Closing summary
This concludes our live coverage of the second Trump administration for the day. Here are the latest developments:
Donald Trump, who is definitely not mad that his more popular predecessor Barack Obama got a lot of attention for saying last weekend that aliens “are real, but I haven’t seen them”, announced that he is directing the defense department and other agencies to release whatever files they have on the search for alien life.
Sky Roberts, the brother of the late Virginia Giuffre, told CNN that Trump “is potentially implicated” by the Epstein files, “and he may have to answer some questions”.
The English far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who was repeatedly denied entry to the US in the past, spent Thursday in Washington DC, meeting people close to Trump according to images and video posted on his social media accounts.
FBI Director Kash Patel has jetted off to Italy to watch the men’s ice hockey medal matches, sticking taxpayers with a bill as high as $75,000, according to multiple reports.
The husband of Trump’s labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has reportedly been barred from the labor department’s headquarters in Washington DC after at least two female staff members accused him of sexually assaulting them, the New York Times reports.
Trump told supporters in Georgia that there had been less media coverage of the cost-of-living crisis in the past weeks “Because I’ve won, I’ve won affordability.”
Tommy Robinson meets figures close to Trump in Washington DC
The English far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who was repeatedly denied entry to the United States in the past, and was jailed by British authorities in 2013 for using a passport in someone else’s name to travel to the United States from Britain, spent Thursday in Washington DC, meeting with a series of people close to Donald Trump, according to images and video posted on his social media accounts.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, organized of the mass, far-right “Unite the Kingdom” rally in London last year.
On Thursday he posted images of himself meeting Kari Lake, Trump’s administrator of United States Agency for Global Media, Mike Flynn, TRump’s first national security adviser, and Patrick Byrne, a multimillionaire election denier. Robinson said he and Byrne discussed “covid, the vaccine, Antifa and the stolen 2020 election.”
In 2010, when members of Robinson’s English Defence League protested in New York against plans for an Islamic cultural centre and mosque near Ground Zero, he was refused entry at JFK airport, taken into custody and flown straight back to the UK.
Virginia Giuffre's brother says Trump is 'potentially implicated' by Epstein files
Sky Roberts, the brother of the late Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with the former prince Andrew in 2001 at the age of 17, told CNN that she would feel vindicated by his arrest on Thursday.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and held for hours by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations he shared confidential material while he was UK trade envoy with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing or accusations against him.
Roberts went on to say that “it’s a shame” that Donald Trump won’t acknowledge the suffering of the survivors of Epstein’s abuse. “It’s a shame that he continues to deflect. We would expect more from. the president of the United States,” Roberts said.
“I think we have a lot of work to do here in the United States,” he added. “We sat three feet from Pam Bondi,” he added, in reference to her testimony in Congress last week.
“It was disgraceful the fact that she couldn’t even look behind and acknowledge us because if they did that, then they would admit some sort of wrongdoing,” Roberts said.
“Our president can’t do that right now. And the reason is, is because he is potentially implicated in these files and he has to come to terms with that, and he may have to answer some questions himself,” Roberts added. “The reality is the UK is doing far more. I think that the king can hold his head high when he comes here saying: I am doing the most that I can. While here in the United States, our president has yet to even do even remotely the same. And survivors and I believe the people are very disappointed”.
Updated
Trump says he is directing release of defense department information on UFOs
Donald Trump, who is definitely not mad that his more popular predecessor Barack Obama got a lot of attention for saying last weekend that aliens “are real, but I haven’t seen them”, announced on Thursday that he is directing the defense department and other agencies to release whatever files they have on the search for alien life.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump said that he will ask the defense secretary and others “to begin the process of identifying and releasing Government files related to alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs).”
Obama’s comments came in response to a question from a podcaster who asked, in a lightening round, “Are aliens real?”
“They’re real, but I haven’t seen them,” the former president said. “And they’re not being kept in, what is it? Area 51. There’s no underground facility, unless there’s this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States.”
“What was the first question you wanted answered when you became president?” the host asked next.
“Uh, where are the aliens?” Obama replied and broke out laughing.
After his comments generated huge interest, Obama shared the video on social media with this caveat: “I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it’s gotten attention let me clarify. Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there’s life out there. “But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we’ve been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with us. Really!”
Trump’s decision to release more government information on UFOs came after he was asked about Obama’s comments, earlier on Thursday, by a Fox News correspondent.
In reply, Trump claimed Obama “gave classified information; he’s not supposed to be doing that.”
When the Fox correspondent pointed put that the president can declassify information, Trump said, “maybe I’ll get him out of trouble; I may get him out of trouble by declassifying.”
FBI Director Kash Patel has jetted off to Italy to watch the men’s ice hockey medal matches, sticking taxpayers with a bill as high as $75,000, according to multiple reports.
FBI spokesperson Ben Williamson disputed the reports, saying that the trip was “planned months ago” and that Patel will meet with Italian law enforcement, security officials and Ambassador Tilman Fertitta.
Patel has repeatedly faced criticism for his use of the FBI’s Gulfstream passenger jet, which he has flown on to see his country musician girlfriend perform, to attend sporting events and to hunt a private ranch in Texas. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee began investigating Patel’s use of the jet December.
Updated
Virginia’s governor Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week, elevating a pragmatic voice whose affordability-focused gubernatorial campaign is seen as a model for the party to win back power in the November midterm elections.
The Democratic rebuttal will immediately follow Trump’s address to Congress on 24 February. Spanberger, a former undercover CIA officer who served three terms in Congress, became Virginia’s first female governor earlier this year, resoundingly winning an office previously held by a Republican. She won the race by a double-digit margin, campaigning on affordability and lowering costs for families.
In a statement, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and his counterpart, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer hailed Spanberger as a public servant with a record of holding Trump accountable – and winning races in competitive territory.
“She stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who will lie, deflect and blame everyone but himself for his failed presidency on Tuesday evening,” Jeffries said in a statement announcing her selection. “As our nation marks its 250th anniversary this summer, Governor Spanberger embodies the best of America as a mother, community leader and dedicated public servant.”
Jeffrey Epstein abuse survivor Haley Robson will attend the state of the union address on Tuesday as a guest of California Democrat Ro Khanna.
Khanna and fellow congressman Thomas Massie co-wrote the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which compelled the justice department to release files from the federal investigation into Epstein, the late sex offender Donald Trump socialized with for more than 15 years.
“Haley’s courageous fight is proof that this isn’t about politics, it’s about exposing America’s two-tiered system of justice and bringing accountability to the Epstein class involved in the horrific abuse of young girls,” Khanna said in a statement. “She and her fellow survivors’ bravery was the catalyst for changing a rotten system and finally standing up for humanity and American values.”
Robson, a registered Republican, lobbied for the legislation that led to the release of the Epstein files and criticized the Trump administration for slow-walking the process and over-redacting documents.
Husband of Trump's labor secretary accused of sexually assaulting two of her staffers - report
The husband of Donald Trump’s labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, has reportedly been barred from the labor department’s headquarters in Washington DC after at least two female staff members accused him of sexually assaulting them, the New York Times reports.
According to the Times, the allegations against Dr Shawn DeRemer, which led to the filing of a police report, are that he touched women inappropriately at the department’s main building, which is named for Frances Perkins, FDR’s labor secretary from 1933 to 1945, and the first woman ever to serve in the US cabinet.
One of the incidents, during working hours in December, was recorded on office security cameras, unnamed sources told the Times. The video, allegedly showing Dr DeRemer giving one of the women an extended embrace, was reviewed as part of a criminal investigation the source said.
Chavez-DeRemer, a former Congresswoman who lost her seat representing part of the Portland metro area in 2024, has attempted to demonstrate her loyalty to Trump, who was found liable for sexual abuse of the journalist E Jean Carroll by a Manhattan jury, by hanging a huge banner of his face on the Perkins building.
A biography of the secretary on the department’s website says that she “and her high school sweetheart, Dr. Shawn DeRemer founded an anesthesia management company and several medical clinics across the Pacific Northwest.”
In January, a security officer assigned to protect the labor secretary was reportedly placed on leave as officials investigate an alleged romantic relationship between them.
The department’s inspector general is reportedly investigating allegations that Chavez-DeRemer traveled to the Red Rocks Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, along with a staffer with whom she was having an inappropriate relationship.
Updated
Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, will deliver the Spanish-language Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s state of the union speech on Tuesday.
“Americans don’t need another speech from Donald Trump pretending everything is fine when their bills are too high, paychecks are too low, and masked and militarized federal agents are roaming our communities violating Constitutional rights on a daily basis,” Padilla said in a statement.
Padilla made national headlines last year, when federal agents handcuffed him and forced him to the floor while trying to ask a question to the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem. He has been a vocal critic of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.
Updated
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has expanded the block on a California state law that requires federal immigration agents to identify themselves.
The ruling by a three-judge panel temporarily bars California from enforcing a law that requires federal law enforcement agents to show their identification and badge numbers.
A US district judge in Los Angeles, Christina Snyder, had already blocked another measure prohibiting federal agents from hiding their faces behind masks earlier this month. Synder’s ruling argued that the state law discriminated against federal agents because it did not apply to local police officers.
ICE officers’ use of masks when carrying out contentious immigration arrests have led critics to condemned the agency as a “secret police” force.
Trump takes credit for helping defeat Jon Ossoff in 2017, fails to mention he campaigned against him in 2020
At his recently completed rally in Rome, Georgia, Donald Trump invited Mike Collins, a Georgia congressman who is running for Senate, to attack Jon Ossoff, the Democrat who currently holds the seat and has been fiercely critical of the president.
As he introduced Collins, Trump recalled that he had campaigned against Ossoff in 2017, when the Democrat lost a special election for a US House seat in Georgia to a Republican supported by the president, although Ossoff outperformed expectations in a Republican district.
Trump then said that when he heard Ossoff was running for Senate, in 2020, “I said, ‘No, he’s easy to beat; he’s a real stiff’”.
What the president failed to mention is that he also campaigned against Ossoff in the 2020 Senate election, and even mentioned him by name 10 times at a rally in Georgia in December 2020, ahead of the run-off election in which Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won seats in the Senate defeating Trump-backed Republicans, flipping control of the chamber to the Democrats the night before the January 6 riot.
At a recent campaign rally in Atlanta, Ossoff began his remarks on Trump’s impact on the country with indignation about a racist video the president had posted about Barack and Michelle Obama. “You’re seeing what I’m seeing, right? The president posting about the Obamas like a Klansman at 1 am,” Ossoff said.
“This is the cruelest and most arrogant group of people who have ever ascended to high office in the United States,” Ossoff went on to say about the Trump administration.
“We were told that MAGA was for working-class Americans,” Ossoff added. “But this is a government of by and for the ultra-rich. It is the wealthiest cabinet ever. This is the Epstein class ruling our country.”
Trump also made no mention of the fact that, in 2022, when Mike Collins won the Republican nomination to represent Georgia’s 10th Congressional District in Congress, he trounced Vernon Jones, who had Trump’s endorsement, by 50 points.
Updated
'I've won affordability' Trump says
Donald Trump is currently giving a campaign-style speech, boasting about what he calls his economic accomplishments to workers at a steel service center in Rome, Georgia.
So far, the most eye-catching claim has been Trump’s statement, unsupported by anything like evidence, that he has triumphed over “affordability”.
“Do you notice, what word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability. Because I’ve won, I’ve won affordability. I had to go out and talk about it,” the president said, in the clearest example yet of his deep-seated belief that the cost-of-living crisis so many Americans are experiencing is a partisan attack on him, rather than reality.
Trump is speaking in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, where early voting began this week in an election to replace the district’s previous representative, Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned from Congress in January after publicly breaking with Trump over issues including his claim that her concern about the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes was also “a hoax”.
Updated
The Trump banner on the justice department building has already received some criticism as a sign of the president’s overarching power over the nation’s legal arm.
Bill Kristol, a prominent conservative commentator and founder of The Weekly Standard, said on X, “Shameful—but in a way useful. No one should any longer pretend we have a “Department of Justice.” We have a Department of Trump.”
Senator Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, posted, “The Department of Justice is supposed to work for and represent you, not him.”
Updated
In other news, the Associated Press is reporting that a large banner featuring president Donald Trump’s face is seen on the exterior of justice department headquarters in Washington DC.
From the Associated Press:
While Trump banners have been hung outside other agencies across Washington, the decision to place one on the storied justice department building Thursday amounts to a striking symbol of the erosion of the department’s tradition of independence from White House control. The banner, hung between two columns on one corner of the building, says, “Make America Safe Again,” a slogan used by the administration to tout its efforts to clamp down on illegal immigration and violent crime.
Updated
Trump says Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest is 'so bad for the royal family'
Speaking to reporters en route to Rome, Georgia today, Trump weighed in on the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince.
“I think it’s a shame. I think it’s very sad,” Trump said. “I think it’s so bad for the royal family … To me, it’s a very sad thing.”
Trump added:
Nobody used to speak about Epstein when he was alive … but I’m the one that can talk about it because I’ve been totally exonerated. I did nothing, in fact, the opposite.
Here's a recap of the day so far
Donald Trump has warned Iran that “bad things” will happen if no deal is reached and appeared to set a 10-day deadline before the US might take action. During the first Board of Peace meeting, Trump said negotiations with Iran were going well but insisted that Tehran has to reach a “meaningful” agreement. “Otherwise, bad things happen,” he said.
Also at the meeting, Trump said the United States will contribute $10bn to his Board of Peace. “When you look at that compared to the cost of war, that’s two weeks of fighting, it’s a very small number. It sounds like a lot, but it’s a very small number,” Trump said. He offered no details about how the US would send this money to the board, or if he’s requested approval from Congress for the funds.
While Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest by British police today came after years of uproar over his association to Jeffrey Epstein, documents show that he had been on the radar of US law enforcement for nearly 15 years. Mountbatten-Windsor’s name came up during a 2011 FBI inquiry into Epstein, investigative documents recently disclosed by the justice department reveal. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied all allegations of misconduct related to Epstein.
Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week, top Democrats have announced in a statement. The Democratic rebuttal will immediately follow Trump’s address to Congress next Tuesday. Spanberger, who served three terms in Congress, became Virginia’s first female governor earlier this year, resoundingly winning an office previously held by a Republican.
Congressmen Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie plan to introduce a bipartisan war powers resolution next week, and try to force a vote on the House floor, to curb the Trump administration’s possible military action against Iran. “Trump officials say there’s a 90% chance of strikes on Iran. He can’t without Congress,” said Khanna, a California Democrat, amid the reports that the US is positioning aircraft carriers and amassing a large arsenal of fighter jets for a potential strikes.
Donald Trump announced today that the Commission of Fine Arts unanimously approved his plans for a $300m White House ballroom. The president fired the previous members of the board last year and installed several loyalists in January, which included his 26-year-old assistant.
Ally-packed commission approves Trump's plans for White House ballroom
Donald Trump announced today that the Commission of Fine Arts unanimously approved his plans for a $300m White House ballroom.
The president fired the previous members of the board last year and installed several loyalists in January, which included his 26-year-old assistant. On Thursday, six of the seven members of the commission moved to fast-track the final vote. One commissioner recused himself because he was an initial architect on the plans.
The independent agency’s purview includes reviewing designs proposed for memorials and new or renovated government buildings, and the commission is intended to be staffed by experts in art, architecture and urban design.
The ballroom plans will also need to be approved by the National Capital Planning Commission – which is now run by Will Scharf, an advisor to Trump.
A federal court is weighing a lawsuit from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which sued to put a halt to the ballroom’s construction.
Updated
Minnesota Democrats Ilhan Omar and Angie Craig will visit the BH Whipple federal building in Minneapolis on Friday, to conduct federal oversight of the conditions.
The Whipple building – also an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facility – became the site of sustained protests throughout the crackdown in the state in recent months.
Previously, the congresswoman were denied access to the site, despite federal law guaranteeing lawmakers the right to make un-nannounced oversight visits to investigate detention facilities.
Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger to give Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union address
Virginia’s governor Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week, top Democrats have announced in a statement.
The Democratic rebuttal will immediately follow Trump’s address to Congress next Tuesday. Spanberger, who served three terms in Congress, became Virginia’s first female governor earlier this year, resoundingly winning an office previously held by a Republican. She won the race by a double-digit margin, campaigning on affordability and lowering costs for families.
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said that she “embodies the best of America as a mother, community leader and dedicated public servant.”
His Senate counterpart Chuck Schumer said: “Gov. Spanberger will lay out a clear path forward: lower everyday costs, protect healthcare, and defend the freedoms that define who we are as a nation.”
Updated
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on US law enforcement radar 15 years before UK arrest
While Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest by British police today came after years of uproar over his association to Jeffrey Epstein, documents show that he had been on the radar of US law enforcement for nearly 15 years.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s name came up during a 2011 FBI inquiry into Epstein, investigative documents recently disclosed by the justice department reveal. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied all allegations of misconduct related to Epstein.
Here’s the full story:
Trump changed mind on Chagos deal ‘after UK blocked use of Diego Garcia for Iran strikes’
Donald Trump changed his mind on supporting the Chagos Islands deal because the UK will not permit its airbases to be used for a pre-emptive US strike on Iran, the Guardian has been told.
In his latest change of heart on the deal, the US president said on social media that Keir Starmer was “making a big mistake” by handing sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius in exchange for continued use by the UK and US of their airbase on one of the islands, Diego Garcia.
While Trump had previously criticised the plan, which is backed by the US state department, earlier in February he had described it as the “best” deal Starmer could make in the circumstances.
But in Trump’s post on his Truth Social site he linked the deal with US military strikes against Iran in connection with Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, which are believed to be imminent. He wrote:
Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime.
A pre-emptive strike on Iran would be unlikely to be in line with the UK’s interpretation of international law. US bases in the UK, like Fairford in Gloucestershire, the home for US B-2 bombers in Europe, are only used for military operations if the UK government agrees and they are considered legal.
UK government sources said this was viewed as the reason for Trump to again turn against the Chagos plan.
Here’s the full story:
Trump warns Iran 'bad things' will happen if they fail to make a 'meaningful' deal, and appears to set 10-day deadline for US military action
Donald Trump has warned Iran that “bad things” will happen if no deal is reached and appeared to set a 10-day deadline before the US might take action.
During the first Board of Peace meeting, Trump said negotiations with Iran were going well but insisted that Tehran has to reach a “meaningful” agreement. “Otherwise, bad things happen,” he said.
Trump spoke of the airstrikes the US carried out in June on Iran’s nuclear facilities, claiming that the country’s nuclear potential had been “decimated”. “We may have to take it a step further or we may not,” he said, hinting that he could take a decision very soon.
You’ll be finding out over the next probably 10 days.
Trump’s comments follow months of massive US military buildup of aircraft carriers, warships and jets in the region – its largest since the 2003 invasion of Iraq – that has fuelled fears that a full-scale attack on Iran could be imminent.
Iranian and US negotiators met on Tuesday and Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said they had agreed on “guiding principles”. But White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that the two sides remained apart on some issues.
Trump said “good talks are being had”, and a senior US official told Reuters that Iran would make a written proposal on how to address US concerns.
Trump, meanwhile, called on Tehran to join the US on the “path to peace”.
They can’t have a nuclear weapon, it’s very simple. You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon.
Here’s an analysis on the current situation from the Guardian’s diplomatic editor Patrick Wintour:
Updated
The Trump administration is moving to arrest thousands of people already legally admitted to the US as refugees and detain them indefinitely for aggressive “rescreening”, a report published on Thursday said.
Under the new policy, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that federal immigration officers can and should arrest anyone who has not yet obtained the right to permanent residence, a so-called green card, and subject them to interviews to assess their refugee claims while they are in custody, as first reported by the Washington Post.
The memo reverses a 2010 Obama administration policy that said failure to apply for a green card within a year of admission to the US was insufficient basis for such an arrest or detention, the newspaper reported.
The DHS move is pertinent to an ongoing case in Minneapolis in which a federal judge last month blocked the Trump administration from further arrests of settled refugees in Minnesota, and ordered the release of at least 100 more arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Officials said “Operation Parris”, which targeted about 5,600 refugees in Minnesota who had not yet become permanent residents, was “a sweeping initiative re-examining thousands of refugee cases through new background checks and intensive verification of refugee claims”.
We’re keeping an eye on lawmakers who are rebukingDonald Trump’s announcement that the US will pledge $10bn to the Board of Peace – of which the president serves as chair.
Trump offered no explanation as to how he plans to secure this money, nor did he mention whether he has sought approval from Congress, who would need to vote on a specific appropriations bill for the funds.
Senator Chris Murphy, who sits on the upper chamber’s foreign relations committee called the move “totally illegal”.
Top oversight Democrat says former prince's arrest is 'enormous step' in fight to secure justice for Epstein survivors
In response to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest today, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, Robert Garcia, said that it is “an enormous step forward in our fight to secure justice” for the Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors.
In November, oversight Democrats called for the former prince to sit for questioning as part of their ongoing investigation into the handling of the Epstein case. “Britain is now holding him accountable with this arrest. Now it’s time for the United States to end this White House cover-up,” Garcia added in a statement.
Other Democratic members of Congress welcomed the news of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, and how it might impact accountability stateside.
“Even princes are not above the law,” said congressman Ro Khanna, who led the effort to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act. “But why isn’t more being done here? We should start with Howard Lutnick resigning,” he added, referring to Donald Trump’s commerce secretary – who admitted that he visited Epstein on his private island in 2012, four years after the disgraced financier was convicted on state charges of soliciting prostitution. This, despite Lutnick’s claims that he was no longer in touch with Epstein after 2005.
Jay Bhattacharya, the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was named the acting director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday, making him the fourth leader in a year at the embattled agency in an unprecedented move that further consolidates power among a small group of men at the helm of US health agencies.
He’s been an ineffectual health leader whose attention will be further fractured, and as a close ally to Robert F Kennedy Jr, secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services and a longtime vaccine critic. Bhattacharya may sign off on further changes to the vaccine schedule, observers said.
Bhattacharya will continue serving in his current role as NIH director, where he has overseen dramatic cuts to research and staff. The CDC has similarly slashed grants to states and enacted massive layoffs even as officials under Kennedy have dramatically reshaped policy on routine vaccinations.
Staff say the controversial health economist has had little to do with the daily operations of the NIH.
“He won’t actually run the CDC. Just as he doesn’t actually run NIH,” said Jenna Norton, an NIH program officer speaking in her personal capacity.
Jeremy Berg, former director of National Institute of General Medical Sciences, had a similar response. “Now, rather than largely ignoring the actual operations of one agency, he can largely ignore the actual operations of two,” he said.
Bhattacharya, who made a name opposing measures to prevent Covid-19, has strongly criticized officials who fund research and advise on policy simultaneously.
“Bureaucrats who fund the careers of scientists should play no role whatsoever in setting pandemic policy,” Bhattacharya wrote in a post on Twitter/X in December 2021, saying the “dual role” was a conflict of interest that silenced scientists.
Read Melody’s full report:
Updated
Edi Rama, the prime minister of Albania, refuted claims from Nato allies that the Board of Peace would undermine the authority of the United Nations.
“It does not look to me like an attempt to replace the UN,” Rama said. “But if it helps shake that agonizing giant then inshallah, wake it up.”
Attending today’s event is former British prime minister Tony Blair, who extolled Donald Trump’s so-called 20-point peace plan for Gaza.
“This is a vision of Gaza as part of the Middle East at peace, not a phoney piece of declarations no one means, and agreements no one intends to keep,” Blair said.
“Whether you’re a Muslim, Jew, Christian, of any faith or none – you can rise by your own efforts and feel your government by your side, not on your back. That is the vision behind President Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza, and it remains the best, indeed the only hope for Gaza, the region and the wider world.”
Trump says Board of Peace will be 'looking over' the United Nations
Donald Trump noted today that his Board of Peace plans to work with the United Nations (UN) “very closely” moving forward. This comes as several ally countries – including the Vatican – have eschewed joining the board because it could usurp the UN’s power.
“I think the United Nations has great potential, really great potential,” Trump said. “The Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly.”
The president noted that if the UN needs help “money wise”, the Board of Peace is prepared to step in.
US to pledge $10bn to Board of Peace
Donald Trump said the United States will contribute $10bn to his Board of Peace. A reminder, that the president said over the weekend that member states have pledged $5bn to be a part of the board.
“When you look at that compared to the cost of war, that’s two weeks of fighting, it’s a very small number. It sounds like a lot, but it’s a very small number,” Trump said, a nod to the emerging chorus of frustration at the administration’s substantial involvement in foreign policy.
The president offered no details about how the US would send this money to the board, or if he’s requested approval from Congress for the funds.
Updated
Trump says US has 'some work' to do with Iran, repeats call for country to end nuclear program
On Iran, Donald Trump praised Steve Witkoff’s diplomatic efforts with the Republic. “Iran is a hot spot right now,” Trump said, noting that both Witkoff and Jared Kushner – another envoy and the president’s son-in-law – have a good relationship with the representatives Iran. “Good talks are being had. It’s proven to be, over the years, not easy to make a meaningful deal with Iran. We have to make a meaningful deal, otherwise, bad things happen, but we have to make a meaningful deal,” Trump said.
He added:
We do have some work to do with Iran. They can’t have a nuclear weapons. Very simple. You can’t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon.
Trump continued to keep the cards of any possible military action close to his chest. “We may have to take it a step further, or we may not, maybe we’re going to make a deal,” he said. “You’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.”
Updated
Trump has spent most of his remarks, so far, touting his self-perceived achievements, with little explanation on how the Board of Peace actually plans to function.
On the war in Gaza, Trump declares it “over” barring “little flames” in the region. “The cease fire was held, and every last remaining hostage, both living and dead, has been returned back home. Think of that,” Trump added.
Reporting from Washington
Donald Trump has endorsed Hungary’s Viktor Orbán ahead of parliamentary elections in which the illiberal European leader could be pushed out of office after 16 years in power.
Nodding to criticisms that endorsing foreign leaders would amount to elections interference, Trump said: “I’m not supposed to be endorsing people, but I endorse when I like people. You know, I’ve had a very good record of endorsing candidates within the United States, but now I endorse foreign leaders, including Viktor Orbán.”
Trump said that his support for Argentina’s Javier Milei, another attendee of the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace, had also helped his party in recent elections.
“He was a little behind in the polls,” Trump added. “He ended up winning in a landslide.”
Turning back to Orban, he said: “Prime Minister Orban of Hungary … has my complete and total endorsement for election. Not everybody in Europe loves that endorsement. That’s OK. He does an unbelievable job. He’s done an incredible job on immigration. Unlike some countries that have hurt themselves, they’re working on it,” Trump said.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio had previously suggested that the US would provide Hungary with financial support and an extension of sanctions relief on purchasing Russian gas and oil for as long as the conservative leader is in power.
Few details so far on how Trump plans to solve the conflict in Gaza or begin the reconstruction of the wartorn region.
Donald Trump addresses Board of Peace event
Trump kicked off his remarks with his misleading claim that he’s ended eight wars. He notes that the conflict in Ukraine continues to evade him.
As he welcomes member states today, he says “there’s never been anything close” to this level of prestige when it comes to the Board of Peace. He notes that some countries – namely Nato allies – are “playing a little cute”, by deciding to not join the Trump-led board.
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Reporting from Washington
Donald Trump’s inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace is off to a late start. World leaders and delegates mainly from the Middle East and Asia are gathered for a family photo before the speeches begin at the recently renamed Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. Trump enters the room and exchanges a few words with Viktor Orbán, a rightwing ally and a rare European leader who has chosen to attend the event. US Nato allies have chosen not to join the organisation and send observers instead, with some saying the Board of Peace undermines other international organisations like the United Nations. Trump then exchanges handshakes with a number of autocrats including Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev, as well as rightwing allies like Argentina’s Javier Milei.
US speakers include Trump, secretary of state Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz. JD Vance is there for the photo but is not scheduled to speak.
The speaking list is dominated by Gulf countries, with representatives for Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar all set to speak, as well as the leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the foreign minister of Turkey and the president of Romania.
Also somewhat surprisingly delegates will see a video presentation by Fifa. Though that may not be surprising given Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s close relationship with Trump.
“I think we have to smile,” Trump says. “A lot of good people.”
“Does everybody like the music? It’s good music.”
We’re just moments away.
As we wait for the Board of Peace event to begin, my colleague Jakub Krupa notes that Italy, Poland, Czech Republic and Romania are among more than a dozen of countries sending senior officials to the meeting, but only Hungary is actually expected to be part of the board as a member. This comes as several key European allies, as well as the Vatican, snubbed the US’ invitation to join the board.
Lawmakers push war powers resolution to curb possible military action in Iran
Congressmen Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie plan to introduce a war powers resolution next week, and try to force a vote on the House floor, to curb the Trump administration’s possible military action against Iran.
“Trump officials say there’s a 90% chance of strikes on Iran. He can’t without Congress,” said Khanna, a California Democrat, amid the reports that the US is positioning aircraft carriers and amassing a large arsenal of fighter jets for a potential strikes.
He’s teamed up with Republican Massie – whom he worked with to push the Epstein Files Transparency Act on to the House floor – on the legislation.
“I first got into politics to end the Iraq War. I won’t let Trump launch a disastrous war without Congress voting to stop it,” Khanna added.
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Donald Trump will start his day in Washington for the Board of Peace meeting at the White House.
He’ll then travel to Rome, Georgia, as part of his tour of the country to tout the administration’s affordability message. He’ll meet with local businesses there, and deliver remarks at 4pm ET.
In recent months, the president has visited various cities to try and showcase the positive impact of his economic agenda, and today will be no exception. We’ll bring you the latest lines as they happen. We’ll also be keeping an ear out for more of Trump’s thinking when it comes to possible military action against Iran.
US gathers largest air power in Middle East since 2003 Iraq invasion – report
The significant buildup of US air power in the Middle East is the largest since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to a report.
That invasion began with a “shock and awe” bombing campaign on Baghdad in a violent display of US military power. Now, the US is considering launching an attack on Iran, with cutting-edge F-35 and F-22 jet fighters sent to the Middle East and a second aircraft carrier loaded with attack and electronic-warfare planes on the way, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
US officials told the newspaper that the firepower will give the US the option of carrying out a sustained, weeks-long air war against Iran. Trump has received several briefings on his options should he decide to strike, all of them designed to maximise damage to Iran’s regime and its regional proxies, the officials said.
Those options, according to the officials, include a campaign to kill Iranian political and military leaders and an air attack striking nuclear and ballistic-missile facilities.
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While Trump is (reportedly) weighing a potential attack against Iran and presiding over the first Board of Peace meeting in Washington, he is also squeezing in a trip to the battleground state of Georgia today to boost the Republican party’s political standing in the crucial midterm elections.
The Trump administration said his trip will focus on the economy, but notably he is scheduled to visit Rome, in the north-west of Georgia, which lies in congressional district previously represented by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former Trump firebrand who resigned in January after feuding with the president. There’s a special election to replace her on 10 March.
“Georgia is obviously a very important state to the president and to the Republican party,” said the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, on the eve of his visit.
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In Gaza, the charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said it will continue working in the Palestinian territory for as long as possible following an Israeli decision to end its activities there.
Earlier this month, Israel announced it will suspend the charity’s operations in Gaza after the humanitarian organisation refused to hand over personal details of its staff members to Israeli authorities.
MSF has criticised the move, which takes effect on 1 March, as a “pretext” to obstruct aid.
“For the time being, we are still working in Gaza, and we plan to keep running our operations as long as we can,” Filipe Ribeiro, head of mission for Palestine at MSF, told the AFP news agency.
The Guardian’s community affairs correspondent, Geneva Abdul, spoke to medics in the UK and US who believe they have been denied re-entry to Gaza after speaking out on the conflict. You can read the full report here:
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Trump officials plan to build 5,000-person military base in Gaza, files show
The Trump administration is planning to build a 5,000-person military base in Gaza, sprawling more than 350 acres, according to Board of Peace contracting records reviewed by the Guardian.
The site is envisioned as a military operating base for a future International Stabilisation Force (ISF), planned as a multinational military force composed of pledged troops. The ISF is part of the newly created Board of Peace which is meant to govern Gaza. The Board of Peace is chaired by Donald Trump and led in part by his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The plans reviewed by the Guardian call for the phased construction of a military outpost that will eventually have a footprint of 1,400 metres by 1,100 metres, ringed by 26 trailer-mounted armoured watch towers, a small arms range, bunkers and a warehouse for military equipment for operations. The entire base will be encircled with barbed wire.
Read the full report here:
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Meanwhile, Russia and Iran have staged navy drills in the Gulf of Oman, as the Kremlin called for restraint amid growing fears of a US military attack against Tehran.
The Kremlin said the joint drills were planned exercises and no cause for alarm, but it comes against the backdrop of heightened US military activity in the Middle East in recent weeks.
“Russia continues to develop relations with Iran and in doing so, we call on our Iranian friends and all parties in the region to exercise restraint and prudence,” said the Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov.
“We are currently witnessing an unprecedented escalation of tension in the region, but we still hope that political and diplomatic means and negotiations will continue to prevail in the search for a settlement.”
In other news, there have been reports that the US military is preparing for possible strikes on Iran, potentially as soon as this weekend.
Unnamed sources quoted in New York Times, CBS News and CNN say Trump has yet to make a decision on how to proceed, but the significant buildup of US military activity in the Middle East capable of striking nuclear facilities and other targets in Iran has continued this week despite indirect talks between the two countries on Tuesday.
Trump has repeatedly demanded Iran cease its nuclear programme, and has warned he intends to use force if no deal is reached.
Read the full report on this story here:
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Gaza death toll in early part of war far higher than reported, says Lancet study
More than 75,000 people were killed in the first 16 months of the two-year war in Gaza, at least 25,000 more than the death toll announced by local authorities at the time, according to a study published on Wednesday in the Lancet medical journal.
The research also found that reporting by the Gaza health ministry about the proportion of women, children and elderly people among those killed was accurate.
A total of 42,200 women, children and elderly people died between 7 October 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel that prompted a devastating Israeli offensive into Gaza, and 5 January 2025, the study found. These deaths comprised 56% of violent deaths in Gaza.
“The combined evidence suggests that, as of 5 January 2025, 3-4% of the population of the Gaza Strip had been killed violently and there have been a substantial number of non-violent deaths caused indirectly by the conflict,” the authors of the study wrote in the Lancet Global Health.
Read the full report here:
Authoritarians, strongmen and dictators: who is on Trump’s Board of Peace?
A grouping of largely oppressive and authoritarian world leaders and their envoys are flying to Washington for the inaugural meeting of Donald Trump’s newly established Board of Peace.
Global powers, including Washington’s traditional allies, fear the US-led body is an attempt to sidestep the more democratic United Nations and replace it with a fee-paying members’ club run on the whims of a single man.
It is not clear how many of the more than 20 members of the Board of Peace, which Trump runs and chairs, will attend the first meeting on Thursday. What is clear is that many of the founding member countries are run as military regimes or dictatorships, while others joined to appease Trump.
The Guardian’s Olive Holmes has more on the list of several confirmed attenders, and where their countries are placed in an annual ranking on political rights and civil liberties, here:
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Trump's Board of Peace to gather for first meeting
Good morning and welcome to the US politics live blog. The inaugural meeting of US president Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, his initiative to bring an end to the war in Gaza, begins today with representatives from more than 45 countries expected to attend.
But some major European allies, including the UK, Germany and France, have turned down their invitations, wary of the group’s operations and its potential to rival the UN. There is also no Palestinian representation on the board, while Israel holds a seat.
The summit comes almost three months since the UN security council approved a US-backed ceasefire plan, which included a two-year mandate for the Board of Peace to oversee the demilitarisation and reconstruction of Gaza. Key issues that remain unresolved include the disarmament of Hamas, the withdrawal of Israeli troops in Gaza, the scale of reconstruction and the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory.
Trump announced ahead of the meeting that board members have pledged $5bn (£3.7bn) for the reconstruction efforts, a fraction of the $70bn (£52bn) needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory that has been devastated by two years of conflict.
The ceasefire in Gaza remains fragile, with Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the agreement. Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli troops withdrew to positions behind a so-called yellow line, although they remain in control of more than half the territory.
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