President Donald Trump said Thursday after a conversation with Mexican President .
The U.S. is that has helped Ukraine survive Russia's invasion. But Trump administration officials said Wednesday that mean it may only be a short suspension.
A new Senate bill on from Republican Sen. Jim Risch and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen would that help finance foreign opioid trafficking. And the House for disrupting Trump鈥檚 address to Congress.
Here's the latest:
UN releases $110 million in emergency humanitarian aid amid US foreign aid freeze
Thursday鈥檚 release of funds for humanitarian emergencies worldwide comes as the international body and nonprofits continue to grapple with the growing impact of the U.S. foreign aid freeze.
鈥淔or countries battered by conflict, climate change and economic turmoil, brutal funding cuts don鈥檛 mean that humanitarian needs disappear,鈥� Tom Fletcher, the U.N.鈥檚 humanitarian chief, said in a statement. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 emergency fund allocation channels resources swiftly to where they鈥檙e needed most.鈥�
Humanitarian funding levels, which were dwindling well before President Trump鈥檚 decision earlier this year to cut off foreign aid, are now projected to hit a record low this year, according to the U.N.
The latest batch of funding will go toward supporting countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, such as Sudan, where a civil war has resulted in a massive displacement of the population, hunger and most recently a cholera outbreak that鈥檚 left more than 90 dead, according to the international medical aid group, Doctors Without Borders.
Class action appeals filed for thousands of fired federal workers
Attorneys have announced they have filed several appeals before an independent board against multiple federal agencies and are planning additional appeals on behalf of thousands of probationary federal workers fired by the Trump administration.
Christopher Bonk, a partner at Gilbert Employment Law, confirmed the appeals Thursday.
Multiple lawsuits have previously been filed in federal court over the mass terminations. But the latest legal challenges have gone to a federal board responsible for protecting government employees from political reprisals or retaliation for whistleblowing.
The attorneys said the appeals seek to get the workers reinstated with back pay.
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Top Trump administration officials aim to meet with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia next week
Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff confirms that senior administration officials are arranging to hold talks next week with senior Ukrainian officials.
The anticipated talks, which he said would either take place in Riyadh or Jeddah, come after last week鈥檚 disastrous Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy led to the White House announcing it was pausing military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has called the heated words during his recent White House visit and said he鈥檚 ready to sign a critical minerals agreement with the U.S. that Trump has been seeking.
鈥淲e鈥檒l see if he follows through,鈥� Witkoff told reporters, when asked if the agreement could be signed during the upcoming talks.
Zelenskyy told European leaders in Brussels on Thursday that teams from the U.S. and Ukraine had resumed their work and hoped to have 鈥渁 meaningful meeting鈥� next week.
Citing DEI, Trump cut teacher training grants that helped rural schools
The cuts to teacher training grants are putting a strain on rural school systems, which have relied on the money to help address .
In an overhaul at an agency Trump has described as being infiltrated by 鈥� ,鈥� the Education Department last month cut $600 million in grants to the training programs, which it characterized as supporting . Trump has said he wants to close the department, and new Education Secretary Linda McMahon has laid out how it .
Federal money makes up a significant portion of budgets in some rural districts, which rely more on grants and philanthropy because of their limited tax base, said Sharon Contreras, CEO of the Innovation Project, a collaboration among North Carolina school districts. A grant to that group supported teacher recruitment and retention, providing scholarships for teachers pursuing master鈥檚 degrees if they agreed to return to the area and serve as principals for three years.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the US has kept its sanctions on Russia in place
Speaking about the sanctions on Russia at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday, Bessent also said the U.S. 鈥渨ill not hesitate to go all in should it provide leverage in peace negotiations.鈥�
Over the course of Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration imposed thousands of sanctions on Russian firms, people, ships and imposed a price cap on Russian oil, among other actions.
In New York, Bessent called Biden鈥檚 sanctions on Russian energy 鈥渆gregiously weak鈥� and 鈥渟temming from worries about upward pressure on U.S. energy prices.鈥�
鈥淧er President Trump鈥檚 guidance, sanctions will be used explicitly and aggressively for immediate maximum impact. They will be carefully monitored to ensure that they are achieving specific objectives,鈥� Bessent said.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum elaborated on her call with Trump
She said later that she told the president Mexico was making great strides in fulfilling his security demands.
鈥淚 told him we鈥檙e getting results,鈥� Sheinbaum said. But the U.S. imposed the tariffs, so she asked Trump 鈥渉ow are we going to continue cooperating, collaborating with something that hurts the people of Mexico?鈥�
鈥淚 need to continue working together and cooperating with you all, but we need to work as equals,鈥� she said she told Trump.
She added that 鈥減ractically all of the trade鈥� between the U.S. and Mexico will be exempt from tariffs until April 2.
She said the two countries will continue to work together on migration and security, and to cut back on fentanyl trafficking to the U.S.
She added that Trump said he would crack down on the flow of American weapons trafficked into Mexico, which has fueled cartel warfare in the Latin American country, though Trump hasn鈥檛 elaborated on what his government has done to address the weapons trafficking.
National Endowment for the Arts is sued over 鈥榞ender ideology鈥� ban
Four arts groups filed federal lawsuits against the NEA on Thursday, seeking a preliminary injunction or temporary restraining order before March 24, when the next round of grant applications are due.
President Trump鈥檚 executive order titled 鈥淒efending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government鈥� calls for denying federal money to any programs that 鈥減romote gender ideology.鈥�
The American Civil Liberties Union argues on behalf of the Rhode Island Latino Arts, National Queer Theater, The Theater Offensive and Theater Communications Groups that the NEA鈥檚 new certification requirement and funding prohibition violates the First Amendment, the Administrative Procedure Act and the Fifth Amendment.
FBI director: Agency is committed to bringing home American hostages
Kash Patel says the bureau will work to 鈥渮ero out鈥� the population of Americans detained or held hostage in foreign countries.
He spoke Thursday during a flag-raising at the State Department honoring hostages and their families.
Americans are being held in multiple countries including Russia and Venezuela. The Trump administration is also working to secure the release of Americans still held by Hamas.
Adam Boehler is President Donald Trump鈥檚 nominee to be special envoy for hostage affairs, leading direct talks with the militant group.
Trump hosting Cabinet-level meeting on DOGE
One day after Elon Musk met with Republicans on Capitol Hill, the president is convening Cabinet members to discuss the Department of Government Efficiency.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted a video of himself arriving at the West Wing of the White House and said they would be talking about 鈥渨here we can make us more efficient, where we can cut.鈥�
Federal agencies are putting together plans for , known as reductions in force, to achieve Trump鈥檚 goal of a radically smaller government workforce.
Trump delays tariffs on most goods from Mexico until April 2
President Donald Trump said he's postponed 25% tariffs on most goods from Mexico until April 2 after a conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
The reprieve would apply to goods that are compliant with the trade agreement Trump negotiated with Canada and Mexico in his first term.
鈥淚 did this as an accommodation, and out of respect for, President Sheinbaum,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淥ur relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl.鈥�
Sheinbaum posted on X that they 鈥渉ad an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results.鈥�
The Mexican government has cracked down on cartels, sent troops to the U.S. border and delivered 29 top cartel bosses long chased by American authorities to the Trump administration in a span of weeks.
Why tariffs, President Trump?
To , 鈥渢ariff鈥� is more than 鈥渢he most beautiful word in the dictionary,鈥� something he says often.
Tariffs, in Trump鈥檚 view, are a cure for a number of the nation鈥檚 ills and to reach new heights. Among the reasons for steeply taxing the U.S. consumption of products from Canada, Mexico, China and beyond:
1. stopping the flow of illegal fentanyl
2. balancing the budget
3. making America rich
4. protecting 鈥渢he soul鈥� of America
Most economists see as capable of addressing unfair trade practices, but they鈥檙e skeptical of the quasi-miraculous properties that Trump claims they possess.
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Trump鈥檚 FDA pick says 鈥榯rust in doctors and hospitals is at a crisis鈥�
Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire held stacks of paper that she said show 鈥渓ots and lots of data鈥� supporting the safety and efficacy of mifepristone.
鈥淭he concern is whether you鈥檙e going to unilaterally overrule the data that currently exists for political purposes,鈥� she said.
Makary responded to each question on the abortion pill by saying he had 鈥渘o preconceived plans鈥� on mifepristone policy.
鈥淚 wish you were hedging a little bit less today,鈥� Hassan said.
Makary by bashing the COVID-19 response, calling the federal government the 鈥済reatest perpetrator of misinformation.鈥�
Fired head of federal watchdog agency ends legal battle
Hampton Dellinger announced his decision after the federal appeals court in Washington sided with the Trump administration .
The case had become a flashpoint in the debate over how much power the president should have to replace the leaders of independent agencies as he moves to radically reshape and shrink the federal government.
The case was expected to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, but justice delayed is justice denied 鈥� In the months it would take to get a final ruling, the office 鈥渨ill be run by someone totally beholden to the President,鈥� he said.
Class-action appeals seek jobs and back pay for thousands of fired workers
The filings by lawyers with Gilbert Employment Law and James & Hoffman say Trump鈥檚 layoffs aren鈥檛 individualized actions but large-scale terminations, and laws for such reductions in force haven鈥檛 been followed.
The appeals to the U.S. Merit Systems Protections Board say the workers got no advance notice, no severance pay and no consideration of job performance.
Probationary workers generally have a limited recourse before the board. But attorney Daniel Rosenthal says it is clear from regulations and precedents that even probationary employees can challenge an improper reduction in force to the board.
Dire warning at United Nations: US aid freeze is forcing decisions 鈥榦n which lives not to save鈥�
The UN鈥檚 humanitarian chief told the U.N. Security Council that U.S. foreign aid cuts are a 鈥渂ody blow to our work to save lives.鈥�
Tom Fletcher said the pace of the shutdowns of so much vital work 鈥渁dds to the perfect storm that we face.鈥�
He said he鈥檚 had to ask UN partners to provide lists of areas where they have to abandon lifesaving help.
Commerce Secretary: Most tariffs on Canada and Mexico 鈥榣ikely鈥� to be delayed
Howard Lutnick said Trump will likely broaden the exemption to 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico that he granted Wednesday to the auto industry.
Lutnick told CN小蓝视频 that this one-month delay in import taxes 鈥渨ill likely cover all USMCA- compliant goods and services,鈥� referring to the trade agreement Trump negotiated in his last term that replaced NAFTA.
Lutnick estimated that more than half of what the U.S. imports from those two countries would be eligible.
Lutnick added that Trump could make an announcement after speaking with Mexico鈥檚 president Claudia Sheinbaum later Thursday.
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Medical research cuts could affect patients, universities and local communities
The ripple effects of Trump crackdown on U.S. medical research .
Among the biggest blows, if it survives a court challenge: Massive cuts in funding from the National Institutes of Health that would cost an estimated 58,000 jobs across every state, according to an analysis by The Associated Press with assistance from the nonprofit United for Medical Research group.
These layoffs would be in addition to the mass firings of other government workers and uncertainty about how already-funded research is being canceled under Trump鈥檚 anti-diversity orders.
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Rep. Al Green says: 鈥楩riends, I would do it again鈥�
The House voted mostly along party lines, 224-198, to censure t for disrupting President address to Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had Green removed from the chamber after Green that Trump wasn鈥檛 telling the truth when he claimed the election gave him a governing mandate not seen for decades.
Thursday鈥檚 majority vote requires Green to stand in the well of the House while the speaker or presiding officer reads a rebuke.
Massachusetts Democrat Jim McGovern noted that Republicans were silent when their own side interrupted Democratic President Joe Biden鈥檚 speech last year. 鈥淣obody apologized for interrupting Joe Biden time and again,鈥� McGovern said. 鈥淵ou talk about lack of decorum. Go back and look at the tapes.鈥�
Trump鈥檚 FDA pick says he'll review abortion pill; Democrats note it's safer than Viagra
Marty Makary said he would create an 鈥渆xpert coalition鈥� to review ongoing data on the abortion pill mifepristone and that he has no 鈥減reconceived plans鈥� on what the Food and Drug Administration鈥檚 policy should be on medication abortion.
Makary told the Senate health committee at his initial confirmation hearing that he would 鈥渢ake a solid, hard look at the data鈥� and 鈥渕eet with the professional career scientists who have reviewed the data at the FDA.鈥�
Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy had asked Makary whether he supports reinstating requirements that mifepristone be dispensed in person.
The FDA has been facing mounting pressure from anti-abortion groups to restrict mifepristone following legal battles over access, despite the drug鈥檚 decades-long safety record, vouched for by leading medical associations and health experts.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, pressed Makary about his plans to convene experts to review this data.
鈥淚f that鈥檚 you鈥檙e approach for something that has been approved for now decades, are you going to do the same with Tylenol?鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are a lot of side effects for daily use, including liver damage.鈥�
Trudeau describes 鈥榗olorful call鈥� with Trump
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that after his call with the U.S. president, he expects Canada and the U.S. to be in for the foreseeable future.
Trudeau said the call was constructive nevertheless, and said both sides are 鈥渁ctively engaged in ongoing conversations in trying to make sure these tariffs don鈥檛 overly harm鈥� certain sectors and workers.
鈥淭here are conversations ongoing right now with the U.S. administration but as I have said, we will not be backing down from our response tariffs until such a time as the unjustified American tariffs are Canadian goods are lifted.鈥�
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Trump envoy: Ukraine 鈥榖rought on themselves鈥� the US pause of aid and intelligence
Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump鈥檚 special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, said it was made clear to the Ukrainians that last week鈥檚 Oval Office meeting would focus on signing a critical minerals deal.
Kellogg said it went sideways when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy seemed to press Trump 鈥� who is trying to play the role of intermediary to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia 鈥� to side with Kyiv.
Zelenskyy, who insisted that Ukraine needs security guarantees before any cease fire, later called the heated words 鈥渞别驳谤别迟迟补产濒别鈥� and said he鈥檚 ready to sign.
But Kellogg said he couldn鈥檛 guarantee a resumption of weapons deliveries even if Zelenskyy accepts the deal 鈥� 鈥淭hat鈥檚 up to the President,鈥� he said.
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Trump moves swiftly to assert his vision at Voice of America
Just last week, there were moves to reassign the Voice of America's White House bureau chief and to investigate the social media practices of another veteran correspondent, who was effectively put on paid leave.
President Donald Trump chose Arizona鈥檚 Kari Lake to lead the agency, but she can鈥檛 be installed because Trump fired members of the board empowered to do that. So now she鈥檚 on board as a 鈥渟pecial advisor.鈥�
The agency鈥檚 charter requires its journalists to deliver independent news and information, and not be a government mouthpiece. Trump posted that Lake will help 鈥渆nsure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the world.鈥�
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Another federal judge extends block preventing Trump鈥檚 freeze on federal funding
The grants and loans involved potentially total trillions of dollars.
U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island, who had already approved a temporary restraining order on the funding freeze, on Thursday granted the request for a preliminary injunction from nearly two dozen Democratic states.
Last month, the White House said it would temporarily halt federal funding to ensure that the payments complied with President Donald Trump鈥檚 orders barring diversity programs. Government lawyers argued the court lacks the constitutional authority to block a funding pause by the Republican administration.
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Trump鈥檚 FDA nominee faces Senate questions after agency layoffs and resignations
A surgeon, author, researcher and Fox News contributor, is known for his contrarian views and outspoken criticism of the medical establishment. Like health secretary ., Makary traces many of the health issues afflicting Americans to , overprescribing of drugs and the influence of drugmakers, insurers and food companies.
Republicans generally support Kennedy鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Healthy Again鈥� agenda. But Senate Democrats are expected to press Makary on his willingness to break with Kennedy on some scientific issues.
If confirmed to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Makary would take over a shaken agency, which fired hundreds of employees only to quickly rehire some of them.
Fear of Trump's next moves unsettles US consumers and worldwide markets
Anxiety has returned to Wall Street with markets poised to give back much of Wednesday鈥檚 gains, which were spurred by one-month for U.S. automakers on his 25% tariffs for Mexican and Canadian imports.
Futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq all slid in premarket trading. Shares in retailers Macy鈥檚 and Victoria鈥檚 Secret fell sharply as consumer confidence tanks.
showing the labor market was steady ahead of the purge of federal employees.
And to support consumers and businesses bracing for Trump to impose new import taxes on U.S. consumers buying European goods.
Trump administration pauses flow of intelligence to Ukraine that helps on battlefield
The U.S. has paused its with Ukraine, cutting off the flow of vital information that has helped the war-torn nation target Russian invaders, but Trump administration officials said Wednesday that mean it may only be a short suspension.
Information about Russia鈥檚 intentions and military movements has been and a from the U.S. and other Western allies. The suspension comes after Trump to Ukraine and is another sign of how he has transformed America鈥檚 relationship with close allies.
鈥淲e have taken a step back and are pausing and reviewing all aspects of this relationship,鈥� national security adviser Mike Waltz said Wednesday.
Comments from top Trump administration officials suggest the decision is part of the broader negotiations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate a peace deal with Russia, and that intelligence could begin flowing to Ukraine again soon.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe called the suspension a 鈥減ause鈥� and said it came after the between Trump and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last week. Ratcliffe said Trump wanted to know that Zelenskyy was serious about peace.
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Veterans fired from federal jobs say they feel betrayed, including some who voted for Trump
The mass firing of federal employees since Trump took office in January is pushing out veterans who make up 30% of the nation鈥檚 federal workforce. The exact number of veterans who have lost their job is unknown, although House Democrats last month estimated that it was potentially in the thousands.
More could be on the way. The Department of Veterans Affairs 鈥� a major employer of veterans 鈥� is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency, according to . Veterans represent more than 25% of the VA鈥檚 workforce.
In interviews, several veterans who supported candidates of both parties described their recent job losses as a betrayal of their military service. They are particularly angered by how it happened: in an email that cited inadequate job performance 鈥� despite, they say, receiving positive reviews in their roles.
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Trump issues 鈥榣ast warning鈥� to Hamas to release all remaining hostages held in Gaza
Israelis take part in a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 government, and the release of the hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Jerusalem,Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Trump on Wednesday issued what he called a 鈥渓ast warning鈥� to , directing a sharply worded message after the White House confirmed that he had recently dispatched an envoy for unprecedented direct talks with the .
In a statement on his Truth Social platform soon after meeting at the White House with eight former hostages, Trump added that he was 鈥渟ending Israel everything it needs to finish the job.鈥�
The pointed language from Trump came after the White House said Wednesday that U.S. officials have engaged in 鈥渙ngoing talks and discussions鈥� with Hamas officials, stepping away from a long-held U.S. policy of not .
Confirmation of the talks in the Qatari capital of Doha came as the . It鈥檚 the first known direct engagement between the United States and Hamas since the State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
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The Associated Press
