow, are a snapshot in a moment in time,” she said, repeating Trump’s claim that the U.S. is entering “a golden age in American manufacturing.”
Leavitt did not mention that markets were higher in September, when Biden was nearing the end of his term in office.
University of Maine says USDA has paused funding during investigation into Title IX compliance
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said last month it initiated the compliance review in the wake of a disagreement between President Trump and Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills over the role of transgender girls in sports.
Trump signed an executive order designed to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports. Trump characterized Maine as out of line with the order and told Mills “you’re not getting any federal funding” during a meeting with governors during the disagreement.
University of Maine officials said in a statement that federal funding is critical to its work supporting farmers, fishermen and foresters in the state. They said the university has complied with the USDA investigation and has been informed the funding pause is temporary until further notice.
Judge blocks federal cuts to a teacher training program
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun sided with eight states that sued to keep federal funding in place for a pair of teacher-training grants the Trump administration wants to slash.
The grants largely help bring teachers to rural districts, but California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Wisconsin had argued that cutting the programs was illegal.
The Education Department had said the grants supported divisive ideologies.
Trump answers backlash against Musk by buying a Tesla
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a Tesla is being brought to the White House for Trump.
The president announced in an overnight social media post that he was going to buy a car from Elon Musk’s company, which has faced sagging sales and declining stock prices as Musk slashes government jobs, programs and funding throughout the federal bureaucracy.
Leavitt said getting the new vehicle would be a “very exciting moment,” and that Trump would pay full market price.
House Speaker Mike Johnson says to give Trump’s economic policies ‘a chance’
Johnson suggested President Trump’s economic policies amounted to a “shake-up” in the short term that would eventually result in “repairing and restoring the American economy.”
Johnson was fielding reporters’ questions at the U.S. Capitol.
“Give the president a chance to have these policies play out,” he said.
Wall Street scrapes 10% below its record after Trump’s latest tariff threat worsens its sell-off
The S&P 500 earlier sank as much as 1.5% Tuesday before paring its loss to 1.4%, which put it 9.9% below its record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 711 points, or 1.7%, as of 1:32 p.m. ET, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.2% lower.
The drops came after Trump said he would raise tariffs on steel and aluminum coming from Canada, doubling their planned increase to 50%. The president said it was a response to moves a Canadian province made after Trump began threatening tariffs on one of the United States’ most important trading partners.
Canada incoming PM says he’ll keep tariffs in place until US shows respect and commit to free trade
Incoming Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday his government will keep tariffs in place until Americans show respect and commit to free trade after President Trump threatened historic financial devastation for Canada.
Carney, who’ll be sworn in as Justin Trudeau’s replacement in the coming days, said Trump’s latest tariffs are an attack on Canadian workers, families, and businesses.
“My government will ensure our response has maximum impact in the US and minimal impact here in Canada, while supporting the workers impacted,” Carney said.
Trump said Tuesday that he’ll double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% for Canada, escalating a trade war with the United States’ northern neighbor and showing an indifference to recent stock market turmoil and rising recession risks.
▶ Read more about tariffs between the U.S. and Canada
Trump says a TikTok deal is in the works
In less than a month, TikTok could have one or a few new owners, be banned again, or simply receive another reprieve to continue operating in the United States.
Questions about the fate of the popular video sharing app have continued to linger since a law requiring its China-based parent company to divest or face a ban took effect Jan. 19. After taking office, President Trump gave TikTok a 75-day reprieve by signing an executive order that delayed enforcement of the statute until April 5.
As he returned to Washington from his Florida home Sunday, Trump told reporters a deal could come soon. He didn’t offer any details on the interested buyers, but said the administration was in talks with “four different groups” about TikTok.
“A lot of people want it and it’s up to me,” Trump said aboard Air Force One.
A TikTok spokesperson declined to comment.
▶ Read more about a possible deal on TikTok
Johnson is pleased with Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest
House Speaker Mike Johnson is making his views clear about the arrest of the Palestinian activist, a former Columbia University graduate student who helped lead last spring’s protests against Israel.
Johnson said he was glad the United States has a president “who’s strong enough to lay down the law.”
“We’re going to arrest your tail,” Johnson said, referring to deporting certain international students in the U.S. on visas. “This is just getting started.”
More than 1.1 million people have unclaimed tax refunds from 2021
The Internal Revenue Service says more than $1 billion in refunds remain unclaimed by taxpayers who haven’t filed their 1040 forms for the 2021 tax year.
The IRS estimates the median refund amount to be about $781. In all, it estimates about 1.1 million people may have money owed to them.
Taxpayers who haven’t claimed their refunds for 2021 have until April 15 to submit their returns, the service says.
The EU says it will keep supporting Ukraine against Russia’s illegal invasion
The European Union plans to step up humanitarian aid to Ukraine when others pull back.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’ speech at the U.N. on Tuesday was clearly aimed at Trump’s dismissive language about Europe, his massive cutbacks in aid to poor and conflict-torn countries, and his refusal to acknowledge that Russia invaded Ukraine.
“The EU will remain the U.N.’s reliable partner of choice,” Kallas said in defending the U.N.’s commitment to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.
While the Trump administration is eliminating 83% of the programs of its former aid agency — including to the U.N. — she said the EU will always support rising humanitarian needs, with almost 2 billion euros (about $2.16 billion) this year.
A White House official says they plan to appeal ruling that DOGE is subject to FOIA
The official says the Monday ruling finding DOGE is likely subject to public record law was based on a misunderstanding of DOGE’s placement in the federal government.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the case.
— Chris Megerian
A judge finds DOGE is subject to FOIA requests
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is likely covered by public records law and must begin complying with requests from a watchdog group, a federal judge found.
Judge Christopher Cooper rejected the Trump administration’s assertion that DOGE isn’t an agency subject to public-records requests because it's part of the White House.
In his ruling late Monday, Cooper cited social-media statements from Musk and President Trump as he found that DOGE likely does wield independent authority that makes it legally subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Judge Cooper ordered DOGE to start responding to requests about the team’s role in mass firings and disruptions to federal programs filed by the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
US hasn’t determined who was behind attack that caused outage on Trump adviser Musk’s social site X
That’s according to a Trump administration official familiar with the ongoing investigation into the matter.
Monday’s outage was described as a cyberattack by the official, who wasn’t authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity. The official added that the Republican administration takes all cyberattacks against American companies seriously but underscored that the U.S. government had not gleaned any specific intelligence about who might have been behind the attack.
The comments came after Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X and a top adviser to Trump, claimed in an appearance on Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” show that the cyberattackers had “IP addresses originating in the Ukraine area” without going into detail on what that might mean.
Cybersecurity experts quickly pointed out, however, that this doesn’t necessarily mean the attack originated in Ukraine.
▶ Read more about the apparent cyber attack against X
— Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller
Trump doubles planned tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50% as trade war intensifies
Trump says the increase of the tariffs set to take effect Wednesday is a response to the price increases the provincial government of Ontario put on electricity sold to the United States.
“I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social.
The U.S. stock market promptly fell following the social media post.
Trump slump: Can the president restore trust in his economic plans after his tariffs create fear?
After a brutal stock market selloff because of his tariff threats, President Trump faces pressure Tuesday to show he has a legitimate plan to grow the economy instead of perhaps pushing it into a recession.
Trump was set to deliver an afternoon address to the Business Roundtable, a trade association of CEOs that during the 2024 campaign he wooed with the promise of lower corporate tax rates for domestic manufacturers. But his plans for tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China, steel and aluminum — with more to possibly come on Europe, Brazil, South Korea, pharmaceutical drugs, copper, lumber and computer chips — would amount to a massive tax hike.
The stock market’s vote of no confidence over the past two weeks puts the president in a bind between his enthusiasm for taxing imports and his brand as a politician who understands business based on his own experiences in real estate, media and marketing.
▶ Read more about Trump’s effect on the economy
Wall Street’s sell-off is slowing, for now at least
That follows a scary stretch where worries about the economy and tariffs sent it close to 9% below its all-time high.
The S&P 500 was down 0.3% in early trading. While still a loss, such a modest move would be a respite after the main measure of Wall Street’s health swung by at least 1%, up or down, seven times in the last eight days.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 202 points, or 0.5%, as of 9:35 a.m. ET. A day earlier, it had been down more than 1,100 points at one point. The Nasdaq composite was virtually unchanged.
Several Big Tech stocks held steadier after getting walloped in recent months. Elon Musk’s Tesla rose 1.1%, for example. President Trump even said he would buy a Tesla in a show of support for “Elon’s ‘baby.’ ”
▶ Read more about the financial markets
Polls open in Greenland for parliamentary elections as Trump seeks control of the strategic island
The self-governing region of Denmark is home to 56,000 people, most from Indigenous Inuit backgrounds, and occupies a strategic North Atlantic location. It also contains rare earth minerals key to driving the global economy.
Unofficial election results should be available soon after polls close at 2200 GMT Tuesday, but they won’t be certified for weeks as ballot papers make their way to the capital from remote settlements by boat, plane and helicopter.
While the Arctic island has been on a path toward independence since at least 2009, a break from Denmark isn’t on the ballot even though it’s on everyone’s mind. Voters on Tuesday will instead elect 31 lawmakers who’ll shape the island’s debate on when and if to declare independence in the future.
▶ Read more about Greenland’s elections
White House cautious about what's ahead in Syria after clashes
The White House is circumspect about the prospects for a peaceful Syria after clashes erupted last week that left hundreds dead.
Monitoring groups say hundreds of civilians were killed in the clashes that broke out last week. Revenge attacks primarily targeted members of the Alawite religious minority to which the ousted Syrian leader Basher Assad belongs.
White House National Security Council spokesperson James Hewitt said Tuesday that the attacks on religious minorities has raised concerns in the administration “about whether Syria’s interim governing authorities are ready to include a religiously and ethnically diverse population, and whether the interim authorities even have the legitimacy to do so.”
Syria’s interim government signed a deal Monday with the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s northeast, including a ceasefire and the merging of the main U.S.-backed force there into the Syrian army.
Republicans are marching ahead with a government funding bill despite Democratic opposition
Republicans will face a critical test of their unity when the spending bill that would avoid a partial government shutdown and keep federal agencies funded through September comes up for a vote.
Speaker Mike Johnson is teeing up the bill for a vote as soon as Tuesday despite the lack of buy-in from Democrats, essentially daring them to oppose it and risk a shutdown that would begin Saturday if lawmakers fail to act.
Republicans will need overwhelming support from their members in both chambers — and some help from Senate Democrats — to get the bill to President Trump’s desk. It’s one of the biggest legislative tests so far of the Republican president’s second term.
“The CR will pass,” Johnson told reporters Monday, using Washington shorthand to describe the continuing resolution. “No one wants to shut the government down. We are governing, doing the responsible thing as Republicans. It’s going to be up to Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats to do the right thing.”
▶ Read more about the spending bill in Congress
Trump to speak to business leaders amid market turmoil over tariffs
The president stayed away from the cameras during Mondays sell-off on Wall Street, driven by concerns over his trade war and the reverberations it will cause the global economy.
Trump will get a chance to say his piece when he visits with the Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs from leading American companies, later Tuesday.
Homeland Security overhauls its asylum phone app. Now it’s for ‘self-deportation’
The Trump administration has unveiled an overhauled cellphone app once used to let migrants apply for asylum, turning it into a system that allows people living illegally in the U.S. to say they want to leave the country voluntarily.
The renamed app, announced Monday and now called CBP Home, is part of the administration’s campaign to encourage “self-deportations, ” touted as an easy and cost-effective way to nudge along Trump’s push to deport millions of immigrants without legal status.
Moments after Trump took office, the earlier version of the app, CBP One, stopped allowing migrants to apply for asylum, and tens of thousands of border appointments were canceled.
More than 900,000 people were allowed in the country on immigration parole under CBP One, generally for two years, starting in January 2023.
The Trump administration has repeatedly urged migrants in the country illegally to leave.
▶ Read more about the new CPB app
Trump calls on Republicans to primary Rep. Thomas Massie
Massie, the hardline conservative from Kentucky, has raised Trump’s ire by opposing a Republican push for a spending bill that would avoid a partial government shutdown and keep federal agencies funded through September.
Trump went after Massie on social media, calling him a “GRANDSTANDER, who’s too much trouble.”
“HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him,” Trump says.
Massie said he opposes the short-term spending bill because it maintains federal funding without considering budget cuts that reflect the “waste fraud and abuse” in government spending DOGE has uncovered.
“Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election,” Massie added on X. “Guess what? Doesn’t work on me.”
Trump says he’ll buy a Tesla to show support for Elon Musk
President Donald Trump says Musk, who’s effectively running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been “putting it on the line” for America and he’s going to show his support for the Tesla CEO by buying one of his electric vehicles.
Shares of Tesla slid again Monday as confidence in Musk’s electric car company continues to disintegrate following a post-election “Trump bump.”
Trump said on his social media platform that he was “going to buy a brand new Tesla” on Tuesday “as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American. Why should he be punished for putting his tremendous skills to work in order to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN???”
Musk has become the face of the Trump administration’s government downsizing efforts.
Analysts have said Musk’s shift to right-wing politics doesn’t appear to sit well with potential Tesla buyers, generally perceived to be wealthy, environmentally-conscious liberals.
Kentucky bourbon makers fear becoming ‘collateral damage’ in Trump’s trade war
The trade wars pose an immediate threat to an American-made success story, built on the growing worldwide taste for bourbon, Tennessee whiskey and other products.
Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said the president’s zig-zagging tariff policy is hurting the American economy and will lead to higher consumer prices while disrupting business.
Trump on Thursday postponed 25% tariffs on some imports from Canada for a month amid fears of the economic fallout from a broader trade war. Yarbrough said his company’s expansion plans are still in limbo.
For an industry that has to plan well into the future, based on aging its whiskey products, such angst is widespread in Kentucky, which produces 95% of the world’s bourbon supply. At this point even a delay in tariffs wouldn’t alleviate the practical problems confronting U.S. whiskey makers.
▶ Read more about how Kentucky bourbon makers are being impacted
Ukraine-US talks on ending war with Russia start in Saudi Arabia as Kyiv launches huge drone attack
Senior officials from Ukraine and the United States opened talks Tuesday on how to end Moscow’s three-year war against Kyiv, hours after Russian air defenses shot down more than 300 Ukrainian drones in the biggest such attack since the Kremlin ordered the full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
Two people were killed and 18 were injured, including three children, in the massive drone attack that spanned 10 Russian regions, officials said. No large-scale damage was reported.
Meanwhile, Russia launched 126 Shahed and other drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine on Tuesday, the Ukrainian air force said, as part of Moscow’s relentless pounding of civilian areas during the war.
In the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, journalists briefly entered a room where a senior Ukrainian delegation met with America’s top diplomat for talks on ending Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.
▶ Read more about the talks in Saudi Arabia
Rubio says purge of USAID programs complete, with 83% of agency’s programs gone
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the Trump administration had finished its six-week purge of programs of the six-decade-old U.S. Agency for International Development, cutting 83% of them, and said he would move the remaining aid programs under the State Department.
Hours later, a federal judge said Trump had overstepped his authority in shutting down most foreign assistance, saying the administration could no longer simply sit on the billions of dollars that Congress had provided for foreign aid. But Judge Amir H. Ali stopped short of ordering Trump officials to use the money to revive the thousands of terminated program contracts.
Rubio made his announcement Monday in a post on X, in one of his few public comments on what has been a historic shift away from U.S. foreign aid and development, executed by Trump political appointees at State and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency teams.
Rubio in the post thanked DOGE and “our hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform” in foreign aid.
▶ Read more about the dismantling of USAID
The Associated Press
