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.

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.

Feb 28, 2025, 3:28 PM EST

Interim DC US attorney demotes Jan. 6 prosecutors

The interim U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., demoted multiple senior-level officials in his office Friday who had previously overseen some of the most high-profile Jan. 6 prosecutions, as well as criminal cases against allies of Trump, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

At least seven attorneys were informed by interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin of their demotions Friday morning to line positions dealing with matters like misdemeanor crimes and other lower-level issues, the sources said.

Among the attorneys impacted was John Crabb and Elizabeth Aloi, supervisory-level attorneys who led the criminal contempt of Congress prosecutions of Trump allies Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro.

Kathryn Rakoczy, one of the lead attorneys who prosecuted members of the Oath Keepers for seditious conspiracy for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, was also informed of her demotion -- as was Jason McCullough, who served on the team that prosecuted members of the Proud Boys including leader Enrique Tarrio.

-ABC News' Mike Levine and Alexander Mallin

Feb 28, 2025, 3:23 PM EST

'Appalling': House Democratic leader reacts to Trump-Zelenskyy meeting

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the contentious meeting in the Oval Office "appalling," claiming the fallout will embolden Vladimir Putin and Russian aggression.

"The United States must not reward Russian aggression and continue to appease Putin," Jeffries wrote in a statement.

"President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have stood on the side of democracy, freedom and truth. Their success is in the national security interests of the United States. We should stand with Ukraine until victory is won," he added.

-ABC News' Arthur Jones II

Feb 28, 2025, 3:15 PM EST

GOP's Lindsey Graham: 'Don't know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again'

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham predicted Friday's Oval Office shouting match could end U.S. support for Ukraine.

“I have never been more proud of the president. I was very proud of JD Vance standing up for our country. We want to be helpful. What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don't know if we can ever do business with Zelenskyy again,” Graham told reporters after the meeting. “The way he handled the meeting, the way he confronted the president, was just over the top.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, speaks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House, Feb. 28, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP

Graham suggested that Zelenskyy may need to consider resigning.

“He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change,” Graham said.

Graham was a longtime Russia hawk and a defender of assistance to Ukraine, but like many Republicans has shifted his tone toward the conflict in alignment with Trump's "America First" foreign policy missive.

-ABC News' John Parkinson

Feb 28, 2025, 3:12 PM EST

More details on Trump-Zelenskyy parting after blow up

After their blow up in the Oval Office, Zelensky left right after the press was escorted out and went to a holding room, a White House official told ABC News.

The president then allegedly huddled with his team, and the president demanded he leave the White House and come back when he's serious, according to the official.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz informed Zelenskyy of the president's decision, the official said.

-ABC News' Mary Bruce

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