Breaking news and analysis on the Trump administration, executive orders, cabinet appointments, policy decisions, and political developments.
The Trump administration announced plans for a 10% tariff on the EU and Canada and a 12.5% tariff on other nations including China, citing forced labor practices. The EU called the move unjustified. These tariffs permanently replace temporary ones struck down by the Supreme Court in February.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned Democrats against blocking a FISA Section 702 extension deal over President Trump's appointment of Bill Pulte as acting intelligence chief. Democratic lawmakers had previously threatened to withhold votes unless Pulte is removed.
President Trump characterized the ceasefire with Iran as 'shooting in a moderate manner' during a press conference. He has privately told aides he will not resume all-out war unless U.S. troops are killed, suggesting he may tolerate smaller flare-ups to avoid broader conflict.
The Trump administration is dismantling an ambitious ocean monitoring program by removing over 900 deep-sea sensors from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans near Washington, Oregon, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland. Scientists across the US are expressing alarm over the removal of these critical tools used to understand how the planet is changing.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a House panel the administration is abandoning the $1.766 billion compensation fund, which critics called a slush fund. Senate Republicans are leveraging an immigration enforcement package to permanently kill the fund, with Sen. Thom Tillis pushing an amendment to prevent its return. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward deleted a social media post suggesting an alternative path via Federal Tort Claims Act claims.
The Trump administration is diverting at least $90 million from national park entry fees to fund D.C. projects, including a $1.6 million July 4 fireworks display and $76 million for fountain repairs. The cost to repaint the Reflecting Pool has quintupled from an initial $13.1 million to $76 million, despite Trump's earlier promise of $1.8 million.
President Trump stated in a podcast that he still loves the idea of a $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies claiming political persecution, despite his administration saying it was dropping the plan. The proposal drew bipartisan backlash, with Republican senators blocking a spending bill until the fund was killed.
President Trump signed an executive order removing civil service protections for about 8,000 senior federal employees, making them at-will workers. The American Federation of Government Employees condemned the order, arguing it discourages whistleblowers, while the White House says it increases accountability.
The Trump Presidential Library states it cannot locate any Twitter direct messages sent by President Trump, despite evidence he sent them. Twitter identified at least 32 DMs sent or received by Trump before January 6, 2021, according to court records. The Presidential Records Act requires preservation of such records.
The Social Security Administration eliminated over 7,100 jobs since last year, a 13% workforce cut, as part of a Trump administration overhaul. The reductions, alongside office consolidations and expanded AI use, have caused longer delays and barriers for benefit recipients, with disability applications falling 7% in early 2025.