Trump admin live updates: White House drops NASA nominee with Musk ties

Moderna was notified its funding to research and license vaccines set to protect against future flu pandemics -- including bird flu -- ​has been terminated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The funding was originally signed with the Biden administration and consisted of an initial contract of over $150 million and a second contract of nearly $600 million.

It comes while Moderna announced positive results from their early trial of an mRNA bird flu vaccine.

Antibody titers, a sign of immune protection, increased nearly 45-fold in those vaccinated. A total of 300 adults participated in the trial.

At least 70 people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu after the virus was found in cows for the first time early last year. One person has died since. Health officials say the current risk of the virus is low, but are monitoring for further spread or any mutations that would change that assessment.

Moderna noted they would "explore alternatives for late-stage development and manufacturing" of their bird flu vaccine program.

-ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud

In addition to reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, President Donald Trump issued a slew of pardons on Wednesday.

• Michael Grimm: Grimm served in Congress from 2011 to 2015 but pleaded guilty in December 2014 to aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return. He served seven months in jail, a month of House arrest and 200 hours of community service. Last September, Grimm was paralyzed after being thrown off a horse during a polo tournament.

• Former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland: In 2009, Rowland devised a scheme to work for the campaign of a candidate seeking election to the House from Connecticut's 5th Congressional District and to conceal from the Federal Election Commission and the public that he would be paid to perform that work. To make the illegal arrangement appear legitimate, Rowland drafted a sham consulting contract pursuant to which he would purportedly perform work for a separate corporate entity owned by the candidate.

• Kentrell Gaulden "NBA YoungBoy": In December 2024, the Louisiana rapper received a nearly two-year jail sentence on gun-related charges after he acknowledged possessing weapons despite being a convicted felon. He reached an agreement that resolved Utah state charges against him and settled two sets of federal charges against him. One carries a 23-month sentence, and the other orders five years of probation and a $200,000 fine. He was released from prison earlier this year.

• Mark C. Bashaw: The lieutenant was convicted in 2022 by a special court martial for violating COVID-19 orders. The judge sentenced him to no punishment.

• Tanner Mansell and John Moore: The shark divers were both convicted in 2022 of stealing fishing gear in federal waters.

• James and Marlene Kernan: The New York couple pleaded guilty to willfully employing a convicted felon at their business. They were placed on probation.

• Michael Harris: Harris was pardoned after Trump granted him clemency in 2021 after serving 33 years in jail for drug charges. Harris, one of the founders of the hip-hop label Death Row Records, endorsed Trump in the 2024 election.

• Kevin Eric Baisden

Trump also commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, an infamous Chicago gang founder who is serving multiple life sentences. Hoover has sought to shorten his sentence repeatedly in the last decade. He still faces essentially life in prison on a state murder conviction.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, was at ICE headquarters last week along with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and urged senior leaders at ICE and Homeland Security Investigations to step up their deportation efforts, according to sources familiar with the meeting.

The meeting was attended by senior ICE leaders and special agents in charge of Homeland Security Investigations and took place in person at ICE headquarters in Washington. Border czar Tom Homan was not at the meeting.

Miller told senior ICE leaders that the administration wants to triple the daily number of arrests that agents were making to 3,000 per day, according to sources.

Noem and special government employee Corey Lewandowski also spoke at the meeting and took a milder approach than Miller, who sources described as stern with agents.

In response to a question from ABC News about the meeting, a DHS spokesperson said,
"Under Secretary Noem, we are delivering on President Trump and the American people's mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens and make America safe."

The meeting was first reported by Axios.

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

President Donald Trump was visibly irritated when asked about Wall Street analysts creating a new term called the "TACO" trade.

"They're saying Trump always chickens out on the tariff threats," the reporter said.

Trump grew visibly angry and called the question "nasty." He argued that it was all part of his negotiations with the countries.

"You mean because I reduced China from 145%, [then] I said down to 100, then down to another number? And I said you have to open up your whole country and because, I gave the European Union a 50% tax tariff, and they called up and they said, 'Please, let's meet right now, please, let's meet right now.' ... You call that chickening out?" he said.