Staff fired at federal program that helps low-income households pay for heat

The Trump administration has laid off the entire staff of a federal program that provides energy assistance to millions of low-income households. Roughly two dozen workers who ran the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program were fired last week. The program, called LIHEAP for short, has a 4-billion dollar budget that helps pay low-income Americans for heat during the winter and cooling in the summer. Following the layoffs, state officials are now wondering whether they will still receive millions of dollars in expected federal payments.

DOD chief’s use of Signal app to be investigated

Use of the Signal messaging app is being investigated at the Pentagon. The Defense Department’s acting inspector general announced he will review Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal to convey plans for a recent military strike in Yemen. The review will also look at other defense officials’ use of the publicly available encrypted app, which is not able to handle classified material and is not part of the Pentagon’s secure communications network. Hegseth’s use of the app came to light when a journalist was added to a text chain by the president’s national security adviser.

Intelligence, national security officials fired by Trump

There’s a staff shake-up involving intelligence and national security employees. The Trump administration fired the top two officials at the National Security Agency, including the director who also headed the Pentagon’s U.S. Cyber Command. President Trump also acknowledged the firing of several White House National Security Council officials. The shake-up came a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer met with the president to discuss staff loyalty. He said Loomer sometimes offers advice but claimed she had nothing to do with the recent firings.

Harvard is Trump’s latest target in Ivy League crackdown

Harvard University is the latest target in the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown against campus antisemitism. Nine billion dollars in grants and contracts are being threatened unless Harvard agrees to a list of demands from the federal government. It’s just one of several Ivy League schools feeling the heat. Columbia University was the first one targeted and it agreed to several demands. The Trump administration also suspended about 175 million dollars in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania over a transgender swimmer, and Princeton University had dozens of its research grants halted by the administration.

Trump says Musk to leave administration “in a few months”

President Trump says Elon Musk will likely leave his administration in “a few months.” The world’s richest man has been Donald Trump’s most powerful and disruptive adviser since Inauguration Day. But Musk may soon be wrapping up his work downsizing and overhauling the federal government. Last week, Musk faced a setback in Wisconsin, where voters rejected his choice for a state Supreme Court candidate despite more than 21 million dollars in personal donations. Musk’s role in the administration has led to lower Tesla sales and violent attacks against his car company.

Trump giving TikTok another 75 days to find a U.S. buyer

President Trump is giving his administration more time to broker a deal for TikTok. Congress had mandated that the popular social media platform be divested from China back in January or banned in the U-S on national security grounds. But Donald Trump extended the deadline to this weekend in a bid to keep it running. On Friday, the president announced he’s going to let TikTok operate in the U-S for another 75 days while a deal is ironed out. He said he looks “forward to working with TikTok and China to close the deal.”

Trump defends tariffs; Fed chair says higher inflation likely

President Trump is preaching patience as the stock market plummets on news of his across-the-board tariffs. With the global economy reeling by the tariffs, the president is insisting his trade policies “will never change.” He wrote online that “this is a great time to get rich,” telling Americans to “hang tough.” Meanwhile, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the tariffs were “significantly larger than expected” and are “highly likely” to cause more inflation.

White House applauds jobs reports as stock market tumbles

The Trump White House is applauding the latest jobs numbers. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month’s addition of 228-thousand jobs was “well ahead of the market’s expectation.” She also pointed to an increase in transportation, construction, and warehousing employment. The White House statement was released against the backdrop of tariff-induced turmoil in the global financial markets.

Intelligence, national security officials fired by Trump

There’s a staff shake-up involving intelligence and national security employees. The Trump administration fired the top two officials at the National Security Agency, including the director who also headed the Pentagon’s U.S. Cyber Command. President Trump also acknowledged the firing of several White House National Security Council officials. The shake-up came a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer met with the president to discuss staff loyalty. He said Loomer sometimes offers advice but claimed she had nothing to do with the recent firings.

As Wall Street plunges, Trump predicts a market “boom”

President Trump remains upbeat about his tariffs even though global stock markets took a nosedive. Asked about the biggest Wall Street sell-off since 2020, the president told reporters he thinks his trade plan is “going very well.” Donald Trump may be upbeat, but the initial response on Wall Street was overwhelmingly negative. The Dow plunged more than 16-hundred points and the Nasdaq sank six percent.

Judge says “fair likelihood” administration violated his deportation order

A federal judge is weighing in on the recent deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members. At a Thursday hearing, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said there’s a “fair likelihood” the Trump administration violated his court order last month. The judge temporarily blocked the deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members while he considered a lawsuit challenging the administration’s use of an 18th century law. The administration failed to return two deportation flights that were in the air at the time he issued the order.

Judge to weigh whether administration violated deportation order

A federal judge will hold a hearing over the recent deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members. Last month, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg imposed a two-week ban on deportations of accused members of the Tren de Aragua gang. He issued the pause to consider a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s use of an 18th century law. Boasberg is now probing whether the administration violated that order by failing to return two deportation flights that were in the air at the time he issued the order.

New 25% tariffs on imported autos take effect

In addition to across-the-board tariffs, President Trump also announced a 25 percent tax on auto imports. The tariffs went into effect at midnight on all cars and trucks being shipped to the United States. In his Rose Garden speech, the president complained that while the U-S imports many foreign vehicles, Japan, South Korea, and other nations have put up barriers to American-made automakers. Auto dealers say the 25 percent tariffs will likely result in sharply higher sticker prices.

Amazon offers to buy TikTok as Trump mulls sale

Amazon has put in a bid to buy TikTok. A Trump administration official says the last-minute Amazon offer was sent to Vice President Vance and Commerce Secretary Lutnick. The clock is ticking on the video platform with a U-S ban set to go into effect Saturday. On the day of inauguration, President Trump gave TikTok a reprieve and met this week with senior officials to discuss the coming deadline for a sale.

In trade war escalation, Trump unveils tariffs on all imports

President Trump has unveiled widespread tariffs on all imports in a bid to revive U-S manufacturing and collect tax revenue.  Declaring a national economic emergency, the president rolled out 10 percent tariffs on all imported goods and even higher duties on dozens of countries. The president promised that factory jobs, in the long run, will return to the U-S. But economists, investors, and consumers are wary about price hikes on everyday goods in the short term.

Trump reciprocal tariffs will be half of what the U.S. is charged

President Trump has announced 10 percent tariffs on all imported goods and even higher duties on dozens of countries. Saying that American taxpayers have been “ripped off” for decades, the president unveiled a long list of reciprocal tariffs. He said they’ll be half of what the U-S is charged. For example, China faces a 34 percent tax on imports, South Korea 25 percent, and Japan 32 percent.

Trump’s “Liberation Day” to feature tariffs announcement

President Trump has dubbed it “Liberation Day” — the day he’s announcing sweeping trade tariffs. During a Rose Garden ceremony, the president will impose reciprocal tariffs to match the duties that other countries charge on U-S products. Ahead of this afternoon’s announcement, financial markets have been jittery and many Americans have rushed to buy products they fear will rise in cost as a result of the import taxes.

Supreme Court to hear Planned Parenthood funding case

A case involving Planned Parenthood goes before the U-S Supreme Court. Justices will hear arguments about South Carolina’s effort to block any public health care dollars from going to Planned Parenthood. Federal law prohibits Medicaid money from paying for abortions and the Trump administration is backing the state’s case. Opponents argue that redirecting Medicaid funds will harm low-income citizens. It’ll be up to the high court to decide whether Medicaid patients can sue over their legal right to choose their own qualified provider.

Trump prepping to announce sweeping tariffs plan

President Trump will unveil a new set of tariffs with the goal of boosting products made in America. CEOs, Wall Street investors, and everyday consumers are bracing for the impact of new taxes on imports from other countries. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt predicts the president’s action “will improve American competitiveness.” The president unveils his sweeping tariffs at a Rose Garden ceremony Wednesday afternoon.

Thousands of HHS workers being laid off at NIH, FDA

Thousands of employees in the government’s Health and Human Services Department are being laid off.
The layoffs are expected to affect up to 10-thousand people, many of whom weren’t notified until they showed up for work Tuesday morning and couldn’t access their buildings. The cuts include researchers, scientists, doctors, support staff, and senior leaders at the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and other agencies. Some senior-level NIH employees in the DC area were offered a possible transfer to Alaska and were given 48 hours to respond.

Trump administration deported man to El Salvador in “error”

The Trump administration admits to mistakenly deporting a Maryland man to an El Salvador prison.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says U-S officials made a mistake when the administration arrested and deported the man, who had protected legal status. Despite the “clerical error,” Leavitt says there are no plans to return the man because of his alleged gang ties. However, the man’s attorneys say he has no gang ties and that the government has not produced evidence to support that claim.

Markets, businesses brace for Wednesday’s Trump tariffs

Markets and businesses are bracing for the announcement of new Trump tariffs. The president has dubbed Wednesday “Liberation Day.” It’s when he will raise U-S tariffs to match what other countries charge. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the president is “doing this in the best interest of the American worker.” Businesses are unsure what the tariffs’ impact will be. The stock market has tumbled over the past few weeks. And Goldman Sachs raised its forecast for inflation.

Scientists warn that Trump funding cuts are damaging research

White House: U.S. deports 17 more dangerous gang members