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Trump Announces 10% Global Tariff While Blasting SCOTUS Ruling

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President Donald Trump signs Executive Orders, Monday, February 10, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House photo by Abe McNatt)

President Donald Trump strongly criticised the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision that ruled he does not have the authority to levy sweeping tariffs under a specific emergency powers law, saying he will pursue “alternatives” to tariffs under the emergency law.

“Other alternatives will now be used to replace the ones that the court incorrectly rejected,” Trump said during a White House press briefing Friday afternoon. “We have alternatives. Great alternatives. Could be more money. We’ll take in more money, and we’ll be a lot stronger for it. We’re taking in hundreds of billions of dollars. We’ll continue to do so.”

The president also announced he is imposing a 10% “global tariff” following the court’s decision.

“Today I will sign an order to impose a 10% global tariff under section 122 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged,” Trump said. “And we’re also initiating several section 301 and other investigations to protect our country from unfair trading practices of other countries and companies.”

The Supreme Court blocked Trump’s tariffs levied under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in what amounts to a consequential test of the executive branch’s authority. 

Trump called the ruling “deeply disappointing,” saying he was “ashamed” of certain members of the court.

“I’m ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed, for not having the courage to do what’s right for our country,” the president said. “In actuality, I was very modest in my ask of other countries and businesses because… I wanted to be very well-behaved.

“I didn’t want to do anything that would affect the decision of the court, because I understand the court. I understand how they are very easily swayed. I want to be a good boy. I have very effectively utilized tariffs over the past year to make America great again,” he said.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Trump To Address UN After Secret Service Thwarts ‘Telecommunications Threat’ Near General Assembly

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    On Tuesday, Secret Service agents announced they had cracked a plot that could have crippled the telecommunications network in the nation’s largest city, as more than 150 world leaders convene this week in New York.

    The U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday that it “dismantled a network of electronic devices located throughout the New York tristate area that were used to conduct multiple telecommunications-related threats directed towards senior U.S. government officials.”

    The devices were concentrated within 35 miles of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City, it added.

    “This protective intelligence investigation led to the discovery of more than 300 co-located SIM servers and 100,000 SIM cards across multiple sites,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “In addition to carrying out anonymous telephonic threats, these devices could be used to conduct a wide range of telecommunications attacks. This includes disabling cell phone towers, enabling denial of services attacks and facilitating anonymous, encrypted communication between potential threat actors and criminal enterprises.”

    “While forensic examination of these devices is ongoing, early analysis indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals that are known to federal law enforcement,” it also said.

    The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Justice, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the New York Police Department and other state and local law enforcement partners are assisting with the investigation.

    U.S. Department of State from United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

    “The potential for disruption to our country’s telecommunications posed by this network of devices cannot be overstated,” U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said.

    “The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down and dismantled,” he added.

    The Secret Service also said: “Given the timing, location and potential for significant disruption to New York telecommunications posed by these devices, the agency moved quickly to disrupt this network.”

    President Donald Trump is set to address the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. 

    Trump’s remarks will center on “touting renewal of American strength around the world,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday, according to ABC News..

    “The president will also touch upon how globalist institutions have significantly decayed the world order, and he will articulate his straightforward and constructive vision for the world,” Leavitt said.

    It will be Trump’s first speech to the annual gathering since his return to office.

    On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron declared at the U.N. General Assembly that France will now recognize a Palestinian state.

    “The time for peace has come,” Macron said.

    Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke virtually before the U.N. General Assembly on Monday after the Trump administration revoked his U.S. visa last month to attend the conference in person.

    Abbas called on Hamas to surrender their weapons and he condemned the killings on Oct. 7, 2023. He also expressed readiness to work with Trump to implement a peace plan and called for a “permanent ceasefire.”

    Boebert Returns To Trump With Tail Between Her Legs

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    Rep. Lauren Boebert appeared to be making peace with President Donald Trump this week after finding herself in his crosshairs over her support for ousted Rep. Thomas Massie.

    Just days after Trump publicly threatened to yank his endorsement and potentially back a primary challenger against her, Boebert was back on social media loudly reaffirming her loyalty.

    “Trump is my President! Jesus is Lord!” she posted Tuesday night.

    The timing raised eyebrows.

    Boebert’s declaration came only hours after Massie — one of Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics in Congress — was defeated in Kentucky’s high-profile GOP primary by Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein.

    For many Republicans watching the race, the message was hard to miss: crossing Trump can carry a political price.

    The blowup started after Boebert traveled to Kentucky to campaign for Massie, a libertarian-leaning conservative who has repeatedly broken with Trump and Republican leadership on spending battles, surveillance issues, foreign policy fights, and the push to release files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

    Trump did not take kindly to seeing one of his longtime congressional allies standing shoulder-to-shoulder with one of his most frequent internal critics.

    “Anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!” Trump wrote over the weekend, before raising the possibility of pulling his own support for Boebert if the “right person” entered the race against her.

    For a politician long viewed as one of Trump’s fiercest defenders on Capitol Hill, it was a rare public dressing-down.

    Boebert initially tried to shrug off the clash.

    “Yes, I saw the President’s post. No, I’m not mad or offended,” she wrote after Trump’s comments. “I knew the risks when I agreed to stand by my friend Thomas Massie.”

    But after Massie’s defeat, Boebert’s latest message sounded less like defiance and more like a quick political reset.

    The dust-up highlights a reality becoming increasingly clear inside today’s GOP: policy disagreements may come and go, but Trump’s influence over Republican primaries remains a force few lawmakers seem eager to test.

    Massie’s defeat already is being viewed by many inside Republican circles as another reminder that even longtime conservatives with strong grassroots support can face serious trouble when Trump decides to make a race personal.

    Boebert appears to have gotten that message.

    And she didn’t wait long to send one back.

    Mike Lindell Resigns As MyPillow CEO

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    Mike Lindell via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Mike Lindell is stepping away from the company that made him a household name and putting his full attention on becoming Minnesota’s next governor.

    The MyPillow founder announced Tuesday that he had resigned as the company’s chief executive after 22 years, calling it “one of the biggest decisions of my life.”

    “I’m stepping down as CEO of MyPillow so I can devote 100% of my time and energy to my campaign for Governor of Minnesota,” Lindell said in a social media post. “Minnesota deserves my full attention, and that’s exactly what I’m giving it. I’m all in, and I can’t wait to earn your vote.”

    The transition goes beyond a change in title. According to a company announcement, Lindell has reduced his ownership to a minority stake. He will remain a shareholder and member of MyPillow’s board of directors but will no longer oversee day-to-day operations.

    James “Jim” Furlong, who served as MyPillow’s president from 2004 to 2019 and helped grow the Minnesota startup into a national brand, is returning as CEO. The company said its products, guarantees, Minnesota manufacturing and jobs will continue without interruption.

    “After 22 years of leading MyPillow, I know the company is ready for its next chapter and I know Minnesota cannot wait,” Lindell said in the company statement. “This decision is not about walking away. It is about stepping forward to serve.”

    The move comes at a pivotal moment in the Republican contest. Minnesota’s primary is set for August 11, with early voting already underway. Lindell’s leading rivals include Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and businessman and Army veteran Kendall Qualls, who secured the state Republican Party’s endorsement.

    Lindell, however, carries the endorsement of President Donald Trump. In a July 15 Truth Social post, Trump called the entrepreneur “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots” and gave him his “complete and total” endorsement.

    The latest KSTP/SurveyUSA poll placed Lindell ahead of the principal GOP field with 35% support, followed by Demuth at 26% and Qualls at 11%. The poll still left more than a quarter of voters supporting another candidate or undecided, leaving room for movement in the closing days.

    The eventual Republican nominee will compete for an open seat. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz ended his bid for a third term in January amid mounting scrutiny of fraud involving state-administered programs. Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is widely viewed as the favorite for her party’s nomination.

    Lindell’s rise as a national political figure has also brought years of courtroom fights tied to his claims about the 2020 election. In September 2025, a federal judge ruled that statements Lindell made about voting technology company Smartmatic were false and defamatory, while leaving the questions of actual malice and damages for later proceedings. Lindell has also appealed a separate $2.3 million defamation verdict involving former Dominion Voting Systems employee Eric Coomer.

    For Lindell, resigning from MyPillow turns his campaign’s central argument into a personal wager: The businessman who built his public identity around his company is now betting that Minnesota voters want him in the governor’s office instead.

    With less than a week before the primary, Lindell says there is no divided focus left.

    “I’m all in.”

    Polar Vortex Forces Trump Swearing-In Ceremony Indoors

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      P0120021CK-1111: President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

      Change of plans…

      A dangerous winter storm has prompted President Donald Trump’s swearing-in ceremony to be moved indoors.

      Brutal cold and ferocious winds are forecast for the D.C. region on Monday, with temperatures expected to hover just over 20 degrees, the Washington Post reported.

      The Inaugural Committee has yet to comment on the move.

      This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

      Supreme Court Allows Trump To Partially Enforce Birthright Citizenship Order

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        Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

        Just in…

        The Supreme Court granted a partial stay Friday of President Donald Trump’s request to block lower courts from issuing universal injunctions, granting a par victory for the administration as it looks to execute many of its top priorities via executive order and action. 

        In a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines allowed President Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship to go into effect in some areas of the country, for now, by curtailing judges’ ability to block the president’s policies nationwide. 

        Ruling that three federal district judges went too far in issuing nationwide injunctions against Trump’s order, the high court’s decision claws back a key tool that plaintiffs have used to hamper the president’s agenda in dozens of lawsuits. 

        But it does not yet definitively resolve whether Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship are constitutional, a hefty legal question that could ultimately return to the justices. 

        “The applications do not raise—and thus we do not address—the question whether the Executive Order violates the Citizenship Clause or Nationality Act,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett said, writing for the majority. “The issue before us is one of remedy: whether, under the Judiciary Act of 1789, federal courts have equitable authority to issue universal injunctions.”

        “A universal injunction can be justified only as an exercise of equitable authority, yet Congress has granted federal courts no such power,” she added.

        This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

        Trump Announces Plan To Drop Sanctions On Syria

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        By The White House from Washington, DC - President Trump and The First Lady Participate in an Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony, Public Domain,

        President Donald Trump announced the United States will soon drop sanctions against Syria.

        During lengthy remarks on Tuesday, Trump laid out his vision for the Middle East, sharing a major announcement: He intends to drop sanctions against Syria.

        “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness,” Trump said in a speech in Saudi Arabia, his first stop on the first international tour of his second term in office. 

        “In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that we must all hope will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” he said. “So I say good luck, Syria.”

        The nation was cut off from the global financial system under ousted President Bashar al-Assad’s government, imposed during 14 years of civil war. 

        Trump called the sanctions “brutal and crippling” but “important” at the time.

        Trump said both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Erdoğan had encouraged him to lift the sanctions. 

        “Oh, what I do for the crown prince,” Trump quipped. 

        U.S. sanctions had slapped financial penalties on any foreign individual or company that provided material support to the Syrian government and prohibited anyone in the U.S. from dealing in any Syrian entity, including oil and gas, and Syrian banks were effectively cut off from global financial systems. 

        Trump also revealed he has invited Saudi Arabia to join his historic Abraham Accords.

        “It has been an amazing thing, the Abraham Accords,” Trump said at a Saudi Arabia investment conference. “And it’s my fervent hope, wish, and even my dream that Saudi Arabia, a place I have so much respect for … will soon be joining the Abraham Accords. I think it will be a tremendous tribute to your country.”

        Trump negotiated the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, at the end of his first term in office. Now, he is hoping to see Saudi Arabia join it as well.

        During lengthy remarks, Trump laid out his vision for the Middle East. Minutes later, he made a second major announcement: He intends to drop sanctions against Syria.

        House GOP Moves To Censure Congressman After Interrupting Trump Speech – Again

        Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

        A new effort is underway among House Republicans to censure Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) after he was removed from President Donald Trump’s primetime address for the second consecutive year.

        Green was ejected from Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday night just minutes after the president entered the House chamber. As Trump approached the podium, Green stood holding a sign that read, in all capital letters, “Black people are not apes.” He remained standing with the sign visible as the president began speaking, prompting intervention by the Sergeant at Arms.

        Rep. Mike Rulli (R-Ohio) told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that he is seeking support for a formal censure resolution against Green.

        “His shenanigans at the State of the Union were uncalled for,” Rulli said. “We can’t really put up with that kind of conduct in Congress. Something had to be done.”

        Rulli added, “I’m looking for as many co-sponsors from our conference as possible. And I’m reaching across the aisle for anyone over there that was embarrassed by their own guy.”

        According to the text of Rulli’s resolution, first obtained by Fox News Digital, Green’s actions constituted a “breach of conduct.” The resolution further notes that it “was the second time in less than a year that the Representative from Texas had to be removed from the chamber by the Sergeant at Arms due to unpatriotic disruptions that violated numerous House rules related to decorum.”

        This is not the first time Green has faced formal rebuke from the House. In March 2025, the House of Representatives voted to censure him after he disrupted a previous presidential address by waving his cane and shouting over Trump as the president attempted to deliver his remarks. Ten Democrats joined Republicans in passing that resolution.

        Green has long been one of Trump’s most vocal critics in Congress. During Trump’s first term, Green repeatedly introduced articles of impeachment against the president, beginning as early as 2017. His efforts, which cited allegations ranging from obstruction of justice to rhetoric he characterized as discriminatory or inflammatory, were unsuccessful and did not advance out of the House. While Democrats later pursued separate impeachment proceedings that led to two Senate trials, Green’s early impeachment resolutions did not gain sufficient support within his own party to move forward.

        Following his removal Tuesday night, Green defended his actions.

        “I refuse to tolerate this level of hate that the president is in fact putting into policy. We must take a stand against this level of invidious discrimination,” Green told reporters.

        “I wanted him to know, and I wanted them to see it and hear it. Up close. But judging from the expression on his face, he got the message. He saw it,” Green said.

        Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stopped short of committing to a vote on Rulli’s latest censure resolution but indicated he would allow members to decide.

        “Al Green was removed pretty quickly. I don’t know if censure is going to be appropriate. I’ll let our colleagues decide that,” Johnson said. “The point of a censure, is to bring someone to the House floor and bring shame upon them for their actions. I think they showed the American people shame already.”

        Senator Announces She Will Not Seek Reelection

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          Minnesota Democrat Senator Tina Smith announced on Thursday she will not run for re-election when her term ends, blowing the Senate race wide open.

          In a video posted on X, the 66-year-old senator said her decision is “not political” but based on a desire to “spend more time with [her] family.”

          Smith has served in the Senate since 2018 after she won a special election to replace former Sen. Al Franken, who resigned following sexual misconduct allegations against him.

          Watch:

          “This decision is not political,” Smith said. “It is entirely personal, but it’s not lost on me that our country is in need of strong progressive leadership, right now maybe more than ever.”

          “So, there are two things on my mind about this,” she continued. “The first is that I have nearly two full years left in my Senate term, and I plan to use every single day working to represent your interests in the United States Senate. … And also, since I don’t have to worry about running a re-election campaign, I can focus entirely on this job right now.”

          Smith added that Minnesota Democrats have a “deep bench of political talent.” Democrats have held both Minnesota Senate seats since 2009.

          According to Cook Political Report’s first 2026 Senate forecast, Democrats are “likely” going to keep her seat, however, the party’s longtime hold on the state has shown signs of slipping in recent elections. In the 2024 presidential election, former Vice President Kamala Harris won Minnesota by just four percentage points after former President Joe Biden won the state by seven points in 2020. Smith won her 2020 re-election bid by five points.

          Last month, Democrat Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan announced he also would not seek re-election in 2026. (RELATED: Michigan Senator Gary Peters Will Not Seek Reelection, Leaving Key Senate Seat Open)

          “I always thought there would be a time that I would step aside and pass the reins for the next generation. I also never saw service in Congress as something you do your whole life,” Peters said.

          Trump Official Refers New York AG Letitia James For Prosecution – Again

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          Alec Perkins from Hoboken, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

          A senior Trump administration official has made new criminal referrals against New York Attorney General Letitia James.

          Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said in a letter Wednesday to prosecutors in Florida that James may have falsified information on a homeowner’s insurance application submitted to Fort Lauderdale-based Universal Property Insurance. In a separate letter to prosecutors in Illinois, Pulte alleged that James may have also provided false information on an application to Allstate.

          The referrals mark the latest development in a series of legal actions pursued by officials in President Trump’s administration against James, a longtime political adversary. In a Truth Social post Wednesday night, President Trump wrote that James had been “referred again for criminal prosecution for alleged homeowner insurance fraud.”

          One of the referrals was sent to Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. Quiñones is currently leading an investigation into Obama-era officials, including former CIA Director John Brennan, related to intelligence findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to benefit Trump. Last year, Quiñones also sought records connected to special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump.

          The second referral was sent to Andrew Boutros, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.

          Abbe Lowell, an attorney for James, rejected the allegations and criticized the administration’s actions.

          “abusing their power to pursue a vendetta against her by trying to rename, refile, and repeat baseless allegations.”

          “These desperate tactics will fail — just as every previous attempt has failed — and exposes an Administration that has abandoned its responsibility to the American people in favor of petty political payback,” Lowell said.

          The new referrals follow a previously dismissed federal case against James. Last fall, she was charged in federal court with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution, based on allegations that she misrepresented details about a property in Virginia to secure more favorable mortgage terms. James denied wrongdoing, and the charges were later dismissed.

          The earlier indictment came after Pulte referred James for possible mortgage fraud, though the charges ultimately focused on a different property than the one cited in his referral. A federal judge dismissed the case in November, ruling that interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan had been unlawfully appointed. A separate case brought by Halligan against former FBI Director James Comey was also dismissed, and two federal grand juries later declined to re-indict James on bank fraud charges.

          According to the original indictment, James purchased a Virginia home in 2020 using a mortgage that required the property to be used as a second residence, but she allegedly rented it out as an investment property to obtain a lower interest rate.

          James has argued that she is being targeted for political reasons, particularly after she sued Trump in civil court during the period between his presidential terms. A New York judge found Trump and his company liable for fraud and ordered them to pay hundreds of millions of dollars, though an appellate court later overturned the financial judgment.

          In court filings last year, James’s attorneys accused Pulte of using the Federal Housing Finance Agency — which oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — as a “weapon to be brandished against President Trump’s political enemies.”

          CBS News previously reported that prosecutors have also examined financial transactions between James and her longtime hairdresser, Iyesata Marsh, as part of a separate line of inquiry. Pulte has since sought a protective security detail, citing threats he said were connected to the case.