– Trump asks the Supreme Court to immediately uphold the ban on transgender military personnel, while lawsuits challenging the ban continue in lower courts. Two federal judges have blocked the policy, but one ruling remains in place.
– Trump signs a memorandum directing the Justice Department to investigate possible illegal donations through platforms like ActBlue, including contributions in other people’s names and attempts by foreign actors to influence U.S. elections.
– Trump signs an executive order to accelerate the development of undersea minerals, focusing on critical minerals such as nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, titanium and rare earths, to strengthen the U.S. economy and national security.
– The Agriculture Department withdraws a plan to limit salmonella in raw poultry.
– Trump appeals a ruling halting deportations of people from Colorado under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act, arguing that the judge lacks jurisdiction. A federal judge in Denver ruled that people who would be deported under the law have 21 days to appeal.
– Trump signs an executive order on probation for federal employees, requiring them to discuss their performance with their employers 60 days before the end of their probationary period. The order requires agencies to certify that their hiring practices are in the public interest.
– Trump takes to social media to call Harvard a threat to democracy, a “liberal mess” and an “anti-Semitic, far-left institution.” He calls for the firing of attorney William Burck from the Trump Organization, because he also works for Harvard. A few hours later, he does so.
– The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) asks Barnard College employees if they are Jewish or Israeli and whether they have experienced harassment. The question is part of a federal investigation into alleged discrimination against Jewish employees at Barnard, which has come under fire for pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.
– Trump sells “Trump 2028” hats on his Trump Organization website, with the slogan “Rewrite the rules with the Trump 2028 high crown hat.”
– Trump announces plans to erect two 100-foot flagpoles at the White House to hang American flags.
– The Trump administration is cutting hundreds of National Science Foundation research grants, including projects on diversity, AI literacy, and combating misinformation. This is part of Trump’s broader campaign against diversity and inclusion in research.
– The Trump administration is speeding up permitting for energy projects, but excluding solar and wind. The new process will speed up approvals for oil, gas, nuclear, and other energy sources, but not for renewable energy like solar or wind.
– Paula White, leader of the White House Faith Office, says women are “in the order of God” to submit to men, with her husband being the head of their household, for example.
– The State Department is closing the Office of Global Change, which coordinates international climate negotiations for the United States.
– Trump is pardoning former Las Vegas City Council member Michele Fiore, who was convicted of fraud last year after she used $70,000 for personal expenses, including plastic surgery. The money was supposed to go toward a memorial for dead police officers.
– The Social Security Administration is reclassifying thousands of its employees as “Schedule F” political appointees, which means they lose their civilian service protections and are more likely to be fired.
– Trump says in a social media post that he is “not happy” about Russia’s attacks on Kyiv, calling the timing “very bad” and calling on Putin to “STOP!” the attacks. He stresses that 5,000 soldiers are dying every week and urges a peace deal, saying that by not taking all of Ukraine, Russia has made a “pretty big concession” to end the war.
– Trump rejects federal aid for Arkansas after deadly tornadoes, despite pleas from local politicians to reconsider.
– Trump threatens to reimpose his high “reciprocal tariffs” on nearly all U.S. trading partners if they don’t negotiate separate deals with his administration. He says his administration will eventually set its own prices for countries that don’t come to the table.
– Trump says after a poll that is negative about him that Rupert Murdoch has been promising for years to fire the Fox News pollster who allegedly disadvantaged him. He also calls on Murdoch to make “changes” at the “China Loving Wall Street Journal.”
Fallout
– The Pentagon is resuming medical care for transgender military personnel after a court ruling that declared Secretary Hegseth’s restrictions unconstitutional. The Trump administration is appealing the ruling.
– Stephanie Gallagher, a Trump-appointed judge, rules that the Trump administration must facilitate the repatriation of 20-year-old Venezuelan “Cristian” from El Salvador: he came to the US as a minor seeking asylum and could not be deported because his application was still pending. The judge orders the government to request that El Salvador return Cristian to the US. Cristian was arrested in January after being convicted of cocaine possession. Gallagher bars the Trump administration from deporting other immigrants with pending asylum claims who came to the U.S. alone as children.
– A federal judge blocks Trump’s attempt to require proof of citizenship for federal voter registration, ruling that he lacks the authority to impose such rules. Critics say the measure could have excluded millions of eligible voters.
– A federal judge partially blocks the Trump administration’s plan to strip schools of federal funding if they adopt diversity policies, calling it a violation of fundamental democratic principles.
– Harvard University is considering selling $1 billion in private equity stakes due to liquidity issues caused by tough market conditions, following a dispute with the Trump administration over $2.2 billion in grants.
– A study participant shares that he received an email from the NIH saying that research into treating brain tumors like his is being halted. The message says the study is closing due to unforeseen circumstances and that no new participants will be enrolled.
– Jobless claims rise slightly to 222,000, just above the expected 220,000. The labor market remains relatively healthy, with many vacancies and few layoffs, despite concerns about a potential economic slowdown.
– Federal Judge David Briones orders the release of Venezuelan couple Cesar and Norelia, who fled to the United States with their three children three years ago and sought asylum. The couple were recently detained by ICE for the third time on allegations of ties to Tren de Aragua, despite three court rulings that prohibited their detention. The government used the fact that Norelia was married to a member of the gang for 10 years as (the only) evidence that she is a “senior member.”
– The Trump administration accidentally files an internal memo in the congestion pricing lawsuit explaining why the MTA is likely to win. The administration itself admits that its alternative plan is weak because the MTA-DOT agreement “does not contain explicit termination provisions.”
– Bridgewater, the world’s largest hedge fund, warns in its influential newsletter of a “once-in-a-generation change” and sees extraordinary risks for U.S. assets. “We are facing a radically different economic and market environment that threatens the existing global order and monetary system.”
– China cancels 12,000 tons of pork shipments from the U.S., the largest cancellation since the COVID-19 pandemic.
– 14 House Democrats send letters to the law firms that made deals with Trump to avoid his attacks. They demand that the firms provide details of those agreements and accuse them of complicity in Trump’s efforts to undermine the rule of law.
– Three advocacy groups are suing the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Kristi Noem to overturn the closure of three offices that protect civil rights.
– The U.S. has not yet paid its 2024 WHO dues, and it is unlikely to do so, WHO officials say. This leaves a looming budget deficit of $600 million for 2025 and $1.9 billion for the 2026-2027 biennial budget. Trump signed an executive order on January 20 to withdraw from the WHO in 2026.
– The Trump administration is deporting an Iraqi to Rwanda despite a court order prohibiting people from being deported without a trial, as part of a move to deport people who cannot be returned to their countries of origin due to persecution.
– Whirlpool expects to emerge as a ‘winner’ of the new tariffs, thanks to 80% domestic production. The company is increasing its margins through price increases and cost savings, and says Trump’s trade policy is playing a fair game for domestic production.
– Two men are forced to accompany ICE during a raid on the Albemarle County Courthouse in Charlottesville. The agents are dressed in plain clothes, without visible identification or arrest warrants.
– NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says that America is not pressuring Ukraine to agree to a peace agreement that is favorable to Russia. According to Rutte, there is a proposal on the table that Ukraine is constructively cooperating with, and it is now up to Putin to take steps.
– The AFGE, the largest federal employee union in the US, announces that it will lay off more than 200 of its 355 employees because of the financial consequences of Trump’s executive orders.
– The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association is suing the Trump administration for withholding family health care subsidies, which the group says is illegal.
– The Associated Press reports that there are now more than 170 lawsuits pending against Trump’s executive orders.
– Defense Secretary Hegseth had an unsecured internet connection in his office to use Signal on a personal computer, the Associated Press reports.
– A new court document shows that the Trump administration is giving migrants 12 hours to decide whether to challenge deportation under the Alien Enemies Act. ICE said earlier this week that the government considers 24 hours a reasonable time for someone facing deportation under the Alien Enemies Act to appeal their deportation. That was already considered far too short by legal experts.
– Maria Ressa, the journalist who won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to save freedom of expression in the Philippines, says the demise of a democracy happens slowly. ‘The death of democracy happens by a thousand cuts.’ She warns that many people in the transition to autocracy don’t realize how much they’re bleeding until it’s too late. She also says it not only can get worse, it will get worse.
– Hyattsville police say García was never identified as a gang member when he was arrested in 2019. Another man was linked to MS-13. ‘At no point did any HPD member classify Abrego García as a gang member,’ the department clarified.
– People inside the Trump White House are briefing Wall Street executives on the progress of trade negotiations with India, Fox reports. That this is happening raises questions about possible insider trading facilitated by the White House.
– Judge William Orrick blocks the Trump administration’s decision to withhold federal funds from 16 so-called sanctuary cities, arguing it likely violates the Constitution and is being done without Congressional approval.
– Trump says the U.S. and China are holding talks on Thursday about the trade conflict. China says there are no negotiations and calls reports of that untrue.
