Trump 2nd term updates: Trump says USAID is run by 'radical lunatics'

The comments came amid turmoil as DOGE took over USAID offices last week.

President Donald Trump made good on his threats to impose tariffs on some of the U.S.'s trading partners, announcing Saturday that he will levy 25% tariffs on some goods from Canada and Mexico and 10% on Chinese goods.

Experts have warned that tariffs of this magnitude will likely increase prices paid by U.S. and Trump appeared to acknowledge that “some pain” might be possible in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee announced it will meet Tuesday, when it is expected to vote on the controversial nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of Health and Human Services.

Jan 24, 2025, 5:42 PM EST

Pentagon freezes social media accounts for 10 days

Joe Kasper, the new chief of staff for the Department of Defense, issued a memo to senior leadership Friday on suspending the department's social media accounts "at all levels" for 10 days, beginning Saturday, to give time to reorient content to have greater focus on national security, military lethality "and fighting and winning wars."

Notably, the memo includes an exception to the social media pause for posts relating to the southern border mission.

-ABC News' Matt Seyler

Jan 24, 2025, 5:04 PM EST

ICE denies it sent agents to Chicago school, Secret Service says it was investigating threat

A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement denied allegations by Chicago's Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova that agents showed up at an elementary school Friday morning.

"This was not an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement encounter," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The U.S. Secret Service told WLS News that its agents were investigating a threat and went to someone's home.

That person wasn’t home, so the agents went to the school, where they turned away by school officials, according to the Secret Service, which did not provide any more details. No Secret Service agents entered the school, according to the agency.

-ABC News' Matt Foster

Jan 24, 2025, 4:52 PM EST

State Department issues sweeping pause on foreign aid spending

The State Department has issued guidance effectively freezing most existing foreign aid grants and pausing new funding, according to a cable reviewed by ABC News.

The memo instructs officials overseeing projects funded by grants and awards that have already been distributed to issue immediate "stop-work orders" until the secretary of state can review the program to determine whether to continue, modify or halt the program. The decisions are due in the next 85 days.

But there are some carveouts.

According to the cable, foreign military financing for Israel and Egypt are exempt, as well as funding for emergency food programs. The new policy also allows for the director of foreign assistance to make other exceptions as deemed necessary.

There also appear to be some notable omissions, including support for Jordan, Taiwan and Ukraine.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston

Jan 24, 2025, 4:51 PM EST

Trump to sign executive order establishing task force to review FEMA: Sources

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Friday to establish a task force charged with reviewing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and recommending changes, two sources with direct knowledge of the order told ABC News.

The sources said the executive order would create a group called the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council and would be comprised of the homeland security secretary, the defense secretary and private-sector experts. The task force will be expected to issue a report to Trump on the agency and recommend changes.

Trump does not have unilateral authority to eliminate FEMA, according to federal law, so if that task force recommends getting rid of FEMA, it would require congressional action.

-ABC News' Rachel Scott and Katherine Faulders

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