White House says some employees were fired by mistake

Trump on Monday granted a full unconditional pardon for former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

“It’s my honor to do it," Trump said during remarks from the Oval Office. "He was set up."

Trump called the Democratic former governor a "very fine person" and said he didn't know him other than he was on his TV show, "Celebrity Apprentice."

Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 on political corruption charges that included attempting to profit from filling the Senate seat vacated by then-President-elect Barack Obama.

Trump previously commuted Blagojevich's 14-year sentence in 2020.

Trump is reinforcing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports through proclamations that the White House are dubbing "Tariffs 2.0."

Trump's proclamations enforce a 25% tariff on steel that he enacted during his first term and raise the tariff on aluminum imports from 10% to 25%, according to the White House.

During remarks in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said the 25% tariffs are "without exceptions or exemptions."

The White House is promising to reinstate the full power of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that Trump put in place during his first term, arguing they were eroded by the Biden administration.

"President Trump's bold action restores the strength of America's steel and aluminum industries, puts an end to the rampant exploitation and circumvention that has hurt American workers," a White House official told reporters on a background call. "With these tariffs, the days [of] foreign nations gaming our trade system are over."

-ABC News' Mary Bruce and Hannah Demissie

U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley issued a temporary restraining order that blocks the National Institutes of Health from taking any steps to implement or enforce a cap on indirect costs.

Kelley ordered the NIH to issue a status report within 24 hours -- then at biweekly intervals -- to confirm "the regular disbursement and obligation of federal financial assistance funds."

Kelley, who was nominated to the bench by former President Joe Biden, set a Feb. 21 hearing to evaluate next steps.

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous

Trump removed the director of the Office of Government Ethics, according to a brief statement from the office.

The OGE is responsible for overseeing the executive branch's ethics programs, including efforts to "prevent financial conflicts" -- a question that has already been raised during Trump's second term.

The firing of the director, David Huitema, comes the same day that Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff sent a letter to Huitema regarding questions about conflicts of interest between Elon Musk and his Department of Government Ethics. Schiff requested the OGE "clarify Elon Musk's compliance with federal conflicts of interest, ethics, and reporting requirements."

Huitema, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden, had just been sworn in in December.

A new acting OGE director, Shelley Finlayson, is now listed on the office's website.

-ABC News' Olivia Rubin and Benjamin Siegel