What's going on today
- President Donald Trump signed two memoranda this evening. One promises tariffs on any country that imposes any charge "that is discriminatory, disproportionate, or designed to transfer significant funds or intellectual property from American companies to the foreign government," and another aims to promote foreign investment while protecting America’s national security interests.
- The Senate adopted a $340 billion budget resolution that includes money for Trump's immigration enforcement efforts, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting with Democrats against the measure. The House plans to take up its budget proposal next week.
- was confirmed this week in a 51-45 party-line vote. Despite controversy surrounding several nominees, Trump's picks have largely been confirmed by the Senate.
- The Conservative Political Action Conference continues just outside Washington, D.C., following appearances yesterday by Vice President JD Vance and tech mogul Elon Musk.
Supreme Court maintains pause on Trump bid to immediately fire watchdog agency head
The Supreme Court for now prevented Trump from firing the head of a watchdog agency in the first legal showdown to reach the justices over the administration’s efforts to dramatically remake the federal government.
In an unusual, tentative move, the court neither granted nor denied an emergency request filed by the Trump administration after lower courts had blocked the effort to fire Hampton Dellinger, who heads the Office of Special Counsel.
Instead, in a brief order, the court said it would not immediately act because lower court proceedings are moving quickly. A hearing is scheduled for feb. 26.
The court, which said it was holding the Trump request “in abeyance,” could act after that.
Trump deflects questions on whether Putin is a dictator, says instead Putin needs to meet with Ukraine's Zelenskyy
After presiding over the swearing in of Howard Lutnick as Secretary Commerce, Trump deflected questions from the White House press pool on whether or not Russian President Vladimir Putin is a dictator.
“Do you think that President Putin of Russia is also a dictator?” a reporter asked.
“I think that President Putin and President Zelenskyy are going to have to get together, because you know what? We want to stop killing millions of people,” Trump said.
The question comes amid Trump’s suggestions earlier this week that Ukraine, a long-standing U.S. ally, is responsible for Russia’s invasion of its own borders three years ago. After Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy expressed concern that his country was not offered a seat at the table during Tuesday’s U.S.-Russia peace talks in Saudi Arabia, Trump attacked Zelenskyy on Truth Social and said he is a “dictator without elections.”
The answer was a sharp turn from statements Trump made just days ago at his Mar-a-Lago estate, when he said Zelenskyy “should have never started it” and “could have made a deal” with Russia by now to end the war, noting the Ukrainian president has “been there for three years.”
Trump’s comments echoed misinformation from the Kremlin, which falsely claims Ukraine is to blame for its invasion of the sovereign country and stoked widespread fears among European leaders.
Trump administration to investigate Maine's education department
The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights initiated investigations into Maine in the wake of Trump's tense spat with the state's governor.
The administration initiated a Title IX investigation of the Maine Department of Education into whether it allows transgender students to compete in female athletics and use female locker rooms. The department will also investigate Maine School Administrative District #51, in Cumberland, over reports that a transgender student is competing in girls' categories.
Craig Trainor, the acting head of the department's civil rights office, emphasized in a statement that Maine's federal education funding is at risk if the state continues to "trample the rights of its young female athletes." The agency, he said, "will do everything in its power to ensure taxpayers are not funding blatant civil rights violators."
The department announced the probe hours after Trump clashed with Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, at a White House meeting. Trump called out Mills during remarks and asked whether her state would follow his executive order barring transgender athletes from participating in single-sex competitions or on teams that do not match their birth sex.
When Mills said her state would follow state and federal law, Trump responded, "You better comply. Otherwise, you’re not getting any federal funding."
Since January, the Education Department has opened several investigations under the gender equality law Title IX into colleges, school districts and state athletics organizations over their rules regarding transgender athletes.
These investigations are usually resolved by the department ordering certain policy changes if it finds that the school does not comply with federal civil rights rules. If they do not reach an agreement, the department can refer the case to the U.S. Department of Justice to initiate proceedings to cut off federal funding for the school, which has not happened since the George H. W. Bush administration.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, issued a statement today pushing back on Trump's threat to cut off funding for the state's schools.
"I oppose the President’s attempt to curtail funding for Maine, and will advocate vigorously for our fair share of federal funding for Maine schools," she said.
Trump loyalist Kash Patel sworn in as fBI director
Kash Patel was sworn in as fBI director this afternoon by Attorney General Pam Bondi in the Indian Treaty room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Trump did not attend the ceremony, but several Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas were there.
Patel was narrowly confirmed yesterday in a 51-49 vote, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining all 47 Democrats in voting no.
At the swearing-in ceremony, Patel praised Trump and called his new role the result of the American dream.
"Anyone that thinks the American dream is dead, just look right here: You’re talking to a first-generation Indian kid who’s about to lead the law enforcement community, the greatest nation on God’s green earth. That can’t happen anywhere else," Patel said.
He also laid out his plans for the bureau.
"There will be accountability within the fBI and outside of the fBI, and we will do it through rigorous constitutional oversight starting this weekend," Patel said.
Patel today also ordered a major redeployment of fBI agents in the field.
Stocks now down since Trump's inauguration
The three most closely watched U.S. stock indices are now down since Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.
The broad-based S&P 500 and the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average both fell more than 1% today, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slipped more than 2%. It was the Dow's worst day of the year.
A combination of factors weighed on stocks, reflecting concerns about potential Trump policy risks to the economy. Yesterday, Walmart, the nation's biggest retail and grocery chain, forecast weaker sales growth than Wall Street had been hoping for — and said it wouldn't be "immune" to tariffs. Today, the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment reading fell to 64.7 for february from 71.7 last month due in large part to concerns about U.S. tariffs adding to already-stubborn inflation.
The Associated Press sues Trump officials over access to presidential events
The Associated Press announced today a lawsuit against three Trump administration officials following a decision by the White House to repeatedly deny its journalists access to presidential events.
The news outlet is asking a court to block the targeting of its journalists, citing the first Amendment. It names White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich and press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Trump officials have targeted The Associated Press for rebuffing a demand to exclusively refer to the "Gulf of Mexico" as the "Gulf of America."
Citing its global audience, the outlet chooses to recognize both names of the international body of water, continuing to refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.
Trump referenced his targeting of The Associated Press last night during his speech at the Republican Governors Association dinner.
“They refuse to acknowledge that the Gulf — former of Mexico, is now called the Gulf of America, so we’re holding them out of any news conferences,” Trump said at the dinner. “It’s just something that we feel strongly about doing.”
Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio arrested on assault charge outside U.S. Capitol
Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys leader granted clemency by Trump last month, was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol today and charged with allegedly assaulting a female protester.
Tarrio was handcuffed, searched, and put in a police van by U.S. Capitol Police after he appeared on Capitol Hill with several other members of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers for a “press conference.” The police said he was charged with assault.
Capitol Police said in a statement that the incident happened around 2:30 p.m. ET when “our officers witnessed a woman (a counter protester) put a cell phone close to a man’s face” while they were both walking. “Then the officers witnessed the man strike the woman’s phone and arm,” the statement said.
florida Rep. Byron Donalds thanks Trump for backing his likely bid for governor
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-fla., used his stage time at the Conservative Political Action Conference today to thank Trump for supporting his likely 2026 bid for governor.
“I just want to say, Mr. President, thank you, and I will never let you down,” Donalds said, referring to Trump’s post on Truth Social yesterday in which the president praised Donalds and backed what's widely expected to be a gubernatorial campaign by the florida Republican next year.
Donalds has long been one of Trump’s loudest congressional allies, and the president’s public show of support is a good sign for Donald’s prospects in Trump's home state, where he beat former Vice President Kamala Harris by 13 percentage points in November.
“florida is not going to stop leading,” Donalds said at CPAC. “We’re going to build off of what we’ve done, and we are going to continue to lead bigger, better, faster, greater, safer, freer, because the American dream is for everybody, and we’re going to show the other 49 states how to get it done.”
“And as for me… stay tuned,” Donalds said to thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the CPAC audience.
Casey DeSantis, the wife of term-limited florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has also hinted at a run for governor.
DOGE boasts of savings that were due to Jimmy Carter's death
Elon Musk’s DOGE is taking credit for more than a half-million dollars of savings derived from ending a government lease in Georgia this week, but a closer look at the records suggests they had little to do with the lease termination.
DOGE released more than 1,000 receipts of cuts Monday, including a long list of real estate changes. One receipt is the termination of a lease in Atlanta that cost taxpayers $128,233. It's tagged as "allowances to former presidents." DOGE calculated the overall savings it would achieve to be more than $500,000.
According to a listing of government leases prepared by the General Services Administration, the lease is at the Carter Center, where former President Jimmy Carter had an office until his death. former presidents are entitled to a lifetime of benefits including office space; those benefits end when they die, as Carter did in December.
The White House and Carter Center did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump administration rescinds order to halt legal aid for unaccompanied migrant children
The Trump administration today rescinded a stop-work order affecting federally funded legal services for unaccompanied migrant children.
The Acacia Center for Justice, a nonprofit that has a federal contract to provide legal aid to unaccompanied migrant children, said in a statement to NBC News this afternoon that it received notice that “it can immediately resume work providing representation and legal access services to unaccompanied children.”
“We welcome the news that the stop-work order on Acacia’s Unaccompanied Children Program has been lifted,” Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, said in the statement. “We will continue working alongside the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that these critical services upholding the basic due process rights of vulnerable children are fully restored and our partners in the legal field — legal lifelines safeguarding the rights and well-being of children seeking safety — can resume their work without future disruption or delay.”
Patel orders major redeployment of fBI agents
fBI Director Kash Patel is ordering a major redeployment of personnel, sending 1,000 fBI agents from headquarters in Washington, D.C., to various field offices, three current and two former fBI officials briefed on the matter told NBC News. He also ordered another 500 agents at headquarters to go to the bureau's facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
The reallocation isn't without precedent: When he became director in 1993, Louis freeh ordered a number of supervisory agents at headquarters into the field. And many at the fBI can do their jobs from anywhere.
That said, the redeployment is likely to cause turmoil for families, as spouses have to leave jobs and their children are pulled out of school. It’s unclear exactly how long those affected will have to make their moves, the redeployment is happening soon, sources said.
Maine governor tells Trump 'see you in court' over his ban on transgender women competing in women's sports
Maine Gov. Janet Mills told Trump she would fight him in court over his executive order aimed at banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports.
Trump touted his signing of the order last month during his meeting with the nation's governors at the White House this morning. The order rolls back the Biden administration’s guidance on a federal law known as Title IX that bars sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs.
The order threatens to withhold federal education funding from states that fail to comply and seeks to implement the guidance across K-12 and collegiate sports.
“Many Democrats are fighting me on that,” Trump said, before directly asking Mills, whose office has alleged the order violates state anti-discrimination law, if Maine would comply with the ban.
“I’m complying with state and federal law,” Mills answered.
“Well, you better do it. You better do it, because you’re not going to get any federal funding at all if you don’t,” Trump said. “You better comply.”
“I’ll see you in court,” Mills replied.
Trump responded that he looked forward to that prospect and said he didn't think the Democratic governor would be elected to political office again if she challenged the order.
Mills issued a statement shortly after the exchange, saying, “If the President attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of federal funding, my Administration and the Attorney General will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides.”
“The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President’s threats,” Mills said.
french far-right leader cancels CPAC speech, calling out Steve Bannon’s ‘Nazi ideology’ hand gesture
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — french far-right leader Jordan Bardella on friday canceled his planned remarks here at the Conservative Political Action Conference after Steve Bannon, the former adviser to Trump who is now popular conservative podcast host, made a hand gesture that some said appeared to be a Nazi salute.
“Yesterday, while I was not present in the room, one of the speakers out of provocation allowed himself a gesture alluding to Nazi ideology. I therefore took the immediate decision to cancel my speech that had been scheduled this afternoon,” Bardella said in a statement to french media outlets.
The controversy comes a month after Elon Musk was accused of giving a Nazi salute at one of Trump’s inauguration events, further embroiling conservatives in a debate about whether their leaders are intentionally paying homage to a brutal regime responsible for the systemic murder of millions of Jews in the 1940s.
It’s also the most recent incident at CPAC where an attendee appeared to reference Nazi ideology.
Trump says he’s ‘sick’ of how Zelenskyy has handled Ukraine’s war with Russia: ‘He has no cards’
Trump on friday continued his ongoing attacks against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as tensions between the two leaders exploded onto the public stage this week.
“I’ve been watching this man for years now, as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as the soldiers get decimated,” Trump said on fox News Radio’s “The Brian Kilmeade Show” on friday morning. “I’ve been watching for years, and I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards. He has no cards, and you get sick of it. You just get sick of it. And I’ve had it.”
N.Y. Mayor Eric Adams’ April trial date is canceled
Manhattan federal Judge Dale E. Ho, who is presiding over New York Mayor Eric Adams’ criminal case, filed an order canceling the April 21 trial date, although he is still weighing whether to dismiss the corruption charges entirely.
Adams has been accused of a “quid pro quo” after the Trump administration moved to drop all charges against the mayor after telling him he needs to help federal immigration officials carry out Trump's immigration enforcement efforts in New York City. Adams has pleaded not guilty to the corruption charges and he and the Trump administration have denied the quid pro quo allegation.
As calls for Adams to resign have intensified, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said yesterday she won’t use her powers as governor to remove Adams from office but would limit his mayoral authority.
Washington, D.C. police are investigating Rep. Cory Mills for an alleged assault
Washington, D.C., police said they are investigating Rep. Cory Mills, R-fla., over a report of an alleged assault at an apartment building this week.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police Department said officers “were called to the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue, Southwest around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday for the report of an assault,” adding that an “active criminal investigation” is underway.
A spokesperson for MPD confirmed to NBC News that Mills is the subject of the investigation. The spokesperson added that Mills had not been arrested and that no charges had been filed against him.
According to a statement from his spokesperson, Mills denied wrongdoing.
'Make Germany Great Again’: How the Trump effect is spreading into Germany
Bolstered by support from Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance, the AfD party is seeing a surge in support from Germany’s far-right. Amid a widening political divide in the country, support for the barely-decade old party has doubled since the last elections held in 2021.
Kennedy thrusts antidepressants into the spotlight as doctors and advocates defend them
In his first meeting with staff, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert f. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday that he intends to address the possible overmedication of children and the risks of antidepressants, according to an employee in attendance.
In recent years, Kennedy has criticized what he sees as an overuse of these drugs, suggesting that they can be addictive and carry dangerous side effects.
Elon Musk becomes a new power center at CPAC
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The big speaker on the first day of the Conservative Political Action Conference was supposed to be Steve Bannon.
Trump’s former adviser, who now hosts the popular “War Room” podcast is a man who is at home at the annual gathering of conservative activists. He’s gone year after year and, in 2024, his party was the hot ticket.
But yesterday morning, CPAC host Mercedes Schlapp had a surprise for the crowd. There would be an even bigger speaker: tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has been ripping apart the federal government in his powerful White House role.
Musk’s appearance, his first at the conference, underscored his role in the new center of gravity in the conservative universe, despite skepticism and some feuding from various conservative factions — including the populist corner occupied by Bannon and his allies.
Bannon, who spoke right after Musk, even joked about having the bad luck to draw the “card” to follow “the world’s wealthiest guy.”
Patel tells fBI he will 'always have your backs' amid removal of senior executives and support staff
In a message to the agency’s workforce this morning, newly confirmed fBI Director Kash Patel struck a conciliatory tone, saying that he will “always have your backs,” and that he is committed “to pursuing justice and upholding the rule of law.”
But Patel's first moments inside the fBI building sent a different message, three people familiar with the matter tell NBC News.
They say all the support personnel who worked in the fBI director’s office on the seventh floor of the J. Edgar Hoover Building were told to pack their desks and leave before Patel arrived. Most are being reassigned, the sources said. The group includes former Director Christopher Wray’s longtime assistant, two sources said.
The senior executives who worked under Wray were removed and forced out of the bureau weeks ago.
When Patel and some aides came to the seventh floor, the sources said, fBI employees sealed the director’s wing “so no one could see him move in and out.”
A fBI spokeswoman declined to comment on the removals.
Waltz claims Ukraine will eventually sign minerals deal with the U.S.
White House national security adviser Mike Waltz claimed today in remarks at CPAC that Ukraine would eventually sign a minerals deal with the U.S. after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had rejected such a proposal.
“Here’s the bottom line: President Zelenskyy is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term, and that is good for Ukraine," Waltz said.
"What better could you have for Ukraine than to be in an economic partnership with the United States, No. 1," he continued. "What better could you have for Ukraine to stop the killing, No. 2, and you know what? We have an obligation to you all, the American taxpayer, to recoup the hundreds of billions of dollars that have been invested in this war."
Members react to McConnell not seeking re-election
Mitch McConnell, the 83-year-old former leader of Senate Republicans who served Kentucky for seven terms, announces he will not seek re-election in 2026. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for "TODAY" on the reaction from fellow members.
Georgia Republican faces town hall backlash over DOGE’s ‘chainsaw approach’ to government cuts
Rep. Rich McCormick faced an angry crowd yesterday during a town hall in his Georgia district, during which many constituents lashed out at the Republican lawmaker over his support for massive federal layoffs and budget cuts by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency.
In video of the event taken by Greg Bluestein, a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and an NBC News contributor, attendees clashed with McCormick, bashing both Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk who is helping lead DOGE’s efforts to drastically reduce government spending.
South Korea asks U.S. for tariff exemption
South Korea has asked the Trump administration to exclude it from tough tariffs it could impose on U.S. trade partners, citing the low duties Seoul applies to American products under a free trade agreement between the two allies.
Deputy Trade Minister Park Jong-won made the request during a four-day visit to Washington that ended yesterday, his ministry said.
“Under the Korea-U.S. free Trade Agreement, tariffs on almost all items between the two countries have already been eliminated,” Park said. He requested that South Korea be excluded from various tariff measures, including reciprocal tariffs and tariffs on steel and aluminum.
He also emphasized the “significant” contributions that South Korean companies make to the U.S. economy through large-scale investments, among other indications of the two countries’ close economic ties.
Trump expected to sign more executive orders after swearing in commerce secretary
Trump will sign new executive orders after holding a swearing-in ceremony for newly confirmed Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The subject of the executive orders is unclear.
Since entering office, Trump has signed more than 73 executive orders, including a directive creating Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, which aims to slash the size of the federal workforce and cut "waste, fraud and abuse."
Lutnick praised Musk's efforts in an interview with fox News this week.
"He’s going to cut a trillion and then we’ll get rid of all these tax scams that hammer against America, and we’re going to raise a trillion dollars of revenue," Lutnick said. "Our objective under Donald Trump is to balance this budget. And I’m telling you, watch it. We’re going to do it."
The Senate on Tuesday voted 51-45 to confirm Lutnick.
Senate adopts $340 billion budget blueprint for Trump’s agenda after marathon ‘vote-a-rama’
The Republican-controlled Senate this morning adopted a $340 billion budget blueprint designed to boost funding for Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, energy production and the military.
The mostly partly-line vote came just before 5 a.m. ET following an all-night “vote-a-rama,” where senators cast votes on 33 amendments over the course of a 10-hour span. The final vote was 52-48, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., as the lone Republican to join all 47 Democrats in voting against the budget resolution.
“Without this bill passing,” said Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., “there is no hope of getting money for the border.”
Rubio to host Polish official at State Department
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet with Polish foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski this afternoon at the State Department.
The sit-down will come as the Trump administration engages directly with Russia to negotiate an end to its war with Ukraine, frustrating some European and Ukrainian allies who feel they are being overlooked.
Yesterday, Sikorski published an op-ed that makes clear his view of Russia as the primary aggressor in its war with Ukraine.
"It is a modern-day colonial war against Ukrainian people who — just like us Poles 30 years ago — want a better life and realize they can never achieve this goal by going back to subjugation to Russia. That is what they are being punished for," Sikorski wrote.
Rubio last month spoke to Sikorski by phone, during which "he reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.-Poland relationship for transatlantic peace and prosperity," according to a readout from the State Department.
Trump to address group of governors
Trump will deliver remarks at a meeting of governors in the White House this afternoon.
The meeting comes a day after Trump headlined the Republican Governors Association dinner, where he praised Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, the chair of the RGA, and predicted the party would "easily" increase its margins during next year's midterm elections.
"We’re going to win a lot of races. You know, in presidential races, they say when you win the presidency, usually the midterms don’t go well. I think we’re going to do great. I think we’re going to really increase our margins by a lot," Trump said.
On Wednesday, Trump appointed members of the bipartisan Council of Governors, a group of 10 governors who advise federal officials on a range of topics, including national security and disaster preparedness.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin were named the council's co-chairs. Members include florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.