What to know today
- U.S. tariffs on key trading partners Canada and Mexico are not moving forward immediately. Instead, there will be a 30-day pause.
- Trump spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, two days after he announced tariffs on the two countries and China.
- Sheinbaum said the deal came after she agreed to send 10,000 troops to the border to help stem the flow of fentanyl and illegal migration.
- Trudeau said that nearly "10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border" and that he had signed a directive "on organized crime and fentanyl" that will be backed by $200 million.
- Elon Musk said early this morning that he and Trump are in shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, which the administration has discussed putting under the authority of the State Department.
Some USAID employees abroad lose access to secure communications, including in war zones
The Trump administration has blocked access to secure communications for hundreds of USAID employees abroad, including many who work in war zones, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter.
American embassies typically extend security protection to USAID employees. But given the administration’s actions in recent days, some USAID employees are concerned that they can no longer assume they will be placed under an embassy’s security umbrella.
“People are stranded and’s it unclear whether they are still under embassy security protection,” said one source.
At the same time, USAID mission directors, spread out across more than 60 countries and regional offices, are awaiting orders to be recalled to Washington. The orders are expected to come as soon as today, according to five sources familiar with the decision.
Jan. 6 conspiracy theory promoter named to a top State Department job
A conservative author who has spread conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and written on social media that “competent white men must be in charge” has been named to a top post at the State Department.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio tapped Darren Beattie to be acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. The position, in a permanent capacity, requires Senate confirmation.
Senate confirms Chris Wright to be Trump's energy secretary
The Senate confirmed oil and gas industry executive Chris Wright as Trump's energy secretary.
He was confirmed 59-38, with eight Democrats voting yes.
Wright is the founder of Liberty Energy and a staunch defender of fossil fuel use.
What is USAID, the foreign assistance agency the Trump administration wants to shut down?
The U.S. Agency for International Development is at the center of a political firestorm after the Trump administration indicated it will shut it down as an independent agency and possibly move it under the State Department in a larger effort to crack down on federal bureaucracy.
USAID delivers billions of dollars in humanitarian aid overseas, funding that advocates say provides a critical lifeline to more than 100 countries at only a small fraction of the overall federal budget. Nonetheless, Trump criticized it over the weekend as being “run by a bunch of radical lunatics,” and Musk, who heads his government efficiency initiative, called USAID a “criminal organization.”
White House says Elon Musk is serving as a ‘special government employee’
Reporting from Washington
Musk is serving in the Trump administration as a “special government employee,” according to a White House official.
It’s a designation that means Musk, the tech tycoon and fierce ally whom Trump has launched on a cost-cutting mission across the federal government, is working as neither a volunteer nor a full-time employee.
Special government employees are asked to abide by conflict-of-interest requirements and ethics policies that are typically less onerous than federal employees. As a temporary position, it bypasses some of the disclosure obligations required of full-time roles.
Trump confirms delay of U.S. tariffs on Canada for at least 30 days
Trump said he is “pleased” with the “initial outcome” of U.S. discussions with Canada, in which the two countries agreed to hold off on imposing tariffs for at least 30 days.
“As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that. I am very pleased with this initial outcome, and the Tariffs announced on Saturday will be paused for a 30 day period to see whether or not a final Economic deal with Canada can be structured. fAIRNESS fOR ALL!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump's post came shortly after Trudeau announced the pause on tariffs.
Sen. Susan Collins says she will support Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for DNI
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, offered her support for Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for director of national intelligence, a good sign for Gabbard, who cannot lose a single Republican in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s vote to advance her nomination and thus needs Collins’ vote tomorrow.
“After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence,” Collins said in a statement today.
“As one of the principal authors of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that established this coordinating position, I understand the critical role the DNI plays in the Intelligence Community. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, however, has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size,” Collins added.
Trudeau announces 30-day pause on tariffs while Canada and the U.S. 'work together'
Trudeau announced this afternoon that proposed tariffs between Canada and the United States will be “paused for at least 30 days while we work together.”
“I just had a good call with President Trump. Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border,” Trudeau said on X.
He added that Canada would reinforce its border, increase resources to stop the flow of fentanyl, appoint a “fentanyl Czar” and launch a “Canada-U.S. Joint Strike force” to combat organized crime, among other measures.
Republican senators have changed their tune on presidential power since Trump took office
Just two years ago, 43 Republican senators told the Supreme Court they were alarmed by what they viewed as President Joe Biden's unlawful, unilateral action to forgive billions of dollars in federal student loan debt.
"The President is not a king, and he has no power to dispense with the lawful acts of the legislature,” lawyers for the senators wrote in a court filing. The court agreed and struck down Biden's plan, saying such a proposal needed to be explicitly approved by Congress.
But with Trump in office, there has so far been no pushback from Republicans on Capitol Hill against his aggressive use of executive power as seen in various executive orders and the ongoing attempt to unravel the U.S. Agency for International Development, a federal agency set up and funded by Congress.
In fact, two senators who signed the brief in 2023, Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, praised Trump's effort to undermine the federal bureaucracy in an audio discussion with Musk last night, in which Musk announced plans to shut USAID down entirely.
Trump appoints the treasury secretary as acting head of consumer protection agency
In what appears to be yet another move to consolidate parts of the federal government, Trump has appointed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the acting director of the Consumer financial Protection Bureau.
The CfPB said in a statement today that Trump designated Bessent as the acting head on friday. Its former director, Rohit Chopra, confirmed in a letter to Trump on Saturday that he was leaving the agency. He had a year remaining in his five-year term after Biden appointed him in 2021.
The news about Bessent's taking over the CfPB was first reported by The Washington Post. Bessent, a former hedge fund executive, was sworn in as treasury secretary last week.
Oklahoma governor launches his own state-level DOGE
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced he's launching his state's own Division of Government Efficiency, a reference to the Musk-backed Department of Government Efficiency that has stoked controversy in Washington as it has clashed with executive agencies.
Stitt, a Republican, announced the new department, which will be housed within the state's Office of Management and Enterprise Services, in a news release. The release said that the division will be led by an unpaid "Chief DOGE Advisor" and that it will be allowed to "collaborate with state agencies, officials, and existing government efficiency initiatives to identify and eliminate waste."
It also added that agencies must "ensure DOGE-OK receives full access to agency records, data, software systems, and I.T. systems."
DOGE-OK is required to submit a report for more efficient government to the governor by the end of March.
Sen. Brian Schatz announces he plans to place a blanket hold on State Department nominees until USAID operations resume
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said today that he plans to place a blanket hold on all Trump State Department nominees until the administration reverses its effort to shut down USAID.
"Until and unless this brazenly authoritarian action is reversed and USAID is functional again, I will be placing a blanket hold on all of the Trump administration’s State Department nominees. This is self-inflicted chaos of epic proportions that will have dangerous consequences all around the world," he said.
While a hold on nominees would slow the Senate process to confirm them, Democrats don't have the power to block their eventual confirmations.
Chinese officials vow countermeasures to Trump’s tariffs
Officials in China have vowed unspecified countermeasures in what could become a trade war after Trump proposed 10% tariffs on all Chinese goods. NBC News’ Janis Mackey frayer reports from Beijing on China’s reaction.
Global markets brace for chaos ahead of Trump’s tariffs on Canada and China
Global markets braced for chaos ahead of Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada and China announced over the weekend, which have alarmed allies and spooked markets about what some fear may spiral into a global trade war.
While most world leaders have been circumspect about the levies against Canada, Mexico and China, economists say consumers around the world will face spiraling prices as the supply chains that move goods among countries become more exposed to political risk and therefore costlier.
Democrats will fight USAID takedown 'in every way we can,' top lawmaker says
House Oversight Committee ranking member Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said this afternoon that Democrats will fight the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID on multiple fronts.
“We are going to fight in every way we can, in the courts, in public opinion, with the bully pulpit, in the halls of Congress and here at USAID itself. We are not going to let this injustice happen," Connolly said at a news conference, flanked by other House and Senate Democrats in front of USAID's headquarters in downtown Washington.
He and the other top Democrats said that if the Trump administration wants to change USAID, Congress has to pass a bill that he would have to sign into law.
Connolly added: "Congress created this agency with the foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and if you want to change it, you've got to change that law. It is a matter of statute. It’s a matter for Congress to deal with, not an unelected billionaire oligarch [like] Elon Musk.”
Other Democrats also warned about the harm the move would have on U.S. national security and efforts to fight terrorism abroad.
Trump says Musk won't act 'without our approval'
Asked about Musk's access to government payment systems as he was speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, "He’s got access only to letting people go he thinks are no good, if we agree with him."
“Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval, and we’ll give him the approval where appropriate. Where not appropriate we won’t. He reports in," Trump said, before he insisted he's on the lookout for any conflicts of interest concerning Musk, the world's richest man.
"Where we think there’s a conflict or a problem, we won’t let him go near it," he said, saying his role is to shrink the government.
Trump signed executive orders and proclamations and noted the presence of two billionaires in his office, Rupert Murdoch and Larry Ellison, calling them legends.
federal loans and grants still appear to be frozen, judge says
Various federal grants, loans and other forms of financial aid still appear to be on pause as a result of last week’s White House memo ordering a temporary government funding freeze, a federal judge in Washington said during a hearing this morning.
That’s despite the White House Office of Management and Budget rescinding its own memo and a court order by a different federal judge in Rhode Island blocking the government from implementing the freeze.
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan didn’t immediately rule during this morning's hearing, but said she is inclined to grant a request from a coalition of nonprofit groups for a temporary restraining order requiring the government to release federal funds that have been frozen since last week. AliKhan said she intends to issue a written ruling by 5 p.m. today.
A temporary restraining order wouldn’t change the status quo, but it would echo the court order issued in Rhode Island. The case in Rhode Island was brought by a group of 22 Democrat state attorneys general.
AliKhan also said she was leaning against granting the Justice Department a motion to dismiss the lawsuit as moot because the OMB had rescinded its memo.
The fact that individuals are still having issues accessing funding platforms indicates the memo is still doing some work, the judge said.
Lawyers representing the nonprofits have submitted declarations from various organizations testifying to their inability to access funds. One declaration from the board president of a West Virginia nonprofit that assists people with disabilities said they have been waiting for federal grant funds to be deposited into the organization’s account since Jan. 29 and had not received the funds as of Sunday night.
House speaker says Trump's actions without congressional input are 'appropriate'
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in an interview with fox News this morning that Trump's efforts to cut federal spending and make other moves without congressional approval have been "appropriate."
"He's doing a lot by executive authority, which we applaud, and we're going to follow that up and really reinforce what he's doing, the agenda through legislation," Johnson said on "fox & friends."
Johnson added that Trump's tariffs and federal cost-cutting efforts are part of the broader effort to boost the economy that also includes congressional action to extend the tax cuts enacted during Trump's first term.
Marco Rubio says he's acting head of USAID
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he has been named acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development in remarks to reporters during his trip to Central America.
"I’ve delegated that authority to someone, but I stay in touch with him," Rubio said. "And again, our goal was to go in and align our foreign aid to the national interest. But if you go to mission after mission and embassy after embassy around the world, you will often find that in many cases, USAID is involved in programs that run counter to what we’re trying to do in our national strategy with that country or with that region. That cannot continue."
The update on USAID's leadership comes after Elon Musk said overnight that he and Trump were in the process of shutting it down as an independent agency.
The Trump administration is considering subsuming USAID into the State Department, current and former officials and sources familiar with the discussions previously told NBC News.
florida-based business to shelve plans over tariffs, CEO says
A florida-based emblem and patch manufacturer, World Emblem, which operates a plant in Mexico, has been forced to shelve plans it developed in August given the threat of tariffs.
In an interview on MSNBC with José Díaz-Balart, World Emblem CEO Randy Carr expressed concerns over the “uncertainty” and “unpredictability” surrounding the proposed tariffs and said that the company has to plan as if the levies will take effect.
“If this were to occur, we would have to figure out how to either move volume back to the states or offshore into other partners around the world, and reduce product to the point where it made economic sense in Mexico,” he said.
Shifting the operation to the U.S. would not happen overnight, Carr said. “It would take years, not weeks,” he said.
“I hope that this goes away," Carr added. "You know, the concern, I think, is just the unpredictability.”
Hakeem Jeffries says Democrats will unveil bill on 'unlawful' Treasury payment system access
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a letter to his colleagues today that Democrats will introduce legislation to address "unlawful access" to a Treasury Department payment system that contains sensitive information about Americans.
"At my direction, legislation will be introduced shortly to prevent unlawful access to the Department of Treasury Bureau of the fiscal Service payment system that contains highly confidential and personal information related to Social Security and Medicare recipients, taxpayers, households, nonprofits, businesses and federal contractors," Jeffries' letter said.
The New York Times reported over the weekend that newly confirmed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent allowed people working with the Elon Musk-run "Department of Government Efficiency" to access the payment system.
DOGE, as it's been called, is not an official government agency, and it's unclear whether people working for the effort have the authority to access the payment system.
The federal government's Rural.gov site is offline
Among the websites that have gone offline under the new Trump administration is Rural.gov, the portal for the federally led Rural Partners Network, which aims to help “rural people build economic development through job creation, infrastructure development, & community improvement,” according to an archived page of the site.
On Monday, a message on the site simply says it is offline.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. A representative for the Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While Trump overwhelmingly won in rural counties in November, notable gains occurred in those counties with large Black populations.
What do Trump’s tariffs mean for your wallet?
Investopedia Editor-in-Chief Caleb Silver breaks down what Trump’s tariffs could mean for your finances as Mexico, Canada and China have all vowed to retaliate against the proposed tariffs.
Democratic lawmakers to hold news conference at USAID headquarters
A group of House and Senate Democrats is holding a news conference at the headquarters for USAID, which Elon Musk has said he and Trump are shutting down.
The 1 p.m. ET event will be held by Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, as well as Democratic Reps. Don Beyer and Gerry Connolly of Virginia and Jamie Raskin and Johnny Olszewski of Maryland.
They plan to discuss "the far-reaching consequences of the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s illegal shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on national security, the economy, and public health," according to a release.
Trump says U.S. will pause tariffs on Mexico for a month
Trump announced that the tariffs he had planned to implement against Mexico will be on pause for a month.
The president said on Truth Social that the delay was decided during a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, during which she agreed to send 10,000 soldiers to the U.S.-Mexico border.
"These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country," Trump said.
"We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico," he added.
The president said he wants to achieve a "deal" between the U.S. and Mexico.
Sheinbaum first announced the news during a press conference and in a post on X.
USAID personnel told to stay away from D.C. headquarters after Elon Musk's shutdown comments
Employees of the United States Agency for International Development based out of the nation’s capital were ordered overnight not to come into the office today and to work from home.
“At the direction of Agency leadership, the USAID headquarters at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington, D.C. will be closed to Agency personnel on Monday, february 3, 2025,” an email sent to staff overnight said, according to a copy obtained by NBC News.
The message said agency personnel who normally work at USAID’s headquarters “will work remotely tomorrow” except for people who perform essential on-site and building maintenance duties. “further guidance will be forthcoming,” it said.
The email provided no reason for the work-from-home directive, but it comes after tech billionaire Elon Musk, who’s been closely advising President Donald Trump after being tapped to lead his Department of Government Efficiency, said in the early hours of today that he and the president were in the process of shutting down USAID.
fBI hunted through case files to identify Jan. 6 agents
A new document circulating inside the fBI reveals how top officials identified personnel who worked on Jan. 6 cases in order to send them a controversial survey asking what they did in those cases.
The document, obtained by NBC News, is a Q&A intended to explain to bureau managers how to deal with survey, and it says survey recipients were identified through a review of the fBI’s Sentinel case management system —essentially its electronic case files. It's is a highly sensitive database that contains all sorts of closely held information.
The document says the bureau conducted around 2,400 Capitol riot-related investigations — both open and closed — and each one has a case manager and case participants.
Whoever conducted the hunt used Sentinel to generate a list of all the fBI agents and support personnel involved and then sent them a 12-question survey asking how they were involved in the Jan. 6 cases.
North Korea criticizes Rubio for calling it a ‘rogue state’
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea admonished Secretary of State Marco Rubio today for calling it a “rogue state” and said his “coarse and nonsensical remarks” would not help U.S. interests, in the reclusive state’s first direct criticism of the Trump administration.
The comments from nuclear-armed North Korea are the latest indication that it is not open to negotiations over its U.N.-sanctioned weapons programs, even as Trump says he would like to resume in-person meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“The hostile words and deeds of the person who is in charge of the U.S. foreign policy served as an occasion of confirming once again the U.S. hostile policy toward the DPRK which remains unchanged,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of foreign Affairs said in a statement carried by state media, referring to the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“Rubio’s coarse and nonsensical remarks only show directly the incorrect view of the new U.S. administration on the DPRK and will never help promote the U.S. interests as he wishes,” the statement continued.
Trump says he spoke with Canadian PM Trudeau
Ahead of U.S. tariffs on Canada set to take effect tomorrow, Trump said he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this morning and they plan to speak again this afternoon.
“Canada doesn’t even allow U.S. Banks to open or do business there, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account. "What’s that all about? Many such things, but it’s also a DRUG WAR, and hundreds of thousands of people have died in the U.S. from drugs pouring through the Borders of Mexico and Canada. Just spoke to Justin Trudeau. Will be speaking to him again at 3:00 P.M."
The president signed an executive order Saturday that would impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, citing it as part of U.S. efforts to stop the flow of fentanyl into the country.
Canada's former finance minister called the rationale "the flimsiest pretext possible" in an interview on MSNBC this morning, noting that less than 1% of the flow of the drug into the U.S. comes from Canada.
The U.S. tariffs on Canada, which are set to take effect tomorrow, include a 25% tariff on Canadian imports, though a tariff on energy products will be set at 10%.
Trudeau said Saturday that Canada will take retaliatory action by imposing a 25% tariff against $155 billion Canadian worth of U.S. goods, which would be about $106 billion U.S. dollars.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, meanwhile, announced on X that she has instructed her country's economy secretary to implement a "Plan B" which will include tariff and nontariff measures in defense of Mexico's interests.
Washington, D.C., restaurants to close today, marking 'a day without immigrants'
Several restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area are closing for the day as they mark “a day without immigrants.”
Award-winning Tex-Mex spot Republic Cantina will shut its doors for the day. “We’ve been dismayed to see the rollout of policies that tear immigrants from their homes — which is both inhumane & will cause massive harm to communities and to small businesses,” it wrote on Instagram. “D.C. depends deeply on immigrants, who work vital jobs in our local economy, pay taxes & make the city a vibrant place to live.”
Popular Washington bagel shop Pearl’s Bagels (which was founded and owned by former NBC News Washington bureau researcher Oliver Cox) is another one of the locations closing. “A day without immigrants is a day without bagels,” it posted on Instagram. “Our staff will receive a paid day off in order to make their voices heard and stress the importance of immigrants to our community and local economy.”
La Casita Pupusería, Tacos El Pariente and Centrado Café Shop in Maryland will also be closed.
“A day without immigrants” first occurred in cities around the country in february 2017 to protest Trump’s plans to build a border wall and deport undocumented immigrants. The strike called for immigrants not to go to work, to avoid spending money and to keep their children home from school.
Ontario 'ripping up' contract with Musk's Starlink satellite service
Ontario Premier Doug ford said in a post to X this morning that the Canadian province would be "banning American companies from provincial contracts" in the wake of Trump's trade war.
"We’ll be ripping up the province’s contract with Starlink," ford said. "Ontario won’t do business with people hellbent on destroying our economy."
Musk, the owner of SpaceX, which operates the Starlink satellite communications service, has been tasked by Trump to slash government programs as head of the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, which is not an executive department.
Trump tariffs take aim at trade loophole used by Chinese online retailers such as Temu and Shein
Trump’s tariffs against China, Canada and Mexico target a trade provision that helped fuel the explosive growth of budget online retailers, including Temu and Shein.
Trump on Saturday signed executive orders imposing tariffs on the country’s top three trading partners. Goods imported from Canada and Mexico will be slapped with a 25% tariff, while goods from China will be charged a 10% tax. Energy resources from Canada will have a lower 10% tariff. The duties are expected to take effect tomorrow.
The orders against China, Canada and Mexico all halt a trade exemption, known as “de minimis,” which allows exporters to ship packages worth less than $800 into the U.S. duty-free.
Senate panel to vote on Gabbard's nomination tomorrow
The Senate Intelligence Committee will vote tomorrow on Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to be Trump’s director of national intelligence. Gabbard needs a simple majority to be reported favorably to the full Senate, and Republicans have a 9-8 majority among the voting members of the committee.
If Gabbard’s nomination is reported out of committee, it would kick off a dayslong process for it to be considered by the full Senate.
The Senate finance Committee is also scheduled to vote tomorrow on Robert f. Kennedy Jr.'s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Canada's former finance minister slams tariffs as 'unjustified' and 'pointless'
Chrystia freeland, Canada's former finance minister, excoriated Trump's tariffs in an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" today, blasting them in part as "so unjustified and so pointless."
"These tariffs are being imposed truly for utterly no reason," freeland said. "The pretext offered is the flimsiest pretext possible."
The White House has said it slapped a 25% tariff on Canadian goods to pressure the country into blunting the flow of fentanyl and immigrants into the U.S.
freeland pushed back on that premise, saying that less than 1% of the fentanyl that comes into the U.S. moves across the northern border.
In fact, according to the White House's fact sheet on tariffs, 43 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the northern border last fiscal year. In contrast, more than 21,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the southern border with Mexico during the same period, according to the administration.
"If border security were the issue, this could be solved in five minutes," said freeland, a member of Canadian Parliament who served as the country's finance minister from August 2020 through December 2024.
freeland, who is running to succeed outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said Canadians were rallying against the Trump administration's tariffs program. In response to the president's repeated comments that Canada should become the 51st state, she said "our sovereignty is not negotiable."
"If you hit us, we are going to hit back, and the whole country is going to be proud to do that," she said.
Trump interview to air during Super Bowl pregame show
Trump is expected to sit for an interview with fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier, which will air Sunday in the 3 p.m. ET hour during the fox Super Bowl LIX pregame show.
The interview will be taped at Mar-a-Lago, according to a release, and "will focus on the changes the Trump administration has enacted since the Inauguration and the first 100 days of his presidency."
Additional portions of the interview will air feb. 10, during fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Ontario to remove U.S. alcohol from shelves over Trump tariffs
Ontario will pull all American alcohol from its government-run liquor shelves beginning tomorrow in response to Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian imports.
Outlets of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario will also take U.S. products out of its catalog so other retailers can’t order or restock those items, Premier Doug ford said in a statement yesterday.
“Every year, LCBO sells nearly $1 billion worth of American wine, beer, spirits and seltzers. Not anymore,” ford said. “There’s never been a better time to choose an amazing Ontario-made or Canadian-made product.”
ford’s announcement came just hours after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slapped retaliatory tariffs of 25% against $155 billion of U.S. goods.
Gabbard defends her nomination and her answers about Edward Snowden
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for national intelligence director, pushed for her confirmation in an op-ed for Newsweek.
She also defended her answers to questions about whether she thinks Edward Snowden is a traitor. Gabbard said she does not “casually throw around that term,” pointing to treason being a capital offense punishable by death.
“It is essential to focus on the facts, not the label,” she said. “Snowden should have raised his concerns about illegal surveillance through authorized channels, such as the Inspector General or the Intelligence Committee, instead of leaking to the media.”
“If confirmed as the Director of National Intelligence, I would reiterate to all members of the intelligence community that I expect them to use authorized channels available to whistleblowers for any concerns,” she continued.
Michigan Dem representative confirms she's considering a Senate bid
Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., told MSNBC's "Way Too Early" this morning that she is "taking a look" at running for the state's open Senate seat in 2026.
While praising Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who announced last week he would retire instead of running for re-election next year, Stevens kept the door open for a Senate bid.
"I'm taking a look at the big run," Stevens said. "I love passing federal legislation, I love helping people. Gary Peters announced his retirement, he's been a mentor and a partner certainly on these automotive, manufacturing tariff issues. So I'm taking a look at it."
The race to replace Peters could get crowded, with many politicians on both sides of the aisle eying open seat races for either Senate or governor.
Under Trump, conservatives reignite a battle over race and the Constitution
As part of President Donald Trump’s new war on diversity programs, conservatives are renewing a long-running legal battle over the meaning of the Constitution’s guarantee of “equal protection” that dates back to the post-Civil War era.
Trump, as previewed in one executive order purporting to target diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, is seeking in some instances to overturn decades-old policies aimed at protecting and empowering minority groups, both within the federal government and outside.
His administration is also likely to radically change the federal government’s enforcement priorities by using laws enacted during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and ’60s to target diversity programs.
Democratic senators say they have 'grave concerns' over RfK Jr.'s potential financial conflicts
Two Democratic senators on the committee that will get to decide whether to advance Robert f. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination say his recent financial disclosure filing gave them “grave concern” about whether he should become the next health and human services secretary.
In a letter to Kennedy dated Sunday, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said his recently amended ethics disclosure form only raised additional questions about the scope of his potential financial conflicts of interest.
“What is clear is that your involvement and financial interests in vaccine litigation are broad and extensive,” wrote Warren and Wyden, who are on the finance Committee.
Agents ‘have started to pack up their desks’ as fear of fBI mass firings swirls
As fear of mass firings swirls through the fBI, acting Director Brian Driscoll, the head of the bureau’s New York field office, and an agents group reassured staffers and pushed back against Trump administration efforts to force out fBI officials.
The unease comes after President Donald Trump publicly praised the firings of eight top fBI career executives on friday after pardoning nearly all the Jan. 6 rioters hours after he took office for his second term.
In a message to fBI staff members Saturday night, Driscoll, the acting director, said again that the Trump administration is seeking the names of every fBI agent who worked on the Jan. 6 investigations — a number he has said is in the thousands.
Elon Musk says he and Trump are shutting down USAID
Tech billionaire Elon Musk said today that he and Trump are in the process of shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, escalating their war on the federal bureaucracy and defying the constitutional power of Congress to determine how money is spent.
Musk, the head of Trump’s government efficiency initiative, announced the shutdown in the middle of the night in an audio-only appearance on his social media site X.
Dow futures drop more than 650 points after Trump hits U.S. trading partners with tariffs
Stock futures tumbled early today to kick off a new trading month, as investors weighed new U.S. tariffs on goods from key trade partners and their potential impact on the economy and corporate profits.
futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 546 points, or 1.22%. S&P 500 futures dropped 1.4%, while Nasdaq-100 futures lost 1.7%.
Trump on Saturday slapped a 25% tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada. He also placed a 10% levy on imports from China. The U.S. does about $1.6 trillion in business with the three countries.
Mexican president to announce response to Trump's tariffs today
Mexico and the United States teeter on the brink of a trade war this morning, with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to announce how her country will proceed.
following Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on Mexican goods, Sheinbaum released statements over the weekend slamming the White House for its decision, calling its claims that the Mexican government has ties with organized crime “slanderous” and “irresponsible” and threatening to enact Mexico’s so-called Plan B, or a series of retaliatory steps against the United States.
After she directed her economic secretary to begin enacting Plan B, Sheinbaum released a video yesterday calling on Trump to put tariffs aside and work together, saying she would wait for his answer.
“Mexico does not want confrontation,” Sheinbaum said, though she added that the first retaliatory steps of Plan B will be announced today if Trump does not budge on tariffs.
Hegseth heads to the border
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is visiting the southern border for the first time since he took office, heading to fort Bliss, Texas, today to visit troops.
“POTUS wants 100% operational control of the border—and we will deliver,” Hegseth wrote on X.
“BORDER SECURITY IS NATIONAL SECURITY,” he added.