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.
Latest headlines:
- White House excludes low-value shipments from looming Canada, Mexico tariffs
- Kennedy stops short of calling for vaccines amid measles outbreak
- Intel community has concerns Russia, China could target fired employees
- Trump's doctor says he'll have annual physical exam 'next month'
- White House backs Israel blocking aid to Gaza
Zelenskyy speech at DC think tank canceled
Zelenskyy was slated to give remarks and participate in a "fireside chat" at the conservative Hudson Institute think tank in Washington, D.C., on Friday afternoon, but the event has been canceled.
Zelenskyy was going to "discuss U.S.-Ukrainian relations, the state of the war, and the path forward for Ukraine," according to the institute.
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
'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
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.”
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