is dismissing over the caused by his planned tariffs on a range of American trading partners and the prospect of and isn鈥檛 ruling out the possibility of a this year.
Also, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the Trump administration had finished its six-week purge of programs of the six-decade-old U.S. Agency for International Development, and said he would move the 18% of aid and development programs that survived under the State Department.
Here's the latest:
Senate set to vote Monday on approving Lori Chavez-DeRemer as Trump鈥檚 labor secretary
It鈥檚 a Cabinet position that would put her in charge of enforcing federally mandated worker rights and protections at a time when the White House is trying to .
Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the Department of Labor, one of several executive departments named challenging the authority of billionaire Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to order layoffs and access sensitive government data.
The Labor Department had nearly 16,000 full-time employees and a proposed budget of $13.9 billion for fiscal year 2025. Some of its vast responsibilities include reporting the U.S. unemployment rate, regulating workplace , investigating minimum wage, child labor and overtime pay disputes, and applying laws on union organizing and unlawful terminations.
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Senators want Treasury to explain why it won鈥檛 enforce law designed to stop shell companies
Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, sent Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent a letter Monday, requesting an explanation for why the Trump administration has suspended enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act, a bipartisan 2021 law intended to clamp down on anonymous shell companies.
The Supreme Court in January lifted an injunction blocking the enforcement of the law.
The letter comes after the U.S. Treasury Department announced last week that it will not enforce a Biden-era small business rule intended to curb money laundering and shell company formation, that would have required firms to register their beneficial owners to the government.
鈥淲e request that you provide us the legal basis for the Treasury Department鈥檚 policy decision to categorically suspend enforcement of the CTA鈥檚 reporting requirements for all U.S. citizens and domestic reporting companies,鈥� wrote the senators.
鈥淚n addition, we request that you provide us with information about how you intend to satisfy the policy goals of the CTA.鈥�
Walz criticizes Trump鈥檚 trade action with Canada
Minnesota receives only a small share of its electricity from Ontario, but the Minnesota governor and former Democratic vice presidential nominee said the impact would be felt by the state鈥檚 residents.
鈥淭he first victims of Trump鈥檚 Trade war? Minnesotans struggling to pay their skyrocketing electric bill,鈥� Walz tweeted with a link to a story about Ontatrio鈥檚 plan to charge 25% more for electricity to 1.5 million Americans.
But Minnesota Power, the main utility serving the part of Minnesota that borders on Ontario, gets only a 鈥渧ery small鈥� proportion of its power from the province, company spokesperson Amy Rutledge said.
Minnesota Power, which serves over 150,000 customers, bought only about $300,000 worth of electricity from Ontario last year, and only for four months out of the year, she said.
Vance tells city leaders they can鈥檛 pick and choose which federal laws to enforce
The vice president told the National League of Cities conference in Washington that when it comes to immigration, city officials can disagree with some of the laws on the books and how they are enforced.
鈥淲hile we have immigrations laws on the books, we will enforce them and we will expect local municipalities to help us,鈥� Vance said.
Some Democratic-led cities refuse to enforce certain immigration laws or help immigration authorities, earning reputations as 鈥渟anctuary cities鈥� for those living illegally in the U.S.
Vance said Trump and the rest of the administration respect the work they do.
鈥淧lease consider our administration one with an open door,鈥� Vance said.
House speaker open to further punishing Rep. Al Green
The House has already voted to censure the Texas Democrat for disrupting Trump鈥檚 address to Congress last week, but some Republicans want more.
鈥淲e鈥檙e considering that. I mean, I鈥檝e talked to a lot of Republicans over the weekend that were really disturbed by what happened on the floor,鈥� Mike Johnson said. 鈥淚t was an unprecedented break in decorum.鈥�
Green at Trump after the Republican president said the Nov. 5 election had delivered a governing mandate not seen for many decades.
鈥淵ou have no mandate,鈥� the Houston lawmaker said, shaking a cane and refusing an order from Johnson to 鈥渢ake your seat, sir!鈥�
Johnson also noted that regardless of what he determines, Republican lawmakers separately could force a vote on Green.
S&P 500 tumbles most since 2022 as Wall Street questions how much pain for economy Trump will accept
The U.S. stock market鈥檚 is worsening Monday, and it鈥檚 heading toward its worst day since 2022 as Wall Street questions how much President Trump is to endure in order to get what he wants.
The S&P 500 was down as much as 3% in afternoon trading, coming off its worst week . The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 929 points, or 2.2%, as of 2:43 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 4.2% lower.
The main measure of the U.S. stock market is on track for a of more than 1%, up or down, in the last eight days following a dominated by Trump鈥檚 -and- -again . The worry is that the whipsaw moves will either hurt the economy directly or create enough uncertainty to drive U.S. companies and consumers into an economy-freezing paralysis. The S&P 500 is down nearly 9% from its set on Feb. 19.
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Trump touts ICE arrest of former Columbia University student
Mahmoud Khalil played a prominent role in protests against Israel. His arrest is a significant escalation in his administration鈥檚 promise to apprehend and deport student activists.
Trump calls Khalil 鈥渁 Radical Foreign Pro-Hamas Student.鈥�
Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia until this past December, was inside his university-owned apartment Saturday night when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered and took him into custody, his attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press.
Khalil鈥檚 arrest is the first publicly known deportation effort under Trump鈥檚 promised crackdown on students who joined protests against the war in Gaza that swept college campuses last spring.
Speaker Mike Johnson confident Congress will pass continuing resolution to keep government funded
鈥淭he CR will pass,鈥� Johnson said.
Republicans unveiled the measure over the weekend. A partial government shutdown will begin Saturday if Congress fails to pass it.
Democrats say they weren鈥檛 consulted in crafting the legislation, which House Republicans say would cut $13 billion from non-defense programs while increasing defense spending by $6 billion compared to last year.
Asked what made him so confident, Johnson replied: 鈥淣o one wants to shut the government down, and we are governing, doing the responsible thing as Republicans. It鈥檚 going to be up to Chuck Schumer and the Senate Democrats to do the right thing. And I don鈥檛 think they are going to shut the government down.鈥�
FDA says safety inspectors and some other staff cannot take buyout
An email viewed by The Associated Press explains that Food and Drug Administration staffers who handle inspections, criminal investigations and the review of drugs, vaccines, medical devices and other products cannot take the $25,000 buyout.
The email lists a number of other roles eligible for the offer, including staffers in administration, finance, communications and other operations. The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA and other health agencies, has given staffers until Friday to apply for the payment.
Last month the FDA abruptly fired hundreds of staffers, including medical reviewers, only to bring many of them back days later. The agency鈥檚 reviewers are mainly funded by fees from the medical industry, not the federal government.
Trump and Ireland鈥檚 leader to meet on Wednesday
Trump鈥檚 talks with Prime Minister are expected to cover a range of issues, including Ukraine, the Middle East and Northern Ireland.
The two will attend an annual White House St. Patrick鈥檚 day celebration and continue a tradition of presenting the president with a bowl of shamrocks, extending St Patrick鈥檚 Day greetings from the people of Ireland to the United States.
Martin is also meeting separately with Vice President JD Vance.
EPA froze 鈥榞reen bank鈥� funds worth billions, climate group鈥檚 lawsuit says
A nonprofit that was awarded nearly $7 billion by the Biden administration to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects has sued Environmental Protection Agency, accusing it of improperly freezing a legally awarded grant.
Climate United Fund, a coalition of three nonprofit groups, demanded access to a Citibank account it received through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a program created in 2022 by the bipartisan and more commonly known as the green bank. The freeze threatens its ability to issue loans and even pay employees, the group said.
鈥淭he combined actions of Citibank and EPA effectively nullify a congressionally mandated and funded program,鈥� Climate United wrote in a Monday court filing.
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Homeland Security app once used for asylum applications is now for leaving the the US
The Trump administration has overhauled the cellphone app once used to let migrants apply for asylum, turning it into a system that allows people living illegally in the U.S. to announce they want to voluntarily leave.
The renamed app, now called CBP Home, is part of the administration鈥檚 campaign to encourage 鈥� touted as an easy and cost-effective way to nudge along Trump鈥檚 push to .
鈥淭he app provides illegal aliens in the United States with a straightforward way to declare their intent to voluntarily depart, offering them the chance to leave before facing harsher consequences,鈥� Pete Flores, the acting commissioner for U.S Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement.
Moments after Trump took office, the former app, migrants to apply for asylum, and tens of thousands of border appointments were canceled.
Ontario slaps 25% increase on electricity exports to US in response to Trump鈥檚 trade war
Ontario鈥檚 premier, the leader of Canada鈥檚 most populous province, announced that effective Monday his province is charging 25% more for electricity to 1.5 million Americans in response to U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 trade war.
Ontario provides electricity to Minnesota, New York and Michigan.
鈥淧resident Trump鈥檚 tariffs are a disaster for the U.S. economy. They鈥檙e making life more expensive for American families and businesses,鈥� Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a statement. 鈥淯ntil the threat of tariffs is gone for good, Ontario won鈥檛 back down. We鈥檒l stand strong, use every tool in our toolkit and do whatever it takes to protect Ontario.鈥�
Ford has said Ontario鈥檚 tariff would remain in place despite the one-month reprieve from Trump, noting a one month pause means nothing but more uncertainty.
Ford鈥檚 office said the new market rules require any generator selling electricity to the U.S. to add a 25% surcharge to the U.S. Ontario鈥檚 government expects it to generate revenue of $300,000 Canadian (US$208,000) to $400,000 Canadian (US$277,000) per day, 鈥渨hich will be used to support Ontario workers, families and businesses.鈥�
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No more COVID-19 tests from the US government
The federal government has shut down ordering from the site where Americans could have COVID-19 tests delivered to their mailboxes for no charge.
鈥淭he free at-home COVID-19 test distribution program is not currently accepting orders,鈥� the website, , reads.
Americans were able to order up to four tests through the site and they were delivered by the United States Postal Service. The Biden administration launched the program during the COVID-19 pandemic and would intermittently turn ordering on and off, typically reopening it ahead of the respiratory illness season in the fall.
Any orders placed by 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 9 will still be shipped, according to the website.
Abortion Provider Appreciation Day focuses on Trump policies
Abortion rights supporters were marking the day Monday through letter and postcard writing events, donation drives, social media posts and sidewalk chalking with messages of support.
The day honors the life of , a doctor who was outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida in 1993. The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which is designed to protect abortion clinics from obstruction and threats, was passed in 1994 in response to Gunn鈥檚 murder and against clinics.
Trump鈥檚 Justice Department has under the FACE Act, and he has convicted of blockading abortion clinic entrances.
Wall Street鈥檚 sell-off gets worse as worries deepen over tariffs
Worries about the economy and President Trump鈥檚 tariffs are sending U.S. stocks further from their record set just last month.
The S&P 500 was down 1.5% in early trading Monday, coming off its worst week since September. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 415 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite was 2.2% lower.
Stocks are on track for another bumpy day following a scary stretch dominated by worries that Trump鈥檚 on-and-off-again tariffs will either hurt the economy directly or create enough uncertainty to drive U.S. companies and consumers into an economy-harming paralysis.
Volatility persists on Wall Street as tariffs continue to drag on confidence
Most major U.S. indices swung to significant losses Monday after President Trump dismissed concerns over the possibility of his upcoming tariffs causing a recession.
Futures for the S&P 500 were down 1.4%, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.1%. Nasdaq futures slid 1.6%.
In an interview that aired on Fox News Channel on Sunday morning, Trump acknowledged that his plans could affect U.S. economic growth in the short term though he fell short of predicting a recession this year. Trump said his plan to bring wealth back to American 鈥渢akes a little time.鈥�
Also this weekend, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press鈥� that 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will take effect Wednesday.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio says purge of USAID complete, with 83% of its programs gone
And said he would move the 18% of aid and development programs that survived under the State Department.
Rubio made the announcement Monday in a post on X. It marked one of his relatively few public comments on what has been a historic shift away from U.S. foreign aid and development, executed by Trump political appointees at State and Elon Musk鈥檚 Department of Government Efficiency teams.
Rubio in the post thanked DOGE and 鈥渙ur hardworking staff who worked very long hours to achieve this overdue and historic reform鈥� in foreign aid.
Trump on Jan. 20 issued an executive order directing a freeze of foreign assistance funding and a review of all of the tens of billions of dollars of U.S. aid and development work abroad. Trump charged that much of foreign assistance was wasteful and advanced a liberal agenda.
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China learned from Trump鈥檚 first trade war and changed its tactics when tariffs came again
The leaders of both Canada and Mexico got on the phone with Trump this past week to on their countries, but China鈥檚 president appears unlikely to make a similar call soon.
Beijing, which unlike and neighbors has been locked in a trade and tech war with the U.S. for years, is taking a different approach to Trump in his second term, making it clear that any negotiations should be conducted on equal footing.
China鈥檚 leaders say they are open to talks, but they also made preparations for , which have risen 20% since Trump took office seven weeks ago. Intent on not being caught off guard as they were during Trump鈥檚 first term, the Chinese 鈥� imposing their own taxes this past week on and more.
After the U.S. this past week on top of the 10% imposed on Feb. 4, the Chinese foreign ministry uttered its : 鈥淚f war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we鈥檙e ready to fight till the end.鈥�
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Musk and DOGE try to slash government by cutting out those who answer to voters
For decades, conservatives in Congress have talked about the need to cut government deeply, but they have always pulled back from mandating specific reductions, fearful of voter backlash.
Now, DOGE is trying to do exactly that.
The dynamic of cutting government while also cutting out those who answer to voters has alarmed even some fiscal conservatives who have long pushed for Congress to reduce spending through the means laid out in the Constitution: a system of checks and balances that includes lawmakers elected across the country working with the president.
鈥淪ome members of the Trump administration got frustrated that Congress won鈥檛 cut spending and decided to go around them,鈥� said Jessica Reidl of the conservative think tank The Manhattan Institute. Now, she said, 鈥渘o one who has to face voters again is determining spending levels.鈥�
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Trump downplays business concerns about uncertainty from his tariffs and prospect of higher prices
is dismissing over the caused by his planned tariffs on a range of American trading partners and the prospect of and isn鈥檛 ruling out the possibility of a this year.
After imposing and then quickly pausing 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada that sent markets tumbling over concerns of a trade war, Trump said his plans for broader will go into effect April 2, raising them to match what other countries assess.
Asked about the Atlanta Fed鈥檚 warning of an economic contraction in the first quarter of the year, Trump seemingly acknowledged that his plans could affect U.S. growth. Still, he claimed, it would ultimately be 鈥済reat for us.鈥�
Though Trump鈥檚 early 鈥� with him imposing them, then pulling many back 鈥� he has been steadfast in endorsing the idea of 21st century protectionism. There have even been suggestions that higher import tariffs on the country鈥檚 foreign trading partners could eventually replace the federal income tax.
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Trump loves the Gilded Age and its tariffs. It was a great time for the rich but not for the many
In Trump鈥檚 idealized framing, the United States was at its zenith in the Gilded Age, a time of rapid population growth and transformation from an agricultural economy toward a sprawling industrial system.
The desire to recreate that era is fueled by Trump鈥檚 and his admiration for the nation鈥檚 25th president, William McKinley.
Though Trump鈥檚 early 鈥� with him imposing them, then pulling many back 鈥� he has been steadfast in endorsing the idea of 21st century protectionism. There have even been suggestions that higher import tariffs on the country鈥檚 foreign trading partners could eventually replace the federal income tax.
Experts on the era say Trump is idealizing a time rife with government and business corruption, social turmoil and inequality. They argue he鈥檚 also dramatically overestimating the role tariffs played in stimulating an economy that grew mostly due to factors other than the U.S. raising taxes on imported goods.
And Gilded Age policies, they maintain, have virtually nothing to do with how trade works in a globalized, modern economy.
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The Associated Press
