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.


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Trump picks new Secret Service director

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday the head of his protective security detail would serve as the new director of the U.S. Secret Service.

Sean Curran, a longtime Secret Service agent, began his career with the agency in 2001 as a special agent in the Newark Field Office, previously served as assistant special agent in charge of the Presidential Protective Division and was part of Trump's personal protective detail on July 13 when a gunman attempted to assassinate him.

"Sean is a Great Patriot, who has protected my family over the past few years, and that is why I trust him to lead the Brave Men and Women of the United States Secret Service," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

He added, "He proved his fearless courage when he risked his own life to help save mine from an assassin’s bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania. I have complete and total confidence in Sean to make the United States Secret Service stronger than ever before."

The former director of the agency, Kimberly Cheatle, came under scrutiny over the agency's failure to prevent the assassination attempt and later resigned.


Dems contend Trump 'does not back the blue, he backs the coup'

In the wake of President Trump’s pardons of Jan. 6 rioters, Democrats joined with two men who were assaulted by the mob -- retired U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn and Washington Metro Police Department officer Daniel Hodges -- to denounce the president’s actions.

“On Monday, Donald Trump decided that he wants to whitewash history, pretend that the riot of January 6 never happened, and that it was simply a peaceful walk through the Capitol. Unfortunately for him, video and photographs don't lie,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., said. “You cannot say you back the blue if you are going to let out of jail violent criminals who assaulted the blue.”

California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell added, “Nothing erases what they did, but we should erase this concept that Donald Trump and the Republican Party have the backs of law enforcement officers. “Donald Trump does not back the blue. He backs the coup, and this action makes that absolutely clear.”

Dunn, who retired from the USCP and ran an unsuccessful bid for Congress, denounced Trump’s actions.

“The Republican Party has long claimed to be the party of law and order, back the blue, however many lawmakers’ silence and refusal to push back against Donald Trump's actions make it incredibly hard to take that claim serious,” he said. “The winner writes history. He didn’t win. He's not going to. I'm not going away. That's it.”

After Republicans launched their own select subcommittee to investigate the events surrounding Jan. 6, Rep. Jason Crow, a member of the January 6 select committee who received a preemptive pardon from former President Joe Biden in the final moments of his presidency, called the newly minted panel “a farce that is intended to try to cover up their abuse of process.”

“It's another diversion. It's another distraction in an attempt to rewrite history, but also to confuse folks,” Crow, D-Colorado, said. “But you heard pretty clearly today that we're not confused and we're not distracted, nor will we be. We're going to continue to tell the story loudly, clearly, repeatedly, about the criminality, about the abuse, not just of power, but of our law enforcement of the blue and we're not going to stop.”

-ABC News’ John Parkinson


Federal employees told to report DEI programs

Employees across the federal government have received memos asking them to report any possible diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) programs. ABC News has learned of employees at the departments of Commerce, State and Homeland Security receiving the memos, as well as health agencies.

Trump issued an executive order after taking office ending DEI programs in the federal government.

"We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language," one of the memos read. "If you are aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances to DEIAtruth@opm.gov within 10 days."

Failure to report the information within 10 days could result in "adverse consequences," according to the memo.

-ABC News' MaryAlice Parks, Katherine Faulders and Luke Barr


Trump pardons 2 DC police officers convicted in man's death

Trump on Wednesday pardoned two former Washington, D.C., police officers who were sentenced to prison for the 2020 death of a D.C. man in a police chase.
According to the Department of Justice, Terence Sutton and Andrew Zabavsky were involved in a chase after Sutton spotted a man, later identified as Karon Hylton-Brown, riding a moped on a sidewalk without a helmet and gave chase. Sutton chased Hylton-Brown into an alley, the DOJ said, and as he exited the alley on to a street, he was hit and killed by another driver.

Sutton, who was an officer, and Zabavsky, then a lieutenant, then conspired to cover up what had happened, DOJ said in a release announcing their convictions, at one point turning off their body cameras to discuss the matter.

Sutton was convicted in September 2024 of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice and sentenced to 5 ½ years in prison. The same jury convicted Zabavsky of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice and he was sentenced to 4 years. Both were free on appeal.

"Well, we’re looking at two police officers, actually, that — Washington police officers — who went after an illegal. And things happened, and they ended up putting them in jail. They got five-year jail sentences. You know the case. And we’re looking at that in order to give them a — we got to give them a break," Trump said Monday, though Hylton-Jones was not in the U.S. illegally.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle