What to know today
- President Donald Trump said today he is considering "large scale" sanctions and tariffs on Russia to pressure the country into a ceasefire and peace deal with Ukraine. In later remarks in the Oval Office, Trump suggested it might be "more difficult" to work with Ukraine than Russia on ending the war.
- The Trump administration announced it will cancel about $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University over what it alleged is noncompliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.
- Trump hosted the first White House Crypto Summit with industry leaders to discuss plans to roll back many of the regulations put in place by the Biden administration. The president signed an executive order last night establishing a strategic bitcoin reserve, but the price of bitcoin didn't rally before the end of today's summit.
DOJ attorney who was critical of Biden's pardons says Todd Blanche fired her
U.S. pardon attorney Liz Oyer today posted to her LinkedIn page a termination notice from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously worked as Trump's defense lawyer.
The letter did not attribute Oyer's firing to a specific reason but comes as the Trump administration purges dozens of immigration judges, federal prosecutors and career layers from the Justice Department, zeroing in on people involved in prosecutions of Trump.
As pardon attorney, Oyer oversaw the process in which people applied for and received clemency. Though she operated as a nonpartisan advocate, she was critical of former President Joe Biden's decision to commute the sentences of 2,500 nonviolent drug offenders in a bid to "equalize" sentencing disparities.
Oyer told The Wall Street Journal in a statement earlier this year that the commutations were "not what we had hopes and advocated for," and called some of the clemency grants "upsetting."
Trump late last month appointed former federal inmate Alice Marie Johnson as "pardon czar," a decision that Oyer praised.
Bill Nye rallies with Democrats in protesting Trump's science cuts
Bill Nye, "the Science Guy," criticized the Trump administration at a rally in D.C. this afternoon and called for safeguards to protect against "political interference" in scientific research.
"Science is in the national interest, censoring science is not. I encourage those on the other side to break ranks, become leaders, remove the suppression of science," Nye said at the Stand Up for Science rally held in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
"As we stand here today, certain elements in our own government have suppressed references to climate change, have advocated against lifesaving vaccines and have ordered an automatic review of papers for the purpose of censorship," he added.
The rally brought together scientific researchers, lawmakers and climate activist to speak out against the Trump administration’s efforts to slash research funding and personnel at agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Institutes of Health.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., referred to the cuts as "illegal and reckless attacks on science by Elon Musk and the Trump administration."
"Make no mistake, this has nothing to do with government efficiency," said Van Hollen, whose state is home to the NIH headquarters.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Texas, a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, blasted efforts to terminate scientists whose job it is to keep Americans safe.
"They’re trying to fire scientists, innovators all across every single agency. They don’t know what they’re doing. They don’t know the cost of what they’re doing. We have to stop it," Subramanyam added.
Transgender inmates file class action suit against the Trump administration
Three transgender inmates in federal custody filed a class action lawsuit today against the Trump administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
The inmates are challenging Trump’s executive order prohibiting gender-affirming care for transgender people in federal prisons and immigration detention centers, and the BOP’s implementation of the executive order, according to the suit.
The lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups in D.C. federal court on behalf of 2,000 transgender people incarcerated in federal prisons across the country.
The three transgender inmates named in the suit include two transgender men and one transgender woman in facilities in New Jersey, Minnesota and Florida. The three individuals were previously diagnosed with gender dysphoria by BOP medical providers who prescribed them hormone therapy, the suit said. The plaintiffs, according to court documents, have either had their treatments suspended or the treatment will be suspended soon.
“Plaintiffs have already had their hormone therapy and/or access to accommodations discontinued, causing anxiety, thoughts of suicide and self-harm, sleeplessness, lethargy, and mood swings,” the suit said. “Defendants’ withdrawal and denial of gender-affirming health care to treat Plaintiffs’ serious medical needs, based on a blanket ban and without any individualized medical determination, violates the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”
The plaintiffs said the policy also violates the right to equal protection guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
U.S. citizen detained by ICE questions vote for Trump: ‘Just following Hispanic people’
A naturalized Virginia resident said he’s questioning his vote for Trump after agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him this week when they were looking for another person on a deportation order.
Jensy Machado said he’s a U.S. citizen and provided NBC 4 Washington documentation of his legal status.
Machado was driving to work Wednesday with two other men when he was stopped by ICE agents near his home, he said.
Confused by the scene, Machado said he didn’t know what was happening and why agents surrounded his pickup truck.
A South Carolina man has been detained following accusations that he threatened to kill Trump
Travis Keith Lang, of Irmo, was arrested yesterday and arraigned today before a federal judge in Columbia.
The 47-year-old pleaded not guilty. He is being detained pending a bond hearing scheduled for March 14. The Secret Service is investigating.
A short indictment was filed in federal court on Tuesday. It says Lang threatened to “take the life of, to kidnap, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States.”
Lang filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president as a Republican in 2024. According to FEC filings, his only campaign donation was $6,000 he gave himself.
Court-appointed attorney backs dismissal of Eric Adams criminal case
An attorney appointed by the judge overseeing the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams backed the Justice Department's request to dismiss the case.
The attorney, Paul Clement, added that the dismissal should be done with prejudice — which would end the prosecution entirely.
"As a practical matter, even if the court were to deny the motion to dismiss, there is little the court could do to force the prosecutors to proceed with dispatch or stop them from dragging their feet and running out the speedy-trial clock," Clement wrote following a review of the case.
Ultimately, it will be up to Judge Dale Ho to determine what action he takes with respect to the dismissal.
Judge Ho last month indefinitely adjourned Adams' criminal trial, but did not dismiss the federal corruption charges filed against him.
He instead appointed Clement to offer independent arguments on the Justice Department's effort to drop the federal charges against the New York mayor, which led to a string of resignations from prosecutors involved in the investigation.
Trump creates White House task force for the 2026 World Cup
President Donald Trump established a White House Task Force for the 2026 World Cup by signing an executive order in the Oval Office alongside Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, the governing body of world soccer.
The task force’s stated mission is to “showcase the Nation’s pride and hospitality while promoting economic growth and tourism,” according to the order. Trump will chair of the body.
The U.S. is preparing to co-host the world’s most-watched sports tournament alongside Canada and Mexico amid rising tensions, as Trump escalates a trade war with the longtime allies.
Asked about co-hosting the tournament with the neighbors after slapping them with tariffs, Trump said it only adds to the drama on the pitch.
“I think it’s going to make it more exciting,” said Trump.
Trump expected to sign an executive order limiting public service loan forgiveness program
Trump is expected to sign an executive order to limit eligibility for the public service loan forgiveness program, a White House official said.
The PSLF enables many not-for-profit and government employees to have their federal student loans forgiven after 10 years of payments.
In the Oval Office earlier this afternoon, Trump administration staffer Will Scharf told Trump the program is being exploited by people working for nonprofit organizations engaging in "improper activities."
"A lot of these people work for NGO organizations, for nonprofit organizations that engage in illegal or what we would consider to be improper activities supporting, for example, illegal immigration or foreign terrorist organizations or otherwise law-breaking activities," Scharf said.
Scharf said Trump's executive order will modify eligibility requirements for the forgiveness program "to ensure that people who are engaged in these sorts of activities can’t benefit from a program that’s really not intended to support those sorts of things."
Scharf did not point to specific evidence when making his claim about the PSLF program.
Trump wraps first-ever White House crypto summit. Bitcoin's price still fell.
The White House hosted its first-ever crypto summit today, gathering leaders from an industry that ended up as the largest-single donor group to the 2024 election to reassert the Trump administration's desire to make the U.S. "the crypto capital of the world" and officially roll back the Biden administration's aggressive regulation of the sector.
However, some investors evidently wanted even more: Following the conclusion of the summit, the price of bitcoin fell as much as 4%, and was set to finish the week down about 8%.
The source of consternation came Thursday evening, when "crypto czar" David Sacks announced the U.S. was creating a "strategic bitcoin reserve" — while stating the U.S. did not have active plans to make additional crypto purchases.
Instead, the reserve would simply be made up of existing bitcoin holdings seized from suspects or civil forfeiture targets by law enforcement agencies.
The muted response was reflected by Jeff Park, an executive with bitcoin investment group Bitwise, who called the details of the executive order an "imperfect outcome."
"An EO is a singular political directive that can stick or disappear as easily as Biden’s EO on gender-affirming care for minors or the EO that sought to restrain the AI industry," he wrote in an X post. "Without the collective power of legislation that reflects the will of the people’s coalition building, it is not likely the game-changing thing that kicks off a bunch of second order things people expect."
Hispanic Caucus demands apology from GOP group that falsely called Latino lawmaker 'an illegal immigrant'
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is demanding an apology from the House Republicans' campaign arm after it falsely referred to Latino Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., as an "illegal immigrant" in a social media post on Wednesday.
The House Republican campaign arm made the remark in a now-deleted post after Espaillat delivered the Spanish response to Trump's joint address to Congress.
"You can’t sweep this under the rug. We demand a retraction and an apology, not a mulligan," the Congressional Hispanic Caucus wrote in a post on X.
A spokesperson for the campaign arm defended the post before it was deleted, chiding Democrats for "caring more about policing words and fighting facts instead of policing our border and fighting crime."
Espaillat told reporters yesterday that the post was indicative of a Republican Party "invaded by xenophobes that think anybody that doesn't look like them is an illegal."
Influential conservative legal activist defends Justice Barrett from MAGA attacks
Leonard Leo, a prominent player in conservative legal circles, today defended Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has faced vicious criticism from MAGA world.
Speaking to NBC News, Leo described Barrett, who Trump nominated in 2020, as "one of the most distinguished conservative jurists we've had in probably 100 years."
Leo, as a behind-the-scenes player, has played a key role in creating a pipeline of conservative judicial nominees that Trump tapped into in his first term.
The recent criticisms have focused on Barrett's key vote Wednesday in a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling that rejected a Trump administration attempt to avoid paying out money to U.S. Agency for International Development contractors.
Leo said that while he thought the four conservatives who dissented had the better argument, it is common for justices to disagree, especially on cases that reach the court on an emergency basis, like the USAID dispute.
"What you are seeing here is a procedural disagreement," he said.
As for the jibe made by some MAGA influencers that Barrett is a "diversity, equity and inclusion" or DEI appointment, Leo pointed to her staunchly conservative votes on such issues as abortion, gun rights and affirmative action.
"That doesn't sound like a DEI hire to me," he said.
Two prosecutors involved in NYC mayor case put on leave
Two prosecutors from the Southern District of New York involved in the case against Mayor Eric Adams were placed on leave today, multiple law enforcement sources told NBC News. The attorneys are Andrew Rohrbach and Celia Cohen.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Cohen declined to comment.
A former SDNY prosecutor confirmed, after consulting with two current prosecutors in that office, that marshals arrived at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and, after presenting a document signed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, escorted the two Adams prosecutors out.
Multiple sources told NBC News that at least one other Justice Department attorney was placed on administrative leave over comments they made on social media about U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, a Jan. 6 supporter and conservative activist who Trump named interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.
House Republicans eye vote on short-term funding plan slammed by Democrats
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Friday he will bring a “clean” stopgap funding bill to a House vote next week to avert a government shutdown, as Democratic leaders blasted the emerging legislation by warning that it could cut money for health care, nutritional assistance and veterans benefits.
That leaders from the two parties haven’t agreed on a path to keep the government open yet raises the chances of a shutdown at the end of next Friday, when federal funding expires.
Johnson hasn’t yet unveiled the measure, known as a continuing resolution or CR, but has said it would keep the government’s lights on through the current fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.
Bipartisan talks have hit a wall and Johnson is seeking to pass the bill with only Republican votes. But he has a razor-thin 218-214 majority, and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has already said he will vote against the stopgap bill. That means Johnson cannot afford another GOP defection.
McMahon meets with Columbia University interim president
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said she had a “productive meeting” with Columbia University’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, today after the Trump administration announced it would cancel approximately $400 million in federal grants to the university.
The Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism described the cancellation in a statement as “due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
“Look forward to working together to protect all students on their campus,” McMahon wrote on X. “The Trump Administration will not allow the continued harassment and threats of violence against students.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson says DOGE job cuts are 'going to be corrected'
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., responded to criticism of the aggressive job cuts by DOGE across the federal government on Fox News this afternoon, saying the cuts are "going to be corrected."
Marie Harf pressed Johnson on the cuts during an interview on Fox News' "Outnumbered," calling the job cuts "irresponsible."
"How can you and Elon Musk makes millions of dollars every day from the American government, and you're firing these people?" Harf said.
Johnson said the cuts were "going to be corrected," but argued Musk's intentions are "pure."
"There are going to be some mishaps and mistakes along the way, but we will do course correction immediately, and that's what you'll see," Johnson said.
Groups representing USAID contractors say Trump administration owes them $670M by Monday evening
Groups representing USAID contractors who sued the government said in new court filings this afternoon that the Trump administration owes them $670 million by Monday at 6 p.m. ET.
The plaintiffs said their members have 1,200 invoices that are outstanding for work performed before Feb. 13, totaling about $420 million. At a hearing in the case yesterday, the plaintiffs said their members are owed $250 million in government funds from letter-of-credit drawdown requests. This means the government needs to pay the plaintiffs $670 million by 6 p.m. Monday, which was ordered by a federal court yesterday.
The groups had sued the Trump administration after it froze foreign assistance and shut down USAID. The judge in the case ordered the government to pay the contractors, a ruling backed by the Supreme Court this week.
Trump administration cancels $400 million in grants for Columbia University
The Trump administration announced today that it would cancel about $400 million in federal grants to Columbia University “due to the school’s continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”
The move comes just days after the administration’s Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism notified Columbia that it was going to conduct a “comprehensive review” of the university’s federal grants and contracts.
The task force includes staff from the departments of Justice, Health and Human Services and Education and the U.S. General Services Administration.
In a statement explaining the cancellation of certain federal grants today, Education Secretary Linda McMahon implied that Columbia had not complied with federal anti-discrimination laws.
Trump says he's looking to negotiate new nuclear deal with Iran
Trump today discussed the possibility of a new nuclear deal between the United States and Iran, telling reporters that “there’ll be some interesting days ahead, that’s all I can tell you.”
“We’re down to final strokes with Iran,” Trump said at the White House. “We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.”
“We have a situation with Iran that something’s going to happen very soon, very, very soon, you’ll be talking about that pretty soon, I guess, and hopefully we can have a peace deal,” he added.
Trump said in Fox Business News interview that he sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in which he urged for negotiating a nuclear agreement and threatened military action otherwise.
“I’m not speaking out of strength or weakness, I’m just saying I'd rather see a peace deal than the other, but the other will solve the problem,” Trump said at the White House.
Trump says he finds it 'more difficult' to work with Ukraine than Russia on ending the war
Trump said this afternoon that he still believes Putin wants peace in Ukraine despite the Kremlin’s launch of an aerial assault on the country overnight, which came days after the U.S. suspended all military aid to Ukraine and halted intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
“I’m finding it more difficult to deal with Ukraine," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during remarks initially about the economy. "They don’t have the cards."
The president added that "it may be easier dealing with Russia" on a final agreement to end the war, which he called "surprising, because they have all the problems."
National security adviser Mike Waltz added that Trump has been “crystal clear” that all fighting needs to stop, and said the administration has had "good engagement” with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy.
Referring to the contentious Oval Office meeting Trump held with Zelenskyy last Friday that ended without the co-signing of a critical minerals deal, Waltz said, “We think we are going to get things back on track.”
Asked by a reporter if he believes Putin is taking advantage of the U.S. pause on military aid to Ukraine, Trump said he thinks Putin is “doing what anyone else would do.”
“I think he’s hitting them harder. He wants to get it ended. I think Ukraine wants to get it ended, but I don’t know,” Trump said.
Earlier today, Trump threatened to sanction Russia for continuing to bombard Ukraine as a way to pressure it to agree to a ceasefire.
Trump says the U.S. may place reciprocal tariffs on dairy and lumber from Canada
Trump warned that he may implement tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber as early as today, in what amounts to the latest broadside by his administration in the brewing trade war between the United States and Canada.
Trump has whipsawed on tariffs in recent days, imposing sweeping levies on Tuesday before paring back some of them, including goods from Mexico and Canada covered under the countries’ USMCA trade agreement. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed the new tariffs as “very dumb” earlier this week.
Trump, however, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office today, said there is more to come on tariffs, and possibly soon, over policies he said are hurting American dairy farmers.
Kamala Harris to decide if she'll run for governor by end of summer
Former Vice President Kamala Harris will decide whether she will run for governor of California by the end of the summer, according to a source familiar with her planning.
There has been speculation about whether she would run since the day after she lost the 2024 presidential election.
Harris has not ruled out a 2028 presidential run. Despite what could be a competitive Democratic primary, she is "keeping all options open," the source said.
This weekend, Harris is participating in a fireside chat about artificial intelligence in Las Vegas, Nevada, an early primary state.
Trump grants temporary tariff relief on a range of Canadian and Mexican goods
Trump has granted a short-term reprieve on tariffs imposed on certain Canadian and Mexican goods. NBC News’ Brian Cheung reports on the latest tariffs move by the Trump administration.
Trump administration ends collective bargaining for 50,000 airport security officers
The Trump administration said today it is ending collective bargaining for more than 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers who staff checkpoints at U.S. airports and other transportation hubs.
The Homeland Security Department said the move will remove bureaucratic hurdles, while the union representing workers did not immediately comment.
Trump threatens to impose ‘large scale’ sanctions on Russia until a peace agreement with Ukraine is reached
After weeks of distancing the U.S. from Ukraine, Trump today threatened to impose expanded “large-scale” sanctions and tariffs on Russia until it reaches a peace agreement with Ukraine.
“Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
His threat comes a week after the intense Oval Office clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy which scuttled hopes for a much-anticipated rare-earth minerals deal. The meeting added to growing concerns that U.S. policy toward Russia was softening and set off a scramble in Europe about who would fill the void if the U.S. pulled its support of Ukraine.
Judge denies bid to block DOGE from Treasury data
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., today denied a motion filed by a coalition of labor unions for a preliminary injunction to block DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment information systems, which holds sensitive data on programs such as Social Security and Medicaid.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said the plaintiffs' motion failed to demonstrate how DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department data would cause them irreparable harm, which is a standard for granting injunctions.
“If Plaintiffs could show that Defendants imminently planned to make their private information public or to share that information with individuals outside the federal government with no obligation to maintain its confidentiality, the Court would not hesitate to find a likelihood of irreparable harm,” Kollar-Kotelly wrote in the opinion.
But the plaintiffs did not show DOGE has such plans, the judge said. The plaintiffs include the Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Federation of Government Employees and the Service Employees International Union.
Last month, a U.S. district judge in New York temporarily blocked DOGE’s access to Treasury Department data in a case filed by 19 state attorneys general. The states argued that allowing DOGE access to the systems violated federal law.
Trump sets new limits on Musk’s downsizing of federal workforce
Trump said Cabinet secretaries will be in charge of layoffs at their agencies, writing that he wants them to use a “scalpel,” not a “hatchet.” Trump praised Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency for its cuts to federal spending, but also said he wants to “keep good people” in the federal workforce. NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports.
Ukraine and U.S. to give diplomacy another try after White House debacle
Senior Trump administration figures are planning to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Saudi Arabia next week, officials on both sides said yesterday, as Ukraine scrambles to repair its tattered relationship with Washington, its largest benefactor.
It’s the latest diplomatic turn for the Gulf theocracy. Saudi Arabia, which watchdogs accuse of widespread human rights abuses, has instituted some reforms in recent years.
Trump said later yesterday that his first foreign visit would be to the kingdom and that, in return, the nation’s monarchy had offered to invest $1 trillion in American companies.
Next week’s meeting is set to be between Zelenskyy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and national security adviser Mike Waltz, Witkoff told reporters Thursday. He added that the venue will either be the capital, Riyadh, or the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
Trump threatens 'large scale' sanctions on Russia until a peace deal with Ukraine is reached
Trump threatened this morning to impose expanded U.S. sanctions on Russian entities before a peace agreement with Ukraine.
"Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely 'pounding' Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED. To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late. Thank you!!!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
His threat comes a week after an intense clash between him, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office resulted in the U.S. and Ukraine not signing a minerals deal. It also comes after Trump has been soft on Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, and has taken steps to halt U.S. assistance to Ukraine, including both aid and weapons as well as the sharing of intelligence.
Yesterday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent seemed to preview additional sanctions on Russia in remarks before the Economic Club of New York.
He said that the Trump administration has kept enhanced sanctions on Russia in place and is prepared to go "all in," he said, "should it provide leverage in peace negotiations."
"Per President Trump’s guidance, sanctions will be used explicitly and aggressively for immediate maximum impact," he said.
Crypto execs will push for favorable laws at Trump summit
Now that Trump has announced plans for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, crypto industry leaders can focus on pushing for favorable legislation when they meet with the president today.
Trump's first Crypto Summit is a big nod to an industry that played a major role in his election victory. No executive was more central to that effort than Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.
Once a Silicon Valley entrepreneur focused on bringing digital assets to the wider world, Armstrong has spent the last year transforming himself into crypto’s ambassador in Washington, D.C., funneling millions into elections, building alliances, and ensuring the digital currencies market has a seat at the table.
“From our point of view, the next step in the United States that’s the most urgent is getting legislation passed,” he told CNBC.
CBS moves to dismiss Trump's lawsuit against '60 Minutes'
CBS News' parent company, Paramount, filed motions yesterday to dismiss a lawsuit from Trump that claims the network deceptively edited a "60 Minutes" interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
The company's filing argues for dismissal of the suit, calling it an "attempt to punish" CBS for their editorial judgments, a move that should be "barred by the First Amendment."
The filing also argues that since Trump's suit claimed the interview's editing caused harm to his electoral prospects, that claim is now moot because he won the election.
“They not only ask for $20 billion in damages but also seek an order directing how a news organization may exercise its editorial judgment in the future,” the court documents says. “The First Amendment stands resolutely against these demands.”
The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Texas in October, argues that CBS aired two different responses from Harris when she was asked about the Israel-Hamas war. The answer that aired on the "60 Minutes" program Oct. 6 did not include a comment from the vice president on how the Biden administration was dealing with the way Israel was conducting the war, the suit alleged
Trump signs executive order suspending security clearances for law firm Perkins Coie employees
Trump signed an executive order yesterday that suspends the security clearances of employees of law firm Perkins Coie and launches a review of diversity practices there and at other large law firms.
The order refers to how Perkins Coie represented Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and, at the time, hired research firm Fusion GPS to put together research about possible connections between Trump and Russia. That research became known as the Steele dossier as it was compiled by former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele. Its claims were largely unverified.
Trump suggested in his executive order that that situation was an example of "dishonest and dangerous activity" at Perkins Coie.
The order directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to review DEI practices at large or influential law firms.
A spokesperson for Perkins Coie said the executive order is “patently unlawful, and we intend to challenge it.”
Trump had already signed an executive order suspending the security clearances of lawyers at Covington & Burling, who were representing former special counsel Jack Smith.
Influential lawyer Marc Elias is an alumnus of Perkins Coie. He played a key role in fighting Trump-backed lawsuits challenging presidential election results in 2020 and has represented or worked for a slew of Democrats and Democratic campaigns.
U.S. adds 151,000 jobs, short of expectations, as federal workforce shrinks
The U.S. added 151,000 jobs in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today — missing expectations for 170,000 new roles but up from a revised 125,000 figure for January.
The unemployment rate climbed slightly to 4.1% from 4.0% the month before.
Federal government employment declined by 10,000 in February — a sign that cuts ordered by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency effort may have started to turn up in official data.
Policy uncertainty and blistering job cuts in Washington threaten to shake the U.S. economy off its moorings, traders and analysts say, with fresh employment data set to provide the latest picture of the effects so far.
Trump urges DOGE to use ‘scalpel’ rather than ‘hatchet’ for job cuts
Two weeks after Elon Musk wielded a chainsaw boasting about his efforts to slash the federal workforce, Trump urged the DOGE team to use a more targeted tool moving forward. “They can be very precise as to who will remain, and who will go. We say the ‘scalpel’ rather than the ‘hatchet,’” Trump posted on social media. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports for "TODAY."
DeSantis antagonizes MAGA supporters by going after Andrew Tate
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — When Andrew and Tristan Tate touched down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week, the two social media figures — who had been charged with human trafficking in Romania — found some support in right-wing circles for their return home.
But one of their most prominent critics has been a conservative: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who immediately said the brothers were not welcome in the state. State Attorney General James Uthmeier, who is the governor’s former chief of staff and close political adviser, said the state would open a criminal investigation into the men, although he did not outline specific allegations.
Andrew Tate announced yesterday that he was leaving Florida — saying he’d be back “in a few years” — which likely ends any potential investigation. (His brother also posted a picture from a plane.) But the political impact on DeSantis’ future might last longer.
DeSantis’ decision to antagonize some on the right by going hard after the Tate brothers puts him at odds with elements of the MAGA movement — including some allies of the president — who are still upset with him for challenging Trump in the 2024 election.
Trump halts tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada after stocks fall
After a week of back and forth with the United States’ largest trading partners that sent markets tumbling, Trump declares that more goods from Canada and Mexico won’t be included in the latest tariffs. This includes a wide range of products from avocados to auto parts. NBC’s Christine Romans reports for "TODAY."
Trump administration must pay debts to USAID partners by Monday, judge rules
A federal judge is giving the Trump administration until Monday to pay several nonprofit groups and aid organizations that were affected by Trump’s order to freeze foreign assistance and shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development.
In a ruling yesterday, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali formalized a plan to ensure the federal government releases funds to at least nine groups, including the Global Health Council, Chemonics International and the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.
Ali previously ordered the administration to temporarily disburse foreign aid that was in place before Trump took office Jan. 20, an amount the government estimated to be up to $2 billion.
Freshman senators introduce bipartisan legislation to hasten wildfire response
Sens. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., and Andy Kim, D-N.J., announced today that they are introducing legislation to set a national standard for wildfire response time on federal lands.
The Wildfire Response and Preparedness Act would establish a 30-minute national standard response time for wildfires on federal land administered by the Interior or Agriculture departments.
“Establishing an aggressive national wildfire standard response time, just like we have for structure fires, is an America First, commonsense way to protect our nation and our people,” Sheehy said in a statement. “The WRAP Act will help our brave firefighters put out wildfires while they are small and dramatically reduce catastrophic wildfire damage. This bill will save lives and prevent hundreds of billions of dollars in future property damage.”
The standard response time set by the National Fire Protection Association for structural fires is just shy of 5½ minutes. But there is no such standard for wildfires, which the senators said lets fires sometimes rage for days and increases the risk of significant damage.
White House hosts crypto summit
The White House is set to host a cryptocurrency summit today chaired by the White House's artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar, David Sacks, and administered by the executive director of Trump's working group on digital assets, Bo Hines.
The White House said in a statement announcing the summit last week that "prominent founders, CEOs, and investors from the crypto industry," in addition to members of the working group on digital assets, would attend.
Trump signed an executive order last night establishing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and the U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile using assets forfeited through civil and criminal proceedings.
Trump vowed on Truth Social this week that he "will make sure the U.S. is the Crypto Capital of the World."