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Summary
Here is a summary of the key developments from the last few hours:
Donald Trump’s assault on Washington DC’s institutions continues, with employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau being told today by a Project 2025 architect who now works in the White House not to come to the office, or otherwise do their jobs.
The Trump administration must lift its broad federal funding freeze, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered on Monday. “The broad categorical and sweeping freeze of federal funds is, as the Court found, likely unconstitutional and has caused and continues to cause irreparable harm to a vast portion of this country,” the order says.
A reporter has asked Trump what he means by the phrase “all hell will break loose”, his threat to Hamas if all hostages are not released by this week Saturday.The reporter asked whether he meant retaliation. Trump responded: “You’ll find out. And they’ll find out too. Hamas will find out what I mean. They’re going to find out what I mean. These are sick people and they’ll find out what I mean.”
Donald Trump raised aluminum and steel tariffs to 25%, from a previous 10%, while signing a series of executive orders Monday. The largest sources of US steel imports are Canada, Brazil and Mexico, followed by South Korea and Vietnam, according to government and American Iron and Steel Institute data.
Trump said he agreed to consider a tariff exemption on Australian steel and aluminum imports after a telephone call on Tuesday with Australia’s prime minister. Prime minister Anthony Albanese argued for an exemption during the call, which was scheduled before Trump announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports on Monday. Trump said the United States trade surplus with Australia was one of the reasons he was considering an exemption from the tariffs.
Hours later, Donald Trump said there will be no exceptions or exemptions.“We were being pummeled by both friend and foe alike,” Trump said. “It’s time for our great industries to come back to America.” It was unclear what this meant for his consideration of Australia.
A group of investors led by Musk has offered $97.4bn to buy the non-profit that operates OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. The consortium includes Musk’s AI firm X.AI, Baron Capital, Valor Management, Altreides Management, Vy Fund III, Emanuel Capital Management and Eight Partners VC. The funds would be used to purchase all assets of OpenAI, and further the non-profit’s “original charitable mission”.
Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, has responded to Trump’s aluminium and steel tariff announcement, calling them “totally unjustified”. “We are consulting with our international partners as we examine the results,” he wrote in a statement posted to X. “Our response will be clear and calibrated.”
Hundreds of angry protesters rallied against the Trump administration’s decision to suspend all operations at the US’s top financial watchdog – an agency that has clawed back more than $21bn from Wall Street for defrauded consumers.
The acting head of the federal agency responsible for responding to disasters said Monday that he’s suspending payments sent to New York City to house migrants and that staff who made them will be held accountable, after Elon Musk blasted the transactions on his social media platform.
A top official at the US Department of Justice has ordered federal prosecutors to drop charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who has cultivated a warm relationship with President Donald Trump.
In Congress, House Democrats have put together a “rapid response task force” to counter the administration, while Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats would use spending negotiations as leverage against Trump’s policies. Meanwhile, five former Treasury secretaries warned that Elon Musk’s meddling in the department’s payment system could have regrettable consequences.
Hong Kong will file a complaint on the tariffs imposed on the city to the World Trade Organization, claiming the US has completely ignored the city’s status as a separate customs territory, chief secretary Eric Chan said on Tuesday.
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, told Pentagon leaders not to take on recruits with gender dysphoria, and banned gender-affirming care for service members.
A third federal judge struck down Trump’s attempt to ban birthright citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Democratic attorneys general from 22 states sued over a Trump administration policy that could drastically curb funding for medical research.
The president has fired the director of the office of government ethics, according to the agency’s website. The office oversees ethics requirements and compliance for more than 140 agencies within the executive branch, including reviewing conflicts of interest and financial disclosures for federal employees.
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