Where things stand
• Trump’s tariffs: President Donald Trump is pressing ahead with his trade war, signing a 10% global tariff yesterday after the Supreme Court ruled his sweeping emergency trade duties illegal. The new levies can take effect for a maximum of 150 days, barring congressional approval for an extension.
• What’s next: Trump signaled there will be protracted legal battles over calls to pay companies billions of dollars in refunds for the illegal tariffs. As for average Americans, economists don’t expect the ruling to be a game-changer for consumer prices.
• Iran tensions: Meanwhile, Trump has said he is mulling a limited military strike to pressure Tehran into a nuclear deal. Top Democrats are urging the president not to conduct military action without consulting Congress.
Trump grants emergency support to DC for sewage spill amid fight over who is responsible
President Donald Trump has authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide assistance to Washington, DC, to help with the city’s response to a sewage spill in the Potomac River.
The approval comes as lawmakers from the region and the White House have pointed fingers at each other over who is responsible for the clean up. President Donald Trump has been at odds with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore over the spill.
The spill was caused by a DC Water pipe that ruptured on federal land in Maryland.
Trump wanted Maryland and Virginia to directly ask for help, while Moore argued that the federal government is responsible since the pipe belongs to DC Water and sits on federal land.
FEMA said in a statement today that the agency can now proceed with disaster relief efforts and provide necessary equipment and resources.
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser had put in the request for federal support.
Read CNN’s analysis on the battle between politicians over the sewage spill here.
Trump calls Justice Kavanaugh a "hero" after tariff ruling
President Donald Trump called Justice Brett Kavanaugh his “new hero” on the Supreme Court after Kavanaugh sided with Trump in yesterday’s ruling on tariffs, while two of his other appointees sided against him.
“My new hero is United States Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and, of course, Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that they want to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump said in a social media post this morning.
In the 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump violated federal law when he unilaterally imposed sweeping tariffs across the globe. Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, both Trump appointees, joined Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal justices in the majority.
Trump was clearly angry during a news conference at the White House shortly after the ruling and called the Supreme Court’s decision “deeply disappointing.”
“I’m ashamed of certain members of the court,” Trump said, calling the justices in the majority a “disgrace to our nation.”
Supreme Court ruling could influence Trump's decision on Iran, professor says
President Donald Trump could be spurred on to strike Iran to “divert attention” away from the latest Supreme Court ruling that he violated federal law in his implementation of global tariffs, an international relations professor told CNN today.
“What I fear is that President Trump’s domestic challenges … could really basically speed up President Trump’s decision to attack Iran,” Fawaz Gerges, a professor of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), told CNN’s Kim Brunhuber.
The US has built up a large military presence in the Middle East, Gerges noted, suggesting that “this is not a simple game.”
“This is the most significant American military deployment in the Middle East since the United States invaded and occupied Iraq in 2003,” he said.
Trump’s latest global levy unlikely to rattle Asian firms, analyst says
US President Donald Trump’s fresh 10% global tariff is unlikely to rattle Asian businesses as they have already acclimatized to an unpredictable US trade policy, a veteran Asia business analyst told CNN.
“Since ‘Liberation Day,’ the world has adjusted to a new environment,” said Song Seng Wun, economic adviser at SDAX, a Singapore-based fintech company, referring to April 2 last year when Trump unveiled a sweeping package of import duties.
The analyst said most businesses will adopt a wait-and-see approach, similar to the previous times Trump announced sudden levies without vital details.
“Based on all the flip-flop and shifts we have seen from the US since last year, companies will move on, rather than waiting to see what the fallout will be from new tariffs,” he said, adding that it is unclear how and if the latest 10% hike will affect nations which have recently struck trade deals with the US.
However, he pointed out that conglomerates from Asian powerhouses like Japan and South Korea have pledged huge investments in America and some major projects are already ongoing. These, he said, might be impacted if the new tariff causes delays in purchasing machinery. But it could also have zero impact if there are exemptions to the latest levy.
“All this will likely cause delays to investment flow to the US,” he said.
Trading partners express uncertainty in wake of ruling on Trump's tariffs
In April last year, Trump announced “reciprocal” tariffs on goods imported from most US trading partners. Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that the emergency tariffs are illegal.
Trump has doubled down and signed a new 10% global tariff that kicks in on February 24. The levies can take effect for a maximum of 150 days, barring congressional approval for an extension.
Here’s how other territories have responded to the news:
- European Union: The bloc is analyzing the Supreme Court ruling “carefully” and will continue to advocate for low tariffs, said a spokesperson. Bernd Lange, chairman of the EU’s Committee on International Trade, called the ruling a “positive signal for the rule of law” and may sign that the era of “unlimited” and “arbitrary” tariffs imposed by the president may be coming to an end.
- France: French President Emmanuel Macron said the decision shows it is good to have checks and balances in democracies.“It doesn’t seem bad to have Supreme Courts and therefore a rule of law,” Macron said at the International Agricultural Fair in Paris on Saturday, adding that his country would consider the consequences and adapt.“The fairest possible rules involve reciprocity, not suffering unilateral decisions,” he said.
- South Korea: Ministers met on Saturday to review the ruling and Trump’s new tariff. The country “will examine its future response plans in a direction that best serves the national interest,” said its foreign ministry.
- New Zealand: The nation welcomed the Supreme Court ruling but warned “considerable uncertainty is likely to remain.” Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay said: “Our exports have been holding up well in the US market… with evidence that in many cases cost increases are being passed on.”
- United Kingdom: Britain expects its privileged trading position with the United States to continue, the government said. But the court’s decision “adds to uncertainty” and “does little to clear the murky waters for business,” the British Chambers of Commerce added.
- Taiwan: The island is “closely watching” US tariff policy, its cabinet said in a statement. It added that the new levy would likely have “limited” effect on Taiwan, based on a preliminary reading of the new order.
- India: India’s commerce ministry said it has “noted” the Supreme Court’s judgement, as well as other developments related to the tariffs. “We are studying all these developments for their implications,” the ministry said in a statement.
This post has been updated to reflect reaction from India’s commerce ministry.
Reuters and CNN’s Lucas Lilieholm, Yoonjung Seo, Todd Symons, Sharon Braithwaite, Joseph Ataman, Wayne Chang, Caitlin Danaher and Kunal Sehgal contributed reporting.
Iran’s foreign minister optimistic a deal can be reached with the US soon
Iran’s foreign minister expressed optimism that a deal could be reached with US negotiators quickly to avoid a military confrontation as Washington builds up its forces in the Middle East.
He said the next step for his team was to prepare a proposal for US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy.
“I believe that in the next two, three days, that would be ready and after final confirmation by my superiors that would be handed over to Steve Witkoff and perhaps we would be in need of another session to talk about that and then start working on that draft to hopefully come to a good conclusion.”
Araghchi also said that the US has not asked Iran to halt uranium enrichment, and Tehran has not offered to suspend it voluntarily.
Another boat strike and suits for new Secret Service agents: The latest from Washington
We’re covering the latest from the Trump administration today.
If you’re just getting started, catch up on other political headlines here:
3 killed in Eastern Pacific boat strike
The US military conducted a strike against another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean yesterday, killing three people, according to US Southern Command.
At least 138 people have now been killed in such strikes.
DOJ fires interim attorney hours after he was appointed to replace Trump loyalist
Just hours after federal judges in the Eastern District of Virginia appointed a new interim US attorney to replace Trump loyalist Lindsey Halligan, the administration said he is fired.
The judges had unanimously appointed James Hundley, a Virginia defense attorney with more than three decades of experience, to lead the prosecutors’ office after Halligan was forced to leave last month.
US intelligence agencies tie China’s explosive test to push for a new nuclear arsenal
US intelligence agencies believe that China is developing a new generation of nuclear weapons and has conducted at least one covert explosive test in recent years as part of a broader push to completely transform its nuclear arsenal into the world’s most technologically advanced, according to sources.
CIA retracts intel reports that it says failed to meet standards for political bias
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has ordered the retraction or “substantive revision” of 19 of the agency’s intelligence products after a review determined they failed to meet standards for analytic tradecraft and political independence, the agency said.
Secret Service will offer tailored suits to new protective detail agents
The Secret Service will soon offer each agent who graduates from protective detail training two tailored suits, according to sources and a public contract solicitation.
The initiative happened because Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem disliked how a protective detail was dressed in the suits they bought for themselves, sources familiar told CNN.
CNN’s Aleena Fayaz, Holmes Lybrand, Jamie Gangel, Katelyn Polantz, Zachary Cohen, Kylie Atwood and Sean Lyngaas contributed reporting.
