Trump hits pause on U.S. aid to Ukraine ahead of his speech to Congress

National Education Association President Becky Pringle said after the Senate confirmed Linda McMahon as education secretary that there is “no evidence” she will support public schools.

“While educators and parents would hope McMahon will reflect upon the enormous responsibility she has to our nation’s students, sadly there is no evidence to believe she will use her position to focus on strengthening public schools so every student can thrive," Pringle said in a statement.

The NEA is one of the largest labor unions in the country, representing more than 3 million people. Among its members are public school teachers, retired educators, higher education faculty members and school administrators.

Pringle said parents and educators are "organizing, advocating, and mobilizing" to stop McMahon from "hurting students" and "gutting public education.”

China strongly opposes an additional 10% U.S. tariff on its goods that is set to take effect at midnight ET tonight and "will take countermeasures to resolutely safeguard its own rights and interests," its Commerce Ministry said.

The 10% tariff is in addition to one Trump imposed on all Chinese goods imports starting Feb. 4, citing the international flow of fentanyl and precursor chemicals for illicit drugs that often originate in China. The country, one of the United States' largest trading partners, responded to the first tariff by immediately announcing its own levies of 10% to 15% on some U.S. products, including coal, liquefied natural gas, crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars.

China says that the two countries have cooperated extensively on anti-drug efforts "and achieved significant results" and that the United States is using fentanyl as an excuse to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods.

"These tariffs will not solve the U.S.’ own problems and will disrupt China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation and the normal international trade order," a ministry spokesperson said. "China urges the U.S. to respect the rights of other countries and immediately withdraw these unreasonable and harmful unilateral tariff measures."

Trump has said Ukraine — not Russia — started the war. He has called Zelenskyy — not Vladimir Putin — a dictator. Meanwhile, Trump’s administration is standing down on a suite of tough anti-Kremlin policies.

In just over a month, Trump has executed a startling realignment of American foreign policy, effectively throwing U.S. support behind Moscow and rejecting the tight alliance with Kyiv cultivated by former President Joe Biden.

The extraordinary pivot has upended decades of hawkish foreign policy toward Russia that provided a rare area of bipartisan consensus in an increasingly divided nation. Trump’s recent moves have drawn international attention, unsettling U.S. allies in Europe and thrilling conservative populists who favor a turn away from Zelenskyy.

The new posture was put in stark relief Friday during a tense Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy. They clashed in front of the media, raising questions about the future of American support for Kyiv, more than three years after Russia opened the largest conflict in Europe since World War II.

Read the full story here.

If a 25% U.S. tariff on Canadian imports takes effect as planned at midnight ET tonight, Canada will respond with 25% tariffs on 155 billion Canadian dollars ($107 billion) in American goods, its prime minister said.

Tariffs on $20.7 billion worth of goods will take effect immediately, while tariffs on the remaining $86.3 billion in U.S. products will begin in 21 days, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement. They will remain until the U.S. trade action is withdrawn, he said.

“Because of the tariffs imposed by the U.S., Americans will pay more for groceries, gas, and cars, and potentially lose thousands of jobs,” Trudeau said. “Tariffs will disrupt an incredibly successful trading relationship. They will violate the very trade agreement that was negotiated by President Trump in his last term.”

Trump had cited the international flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs as the reason for his tariffs on Canada and Mexico, even though Canada accounted for only 0.2% of the more than 20,000 pounds of fentanyl seized at the northern and southern borders in the 2024 fiscal year. Trudeau said Canada had nonetheless stepped up its drug enforcement efforts, resulting in fentanyl seizures from Canada dropping a further 97% from December to January, to 0.03 pounds.

Chrystia Freeland, who could soon be the next prime minister of Canada, said today that she would fight back against U.S. tariffs "with dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs."

A 25% U.S. tariff on goods imported from Canada, one of the United States' largest trading partners, is set to take effect at midnight ET tonight.

"Our retaliation is going to be surgically targeted to create the maximum pressure on the White House to stop what The Wall Street Journal has described quite rightly as the dumbest trade war in history," Freeland, who is running for leader of the governing Liberal Party in an election that ends Sunday, told MSNBC host Jen Psaki.

As an example, Freeland said she would impose a 100% tariff on cars from Tesla, the electric vehicle company owned by Trump adviser Elon Musk. She also said she would consider canceling Canadian contracts with Starlink, Musk's low-orbit satellite service.

Freeland encouraged Americans to call the White House, their governors and their members of Congress to express their concerns about a possible trade war with Canada, the largest market for U.S. exports.

"The reality is you guys need us. We are your largest market by far. The U.S. sells more to Canada than to China, Japan, the U.K. and France combined," she said. "So we do have leverage. And as prime minister I will use it."

Vice President JD Vance said tonight that Zelenskyy can return to the White House when he has a “serious proposal” for peace between his country and Russia.

“There are details that really matter, that we’re already working on with the Russians. We’ve already talked to some of our allies. He needs to engage seriously on the details. I think once that happens then, absolutely, we want to talk,” Vance said in a taped interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

Zelenskyy was asked to leave the White House prematurely Friday after his explosive meeting with Trump and Vance, who accused him of not being grateful enough for U.S. support and “gambling with World War III.”

Trump and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., claimed today without evidence that "paid troublemakers" were behind the outcry some Republicans have faced at recent town hall meetings.

Marshall was booed at a town hall in Kansas over the weekend as he was peppered with questions about efforts by the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, led by Musk.

“Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings. It is all part of the game for the Democrats, but just like our big LANDSLIDE ELECTION, it’s not going to work for them!” Trump said on Truth Social.

Senate Democrats voted unanimously to block a Republican-led bill tonight that would prohibit federally funded schools from allowing transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.

In a party-line vote of 51-45, Democrats filibustered the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, introduced by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala. It fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance as Democrats dismissed it as a distraction and a cynical political move.

Four senators didn’t vote: Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.; and Peter Welch, D-Vt.

The outcome means the legislation — which passed the House in January and mirrors an executive order issued by Trump — won’t go any further. But the failed vote is likely to become a political talking point for Republicans in upcoming elections after they used the issue of transgender rights as a cudgel in the 2024 campaign.

Read the full story here.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., held a rally today outside the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, where a group of lawmakers trashed Trump and Musk and sought to deliver a letter to HUD Secretary Scott Turner signed by 122 lawmakers.

Waters and several fellow Democratic members of Congress were turned away from the department's headquarters, where they tried to hand Turner a letter seeking information about the Department of Government Efficiency’s impact on the department. The letter makes a series of requests for information and takes particular aim at DOGE.

“Several individuals from DOGE who we understand to be currently stationed at HUD, including Scott Langmack and Michael Mirski, come from the very industries that stand to gain from the dismantling of the federal government’s role in housing and consumer protections, and the path that creates for greater housing market consolidation and profiteering at the expense of families,” the lawmakers wrote.