The Latest: Trump now delaying more tariffs amid economic fears

Here's the latest:

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the US has kept its sanctions on Russia in place

Speaking about the sanctions on Russia at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday, Bessent also said the U.S. “will not hesitate to go all in should it provide leverage in peace negotiations.”

Over the course of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration imposed thousands of sanctions on Russian firms, people, ships and imposed a price cap on Russian oil, among other actions.

In New York, Bessent called Biden’s sanctions on Russian energy “egregiously weak” and “stemming from worries about upward pressure on U.S. energy prices.”

“Per President Trump’s guidance, sanctions will be used explicitly and aggressively for immediate maximum impact. They will be carefully monitored to ensure that they are achieving specific objectives,” Bessent said.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum elaborated on her call with Trump

She said later that she told the president Mexico was making great strides in fulfilling his security demands.

“I told him we’re getting results,” Sheinbaum said. But the U.S. imposed the tariffs, so she asked Trump “how are we going to continue cooperating, collaborating with something that hurts the people of Mexico?”

“I need to continue working together and cooperating with you all, but we need to work as equals,” she said she told Trump.

She added that “practically all of the trade” between the U.S. and Mexico will be exempt from tariffs until April 2.

She said the two countries will continue to work together on migration and security, and to cut back on fentanyl trafficking to the U.S.

She added that Trump said he would crack down on the flow of American weapons trafficked into Mexico, which has fueled cartel warfare in the Latin American country, though Trump hasn’t elaborated on what his government has done to address the weapons trafficking.

National Endowment for the Arts is sued over ‘gender ideology’ ban

Four arts groups filed federal lawsuits against the NEA on Thursday, seeking a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order before March 24, when the next round of grant applications are due.

President Trump’s executive order titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” calls for denying federal money to any programs that “promote gender ideology.”

The American Civil Liberties Union argues on behalf of the Rhode Island Latino Arts, National Queer Theater, The Theater Offensive and Theater Communications Groups that the NEA’s new certification requirement and funding prohibition violates the First Amendment, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Fifth Amendment.

FBI director: Agency is committed to bringing home American hostages

Kash Patel says the bureau will work to “zero out” the population of Americans detained or held hostage in foreign countries.

He spoke Thursday during a flag-raising at the State Department honoring hostages and their families.

Americans are being held in multiple countries including Russia and Venezuela. The Trump administration is also working to secure the release of Americans still held by Hamas.

Adam Boehler is President Donald Trump’s nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, leading direct talks with the militant group.

Trump hosting Cabinet-level meeting on DOGE

One day after Elon Musk met with Republicans on Capitol Hill, the president is convening Cabinet members to discuss the Department of Government Efficiency.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted a video of himself arriving at the West Wing of the White House and said they would be talking about “where we can make us more efficient, where we can cut.”

Federal agencies are putting together plans for large-scale layoffs, known as reductions in force, to achieve Trump's goal of a radically smaller government workforce.

Trump delays tariffs on most goods from Mexico until April 2

President Donald Trump said he's postponed 25% tariffs on most goods from Mexico until April 2 after a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The reprieve would apply to goods that are compliant with the trade agreement Trump negotiated with Canada and Mexico in his first term.

“I did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum,” Trump said. “Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl.”

Sheinbaum posted on X that they “had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results.”

The Mexican government has cracked down on cartels, sent troops to the U.S. border and delivered 29 top cartel bosses long chased by American authorities to the Trump administration in a span of weeks.

Why tariffs, President Trump?

To President Donald Trump, "tariff" is more than "the most beautiful word in the dictionary," something he says often.

Tariffs, in Trump's view, are a cure for a number of the nation's ills and the tool to reach new heights. Among the reasons for steeply taxing the U.S. consumption of products from Canada, Mexico, China and beyond:

Most economists see taxes paid on imports as capable of addressing unfair trade practices, but they're skeptical of the quasi-miraculous properties that Trump claims they possess.

▶ Read more on how Trump justifies his trade policy

Trump’s FDA pick says ‘trust in doctors and hospitals is at a crisis’

Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire held stacks of paper that she said show “lots and lots of data” supporting the safety and efficacy of mifepristone.

“The concern is whether you’re going to unilaterally overrule the data that currently exists for political purposes,” she said.

Makary responded to each question on the abortion pill by saying he had “no preconceived plans” on mifepristone policy.

“I wish you were hedging a little bit less today,” Hassan said.

Makary rose to national attention by bashing the COVID-19 response, calling the federal government the "greatest perpetrator of misinformation."

Fired head of federal watchdog agency ends legal battle

Hampton Dellinger announced his decision after the federal appeals court in Washington sided with the Trump administration in removing him as the head of the Office of Special Counsel.

The case had become a flashpoint in the debate over how much power the president should have to replace the leaders of independent agencies as he moves to radically reshape and shrink the federal government.

The case was expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, but justice delayed is justice denied — In the months it would take to get a final ruling, the office “will be run by someone totally beholden to the President,” he said.

Class-action appeals seek jobs and back pay for thousands of fired workers

The filings by lawyers with Gilbert Employment Law and James & Hoffman say Trump’s layoffs aren’t individualized actions but large-scale terminations, and laws for such reductions in force haven’t been followed.

The appeals to the U.S. Merit Systems Protections Board say the workers got no advance notice, no severance pay and no consideration of job performance.

Probationary workers generally have a limited recourse before the board. But attorney Daniel Rosenthal says it is clear from regulations and precedents that even probationary employees can challenge an improper reduction in force to the board.

Dire warning at United Nations: US aid freeze is forcing decisions ‘on which lives not to save’

The UN’s humanitarian chief told the U.N. Security Council that U.S. foreign aid cuts are a “body blow to our work to save lives.”

Tom Fletcher said the pace of the shutdowns of so much vital work “adds to the perfect storm that we face.”

He said he’s had to ask UN partners to provide lists of areas where they have to abandon lifesaving help.

Commerce Secretary: Most tariffs on Canada and Mexico ‘likely’ to be delayed

Howard Lutnick said Trump will likely broaden the exemption to 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico that he granted Wednesday to the auto industry.

Lutnick told CNBC that this one-month delay in import taxes “will likely cover all USMCA- compliant goods and services,” referring to the trade agreement Trump negotiated in his last term that replaced NAFTA.

Lutnick estimated that more than half of what the U.S. imports from those two countries would be eligible.

Lutnick added that Trump could make an announcement after speaking with Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum later Thursday.

▶ Read more on tariffs developments

Medical research cuts could affect patients, universities and local communities

The ripple effects of Trump crackdown on U.S. medical research promise to reach every corner of America.

Among the biggest blows, if it survives a court challenge: Massive cuts in funding from the National Institutes of Health that would cost an estimated 58,000 jobs across every state, according to an analysis by The Associated Press with assistance from the nonprofit United for Medical Research group.

These layoffs would be in addition to the mass firings of other government workers and uncertainty about how already-funded research is being canceled under Trump’s anti-diversity orders.

▶ Read more on Trump's cuts to medical research

Rep. Al Green says: ‘Friends, I would do it again’

The House voted mostly along party lines, 224-198, to censure the unrepentant Texas Democra t for disrupting President Donald Trump's address to Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had Green removed from the chamber after Green stood and shouted that Trump wasn't telling the truth when he claimed the election gave him a governing mandate not seen for decades.

Thursday’s majority vote requires Green to stand in the well of the House while the speaker or presiding officer reads a rebuke.

Massachusetts Democrat Jim McGovern noted that Republicans were silent when their own side interrupted Democratic President Joe Biden’s speech last year. “Nobody apologized for interrupting Joe Biden time and again,” McGovern said. “You talk about lack of decorum. Go back and look at the tapes.”

Trump’s FDA pick says he'll review abortion pill; Democrats note it's safer than Viagra

Marty Makary said he would create an “expert coalition” to review ongoing data on the abortion pill mifepristone and that he has no “preconceived plans” on what the Food and Drug Administration’s policy should be on medication abortion.

Makary told the Senate health committee at his initial confirmation hearing that he would “take a solid, hard look at the data” and “meet with the professional career scientists who have reviewed the data at the FDA.”

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy had asked Makary whether he supports reinstating requirements that mifepristone be dispensed in person.

The FDA has been facing mounting pressure from anti-abortion groups to restrict mifepristone following legal battles over access, despite the drug’s decades-long safety record, vouched for by leading medical associations and health experts.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, pressed Makary about his plans to convene experts to review this data.

“If that’s you’re approach for something that has been approved for now decades, are you going to do the same with Tylenol?” she said. “There are a lot of side effects for daily use, including liver damage.”

Trudeau describes ‘colorful call’ with Trump

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that after his call with the U.S. president, he expects Canada and the U.S. to be in a trade war for the foreseeable future.

Trudeau said the call was constructive nevertheless, and said both sides are “actively engaged in ongoing conversations in trying to make sure these tariffs don’t overly harm” certain sectors and workers.

“There are conversations ongoing right now with the U.S. administration but as I have said, we will not be backing down from our response tariffs until such a time as the unjustified American tariffs are Canadian goods are lifted.”

▶ Read more about Canada's response to Trump's tariffs

Trump envoy: Ukraine ‘brought on themselves’ the US pause of aid and intelligence

Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, said it was made clear to the Ukrainians that last week’s Oval Office meeting would focus on signing a critical minerals deal.

Kellogg said it went sideways when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed to press Trump — who is trying to play the role of intermediary to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia — to side with Kyiv.

Zelenskyy, who insisted that Ukraine needs security guarantees before any cease fire, later called the heated words “regrettable” and said he’s ready to sign.

But Kellogg said he couldn’t guarantee a resumption of weapons deliveries even if Zelenskyy accepts the deal — “That’s up to the President,” he said.

▶ Read more on developments between the U.S. and Ukraine

Trump moves swiftly to assert his vision at Voice of America

Just last week, there were moves to reassign the Voice of America's White House bureau chief and to investigate the social media practices of another veteran correspondent, who was effectively put on paid leave.

President Donald Trump chose Arizona’s Kari Lake to lead the agency, but she can’t be installed because Trump fired members of the board empowered to do that. So now she’s on board as a “special advisor.”

The agency’s charter requires its journalists to deliver independent news and information, and not be a government mouthpiece. Trump posted that Lake will help “ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the world.”

▶ Read more on changes at the VOA

Another federal judge extends block preventing Trump’s freeze on federal funding

The grants and loans involved potentially total trillions of dollars.

U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island, who had already approved a temporary restraining order on the funding freeze, on Thursday granted the request for a preliminary injunction from nearly two dozen Democratic states.

Last month, the White House said it would temporarily halt federal funding to ensure that the payments complied with President Donald Trump’s orders barring diversity programs. Government lawyers argued the court lacks the constitutional authority to block a funding pause by the Republican administration.

▶ Read more about court action on funding freeze

Trump’s FDA nominee faces Senate questions after agency layoffs and resignations

A surgeon, author, researcher and Fox News contributor, Dr. Marty Makary is known for his contrarian views and outspoken criticism of the medical establishment. Like health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Makary traces many of the health issues afflicting Americans to food additives, overprescribing of drugs and the influence of drugmakers, insurers and food companies.

Republicans generally support Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. But Senate Democrats are expected to press Makary on his willingness to break with Kennedy on some scientific issues.

If confirmed to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Makary would take over a shaken agency, which fired hundreds of employees only to quickly rehire some of them.

Fear of Trump's next moves unsettles US consumers and worldwide markets

Anxiety has returned to Wall Street with markets poised to give back much of Wednesday's gains, which were spurred by President Donald Trump's one-month exemption for U.S. automakers on his 25% tariffs for Mexican and Canadian imports.

Futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq all slid in premarket trading. Shares in retailers Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret fell sharply as consumer confidence tanks.

Applications for U.S. jobless benefits fell, showing the labor market was steady ahead of the purge of federal employees.

And Europe's Central Bank lowered interest rates to support consumers and businesses bracing for Trump to impose new import taxes on U.S. consumers buying European goods.

Trump administration pauses flow of intelligence to Ukraine that helps on battlefield

The U.S. has paused its intelligence sharing with Ukraine, cutting off the flow of vital information that has helped the war-torn nation target Russian invaders, but Trump administration officials said Wednesday that positive talks between Washington and Kyiv mean it may only be a short suspension.

Information about Russia's intentions and military movements has been critical to Ukraine's defense and a strong indication of support from the U.S. and other Western allies. The suspension comes after Trump paused military aid to Ukraine and is another sign of how he has transformed America's relationship with close allies.

“We have taken a step back and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship,” national security adviser Mike Waltz said Wednesday.

Comments from top Trump administration officials suggest the decision is part of the broader negotiations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, and that intelligence could begin flowing to Ukraine again soon.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe called the suspension a "pause" and said it came after the disastrous meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last week. Ratcliffe said Trump wanted to know that Zelenskyy was serious about peace.

▶ Read more about the suspension of U.S. aid to Ukraine

Veterans fired from federal jobs say they feel betrayed, including some who voted for Trump

The mass firing of federal employees since Trump took office in January is pushing out veterans who make up 30% of the nation’s federal workforce. The exact number of veterans who have lost their job is unknown, although House Democrats last month estimated that it was potentially in the thousands.

More could be on the way. The Department of Veterans Affairs — a major employer of veterans — is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. Veterans represent more than 25% of the VA's workforce.

In interviews, several veterans who supported candidates of both parties described their recent job losses as a betrayal of their military service. They are particularly angered by how it happened: in an email that cited inadequate job performance — despite, they say, receiving positive reviews in their roles.

▶ Read more about the veterans losing their federal jobs

Trump issues ‘last warning’ to Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza

Israelis take part in a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, and the release of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Jerusalem,Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Trump on Wednesday issued what he called a "last warning" to Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza, directing a sharply worded message after the White House confirmed that he had recently dispatched an envoy for unprecedented direct talks with the militant group.

In a statement on his Truth Social platform soon after meeting at the White House with eight former hostages, Trump added that he was “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job.”

The pointed language from Trump came after the White House said Wednesday that U.S. officials have engaged in "ongoing talks and discussions" with Hamas officials, stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not directly engaging with the militant group.

Confirmation of the talks in the Qatari capital of Doha came as the Israel-Hamas ceasefire remains in the balance. It's the first known direct engagement between the United States and Hamas since the State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.

▶Read more about the negotiation talks

Credit: AP

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