President press secretary Karoline Leavitt hosted a news conference Monday.
Over the weekend, the administration to El Salvador even as a federal judge issued an to bar the deportations temporarily.
On Saturday night, District Judge James E. Boasberg ordered the administration not to deport anyone in its custody over the newly invoked , an 18th-century declaration that has only been used three times in U.S. history, all during periods of war. Trump issued a proclamation that the 1798 law was newly in effect due to what he claimed was an 鈥渋nvasion鈥� by the Venezuelan gang, . Flights were in the air at the time of the ruling.
On Monday, and asked a federal judge to force officials to explain under oath whether they violated his court .
Here's the latest:
Trump says Chinese President Xi Jinping will be visiting the US sometime soon
鈥淗e鈥檒l be coming in the not too distant future,鈥� Trump said during a meeting of the new Kennedy Center board.
Trump mentioned the Xi visit as he said he鈥檚 had foreign leaders visiting him at the White House in recent weeks and has been asking them how Washington looks.
Trump says he鈥檚 鈥渃leaning up Washington,鈥� including trying to clear tents used by the homeless and graffiti.
Trump arrived at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for a board meeting
The president said he took time out of his day Monday afternoon to go to the performing arts center because it 鈥渞epresents a very important part of D.C. and actually our country.鈥�
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to save this structure and this building,鈥� he said.
He said his message to Americans was 鈥淐ome here and see a show.鈥� But then he immediately followed up by saying, 鈥淚 was never a big fan, I never liked 鈥楬amilton鈥� very much.鈥� The popular Broadway musical canceled planned shows at the center after Trump took over the institution鈥檚 leadership.
EPA reinstates more than 400 fired employees after a federal judge鈥檚 order
The Environmental Protection Agency says it reinstated about 419 employees in response to the that ordered agencies across the government to bring back workers fired by the Trump administration.
Most of the affected EPA employees have been placed on administrative leave, an agency spokesperson said in an email Monday.
Tens of thousands of probationary workers were let go in across multiple agencies as part of Trump鈥檚 dramatic downsizing of the federal government. Two judges separately found legal problems with the way the terminations were carried out and ordered the employees at least temporarily brought back on the job.
Brown University professor and doctor deported to Lebanon despite having a US visa
The deportation of 34-year-old Dr. Rasha Alawieha over the weekend has sparked widespread alarm.
Homeland Security officials on Monday said Alawieha 鈥渙penly admitted鈥� to attending the funeral of a as well as supporting him. News outlets that were able to obtain access to sealed court records report that Alawieh had photos of Hassan Nasrallah 鈥� the leader of the Lebanese militant group for the past three decades 鈥� on her phone.
Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist who had worked and lived in Rhode Island previously, was detained at least 36 hours. She was to start work at Brown as an assistant professor of medicine.
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Return to work order prompts a flood of CDC workers in Atlanta
The flood of workers at the main campus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caused extreme traffic back-ups and other delays Monday morning.
Employees said driving the last two miles took as long as 40 minutes. One said a CDC administrator greeted employees coming back with a card that said; 鈥淵OU ARE APPRECIATED!鈥�
Many CDC employees began working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the Trump administration ordered that employees who live within 50 miles of the office had to show up in-person starting Monday.
Many CDC workers have been dreading the return, in part because the CDC in the last few years has been reducing the amount of office space it leases in the Atlanta area, meaning fewer desks and parking spaces.
Wall Street climbs Monday following weeks of scary swings
The steady trading may be short-lived, though, with a decision by on interest rates coming later in the week and worries continuing about President Trump鈥檚 .
The S&P 500 was 1% higher in afternoon trading, coming off its fourth straight losing week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 483 points, or 1.1%, as of 2:34 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher.
Stocks have been recently on worries that Trump鈥檚 -a- announcements on tariffs and other policies are creating so much uncertainty that they鈥檒l push U.S. households and businesses to freeze their spending, which would .
Leavitt: Deportation video shows the White House is 鈥榣eaning in to the message鈥�
She was asked by a reporter about a video of the deportations the White House shared on its X account Monday showing a man with his wrists handcuffed and shackled to his waist as he was patted down. The video was set to the Semisonic song, 鈥淐losing Time.鈥�
鈥淚 think the White House and our entire government clearly is leaning into the message of this president. And we are unafraid to double down and to take responsibility and ownership of the serious decisions that are being made,鈥� Leavitt said said.
White House says peace deal close as Trump prepares for Putin call
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wouldn鈥檛 get into details about Tuesday鈥檚 scheduled call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. But she sounded optimistic that the talks can help push Russia closer to a deal to end it鈥檚 three-year war in Ukraine.
鈥淚 won鈥檛 get ahead of those negotiations, but I can say we are on the 10th yard line of peace,鈥� Leavitt told reporters Monday. 鈥淎nd we鈥檝e never been closer to a peace deal than we are in this moment. And the president, as you know, is determined to get one done.鈥�
White House press secretary: Administration didn鈥檛 violate court order in deportations
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday again said the Trump administration did not violate a court order when it deported more than 200 immigrants to El Salvador even as a federal judge ordered the deportations to be temporarily stopped.
鈥淎ll of the planes that were subject to the written order of this judge departed U.S. soil, U.S. territory, before the judge鈥檚 written order,鈥� Leavitt said at a news briefing.
Leavitt said there are questions about whether the judge鈥檚 verbal order 鈥渃arries the same weight as a legal order, as a written order.鈥�
VA to phase out medical treatments for gender dysphoria
The announcement Monday from the Department of Veterans Affairs said the change was in response to President Trump鈥檚 executive order declaring there are two sexes, male and female. The VA has never offered gender-affirming surgery, but has provided hormones, voice training and prosthetics to a small number of patients.
The VA will continue to offer hormone therapy to veterans already receiving such care and those who become eligible for VA care who were receiving hormones in the military. Veterans with gender dysphoria will continue to receive other types of care.
VA Secretary Doug Collins said transgender veterans 鈥渨ill always be welcome at VA,鈥� but if veterans want 鈥渢o attempt to change their sex, they can do so on their own dime.鈥�
WHO chief says the US has responsibility to ensure an orderly pullout of aid funding
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom said the U.S. has been 鈥渆xtremely generous鈥� over the years and 鈥渙f course, it鈥檚 within its rights to decide what it supports and to what extent.鈥�
鈥淏ut the U.S. also has a responsibility to ensure that if it withdraws direct funding for countries, it鈥檚 done in an orderly and humane way that allows them to find alternative sources of funding,鈥� the U.N. health agency chief told reporters in Geneva.
In his first day back in the Oval Office in January, President Trump issued an executive order announcing a U.S. pullout from WHO 鈥� which takes a year to take effect 鈥� and called for a pause of U.S. funding for the agency. Sweeping cuts to funding through the U.S. Agency for International Development has hit many aid providers hard.
From France comes a call for Trump鈥檚 America to return Lady Liberty
Hey, America: Give the Statue of Liberty back to France. So says a French politician who鈥檚 making headlines in his country for suggesting the U.S. is no longer worthy of the monument that was a gift from France nearly 140 years ago.
As a member of the European Parliament and co-president of a small left-wing party in France, Rapha毛l Glucksmann cannot claim to speak for all of his compatriots.
But his assertion in a speech this weekend that some Americans 鈥渉ave chosen to switch to the side of the tyrants鈥� reflects the President Trump鈥檚 seismic shifts in foreign and domestic policy are triggering in France and elsewhere in Europe.
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Canada鈥檚 Carney meets with European allies as Trump targets his country鈥檚 sovereignty and economy
New Canadian met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday during his first official overseas trip, seeking support from one of Ottawa鈥檚 oldest allies as Trump attacks Canada鈥檚 sovereignty and economy.
Macron did not address Trump鈥檚 attacks on Canada ahead of the talks but noted tariffs only bring inflation.
鈥淚n the current international context, we want to be able to develop our most strategic projects with our closest, more loyal partners,鈥� Macron said, adding that 鈥渨e are stronger together, better able to ensure the respect of our interests, the full exercise of our sovereignty.鈥�
Carney was sworn in Friday. After Paris, his next stop was London, where he was due to hold talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III, the head of state in Canada.
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Fearing deportation, Cornell student and pro-Palestinian activist sues Trump administration
The federal lawsuit seeks to to block enforcement of executive orders Momodou Taal fears could lead to his deportation.
Taal, 31, is a Ph.D. student in Africana studies at Cornell University and is a citizen of the United Kingdom and Gambia.
He was temporarily suspended last fall after participating in a demonstration on the Cornell campus in upstate New York. He has limited access to campus for research, medical and religious reasons as he continues his studies remotely, according to the lawsuit.
The suit filed Saturday by Taal and two of his allies at the Ivy League school cite the , a Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate student, as well as a statement by President Trump promising more arrests at universities across the country.
Trump signs measure to kill Biden-era methane fee on oil and gas producers
The measure, approved by Republican majorities in the House and Senate, eliminates a federal fee on companies that , a
The fee, which hadn鈥檛 gone into effect, was expected to bring in more than $7 billion over the next decade and lower U.S. methane emissions, averting thousands of early deaths and tens of thousands of asthma attacks and lost school days every year.
Methane is a much stronger global warming gas than carbon dioxide, especially in the short term. Oil and gas producers are among the biggest U.S. methane emitters.
Republicans said the fee would inflate energy prices, reduce domestic energy production and empower U.S. adversaries.
US State Department says South Africa鈥檚 ambassador has until Friday to leave the United States
After Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was no longer welcome in the U.S. and posted his decision Friday on social media, South African embassy staff were summoned to the State Department and given a formal diplomatic note explaining the move, the department said.
鈥淲e made the embassy aware that Ambassador Rasool has been found unacceptable by the United States to be a representative of his country,鈥� the department said.
It said Rasool鈥檚 diplomatic privileges and immunities expired Monday and he would be required to leave the United States by March 21. It isn鈥檛 clear if he鈥檚 in the U.S. now.
Rubio announced his decision in a post on X, accusing Rasool of being a 鈥渞ace-baiting politician鈥� who hates President Trump.
ACLU asks judge to force Trump administration to state under oath if it violated his court order
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed to halt deportations under a rarely-used 18th century wartime law invoked by President Trump asked a federal judge Monday to force officials to explain under oath whether they violated his court by more than 200 people from the country after it was issued and celebrating it on social media.
The motion marks another escalation in the battle over Trump鈥檚 aggressive opening moves in his second term, several of which have been temporarily halted by judges. Trump鈥檚 allies have raged over the holds and suggested he doesn鈥檛 have to obey them, and some plaintiffs have said it the administration is flouting court orders.
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Irish mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor is visiting the White House for Saint Patrick鈥檚 Day
McGregor appeared in the briefing room alongside press secretary Karoline Leavitt, where he criticized his country鈥檚 government as having 鈥渁bandoned the voices of the people of Ireland.鈥� He said there was 鈥渮ero action with zero accountability,鈥� and complained about the 鈥渋llegal immigration racket.鈥�
His comments come days after to meet with President Trump.
McGregor has faced legal problems of his own. He was ($257,000) to a woman who sued him for sexual assault. McGregor denied the accusations.
Schumer is postponing several planned events as liberal groups threaten protests
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was planning to promote his new book, 鈥淎ntisemitism in America: A Warning,鈥� but is rescheduling after some liberal groups shared plans to stage protests.
A representative for Schumer鈥檚 book, Risa Heller, said that the tour would be rescheduled 鈥渄ue to security concerns.鈥�
The cancellations of events in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and other cities came amid widespread criticism from the party鈥檚 liberal base over last week.
Schumer said the bill was 鈥渢errible鈥� but that a shutdown would have been far worse, and difficult to get out of, as Trump has already slashed jobs and funding for agencies across the government.
Americans increased spending tepidly last month as anxiety over the economy takes hold
U.S. shoppers stepped up their spending a just bit in February after , signaling Americans are shopping more cautiously as mount.
Retail sales rose just 0.2% in February, a small rebound after a sharp drop of 1.2% in January, the Commerce Department said Monday. Sales rose at grocery stores, home and garden stores, and online retailers. Sales fell at auto dealers, restaurants, and electronics stores.
The small increase suggests Americans may be growing more wary about spending as the stock market has plunged and Trump鈥檚 tariff threats and government spending cuts have led to among consumers and businesses.
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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer met with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries in New York
The Sunday meeting came two days after Jeffries publicly criticized Schumer over a vote to move forward on Republican spending legislation.
The two New Yorkers met in Brooklyn, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
Schumer announced Thursday that he would join with Republicans on a key procedural vote to move the spending legislation to final passage. He said that the bill was 鈥渢errible鈥� but that a shutdown would be far worse, and Democrats would not have an 鈥渙ff ramp鈥� to get out of it.
Jeffries strongly disagreed and repeatedly declined to answer questions Friday about whether he has confidence in Schumer.
鈥淲e do not want to shut down the government. But we are not afraid of a government funding showdown,鈥� Jeffries said.
The meeting was first reported by Punchbowl News.
鈥� Mary Clare Jalonick
Shopping for a new home? Ready to renovate the kitchen or install a new deck? You鈥檒l be paying more
The Trump administration鈥檚 tariffs on imported goods from Canada, Mexico and China 鈥� 鈥� are already driving up the cost of building materials used in new residential construction and home remodeling projects.
The tariffs are projected to raise the costs that go into building a single-family home in the U.S. by $7,500 to $10,000, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Such costs are typically passed along to the homebuyer in the form of higher prices, which could hurt demand at a time when the U.S. housing market remains in a slump and many builders are having to offer buyers costly incentives to drum up sales.
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Wall Street holds steadier after its manic roller-coaster ride in recent weeks
But the calm may not last with a decision coming this week on interest rates from the Federal Reserve and worries continuing about President Trump鈥檚 trade war.
The S&P 500 was up 0.2% early Monday. The index is coming off its fourth straight losing week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 97 points, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%.
Stocks have been tumbling on worries that Trump鈥檚 rat-a-tat announcements on tariffs and other policies are creating so much uncertainty that they鈥檒l push U.S. households and businesses to freeze their spending.
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Trump has ordered airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. Here鈥檚 why
The Houthi rebels started attacking military and commercial ships in one of the world鈥檚 busiest shipping corridors shortly after the began between Hamas and Israel in October 2023.
The Houthis said they were targeting vessels on the Red Sea with or its allies 鈥� the United States and the U.K. 鈥� in solidarity with Palestinians, but some vessels had little or no link to the war.
The Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, and killing four sailors, until the current ceasefire in Gaza took effect in mid-January. Other missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach their targets, which included Western military ones.
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The Alien Enemies Act: What to know about a 1798 law that Trump has invoked for deportations
Trump on Saturday for the first time since World War II, granting himself sweeping powers under a centuries-old law to deport people associated with a Venezuelan gang. Hours later, a federal judge halted deportations under Trump鈥檚 order.
The act is a sweeping wartime authority that allows non-citizens to be deported without being given the opportunity to go before an immigration or federal court judge.
Trump that he would declare extraordinary powers to confront illegal immigration and laid additional groundwork in a slew of executive orders on Jan. 20.
His proclamation Saturday identified as an invading force. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, blocked anyone from being deported under Trump鈥檚 proclamation for two weeks and scheduled a Friday hearing to consider arguments.
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What to know about El Salvador鈥檚 mega-prison after Trump sent hundreds of immigrants there
The crown jewel of El Salvador鈥檚 aggressive anti-crime strategy 鈥� a mega-prison where visitation, recreation and education aren鈥檛 allowed 鈥� became the latest tool in Trump鈥檚 crackdown on immigration Sunday, when .
The arrival of the immigrants, alleged by the U.S. to be members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, took place under an agreement for which the Trump administration will pay the government of President Nayib Bukele $6 million for one year of services.
Bukele has made the Central American country鈥檚 stark, harsh prisons a trademark of his fight against crime. In 2023, he opened the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, where the immigrants were sent over the weekend even as a federal judge issued an order temporarily barring their deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration targeting Venezuelan gang members.
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The Associated Press
