Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

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Trump Suddenly Reverses Order on Mass Firing of Federal Employees

In a shocking reversal, President Trump is reversing a directive to fire thousands of probationary federal employees.

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3840189702494-trump-suddenly-reverses-order-on-mass-firing-of-federal-employees?

Trump tariffs could ‘wipe out’ profits for GM, Stellantis, and Ford, says analyst—but Tesla might be safe

President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico are so punitive, the Detroit Three carmakers could see, in a worst-case scenario, their collective profits obliterated entirely.

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3840782766198-trump-tariffs-could-wipe-out-profits-for-gm-stellantis-and-ford-says-analystbut-tesla-might-be-safe?

ps:So Tesla escapes? Conflict of interest ringing out loud and clear!!!!!

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The world according to Trump

President Trump wants to will the country back into the "golden age" he promised on the campaign trail, the headlines be damned, Axios' Marc Caputo writes.

• "America's momentum is back. Our spirit is back. Our pride is back. Our confidence is back," Trump said in his first address to Congress of his second term.

Why it matters: This was a record-breaking 100 minutes of the world according to Trump — an address largely indistinguishable from a campaign-style speech. He recited the historic number of executive orders, touching every aspect of American life from immigration to sports.

? To thunderous applause from his party, Trump announced a new office of shipbuilding in the White House, to help "resurrect the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding," with "special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America, where it belongs."

?Trump pledged to fulfill his "no tax on tips" campaign trail promise to service-sector workers, and called for car loan interest payments to be tax deductible — if the car was made in America.

?️ Trump declared peace in Ukraine was closer than ever now that its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote him a letter that said he was ready to negotiate.

Reality check: Trump will have a nearly impossible time balancing the budget, as he promised, and cutting taxes. And the economy shows troubling signs: Trump was unmoored from plummeting stock prices, sagging consumer confidence and the specter of rising prices due to tariffs.

• "There'll be a little disturbance," Trump seemingly ad-libbed about 50 minutes into the speech. It was his clearest acknowledgement that times might be tough.

? Flashback: The contrast with Trump's first address to Congress, in 2017, was notable.

• Trump in 2017: "The stock market has gained almost $3 trillion in value since the election on Nov. 8th, a record."
• Trump gave no similar stat this time. As of Monday, the stock market had shed all of its $3.4 trillion in post-election gains.

Staying largely on-script, Trump made a few jokes and took a few swipes at Democrats. But for a politician who has a tendency to give dark and grievance-filled speeches, this was his version of the positive future he promised.

• "This will be our greatest era," Trump promised. "My fellow Americans, get ready for an incredible future because the golden age of America has only just begun."
• Democrats seldom applauded, including when Trump announced the arrest of the mastermind behind the deadly Abbey Gate attack in Afghanistan in 2021. Some Democrats walked out on Trump during the speech. And one, Rep. Al Green of Texas, was forcibly removed from the House chamber for repeatedly interrupting Trump.

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Trump, on steroids

In this city of little political agreement, there's consensus on one big thing: President Trump is picking more fights, with more action than mere words, with more lasting consequences than anyone expected, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column.

• Why it matters: Turns out, Trump wasn't bluffing about imposing 25% tariffs, about pardoning Jan. 6 criminals, or punishing Europe, or rewarding Russia, or growing executive power, or gutting the FBI, or filling his Cabinet with loyalists, or penalizing the media, or taking a wrecking ball to government.

In fact, in most cases, he's taking a more extreme approach than promised or expected.

• And he's picking big, new public fights that very few, if any, saw coming: Seize the Panama Canal, rename the Gulf, buy Greenland, bully Canada, turn Gaza into a glitzy Riviera, abolish USAID and kneecap the White House Correspondents' Association.

"We have accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years," Trump boasted as he began last night's address to Congress. "And we are just getting started," he said, describing his opening weeks as "nothing but swift and unrelenting action."

• It was a speech on steroids — 9,900 words! At 100 minutes, Trump broke the record for a presidential address to Congress, besting President Bill Clinton's marathon 2000 State of the Union address by 11 minutes.
• Talking about tariffs, Trump said: "There will be a little disturbance, but we are OK with that."

?️ The big picture: So much has been set in motion so fast, on so many fronts, that it's hard for Trump's own White House to implement and explain much of it, officials tell us. Trump and his MAGA supporters love it.

• But many elected Republicans we talk to privately worry it could just be too much — too much to navigate, and too much risk to the two things people care most about: their personal finances and security.
• Trump remains relatively popular. His sway over Republican elected officials and MAGA media is stronger than ever. And few Republicans with clout protest anything he does in any serious, sustained public way. Indeed, most take to X or Fox News to applaud even moves they privately question or dislike. So his confidence isn't misplaced, aides tell us.

Data: The American Presidency Project. Chart: Axios Visuals

? Behind the scenes: So far, Trump's White House shrugs at concerns and complaints. If anything, aides' collective confidence is on steroids, too. They admit few mistakes, express zero regrets, and believe wholeheartedly they're right and critics are wrong. But Trump's advisers and friends outside of the White House feel less certain.

• "Of course I'm worried," one top Trump adviser, who spoke with the president recently at Mar-a-Lago, told Axios' Marc Caputo. "We're still in the honeymoon phase here. But the stock market and that data and the noise from Elon [Musk] aren't great."
• The adviser added: "He was so confident and at ease that I started to believe I shouldn't be bedwetting."

Column continues below.

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? Part 2: Trump's surround sound

Chart: CBS News Trump is killing it — if you tune into MAGA media, Jim and Mike write. Axios' Tal Axelrod, our MAGA media expert, said the major right-wing platforms and podcasts, including Steve Bannon's "War Room" and Jack Posobiec, lit up this week with victory cries on Ukraine and tariffs. Nevertheless, risks for Trump are rising: The stock market fell sharply on Monday when Trump announced he'd press ahead with tariffs on Canada and Mexico, then had another big drop Tuesday after they kicked in at midnight. Stoking fears of inflation, Target warned shoppers Tuesday that prices would rise because of the tariffs Trump slapped on China. Last week, consumer confidence plummeted to an eight-month low amid concerns about Trump's trade and tariff policies. Three polls in the past three days have shown Americans questioning whether Trump's keeping his eye on the ball: 82% of U.S. adults said the economy should be a high priority but only 36% thought he was prioritizing that "a lot," CBS News polling found. Only 31% of U.S. adults in a Reuters/Ipsos poll approved of Trump's handling of the cost of living. 52% of U.S. adults in a CNN poll said Trump hasn't paid enough attention to the country's most important problems. ? Around the world, old allies are flinching or fleeing: To understand the totality of the simultaneous fights of Trump's choosing, consider the nations we have more tension with now than 44 days ago: Ukraine, Canada, Mexico, Denmark (via Greenland), Germany, Britain, France and Panama. Trump can rightly argue that relationships are better with Israel, the Saudis and Russia. But it's old allies turning so quickly into skeptics or potential adversaries that's disrupting geopolitical calculations. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images Isolate on Canada: Trump has upended relations in radical ways. America's northern neighbor is now dramatically more feisty, more anti-American and more pro-Liberal Party than it was when Trump took office. We're now locked in a trade war that could hurt some U.S. consumers and, by Canadians' own appraisal, devastate their economy. Trump wants big tariffs and, he keeps suggesting, to make Canada the 51st state. Canada's response: a big middle finger to the USA, promising retaliatory tariffs and strafing Trump's "very dumb" trade war. Trump sees Canada as an insignificant global player and weak neighbor, and incapable of winning a trade war with us, officials say. He's indifferent to prior tight relations, or cooperation, or concerns of fraying partnership, the officials tell us You could insert Germany or Ukraine or France or Britain into the sentences above, and the same holds true. Trump truly believes most relationships or agreements are transactional. So he's fine being feared or loathed for trying to bully and bluster the best possible deal for America, according to these insiders. Interestingly, the one area where Trump has been less vocal and draconian than anticipated is expelling illegal immigrants. He has tightened security and dramatically reduced illegal crossings — but his plans have run into the reality of existing laws, limited government resources and legal challenges, as Axios has reported. As a result of Trump's crackdown, the number of migrants illegally crossing the Southwest border plummeted in February to the lowest level in decades, according to internal data obtained by Axios. "The Invasion of our Country is OVER," Trump wrote Saturday on Truth Social. Marc Caputo contributed reporting.

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? Takeaways from Trump's speech

President Trump's joint address to Congress devolved, within minutes, into the nastiest partisan food fight in the history of this annual tradition, Axios' Zachary Basu writes.

1. Democrats become the story. Defying warnings from Democratic leadership, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) kicked off a night of theatrics by heckling Trump minutes into his speech — a breach of decorum that ended with Green's historic ejection from the chamber.

• Other House Democrats — armed with auction-style signs, custom T-shirts and whiteboards (but no eggs) — protested Trump by turning their backs, booing, shouting "lies," and walking out of the chamber.

2. Trump's permanent campaign. Trump's remarks were largely indistinguishable from his campaign stump speeches.

• Trump referenced President Biden over a dozen times — calling him "the worst president in U.S. history" and accusing him of leaving behind a decimated economy, "especially" when it comes to the price of eggs.

Trump routinely veered off script, mocking Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as "Pocahontas" and accusing voting-rights activist Stacey Abrams of corruption.

3. An ode to tariffs. Less than 12 hours after unleashing a massive trade war against Mexico and Canada, Trump acknowledged the potential for tariff pain — brushing off the stock market's deep uncertainty as "a little bit of an adjustment period."

• "Bear with me," Trump urged Americans.

4. Made-for-TV magic. Trump created several viral moments by using his guests to reinforce his priorities on border security, trans athletes in women's sports, crime and the military.

• He granted honorary Secret Service membership to a 13-year-old cancer patient, DJ Daniel; broke the news that West Point accepted an aspiring cadet's application; and signed an executive order naming a wildlife refuge after a 12-year-old girl killed by an undocumented immigrant.

Transcript of speech ...

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? Trump's turbocharged trade war

Data: Yale Budget Lab. Chart: Axios Visuals The president announces an audacious new tariff on social media. The media breathlessly quotes economists warning of peril ahead. And the economy chugs along anyway. Why it matters: That was the pattern in 2018 and 2019, but may offer false comfort for what is to come in 2025, Axios' Neil Irwin writes. The Trump 2.0 trade war is already on a much larger scale, affecting many more products, than was ever seen in Trump 1.0. ? The big picture: This time around, the president is choosing across-the-board tariffs over targeted ones, invoking a legal authority with fewer constraints, and not allowing time for companies to plead their case for exceptions. All of that increases the odds that the trade war will be more visible to Americans, disrupting supply chains and causing noticeable price hikes. ? What's next: There were signs late last night that the administration may be seeking to de-escalate. But Trump has also threatened other large-scale tariffs, including on agriculture products and automobiles. Keep reading.

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Congressional address

President Donald Trump delivered a combative, campaign-style address before Congress and the American public on Tuesday. In the nearly 100-minute speech, Trump touted his divisive executive actions and repeated false accusations that drew protests from Democratic lawmakers. He claimed his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has already found hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud, though his administration has provided no evidence of that. Trump also blamed former President Joe Biden for everything from higher grocery prices to foreign conflicts. Immigration was also a key focus, with Trump stressing crimes allegedly committed by undocumented immigrants and calling for stricter border security.

 

Tariffs

After imposing new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, President Trump spent several minutes of his congressional address doubling down on his tariff agenda. Trump said his tariffs would "make America rich again," add fairness to America's trade with foreign countries and promote American industry, including steel and agriculture. However, businesses have railed against the plan that they fear could cause profits to fall and inflation to spike. On Tuesday, the International Chamber of Commerce warned that Trump's trade agenda could ignite a global trade war that could plunge the world's economy into a Great Depression-like event. US markets are also looking to rebound after the Dow fell by more than 600 points for a second day on Tuesday.

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Internal Memos: Senior USAID Leaders Warned Trump Appointees of Hundreds of Thousands of Deaths From Closing Agency

One million children will go untreated for severe malnutrition, up to 166,000 people will die from malaria and 200,000 more children will be paralyzed by polio over the next decade, the memos estimated. The programs were cut anyway.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-doge-rubio-usaid-musk-death-toll-malaria-polio-tuberculosis?

 

Trump vows to press ahead on reshaping America in speech to Congress President Donald Trump vowed Tuesday to keep up his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy in an unyielding address before Congress that left Democratic legislators to register their dissent with stone faces, placards calling out “lies,” and one legislator’s ejection. Read more.

What to know: The president’s address, clocking in at a record 99 minutes, added up to a defiant sales pitch for the policies that Trump promised during his campaign and leaned into during his first weeks back in office. Trump pledged to keep delivering sweeping change to rescue the nation from what he described as destruction and mistakes left by his predecessor. He seldom addressed his comments directly to the American people, who are trying to keep up with the recent upheaval, while repeatedly needling the Democratic lawmakers seated before him.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made by Trump during his address to Congress   Key takeaways from Trump’s speech   PHOTO COLLECTION: President Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress   WATCH: Trump says the US 'needs Greenland,' and that he will reclaim the Panama Canal   WATCH: Rep. Al Green removed from House chamber during Trump’s speech to Congress   Sen. Elissa Slotkin assails Trump’s early actions, offers Democrats a way to fight back   Demonstrators across 50 states look to unify a disparate opposition to Trump   The IRS is drafting plans to cut as much as half of its 90,000-person workforce, AP sources say   FBI and DOJ headquarters are among more than 440 federal buildings listed for potential sale   Supreme Court makes it harder for EPA to police sewage discharges   Trump’s FDA pick made his name by bashing the medical establishment   Senate panel questions Trump nominee to lead National Institutes of Health   DOGE access to US intelligence secrets poses a national security threat, Democrats say   Businesses scramble to contain fallout from Trump’s tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico   Groceries around the country remain expensive. That’s why more states want to stop taxing them

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FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made by Trump during his address to Congress

He overstated the numbers on his immigration crackdown, and economists differ on tariffs.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/03/05/trump-speech-fact-check/?

Trump officials say US paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine but signal it may not last long after fiery meeting

The Trump administration appears to have ordered at least a partial halt to the crucial intelligence that the United States shares with Ukraine to defend against the Russian invasion, according to a US military official and public remarks made by top Trump administration officials.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/05/politics/us-pause-intelligence-support-ukraine/index.html?

Cutting Medicaid to pay for low taxes on the rich is a terrible trade for American families

Keeping taxes low for the richest households and corporations is the clearest legislative priority of the Trump administration and the Republican congressional majority. Many provisions of the 2017 tax law (often called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act or the TCJA) are expiring this year. Extending these provisions would provide hugely disproportionate benefits to the richest households.

https://www.epi.org/publication/cutting-medicaid-for-low-taxes-on-the-rich-is-terrible-for-american-families/?

Tariffs on cars from Mexico and Canada delayed by one month

President Donald Trump has granted an exemption on auto tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one month, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Wednesday, issuing a major, albeit temporary, concession on a key part of his administration’s economic plan.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/05/business/tariffs-autos-mexico-canada-paused/index.html?

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A 'disgrace' and a 'clown': JD Vance's 'random country' comment riles Britain and France

LONDON − A "disgrace." A "clown" whose "slur" was disrespectful to war heroes. "JD Dunce."

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/3841482045010-a-disgrace-and-a-clown-jd-vances-random-country-comment-riles-britain-and-france?

? Actions speak louder than Trumpisms. In last night’s address to Congress, President Trump spotlighted a child whose “cancer likely came from a chemical he was exposed to when he was younger” and he declared that his administration’s “goal is to get toxins out of our environment (and) poisons out of our food supply.” Also yesterday: News leaked that Trump’s administration will drop a lawsuit against a chemical maker accused of increasing cancer risks in nearby communities. Trump is also advancing a GOP proposal to block states from warning consumers about toxins in food.

ps:Exactly!!

Bayer’s buying its own get-out-of-jail-free card. The maker of Roundup weed killer is lobbying state and federal lawmakers to block cancer victims from suing the company for not properly disclosing the herbicide’s alleged health risks. Last year Bayer (which acquired Monsanto in 2018) helped write versions of a “Cancer Gag Act” introduced in Idaho, Iowa, and Missouri — and briefly featured in a federal farm bill draft — that shield chemical makers from “failure-to-warn” lawsuits if they comply with the EPA’s labeling standards. 

Big Pesticide can’t shake the science. Bayer has paid at least $10.9 billion settling over 167,000 legal claims asserting a link between Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, and lymphoma — a link that the company disputes. The World Health Organization declared the key pesticide ingredient is “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015. Studies since then have linked glyphosate exposure to cancer — pretty alarming since it’s in seemingly everything. 

Make America Healthy Again? In 2020, the Trump EPA ruled that glyphosate is “not likely” to cause cancer — but after court challenges, the finding was revoked and sent back to EPA for reconsideration. Now, Trump’s new EPA is ready to sweep the glyphosate issue under the rug again. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. is outspoken against glyphosate — he helped sue Monsanto/Bayer in a successful $290 million failure-to-warn suit in 2018.

It may all end up in SCOTUS’ hands. Last fall Bayer won a case in the Third Circuit advancing its argument that federal law preempts state action against state failure-to-warn cases. It had lost similar cases in other circuit courts, setting up a “circuit split” — and a potential showdown in front of the Supreme Court. In fact, the Third Circuit court’s pro-Bayer ruling — written by a Bush-appointed judge — explicitly invited the high court to hear the case.

Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs, according to internal memo

The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care for retired military members, according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. Read More.

Trump grants one-month exemption for US automakers from new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada

President Donald Trump is granting a one-month exemption on his stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada for U.S. automakers, amid fears that the trade war could harm U.S. manufacturers. Read More.   Greenland’s prime minister says island isn’t for sale as Trump seeks control ‘one way or the other’ Greenland’s prime minister has a message for President Donald Trump: “Greenland is ours.” Múte Bourup Egede made the statement on Facebook Wednesday, just hours after Trump declared in his speech to a joint session of Congress that he intends to gain control of Greenland “one way or the other.” Read More.     ?? "We do not want to be Americans," Greenland's prime minister, Múte Egede, said today in response to President Trump's joint address, in which he reiterated his desire for the U.S. to acquire Greenland. "We are not for sale and cannot be taken." Go deeper.

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Secret U.S. talks with Hamas

The Trump administration has been holding direct talks with Hamas over the release of U.S. hostages held in Gaza and the possibility of a broader deal to end the war, Axios' Barak Ravid scoops.

• Why it matters: The talks — held by U.S. presidential envoy for hostage affairs Adam Boehler — are unprecedented. The U.S. had never before engaged directly with Hamas, which it designated a terrorist organization in 1997.

? Zoom in: The talks have focused in part on the release of U.S. hostages, which is within Boehler's remit as hostage envoy.

• But they have also included discussions of a broader deal to release all remaining hostages and reach a long-term truce, the sources say. No deal has yet been reached.

?? The intrigue: While the Trump administration consulted with Israel about the possibility of engaging with Hamas, Israel learned about aspects of the talks through other channels, one source said.

• The Israeli Prime Minister's office said in a statement: "During talks with the U.S., Israel expressed its opinion about the issue of direct talks with Hamas."

Go deeper.

? The tariff roller coaster

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

Stocks were up today after the Trump administration gave automakers a one-month break from new tariffs on Canada and Mexico — following days of ups and downs as the tariff reality keeps changing. Businesses, investors and consumers are all yearning for some clarity, Axios' Ben Berkowitz writes. Instead they're getting a daily, if not hourly, drip of shifting information and conflicting priorities. ⏱️ It all started Monday, when President Trump promised tariffs were coming on Canada, Mexico and China. Stocks dropped. On Tuesday morning, he imposed the tariffs and stocks fell further. Later Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick suggested on Fox Business that a tariff rollback could arrive today. Stocks rallied. This morning, Lutnick told Bloomberg TV any rollback might target certain sectors, in a limited way and for a limited time. Stocks sold off again. This afternoon, after news broke of the temporary relief for car makers, stocks quickly popped back into positive territory. Go deeper.

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Trump's early economic potholes

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

Buy your local economist a drink: The economic backdrop is more chaotic and uncertain than it's been in years — a result of fast-moving and sometimes vague Trump policy, Axios Macro co-author Courtenay Brown writes. Why it matters: A growing list of factors driven by President Trump — think tariffs, spending cuts and a looming government shutdown — is threatening to put downward pressure on the economy. ? The big picture: America's economy has defied naysayers, but there's no guarantee that continues. Forecasters are writing GDP and inflation estimates in pencil, warning that their models can't possibly account for all the ways the jumble of policies could net out. "It's really drinking from a fire hose at this point," Brian Gardner, chief Washington strategist at Stifel, tells Axios. "Trying to understand where things are going is unusually difficult, historically difficult." Five factors are raising question marks about what's ahead for the economy: ? 1. Trump's epic trade war. The longer the North American and U.S.-China trade war lasts, the more damage it could inflict on the economy. Trump said automakers would get a month-long reprieve from 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. More tariffs are on the horizon in the weeks ahead, including reciprocal tariffs on April 2 that Trump has called "the big one." ? 2. DOGE spending cuts. Tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired or taken a buyout, with more layoffs to come, though some efforts have been halted by federal judges. Government employees make up a small share of the overall workforce, but the effects of nixed contracts could ripple out to the private sector. ? 3. Shutdown threat. Congress has until March 14 to pass a bill to fund the government or risk a shutdown. Republicans want to pass a budget that chops spending to pave the way to enact Trump's fiscal agenda — a difficult task without cutbacks to politically sensitive (and expensive) entitlement programs. ✂️ 4. Tax cuts: Some CEOs say the extension of Trump 1.0 tax cuts could offset potential economic weakness from the trade war. Concerns about blowing out the deficit might hamper that effort. The price tag is ballooning. In a congressional address, Trump called for no tax on tips, overtime or Social Security benefits. He pitched tax-deductible interest payments on loans for U.S.-made cars. ? 5. Immigration: The construction industry has warned about the potential double-whammy from deportations that could dent labor supply.

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⚡ Trump's Hamas ultimatum

Via Truth Social

President Trump told Hamas he will greenlight additional Israeli military strikes on Gaza unless the group releases its remaining hostages, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: Trump's ultimatum comes amid secret direct negotiations between his administration and Hamas officials, revealed yesterday in a Barak blockbuster. Trump issued the ultimatum after a meeting with six hostages who were released as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages. Israeli intelligence believes 22 are still alive, and the status of two others is unknown. Among the remaining hostages are five Americans, including 21-year-old Edan Alexander who is believed to be alive. ?️ What he's saying: "To the People of Gaza," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD! Make a SMART decision. RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!" Keep reading.

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?️ Mapped: Federal real estate whiplash

Map courtesy of Bloomberg Graphics via Bloomberg New Trump administration moves to shrink the federal footprint are creating whiplash in an already confused and scrambling Washington, Axios D.C.'s Mimi Montgomery writes. ? The General Services Administration (GSA) on Tuesday announced that hundreds of federal buildings were for sale, with about a third concentrated in the D.C. area. The list featured the DOJ and Agriculture Department headquarters. Then the GSA seemed to shift course: Later that day, all of the D.C. properties, and many in Virginia and Maryland, had been removed from its list. By yesterday, the entire list had been removed. Map courtesy of Bloomberg Graphics via Bloomberg Keep reading ...

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Tariffs

The US is pulling back on auto tariffs for Canada and Mexico amid heightened trade tensions and GOP pushback. President Donald Trump granted a one-month exemption on auto tariffs on the two countries — a move he said would protect the Big Three US automakers from financial harm. The decision came after Trump spoke to leaders from Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, who argued the tariffs could disadvantage their American-based businesses in favor of foreign carmakers. All the other across-the-board 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada remain in effect. But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump would remain open to other tariff exemptions, days after saying there would be none. The stock market rallied on the news Wednesday after it took a beating at the start of the week.

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Trump preparing to sign order to dismantle Education Department

President Donald Trump could decide this week to take the first steps to eliminate the Department of Education, people familiar with the matter said, as he looks to dramatically shrink the size of the federal government.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/06/politics/trump-education-department-shut-down-order/index.html?

Trump has dropped a high-profile abortion case in Idaho. Here’s what that means A yearslong legal battle over the right to an emergency abortion in Idaho has been abruptly upended now that President Donald Trump has moved to drop the high-profile case. Read more.

Key points: Under the Biden administration, the Justice Department had argued that emergency-room doctors treating pregnant women had to provide terminations if it was needed to save their lives or to avoid serious health consequences.   Yet a little more than a month after taking over the White House, Trump’s decision to abandon the legal fight signals how the Republican administration plans on interpreting federal law designed to protect urgent care when up against states’ abortion bans.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Ultrasound now needed for pill abortions in Wyoming after lawmakers override veto   Arizona lawmaker who announced plans in a floor speech last year to get an abortion is resigning   Women’s rights are under attack 30 years after leaders adopted a blueprint for equality, UN says

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Nominee for head of NIH probed by U.S. Senate panel on vaccine-autism research

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health appeared poised for Senate confirmation following a Wednesday hearing, though he still has several hurdles to overcome before taking over the agency. 

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/03/05/repub/nominee-for-head-of-nih-probed-by-u-s-senate-panel-on-vaccine-autism-research/?

US employers cut more jobs last month than any February since 2009

The Trump administration’s massive federal cuts and swelling feelings of economic uncertainty helped fuel a recession-level spike in layoff plans last month, new data showed Thursday.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/06/economy/us-jobs-report-february-preview/index.html?

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HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Urges Parents to Consider Measles Shot

March 3, 2025 – The top health official in the United States is calling on all parents to discuss measles vaccination with their children’s health care providers.

https://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/news/20250303/health-and-human-services-secretary-urges-parents-to-consider-measles-vaccine?

Trump delays some tariffs on Mexico and Canada for one month

President Donald Trump on Thursday signed executive actions that delay for nearly one month tariffs on all products from Mexico and Canada that are covered by the USMCA free trade treaty, a significant walkback of the administration’s signature economic plan that has rattled markets, businesses and consumers.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/06/economy/tariffs-delay-mexico-canada/index.html?

 

? Trump’s DOE is DOA. President Donald Trump could direct WWE founder Linda McMahon to dismantle the Department of Education as soon as today, according to a draft order obtained by the Wall Street Journal. The move is torn from Project 2025’s playbook. McMahon announced “profound changes” to staffing, budgets, and agency operations in a Tuesday memo titled “Our Department’s Final Mission.” 

 

RIP Social Security (1935-2025). DOGE layoffs are soon expected to hit the Social Security Administration, which oversees benefits for 73 million Americans. New research highlighted by The American Prospect finds that similar layoffs under Reagan led to a major gap in coverage for some 80,000 elderly and disabled Americans. The number of Social Security beneficiaries has nearly doubled since the ’80s. If you can, start saving now.

 

? Cashing out on destroying the American dream. Weeks after prosecutors charged private equity giant Blackstone with participating in a rent-fixing scheme, the company reported another $1 billion payout to its CEO, Republican megadonor and Trump whisperer Steve Schwarzman. Blackstone has used investment cash from public universities and public workers’ retirement funds — as well as billions from a Depression-era affordable housing program — to become America’s largest landlord while ramping up evictions and rents across the country.

Live updates: Trump will delay tariffs on most goods from Mexico for 4 weeks amid economic fears

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he has postponed 25% tariffs on most goods from Mexico for a month after a conversation with that country’s president. Read More.

Trump wants to dismantle the Education Department. Here's what it does

President Donald Trump has said he wants his new education chief, Linda McMahon, to “put herself out of a job” and close the Education Department. McMahon was confirmed by the Senate on Monday, and an executive order to shutter the department could come as soon as this week. Read More.

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Support the Occupying Force: The Logic Behind Trump’s Foreign Policy

By sending weapons to Israel while halting arms sales to Ukraine, Trump backs nations that are “occupying a less powerful people.”

https://theintercept.com/2025/03/04/trump-ukraine-israel-weapons-military-aid/?

It’s Tax Season — The Perfect Time for Trump to Sell This “Critical” IRS Computing Center

Last year, the IRS Martinsburg site was “viewed as a high priority.” Now, under the Trump administration, it's “functionally obsolete.”

https://theintercept.com/2025/03/06/trump-irs-taxes-martinsburg/?

Trump Brags He “Brought Back Free Speech” Hours After Calling to Ban “Illegal” Protests

On the same day he floated cutting funding at schools hosting “illegal” protests, Trump took a free speech victory lap.

https://theintercept.com/2025/03/04/trump-joint-congress-address-free-speech-campus-protest-gaza/?

Trump’s “Genocidal” Threat to Gaza: If Hamas Won’t Release Hostages, “You Are DEAD”

“He’s threatening an entire population with death — what else is that other than genocidal?” one expert told The Intercept.

https://theintercept.com/2025/03/05/trump-gaza-palestinians-hamas-hostages/?

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Search for "pro-Hamas" students

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is launching an effort to cancel the visas of foreign nationals who appear to support Hamas or other designated terror groups, senior State Department officials tell Axios' Marc Caputo.

• Why it matters: The effort — which includes AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of social media accounts of student visa holders — marks a dramatic escalation in the U.S. government's policing of foreign nationals' conduct and speech.

?️ Officials plan to examine internal databases to see whether any visa holders were arrested but allowed to stay in the country during the Biden administration.

• They say they're also checking news reports of anti-Israel demonstrations and Jewish students' lawsuits that highlight foreign nationals allegedly engaged in antisemitic activity.
• If the search turns up a social media post from a foreign national that appears to endorse the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and looks "pro-Hamas," an official said, that could be grounds for visa revocation.

? What they're saying: "We found literally zero visa revocations during the Biden administration," the official said, "which suggests a blind eye attitude toward law enforcement."

• The other side: "This should concern all Americans. This is a First Amendment and freedom of speech issue and the administration will overplay its hand," said Abed Ayoub, head of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Go deeper.

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Trump pauses Canada-Mexico tariffs again, but stocks sink

President Trump paused 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports covered by a North American trade pact until April 2.

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/06/trump-tariffs-mexico-pause-sheinbaum?

 

Arts under fire

Since it opened in 1971, the Kennedy Center has symbolized freedom of expression, representation and creativity in the performing arts. Trump’s plan to reshape the center’s programming has created a sharp divide.

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The rug-pull presidency

Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Getty Images

President Trump is building a reputation as the flip-flopper in chief — the president who, after announcing a bold new policy today, might well reverse it tomorrow, Axios' Felix Salmon and Zachary Basu write. Why it matters: In a chaotic world, the federal government normally acts as a stabilizing force. Under Trump, it's driving chaos. ?️ The big picture: Across-the-board tariffs on Mexico and Canada — two of America's three largest trading partners — have been on and then off, then on and then off. Colombia knows the feeling. The government put 80 million square feet of its real estate up for sale, only to then take the "for sale" sign down. Trump has fired federal employees at the CDC, the FDA, the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Agriculture Department, only to then re-hire them. He touted the use of military aircraft to carry out high-profile deportations, only to suspend the flights after finding them costly and inefficient. In a matter of days, Trump denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, then made up and invited him to Washington — then chastised him in the Oval Office, then expressed openness to rebuilding ties, then cut off arms and intelligence sharing. ?️ Republicans in Congress have repeatedly found themselves boxed in by Trump's flip-flops. He spent weeks equivocating on whether Congress should pass his agenda in one bill or two — then blindsided the Senate by backing House Republicans' one-bill approach. He promised not to cut Medicaid, then backed a House GOP budget plan that could force exactly that in order to meet its proposed spending cuts. He has vowed to achieve the unthinkable by balancing the budget — while endorsing trillions of dollars in tax cuts, plus new campaign promises for no tax on tips or overtime. Data: Financial Modeling Prep. Chart: Axios Visuals Follow the money: The stock market is tiring of such shenanigans. On Wednesday, stocks fell on news that tariffs were being imposed. Yesterday, when those tariffs were suspended, stocks fell again. "I'm not even looking at the market," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office yesterday, disavowing his longtime favorite metric for economic success. ? Zoom out: In crypto, a rug-pull is any project that's announced and then abandoned — often at great expense to anybody who believed the initial announcement. Between the lines: Elon Musk — who may or may not be the head of DOGE, depending on who you ask — is at least partially responsible for the administration's "move fast and break things" ethos. "We will make mistakes. We won't be perfect. But when we make a mistake, we'll fix it very quickly," Musk said in a Cabinet meeting last week, pointing to the reversed cancellation of Ebola funding.

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? America enters Big Boss Era

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

If there's one thing Elon Musk and President Trump have made clear: The U.S. is in its Big Boss Era, Axios Markets co-author Emily Peck writes. Why it matters: Workers had a moment of empowerment in the wake of the pandemic — remember the Great Resignation? Summer of Strikes? Quiet Quitting? Well, forget it. That time is in the rearview. What's out: Work-life balance and flexibility. Unions. Diversity and inclusion. What's in: The office. Firing people who don't toe the line. Very long work hours. ? "This is a boss's administration," says Aaron Sojourner, a labor economist with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. Keep reading.

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?? Scoop: Israel furious over U.S.-Hamas talks

Israel's concerns over the Trump administration's secret negotiations with Hamas erupted in a contentious call Tuesday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-hand man and the U.S. official leading the talks, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• Why it matters: When Trump aides sounded out Israeli officials in early February about the possibility of engaging directly with Hamas, the Israelis advised them not to do it — particularly not without preconditions. Israel found out through other channels that the U.S. was moving ahead anyway.

Netanyahu has avoided publicly criticizing President Trump since Axios revealed the unprecedented U.S.-Hamas talks on Wednesday, saying only that Israel had made its opinion clear to the U.S.

• But Netanyahu's closest confidant, Ron Dermer, was much less restrained a day earlier in a call with U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler, the sources say.

? Behind the scenes: The call happened several hours after Boehler met in Doha with Khalil al-Hayya, one of Hamas' most senior political officials and the head of its negotiating team.

• Boehler's negotiations in the Qatari capital began the week prior, with a meeting with lower-level Hamas officials.
• The talks centered on bringing home American hostage Edan Alexander, 21, and the bodies of four deceased American hostages — part of Boehler's mandate as hostage envoy.

The U.S. message was that such a deal would go a long way with Trump — who would then press for a broader deal involving a long-term truce, safe passage out of Gaza for Hamas leaders, the release of all remaining hostages, and the effective end of the war.

• The alternative was a renewed Israeli military campaign to destroy the group.

Trump and his advisers hoped for a breakthrough before his address to Congress.

• Keep reading.

 

✂️ Trump promises scalpel, not hatchet

Via Truth Social

President Trump said in a Truth Social post yesterday that he's directed Cabinet secretaries and DOGE to work together for "very precise" cuts of federal workers. "We say the 'scalpel' rather than the 'hatchet,'" Trump asserted — the opposite of the approach until now. ? Between the lines: The move "appeared to be a step aimed at restraining Elon Musk," the N.Y. Times' Eileen Sullivan and Maggie Haberman write (gift link) ? Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that his message to Cabinet secretaries is: "Keep all the people you want — everybody that you need ... The people that aren't doing a good job — that are unreliable, don't show up to work, etc. — those people can be cut." "Elon and [DOGE] are going to be watching them," Trump added. "And if they can cut, it's better. And if they don't cut, then Elon will do the cutting."

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Education Department

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, according to sources, as he aims to dramatically shrink the size of the federal government. Trump has long signaled his intention to close the department, but fully eliminating it will require Congress to act. If the Trump administration succeeds in pushing an end to the department, some programs and funding could be retained and shifted to other agencies. There is also growing uncertainty about the nation's trillions of dollars in student loans and whether the government will stay in the business of lending money to students directly.