The Latest: Business leaders warn Trump tariffs will raise prices for US consumers

President Donald Trump announced plans for sweeping tariffs Wednesday, saying “our country has been looted, pillaged, raped, plundered” by other nations.

The aggressive rhetoric came as Trump showed a willingness to dismantle a global economic system that the United States helped to build after World War II. Trump held up a chart while speaking, showing the United States would charge a 34% tax on imports from China, a 20% tax on imports from the European Union, 25% on South Korea, 24% on Japan and 32% on Taiwan.

“Taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years,” Trump said in remarks at the White House. “But it is not going to happen anymore.”

Here’s the latest:

Scientists sue NIH, saying politics cut their research funding

A group of scientists and health groups are suing the National Institutes of Health, arguing that an “ideological purge” of research funding is illegal and threatens medical cures.

Since Trump took office, hundreds of NIH research grants have been abruptly canceled for science that mentions the words diversity, gender and vaccine hesitancy, as well as other politically charged topics.

That has led to grants being cut that fund studies of HIV prevention, violence prevention in children, pregnancy health disparities and Alzheimer’s disease, among others, according to the lawsuit.

The suit aims to restore the money and end the terminations, arguing they violate NIH’s usual science-based review process, specific orders from Congress to tackle health equity and disparities, and federal regulations.

The suit was filed by the American Public Health Association, unions representing scientists and some researchers who were stripped of grants. The Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment.

Economist analyst says Mexico and Canada may benefit from Trump’s tariff announcement

Mexico and Canada, excluded from the list of reciprocal tariffs due to the trilateral free trade agreement between the countries, may stand to gain by Trump’s announcement, said Gabriela Siller, economic analyst of the Mexican financial group Banco Base.

Mexico is still affected by a number of more limited tariffs on steel and aluminum and may be subject to tariffs down the line as the administration continues to put pressure on the country to control fentanyl production and migration.

But dodging broader measures by the Trump administration on Wednesday could give Mexico a competitive market edge “despite Trump’s protectionist rhetoric,” Siller said.

“It’s bad news for the world,” Siller said. “Still, it’s good news for Mexico. … Tariffs will surely lower what (these countries) sell to the United States. That opens up an opportunity in the market.”

US card game company says new tariffs are a ‘disaster for everyone’

Alfred Mai, the founder and CEO of ASM Games, a card game company in San Francisco that sources all of its items in China, called the new tariffs a “disaster for everyone — my business, American small businesses across the board, American consumers.”

He said the 34% tax on Chinese goods is occurring as he is about to place his big order for the fourth quarter, which accounts for 60% to 70% of his business.

“My only hope now is that they negotiate out of this before the first shipments come in to U.S. ports for Christmas sales,” he said. “There’s no other action I can take at this point outside of hoping.”

Otherwise, Mai said he will be forced to raise prices or reduce quality.

US seafood industry leader says tariffs will raise costs and threaten American jobs

The U.S. imports about 80% of its seafood, most of which will now face much higher duties.

“Tariffs will raise the cost of seafood, making the healthiest animal protein on the planet less available and more expensive,” said Lisa Wallenda Picard, president and CEO of the National Fisheries Institute. “Meanwhile, the tariffs could threaten many of the 1.6 million American jobs that, according to the federal government, U.S. commercial seafood companies support.”

The leading sources of U.S. seafood include Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia and Vietnam. India will now face tariffs of 26%, Trump said, while Vietnam has been hit with a 46% tariff.

US toy industry leader says he must raise prices following Trump’s tariffs on China

Basic Fun CEO Jay Foreman, whose company is behind such classic toys as Tonka trucks, Lincoln Logs and Care Bears, has been working hard to come up with new ways to cut tariff-related costs like reducing packaging and eliminating batteries with the products.

But Trump’s announcement that he plans a 34% increase in tariffs on Chinese imports has solidified his decision to hike prices. Most of the company’s toys are made in China. He said the Tonka Mighty Dump Truck will go from $29.99 to $39.99 this holiday season, possibly even $45.

“There is no other way,” he said.

US restaurant industry leader says Trump’s tariffs will increase prices for diners

Michelle Korsmo, the president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, said the tariffs come at an especially difficult time for the U.S. restaurant industry, which has seen food costs rise 40% over the last five years.

Tariffs will further increase food, beverage and packaging costs and push up prices for diners, Korsmo said, adding that operators also worry about the continuing availability of fresh, imported ingredients.

“Restaurant operators source as many domestic ingredients as they can, but it’s simply not possible for U.S. farmers and ranchers to produce the volumes needed to support consumer demand,” Korsmo said in a statement.

Italy premier calls Trump’s tariffs on the EU ‘wrong’

Italy’s conservative Premier Giorgia Meloni said the introduction by the U.S. of new tariffs against the European Union is a “wrong” measure that doesn’t favor either side.

“We will do everything we can to work towards an agreement with the United States, with the aim of avoiding a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favor of other global players,” Meloni said in a Facebook post. “In any case, as always, we will act in the interest of Italy and its economy, also by discussing with other European partners.”

Trump slaps 30% tariff on South African goods

He said for the 60% in tariffs that South Africa was imposing on U.S. goods, the U.S. would apply a 30% reciprocal tariff on South African goods into the U.S. These products include products such as textiles and agricultural goods like citrus fruits. He repeated his claim that there were “bad things happening in South Africa”.

“We’re paying them billions of dollars, and we’ve cut the funding because a lot of bad things are happening in South Africa,” he said.

Economist Miyelani Mkhabela said the 30% tariffs were directly linked to the Trump administration’s diplomatic fallout with South Africa.

“The United States has become unpredictable, unreliable, and oppressively destroying the African continent,” Mkhabela said.

South Africa’s trade and industry minister Parks Tau said South Africa would seek a meeting with U.S. officials to discuss the latest developments.

Trump takes aim at ‘de minimis’ exceptions on goods imported from China

Trump has signed an executive order that the White House said would close a “loophole” on small-ticket imported goods from China.

The action seeks to scrap exceptions that had shieled from tariffs imported goods from China worth less than $800.

This is legally known as the “de minimis” treatment. It suggests that the cost of what’s being imported was too low to merit a tariff.

Trump’s action means goods from China would no longer get the exception.

His new round of sweeping tariffs also seeks to end similar exceptions for imports from all countries, but only once the U.S. government has the personnel to properly process such imports.

That means imported goods from most of the world worth less than $800 would eventually also lose their exceptions.

Trump’s tariffs hit Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

The makers of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese said the additional 20% tariff would raise to 35% duties on imports of the Italian hard cheese to the United States, its chief export market with a 22.5% share.

“Certainly the news does not make us happy, but Parmigiano Reggiano is a premium product and the increase in price does not automatically lead to a reduction in consumption,” Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, said in a statement.

He said they intend to negotiate in a bid to drop the additional tariff since Italian Parmigiano Reggiano — made exclusively with milk produced in a defined area of the Emilia Romagna region and aged for at least 12 months — is not in competition with U.S.-made parmesan cheese. He called it “absurd” to hit a product like Parmigiano Reggiano to protect the American market.

British government says US remains UK’s ‘closest ally’ despite tariffs

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the government hoped to strike a trade deal to “mitigate the impact” of the 10% tariffs on British goods imposed by Trump.

The U.K. government has been negotiating with the U.S. on a trade deal in hope of escaping import taxes.

Reynolds said “the U.S. is our closest ally, so our approach is to remain calm and committed.”

British officials have said they will not immediately retaliate, an approach backed by the Confederation of British Industry, a major business group.

“U.K. firms need a measured and proportionate approach which avoids further escalation, the group’s CEO, Rain Newton-Smith, said. “Retaliation will only add to supply chain disruption, slow down investment, and stoke volatility in prices.”

Stock markets fall following Trump’s tariff announcement

The tariff levels are higher than many economists anticipated, causing stock markets to fall in after-hours trading.

“This is clearly worse news on tariffs than we had forecast,” said Michael Pearce, deputy chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, a consulting firm.

Pearce said he will raise his forecast for inflation this year and reduce his expectation for growth in the wake of Trump. He was already forecasting inflation to top 3% later this year, from roughly 2.5% now.

Trump wraps up his tariff announcement speech

The president has wrapped up his speech announcing sweeping tariffs on U.S. trade partners after about 45 minutes.

“I think you’re going to remember today,” he said toward the end, predicting that the public might look back on his economic policies and conclude he was right. That’s despite many experts predicting his policies will mean major upheaval for the U.S. economy.

Trump says his ‘reciprocal’ tariff rates are ‘kind’ and could have been much steeper

Trump is calling his tariff policy “kind reciprocal,” saying he could’ve been much harsher on U.S. trading partners.

The president said the tariff rates he’s imposing, steep as they are, don’t match the levies that some countries impose on U.S. exporters. He’s calling the rates he chose the “discounted reciprocal tariff.”

Trump suggests that US income tax, and moving away from tariffs, helped fuel the Great Depression

Trump used his tariff speech to again champion the Gilded Age.

As he has repeatedly since starting his second term, Trump suggested that the U.S. was at its wealthiest when it was a “tariff nation” between 1870 and 1913.

He added that “for reasons unknown to mankind,” the U.S. went to income tax in 1913.

Trump suggested that the 1930s’ Great Depression was fueled by the U.S. going to an income tax and away from tariffs.

Economists and historians say the U.S. did grow between 1870 and 1913, but that was mostly due to immigration and was wracked by inequality.

Full list of Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs

This is the full list of what Trump is calling “reciprocal” tariffs:

1. China: 34%

2. European Union: 20%

3. South Korea: 25%

4. India: 26%

5. Vietnam: 46%

6. Taiwan: 32%

7. Japan: 24%

8. Thailand: 36%

9. Switzerland: 31%

10. Indonesia: 32%

11. Malaysia: 24%

12. Cambodia: 49%

13. United Kingdom: 10%

14. South Africa: 30%

15. Brazil: 10%

16. Bangladesh: 37%

17. Singapore: 10%

18. Israel: 17%

19. Philippines: 17%

20. Chile: 10%

21. Australia: 10%

22. Pakistan: 29%

23. Turkey: 10%

24. Sri Lanka: 44%

25. Colombia: 10%

Trump: ‘This is one of the most important days’ in American history

“It’s our declaration of economic independence,” Trump said in announcing a barrage of tariffs. “For years, hardworking American citizens were forced to sit on the sidelines as other nations got rich and powerful, much of it at our expense. But now it’s our turn to prosper.”

U.S. financial markets have been unsettled in anticipation of Trump’s tariff announcement. Trump insists the moves will strengthen the U.S. economy, even as many experts worry it could lead to higher prices for most American consumers.

Trump announces the latest in a series of deals with a major law firm

The newest one concerns Milbank LLP, which the White House says will dedicate at least $100 million in pro bono legal services to causes the Trump administration supports.

The firm also agreed to take on clients without regard to political affiliation and to engage in merit-based hiring and promotion decisions.

Trump’s executive orders over the last month have injected turmoil into the legal community. They’ve threatened firms with the suspensions of attorneys’ security clearances as well as the termination of federal contracts and restrictions on building access for firm employees.

Some firms, like Milbank, have reached preemptive deals with the White House to avert an order. Others, including WilmerHale, Perkins Coie and Jenner & Block, have challenged them in court.

Wall Street swings sharply in final hours of trading before Trump’s tariff announcement

The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in late trading Wednesday, but only after careening between an earlier loss of 1.1% and a later gain of 1.1%. It’s had a pattern this week of opening with sharp drops only to finish the day higher.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 31 points, or 0.1%, with an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% higher. Both also veered from sharply lower in the morning to sharply higher in the afternoon and then doubled back.

Elon Musk’s Tesla helped knock the market around after initially falling more than 6% following a report that it delivered fewer electric vehicles in the first three months of the year than it did in last year’s first quarter.

▶ Read more about the financial markets

Outrage grows over Maryland man’s mistaken deportation to El Salvador prison

In the 22 days since Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to a notoriously violent prison in El Salvador, his young autistic son has sought comfort in the scent of his missing father’s clothes.

“Although he cannot speak, he shows me how much he missed Kilmar,” Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, said in court documents. “He has been finding Kilmar’s work shirts and smelling them, to smell Kilmar’s familiar scent. He has been crying and acting out more than usual.”

Abrego Garcia, 29, was pulled over in an Ikea parking lot and arrested March 12, with his 5-year-old son in the car.

Trump’s administration acknowledged Monday that sending Abrego Garcia to his native El Salvador was an “administrative error.” An immigration judge in 2019 had granted him protection from being deported back to El Salvador, where Abrego Garcia was likely to face persecution by local gangs.

▶ Read more about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation

RFK Jr. adviser’s defense of deep cuts to federal health department met with shouts and hissing

Special government employee Calley Means, an adviser to the health secretary, defended Kennedy’s reorganization of the nation’s health department Wednesday, a day after thousands of federal health employees were laid off.

Means said the department has a “record of utter failure,” while speaking at a forum that brought together health industry insiders, lobbyists and politicians.

His comments were sometimes met with hisses and shouts from the audience.

“Any business if you went into it with the metrics that HHS has overseen, with skyrocketing costs and worse and worse outcomes … you would of course fire a bunch of people,” Means said.

RFK Jr. remains quiet on 10,000 jobs lost at nation’s top health department

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. offered no new details Wednesday about his massive restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Kennedy’s silence is prompting a bipartisan request for the health secretary to explain the cuts before a Senate committee next week.

As many as 10,000 notices were sent to scientists, senior leaders, doctors, inspectors and others across the department in an effort to cut a quarter of its workforce. The agency has offered no specifics, with the information instead coming largely from employees who have been dismissed.

“This overhaul is about realigning HHS with its core mission: to stop the chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy said on social media, in his only comments addressing the layoffs so far. “It’s a win-win for taxpayers, and for every American we serve.”

The move, the department has said, is expected to save $1.8 billion from the agency’s $1.7 trillion annual budget — about one-tenth of 1%.

▶Read more about the realignment at HHS

Supreme Court appears divided over a Planned Parenthood funding case

The Supreme Court appeared divided Wednesday over whether states should be able cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood — a case that comes amid a wider push from abortion opponents to defund the nation’s leading abortion provider.

Low-income patients who rely on Planned Parenthood for things such as contraception, cancer screenings and pregnancy testing could see their care upended if the court sides with South Carolina leaders who say no public money should go to the organization.

The legal question before the court — whether Medicaid patients can continue to sue over the right to choose their own qualified provider — could have wider effects.

▶ Read more about the Supreme Court hearing

Law firms fear Trump orders could affect security clearances

Trump says executive orders targeting law firms are being issued in the name of national security, with the White House asserting that the firms don’t deserve access to sensitive U.S. government information.

But the firms fear the orders are written so broadly as to potentially weaken national security by calling into question the status of security clearances of lawyers who, in addition to their legal practice, serve as military reservists and require their clearances to report to duty.

It’s an example of the sweeping and sometimes unintended consequences of White House efforts to reshape civil society, with those affected in some instances not necessarily being the ones who were top of mind when the Trump administration announced the actions.

A White House spokesman pointed to the provision of the order saying the clearances are to be suspended “pending a review of whether such clearances are consistent with the national interest.”

Amazon wants to buy TikTok

Amazon has put in a bid to buy TikTok — an 11th hour pitch that comes as a U.S. ban on the platform is set to take effect Saturday, a Trump administration official said Wednesday.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Amazon bid was made in an offer letter addressed to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Trump has suggested he could further extend the pause on the ban, but he has also said he expects a deal to be struck by Saturday.

— By Aamer Madhani

DOGE days are over?

After a few months of shaking up Washington with DOGE, Trump has made it clear that he’s ready to move on.

Trump has been praising Elon Musk’s work but suggesting that he’ll be going back to running his companies. In addition, he told reporters that DOGE “will end.”

The White House has not set a timeline for Musk’s exit, and DOGE was never supposed to be a permanent part of the government. However, it appears to be winding down faster than originally anticipated.

Musk recently told Fox News that he hopes to accomplish his cost cutting goals in the near future.

US imposes sanctions on a network of alleged Houthi financial facilitators

The sanctions include people, firms and ships from Russia, Turkey and other nations who are accused of working in coordination with sanctioned Houthi finance official Sa’id al-Jamal.

The Treasury Department says the network has procured tens of millions of dollars’ worth of commodities from Russia, including weapons and sensitive goods, as well as stolen Ukrainian grain, for shipment to Houthi-controlled Yemen. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control also identified eight digital asset wallets used by the Houthis to transfer funds.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday’s action “underscores our commitment to degrading the Houthis’ ability to threaten the region through their destabilizing activities.”

The Treasury Department announcement includes the deletion of Karina Yurevna Rotenberg from the sanctions list. Rotenberg, also known as Karina Gapchuk Fox, is the wife of Russian oligarch Boris Rotenberg — a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says, ‘This is not Liberation Day. It’s Recession Day’

Jeffries told reporters Wednesday that Trump’s rollout of new tariffs would increase prices and ultimately drive the United States into a recession.

Trump is calling today “Liberation Day,” arguing the new tariffs would free the country from unfair trade practices.

“This is not Liberation Day,” Jeffries, a Democrat, said. “It’s Recession Day in the United States of America.”

Trump pressures Senate Republicans to oppose resolution that would nullify Canada tariffs

Senate Republicans are facing pressure Wednesday from Trump to oppose the Democratic resolution that would nullify the presidential emergency on fentanyl he’s using to implement tariffs on Canada.

Just hours before Trump was set to announce his plan for “reciprocal tariffs” on China, Mexico and Canada, the Senate was expected to vote on a resolution that offers Republicans an off-ramp to the import taxes on Canada. It’s a significant test for Republican loyalty to Trump’s vision of remaking the U.S. economy by clamping down on free trade. Many economists are warning the plan could force an economic contraction and GOP senators are already watching with unease.

The votes of at least four Republicans — Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rand Paul of Kentucky — were in doubt ahead of the vote.

▶ Read more about the Senate resolution on tariffs

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum maintains optimistic tone in face of promised new tariffs

It comes as her government has sought “preferential treatment” by the Trump administration because of a free-trade agreement between the two nations and Canada.

Sheinbaum said she would wait to take action Thursday when it was clear how Trump’s announcement would affect Mexico, and that her government was constantly in contact with his administration.

“It’s not a question of if you impose tariffs on me, I’m going to impose tariffs on you,” she said in a news briefing Wednesday. “Our interest is in strengthening the Mexican economy.”

Economic forecasters have warned that broader 25% tariffs could thrust Mexico’s economy into a recession.

Italy’s premier reiterates call to avoid a commercial war between Europe and US

She stressed that it would harm both sides and would have “heavy” consequences for the Italian economy.

“I remain convinced that we must work to avoid in all possible ways a trade war that would not benefit anyone, neither the United States nor Europe,” Giorgia Meloni said at a public event celebrating Italian food and agricultural products.

Meloni added, however, that her view “does not exclude, if necessary, having to also imagine adequate responses to defend our productions,” in reference to a possible European response to President Trump’s much-awaited announcement on new trade tariffs.

No one is challenging Trump’s executive order that keeps TikTok running

After TikTok was banned in the U.S. earlier this year, Trump gave the platform a reprieve, barreling past a law that was passed in Congress and upheld unanimously by the Supreme Court that said the ban was necessary for national security.

The Republican president’s executive orders have spurred more than 130 lawsuits in the little more than two months he has been in office, but this one barely generated a peep. None of those suits challenges his temporary block of the 2024 law that banned the popular social video app after the deadline passed for it to be sold by ByteDance, its China-based parent company.

Few of the 431 members of the House of Representatives and the Senate who voted for the law have complained.

Despite a bipartisan consensus about the risk to national security posed by TikTok’s ties to China, “it’s as if nothing ever happened,” said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute.

▶ Read more about Trump’s executive order on TikTok

Wall Street falls in final hours of trading before Trump’s tariff announcement

The S&P 500 was 0.7% lower in early trading Wednesday morning, but it’s had a pattern this week of opening with sharp losses only to finish the day higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 240 points, or 0.6%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% lower.

Tesla helped pulled the market lower after it said it delivered fewer electric vehicles in the first three months of the year than it did in last year’s first quarter. Its stock fell 4.7% to extend its loss for the year so far to nearly 37%. Tesla, one of Wall Street’s most influential stocks, has faced growing backlash due to anger about CEO Elon Musk’s leading the U.S. government’s efforts to cut spending.

▶ Read more about the financial markets

Contest to decide who can build casino in New York could result in $115 million jackpot for Trump

The Republican stands to win big if state officials award one of three available gaming licenses to Bally’s Corp., which wants to open a casino at a city-owned golf course that used to be run by Trump’s company.

In 2023, Bally’s paid Trump $60 million for the rights to operate the public 18-hole course on the Bronx shoreline, near where the East River meets the Long Island Sound.

The gaming company promptly took down the massive “Trump Links” sign that was, at one time, all but impossible to miss for drivers going the Whitestone Bridge, and renamed the course Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point.

But under a little-noticed side deal, Bally’s promised to pay Trump another $115 million if Bally’s were to get a license to open a casino on site.

▶ Read more about New York casinos and Trump

Mass layoffs at HHS bring new worries for the future of the Head Start program

Some of the preschool centers had to close or furlough staff earlier this year because of glitches with a funding website. Now scores of government employees who help administer Head Start have been put on leave.

Preschool operators say they’ve received no communication from the Office of Head Start and don’t know who to turn to if they have questions about grants.

Head Start is federally funded but run by schools and nonprofits. It serves more than half a million low-income children.

▶ Read more about the Head Start program

Tesla sales drop in first quarter as Elon Musk backlash and aging models hurt demand

Tesla sales declined in the first three months of the year, another sign that Musk’s once high-flying electric car company is struggling to attract buyers.

The drop of 13% is likely due to combination of factors, including its aging lineup, competition from rivals and a backlash from Musk’s embrace of conservative politics. It also is a warning that the company’s first-quarter earnings report later this month could disappoint investors.

Tesla reported deliveries of 336,681 globally in the January to March quarter. The figure was down from sales of 387,000 in the same period a year ago. The decline came despite deep discounts, zero financing and other incentives.

Analysts polled by FactSet expected much higher deliveries of 408,000.

▶ Read more about Tesla’s sales

Danish prime minister heads to Greenland as Trump seeks control of the Arctic territory

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is traveling to Greenland on Wednesday for a three-day trip aimed at building trust and cooperation with Greenlandic officials.

Frederiksen announced plans for her visit after U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited a U.S. air base in Greenland last week and accused Denmark of underinvesting in the territory.

Greenland is a mineral-rich, strategically critical island that’s becoming more accessible because of climate change. Trump has said the landmass is critical to U.S. security. It’s geographically part of North America, but is a semiautonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark.

Frederiksen is due to meet the incoming Greenlandic leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, after an election last month that produced a new government. She’s also to meet with the future Naalakkersuisut, the Cabinet, in a visit due to last through Friday.

▶ Read more about the Danish prime minister’s trip to Greenland

Trump to hold a meeting on possible investors to buy TikTok with possible ban at stake

Trump will hold a meeting Wednesday with aides about possible investors who could buy a stake in TikTok, a deal that could potentially stop the social media site from being banned in the United States.

The details of the meeting were confirmed by a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

There has been uncertainty about the popular video app after a law took effect Jan. 19 requiring its China-based parent, ByteDance, to divest its ownership because of national security concerns. After taking office, Trump gave TikTok a 75-day reprieve by signing an executive order that delayed until April 5 the enforcement of the law requiring a sale or effectively imposing a ban.

▶ Read more about the potential sale of TikTok

US and Russian officials to discuss plans for ending the Russia-Ukraine war

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to meet at the White House with a top adviser to Russian leader Vladimir Putin to discuss plans for a Ukraine ceasefire.

A U.S. official said Witkoff, who’s traveled several times to Moscow for talks with Putin, plans to see Kirill Dmitriev. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting hasn’t been officially announced.

Dmitriev runs Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and has been a key interlocutor in discussions between the Trump administration and the Kremlin on numerous issues, including the Ukraine war and the release of American detainees in Russia. The official said the Treasury Department had to temporarily suspend U.S. sanctions on Dmitriev so he could legally travel to the United States.

— Matthew Lee

With a nod to America’s civil rights legacy, Sen. Cory Booker makes a mark of his own

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker ended his record-setting speech the same way he began it, more than 25 hours earlier: by invoking the words of his mentor, the late civil rights icon John Lewis.

“He endured beatings savagely on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, at lunch counters, on freedom rides. He said he had to do something. He would not normalize a moment like this,” Booker said of Lewis’ work as a young activist during the Civil Rights movement. “He would not just go along with business as usual.”

A break from “business as usual” was what Booker had in mind as he performed a record-breaking feat of political endurance, holding the Senate floor for 25 hours and 5 minutes while delivering a wide-ranging critique of Trump and his policies.

▶ Read more about Booker’s record-breaking speech