Trump pauses Mexico and Canada tariffs for one month in exchange for tighter border security: Live updates

Several reports indicate Trump and his team will begin to tackle re-vamping the Department of Education, a target during his presidential campaign.

Some Republicans have championed for Trump to get rid of the Department of Education – a policy also part of Project 2025. However, it would require congressional approval.

Instead, Trump and his team may look at ways to defund the department or drastically reduce its size.

In a post on X on Monday night, Elon Musk seemed receptive to a highly controversial proposal to ship U.S. prisoners to El Salvador, a country which human rights observers have accused of violating human rights and carrying out mass arbitrary detention as part of a crackdown on violent and gang crime.

“Great idea!” Musk said, in response to a post from Salvadorian president Nayib Bukele, proposing to “take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is currently visiting El Salvador as part of a Central American tour.

President Donald Trump touted that Canada would implement stronger border policies in exchange for pausing sweeping 25 percent tariffs on the U.S.’s northern neighbor, but some of those policies have already been in place.

In December, Canada announced a $1.3 billion investment in expanding drug detection technology and Canadian law enforcement at the border.

The new addition will be the appointment of a fentanyl czar, listing cartels as terrorists and launching a U.S. – Canada Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering.

The U.S. stock markets have finished down after President Donald Trump agreed to delay implementing trade tariffs on Mexico and Canada.

Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 122 points, and the NASDAQ fell about 235 points. The S&P 500 sank by 0.76 percent, following similar losses for markets across Asia and Europe.

The U.S. stock market had been on track for a much worse loss itself amid worries about how much pain U.S. companies would feel because of the tariffs.

Following an early morning slump, Trump agreed to delay implementing a 25 percent tax on Mexican and Canadian imports.

President Donald Trump welcomed Rupert Murdoch to the Oval Office on Monday to witness him sign an executive order establishing a sovereign wealth fund. The president then proceeded to trash Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal while the right-wing media mogul looked on.

With Oracle founder and conservative megadonor Larry Ellison also on hand, the president declared that the executive order could help initiate the purchase of TikTok from the Chinese-based ByteDance. “I think it’s about time that this country had a sovereign wealth fund,” said Trump, who wants the U.S. to own a portion of the social media platform.

Bill Gates has opened up about his relationship with Elon Musk, saying that despite their differences he hopes to collaborate with his fellow billionaire.

“He’s been nice to me at times, and mean to me at times,” the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist told The Independent. “I will try and work with him because he’s brilliant, he’s rich, he’s influential.”

However, they have also sparred in public, with Musk criticizing Gates for taking a short position on Tesla stock. He has also said Gates’s understanding of AI is “limited.”

Speaking to The Independent ahead of the publication of his memoir Source Code, Gates said he admired Musk for many reasons. “I’m in awe of the great work he did at SpaceX and Tesla,” said Gates. “The fact that Tesla kind of forced the car industry to do great EVs is a gigantic contribution.”

Until a few days ago, most Americans might have gone their entire lives without hearing of the US Agency for International Development, the little-known government organization.

But for millions in poverty living around the world, the agency that Elon Musk has been attacking has been a crucial lifeline by providing needed humanitarian aid and other assistance — and for the United States, it has been a key element of soft power that has helped it counter the ambitions of authoritarian regimes for decades.

Sen. Susan Collins, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, announced that she would vote to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to be President Donald Trump’s director of National Intelligence.

In a statement Monday, Collins explained her rationale, saying specifically that Gabbard had answered Collins’s questions about Edward Snowden, who leaked information to the press about US surveillance programs.

“In response to my questions during our discussion in my office and at the open hearing, as well as through her explanation at the closed hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Ms. Gabbard addressed my concerns regarding her views on Edward Snowden. I look forward to working with Ms. Gabbard to strengthen our national security,” she said in a statement.

During her confirmation hearing, Gabbard cited how Collins led to the creation of ODNI. Collins had expressed reservations about Gabbard’s views on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the US government to gather intelligence on non-Americans outside the United States.

But in the statement, she said Gabbard had answered her concerns.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed leaders in Congress that he delegated Peter Marocco to oversee the U.S Agency for International Development

Marocco is a Trump appointee who served at USAID during the first Trump administration.

Members of the House and Senate rallied in front of the Ronald Reagan Building which houses USAID.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen told reporters that he and other Democrats were not allowed into the building. He said he would work with Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii to block State Department nominees as long as USAID is in danger.