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 21, 2025, 9:40 PM EST

Federal government directed to put DEI employees on leave

All federal employees working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives must be put on paid administrative leave by Wednesday at 5 p.m., according to an Office of Personnel Management memo obtained by ABC News.

The decision comes as the Trump administration shuts down the relevant DEI offices and programs across the federal government.

The directive follows President Donald Trump's signing of executive orders Monday to dismantle federal DEI programs, as part of Trump’s larger campaign vow to reverse and upend the diversity efforts across the country, in the public and private sectors.

-ABC News' Ben Siegel

Jan 21, 2025, 9:02 PM EST

DC Police Union dismayed by Jan. 6 pardons

The Washington, D.C., Police Union, which represents officers from the Metropolitan Police Department expressed "dismay" over the recent pardons granted to those who violently attacked police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

"As an organization that represents the interests of the 3,000 brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities, our stance is clear – anyone who assaults a law enforcement officer should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, without exception," the union said in a statement.

"We remain steadfast in our mission to protect the rights and interests of all police officers and to ensure that justice is applied fairly and consistently," the statement continued.

-ABC News' Luke Barr

Jan 21, 2025, 8:37 PM EST

Trump set to meet with moderate House Republicans

President Donald Trump is set to meet with a group of moderate House Republicans on Wednesday afternoon at the White House, multiple sources told ABC News.

Some of the members who will attend include Nebraska Rep. Don Baco and New York Rep. Mike Lawler, among others.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Lauren Peller

Jan 21, 2025, 7:37 PM EST

Trump says he pardoned Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht

Trump said he signed a "full and unconditional pardon" for Ross Ulbricht, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for running the black market site Silk Road.

Ross Ulbricht, the creator of the website Silk Road, appears in an undated photograph made from his computer and presented as an exhibit during his 2015 criminal trial in New York federal court.
Southern District of New York/Handout via Reuters

"I just called the mother of Ross William Ulbright [sic] to let her know that in honor of her and the Libertarian Movement, which supported me so strongly, it was my pleasure to have just signed a full and unconditional pardon of her son, Ross," Trump said on Truth Social. "The scum that worked to convict him were some of the same lunatics who were involved in the modern day weaponization of government against me. He was given two life sentences, plus 40 years. Ridiculous!"

Ulbricht, who ran Silk Road between January 2011 and October 2013, was found guilty of allowing users to buy illegal drugs, guns and other unlawful goods anonymously. Prosecutors said the narcotics distributed through the site, which the FBI called the"Amazon of illegal drugs," were linked to the deaths of at least six people.

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