Trump 2nd term updates: Trump excludes low-value shipments from looming tariffs

The amendment exempts imports valued at less than $800 from Canada and Mexico.

ByKevin Shalvey, Alexandra Hutzler, Emily Chang, Ivan Pereira, William Mansell, Sarah Beth Hensley, Jon Haworth, and Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: March 2, 2025, 11:08 PM EST

President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal government to his liking suffered a loss in court when a federal judge blocked his administration from firing the head of a federal watchdog agency without cause, likely triggering a lengthy appeal that could end at the Supreme Court.

U.S. District Justice Amy Berman Jackson determined the move was unlawful and issued a permanent injunction that reinstated special counsel Hampton Dellinger to his position.

Meanwhile, the Social Security Administration said it will cut 7,000 jobs and six of its 10 regional centers as part of the president’s downsizing of the federal workforce.

And Trump’s physician announced the president will have his annual physical next month, days after reporters raised questions about a bruise they saw on the back of his hand.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing:
Feb 28, 2025, 2:25 PM EST

Key takeaways from blow-up between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy at the White House

With Ukraine's future in the balance, a high-stakes meeting on Friday between President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Zelenskyy devolved into a shouting match.

The stunning exchange, before cameras and one unlike any other in the Oval Office in modern times, saw Trump and Vice President JD Vance rebuke Zelenskyy for his handling of the war, again falsely blaming the Ukrainian leader for a conflict that began when Russia's Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion.

Zelenskyy was in Washington to sign an agreement that would give U.S. access to Ukraine's mineral resources. But after the Oval Office spat, Trump issued a terse statement claiming Zelenskyy wasn't ready for peace and the Ukrainian leader left the White House shortly after.

Read more about the key takeaways from the explosive meeting here.

President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as U.S. Vice President JD Vance reacts at the White House in Washington, Feb. 28, 2025.
Jim Lo Scalzo/pool/epa-efe/shutt/JIM LO SCALZO/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutt

Feb 28, 2025, 2:12 PM EST

White House official claims Zelenskyy was asked to leave

Trump asked Zelenskyy to leave after their Oval Office exchange, a White House official told ABC News.

The mineral deal was not signed today as planned, the White House also said.

-ABC News' Mary Bruce, Molly Nagle and Hannah Demissie

Feb 28, 2025, 2:05 PM EST

Democratic senators slam White House after blow up

A group of bipartisan senators met with Zelenskyy on Friday morning.

Sens. Lindsey Graham, Chris Coons, and Amy Klobuchar and other Democratic and Republican senators gathered for an hourlong "encouraging" meeting with Zelenskyy ahead of his visit to the White House, the three lawmakers posted on their social media accounts.

After Zelenskyy's fiery exchange with Trump and Vance in the Oval Office, Klobuchar and Coons defended the Ukrainian president on X -- particularly the moment where Vance accused Zelensky of being "disrespectful" toward his American hosts.

"Answer to Vance: Zelenskyy has thanked our country over and over again both privately and publicly. And our country thanks HIM and the Ukrainian patriots who have stood up to a dictator, buried their own & stopped Putin from marching right into the rest of Europe. Shame on you," Klobuchar wrote.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

Feb 28, 2025, 1:47 PM EST

Zelenskyy leaves the White House

Zelenskyy got into his motorcade and left the White House without saying anything just an hour after Trump and Vance argued with him over the war.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky leaves the White House after meeting with President Donald Trump, in Washington, Feb. 28, 2025.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

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