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.
Key Headlines
- Trump says USAID is run by 'radical lunatics' amid agency's uncertainty
- Trump says he will cut 'all future funding' to South Africa
- 500 Marines arrive at Guantanamo to set up migrant facilities: DOD
- FBI employees asked to explain their role in Jan. 6 cases: Sources
- Trump acknowledges ‘some pain’ possible from tariffs
Trump will be represented by new lawyers
Top white shoe law firm Sullivan and Cromwell will represent President Donald Trump when he appeals his criminal conviction in New York, according to new court filings Wednesday.
Among Trump’s new lawyers is firm co-chair Robert J. Giuffra.
“President Donald J. Trump’s appeal is important for the rule of law, New York’s reputation as a global business, financial and legal center, as well as for the presidency and all public officials. The misuse of the criminal law by the Manhattan DA to target President Trump sets a dangerous precedent, and we look forward to the case being dismissed on appeal,” Giuffra said in a statement.
The change in attorneys followed Trump’s naming of his lead attorneys, Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and John Sauer, to top roles in the Justice Department.
Blanche has been nominated for deputy attorney general, Sauer as solicitor general and Bove principal associate deputy attorney general.
– ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Peter Charalambous, and Aaron Katersky
Trump to sign executive orders on education
President Donald Trump is expected to sign two executive orders Wednesday on education.
One of the orders seeks to cut federal funding to K-12 schools that teach "radical gender ideology and critical race theory," according to a fact sheet obtained by ABC News.
The order also directs the attorney general to pursue actions against school officials and teachers who "sexually exploit minors or practice medicine without a license through 'social transition' practices," it states.
"American education should focus on cultivating patriotic citizens ready for the workforce, not political activists," the fact sheet states.
In the second order, Trump is seeking to expand "educational freedom" and allow for more school choice options.
The order directs the secretary of defense to submit a plan for how military families can use defense funds to send their children to the school of their choice, and requires HHS to provide guidance on "how states receiving block grants for children and families can use those funds to support educational alternatives, including private and faith-based options."
Trump to sign executive order on combating antisemitism
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday aimed at combating "the explosion of anti-Semitism on our campuses and in our streets since October 7, 2023," according to a fact sheet obtained by ABC News.
The order would seek to "protect law and order, quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities," it states.
Colombian official claims there were no criminals among 2 planes of migrants that left US this week
In a video posted to X, a Colombian government official claimed there were no criminals among the two planes of migrants that arrived in Colombia this week.
"They are not criminals," Luis Gilberto Murillo, Colombia's foreign minister, said on Tuesday. "Being a migrant is not a crime."
The statement from Murillo comes after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that all undocumented immigrants are "criminals."
– ABC News' Laura Romero