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.

ByAlexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, Emily Chang, Andrea Pineda-Salgado, Meredith Deliso, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: February 2, 2025, 11:11 PM EST

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

Here's how the news is developing:
Jan 23, 2025, 1:50 PM EST

Key Senate Republican Lisa Murkowski a no on Pete Hegseth

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, considered a key GOP swing vote, said she will not be supporting President Donald Trump's Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth.

"After thorough evaluation, I must conclude that I cannot in good conscience support his nomination for Secretary of Defense," she said in a lengthy statement.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski heads to the Senate Chamber to vote on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, Jan. 22, 2025 in Washington.
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images

"I did not make this decision lightly; I take my constitutional responsibility to provide advice and consent with the utmost seriousness," she added.

The Senate is expected to take a procedural vote on Hegseth's nomination Thursday afternoon.

Jan 23, 2025, 1:42 PM EST

Judge slams Trump's birthright citizenship order

A federal judge slammed Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship as a “blatantly unconstitutional order."

“I have been on the bench for over four decades. I can’t remember another case where the case presented is as clear as it is here,” U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said minutes into a hearing on a legal challenge to the action.

Coughenour later signed a temporary restraining order blocking Trump’s order.

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous

Jan 23, 2025, 1:39 PM EST

Photos show troops preparing to deploy to southern border

The Department of Defense has released new images of Marines from Camp Pendleton in California preparing to deploy to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Marine with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, transports concertina wire with an extended boom forklift at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 22, 2025, in preparation to deploy to the southern border.
Lance Cpl. Diego Berumen/DoD

The White House announced Wednesday that Trump was sending 1,500 additional troops to the southern border, building off the executive actions on immigration and border security he signed on Monday.

Marines with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, load concertina wire onto a 7-ton truck at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Jan. 22, 2025, in preparation to deploy to the southern border.
Lance Cpl. Diego Berumen/DoD

-ABC News' Nathan Luna

Jan 23, 2025, 12:16 PM EST

Confirmation hearing set for Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's DNI pick

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's hearing for director of national intelligence will be held on Thursday, Jan. 30, sources told ABC News.

PHOTO: President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard arrives for a service at St. John's Church on Inauguration Day of Donald Trump's second presidential term in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025.
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard arrives for a service at St. John's Church on Inauguration Day of Donald Trump's second presidential term in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025.
Jeenah Moon/Reuters

Gabbard's nomination has been scrutinized over her lack of intelligence experience and her echoing of Russian disinformation.

If confirmed, Gabbard would oversee a sprawling network of 18 agencies and a $100 billion budget. She's been making the rounds on Capitol Hill to shore up support among lawmakers.

-ABC News' Beatrice Peterson

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