Where things stand
• Trade war: Tariffs deemed illegal by the Supreme Court will stop being collected after midnight ET, according to US Customs and Border Protection. President Donald Trump has doubled down on his trade war, announcing new 15% global tariffs over the weekend and warning countries that “play games” could face higher levies.
• SOTU address: As Trump prepares to speak to the nation in his State of the Union address tomorrow, just 32% of Americans now say that he has had the right priorities, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. Trump said it will be a “long speech, because we have so much to talk about.”
• Iran tensions: The US and Iran plan to hold more talks in Geneva this week, according to a US official. Trump has said he’s mulling potential military action if Tehran does not agree to a nuclear deal.
Jeanine Pirro no longer pursuing case against Dem lawmakers who urged troops to disobey illegal orders
Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for Washington, DC, is no longer actively pursuing a criminal case against six Democratic lawmakers who posted a video urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey any illegal orders from the Trump administration, a person familiar with the matter told CNN.
Earlier this month, a federal grand jury declined to indict several of the lawmakers and Pirro’s office has no immediate plans to go to a grand jury to try again, the source said.
The Justice Department’s investigation focused on a 90-second video clip that featured six Democrats, including Sens. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona, along with Reps. Chrissy Houlahan and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Jason Crow of Colorado, and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire.
In the video, which outraged the Trump administration, the Democrats warned that “threats to our Constitution” are coming “from right here at home,” and repeatedly urged the military and intelligence community to “refuse illegal orders.”
The grand jury’s declination was a rebuke of the administration’s efforts to paint the lawmakers — all of whom served in either the military or intelligence services — as dangerously undermining the president’s authority as commander in chief.
NBC News first reported the decision by Pirro’s office to cease pursuing prosecution of the lawmakers.
Democrats propose bill to force Trump administration to refund tariff revenue
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and leading Senate Democrats offered a bill on Monday to require the Trump administration to fully refund the estimated $134 billion in revenue collected by the sweeping tariffs that were invalidated by the Supreme Court, setting up an election-year clash with the GOP.
The bill, drafted by several top Democrats on key committees, would require the refund of payments made by businesses and importers who were forced to comply with Trump’s levies.
Without GOP support, the bill has little chance of passing Congress. But it will give Democrats a wedge issue to campaign on during a midterm environment focused on cost-of-living issues.
Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN on Monday that he doesn’t think the administration should be forced to refund the tariff money and doesn’t believe that Congress needs to act on the matter.
“That’s not something that really involves the House at this point,” he said.
Trump pushes back on concerns about cost of major operation against Iran
President Donald Trump argued today that his top military leadership believes a war with Iran would be “easily won,” rejecting concerns about potential casualties and the cost of a major conflict.
Trump’s post on Truth Social focused on Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine amid reporting that he “is against us going to War with Iran.”
“He only knows one thing, how to WIN and, if he is told to do so, he will be leading the pack,” Trump wrote.
Caine and other military leaders have privately raised concerns about the scale, complexity and potential for US casualties that could result from a major, extended military operation against Iran, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
He and others inside the Pentagon have also warned about the potential strain such an operation would put on service members and assets deployed in the region, as well as how a protracted military campaign could further impact US weapons stockpiles, particularly as it relates to arms used in support of Israel and Ukraine, the sources said.
Trump has ordered the largest American military buildup in the Middle East since the onset of the Iraq War as negotiations with Iran continue — with US and Iranian officials next due to meet Thursday in Geneva.
Johnson says administration shouldn't refund tariff revenue after Supreme Court ruling
Speaker Mike Johnson said he does not think the Trump administration should refund the more than $130 billion that had been collected before the Supreme Court overruled the president’s sweeping global tariffs, making clear he believes the issue is out of Congress’ hands.
Asked by CNN if the administration should pay back those costs, Johnson responded, “I don’t think so.”
“The White House is going to sort that out, and we have to give them the time and space to do it. This is an unprecedented event, of course, so there’s no playbook to follow,” he said, adding that the administration has “good arguments on their side.”
“We’ll see how it shakes out. That’s not something that really involves the House at this point,” he said.
The House issued two rebukes to President Trump’s trade authorities earlier this month when some Republicans crossed party lines to rollback tariffs on Canada and to block a procedural vote that included a measure to ban lawmakers’ ability to challenge Trump’s tariffs.
Learn more about the Supreme Court’s ruling in the video below:
Collections halted and a warning not to "play games": Here's where things stand on tariffs
President Donald Trump continues to double down on his trade war after the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the president’s sweeping emergency tariffs are illegal.
Here’s where things stand this afternoon:
- US Customs and Border Protection said it will halt the collection of tariffs that were issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after the Supreme Court struck them down.
- In light of the SCOTUS ruling, the European Union has called on the United States to adhere to the terms of a bilateral trade deal agreed last year, and the European Parliament has postponed a crucial vote needed to eventually ratify that agreement between the EU and the United States.
- Meanwhile, Trump threatened that any country that plays “games” after the Supreme Court’s ruling will be forced to pay higher tariffs.
- Democrats have vowed that they will block any effort to extend President Donald Trump’s new 15% global tariffs beyond the 150-day window allowed under Section 122, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced today.
- Trump wrote in a social media post this morning that he believes the Supreme Court will also come to the “wrong conclusion” on birthright citizenship.
Here’s how businesses have reacted to the Supreme Court’s ruling:
CNN’s Gloria Pazmino speaks with New York City business owners about how the Supreme Court’s ruling on Trump’s tariffs could impact their prices.
CNN’s Michael Williams, Samantha Waldenberg, Hanna Ziady and Lauren Fox contributed to this reporting.
US military strikes alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, killing 3
The US military carried out a strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean today, killing three people, US Southern Command announced in a social media post.
The post, which included a video of the strike, said the boat was “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” and intelligence “confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” At least 151 people have now been killed in the ongoing military campaign dubbed Operation Southern Spear.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has quipped in public remarks that military deterrence of drug trafficking via boat is working, making it difficult to find alleged drug boats to strike around Latin America.
But today’s operation marks the seventh strike on a vessel this year. The most recent strike was on Friday, on a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean that also killed three people. Earlier last week, on Monday evening, the US military struck three alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing 11 people.
Lawmakers have said administration officials confirmed in closed-door briefings that they do not always know the identities of each person on board the vessels that are targeted.
Zelensky makes plea to Trump: "Stay on our side"
On the eve of the four-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a passionate and personal plea to Donald Trump, telling CNN today he wants the US president “to stay on our side.”
Speaking at the presidential palace in Kyiv, Zelensky said the United States is far too big and important to walk away from the conflict. And he hopes Trump will back Ukraine during his State of the Union address tomorrow as it continues fighting against President Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
“They have to stay with … a democratic country, which is fighting against one person. Because this person is a war. Putin is a war. It’s all about himself. It’s all about one person. And the country, all his country is in the prison,” Zelensky told CNN.
The Ukrainian leader said that while he wants the war to end as soon as possible, he cannot agree to the demands made by Putin.
“We can’t just give him everything he wants. Because he wants to occupy us. If we will give him all he wants, we will lose everything — all of us, people will have to run away or be Russian,” he added.
Senate Democrats will block any effort to extend Trump tariffs, Schumer says
Democrats will block any effort to extend President Donald Trump’s tariffs beyond the 150-day window allowed under Section 122, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has announced.
Hours after the Supreme Court handed down its tariff ruling, Trump said that he would slap a 10% global tariff on imports under Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act. Over the weekend, he raised that tariff to 15% — the maximum level allowed for Section 122 tariffs, which also require Congressional approval beyond 150 days.
The move, though expected, sets up a clash with the president.
Trump says tomorrow’s SOTU address will be “a long speech”
President Donald Trump just offered some insight into his State of the Union address and said that viewers can expect it to be a “a long speech.”
“So we have a country that’s now doing well. We have the greatest economy we’ve ever had. We have the most activity we’ve ever had. I’m making a speech tomorrow night, and you’ll be hearing me say that,” the president said during a White House event today.
Here’s what else we know so far:
- Timing: Trump will deliver the 2026 State of the Union address to the 119th Congress tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET. It’s an opportunity for Trump to outline his administration’s goals, accomplishments and address the nation’s most pressing issues.
- New poll: He will face a public that increasingly questions his priorities and expresses broad doubts about whether his proposed policies are helping the nation, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
- Guests: A number of Jeffrey Epstein survivors plan to attend the address as guests of members of Congress, sources familiar tell CNN.
- Democrats’ response: Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic Party’s response tomorrow night, with California Sen. Alex Padilla giving the party’s Spanish-language response to the speech.
Trump signs proclamation marking February 22 as "Angel Family Day"
President Donald Trump signed a proclamation marking February 22 as “Angel Family Day” in an event at the White House on Monday.
“Angel families” is a term used to describe those who have lost a family member to violence perpetrated by undocumented immigrants.
Several “angel families” spoke at Monday’s White House event, including the mother of nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed while jogging on February 22, 2024, near the University of Georgia campus.
“She just wanted to be a good friend and a good sister and a good daughter and a hardworking nurse,” Laken’s mother, Allyson Phillips, said Monday. “She’s not the only one, and so thank you for honoring all of them, not just Laken.”
After the president signed the proclamation, a candle was lit and the names of victims were read aloud in the East Room
Some context: The president, through both of his terms in office, has often spoken about “angel families” as he justifies the White House’s hardline policies on illegal immigration. There is no data supporting the argument that immigrants are prone to committing crime or terrorism at higher rates than the general population.
Airlines had no “official communication” hours after TSA PreCheck suspension
Airlines did not receive an “official communication” for over 12 hours after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the department planned to temporarily stop processing travelers through Global Entry and the Transportation Security Administration’s PreCheck lanes, according to an airline official.
The department announced yesterday that it would suspend TSA PreCheck and Global Entry to focus on “the general traveling public” during the partial government shutdown.
It comes as funding for the Department of Homeland Security has lapsed, although almost all employees are expected to continue reporting to work amid a partial government shutdown.
An airline official said there was no immediate communication that the programs, which speed up security and customs checkpoints for frequent travelers, would be suspended.
DHS later reversed course on PreCheck but it is still unclear whether Global Entry is open at US airports as of Monday.
CNN has reached out to Customs and Border Protection for further information.
Trump says only "consequential presidents" like him are targets of violence
President Donald Trump compared himself to predecessors Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, hypothesizing that only “consequential presidents” like the three of them have been targets of violence.
Trump’s comments come one day after an armed man was shot and killed as authorities say he unlawfully entered the secure perimeter at the president’s Florida home. Trump was in DC at the time.
Trump was also targeted by a would-be assassin in July 2024 at a Butler, Pennsylvania, campaign rally. Months later, another man who planned to kill Trump at his Florida golf course was arrested.
“You read about all these crazy shooters, but they only go after consequential presidents. They don’t go after non-consequential presidents,” Trump said during a White House event Monday.
He pointed to Lincoln as a “big one” and Kennedy as a “very consequential” president who “represented something very important.”
“They said they only go after consequential. So maybe I want to be a little bit less consequential. Can we hold it back a little bit, please, Tom? Can we just, like, nice and easy? Could this be a normal president for a little while?” Trump said to laughter.
Trump has suggested multiple times that he believed God intervened to save him in Butler, and that he believes God had a hand in his 2024 victory.
European Parliament freezes process to ratify US trade deal
The European Parliament has postponed a crucial vote needed to eventually ratify the bilateral trade agreement struck last year between the European Union and the United States.
The move will heighten uncertainty among US and EU businesses, already grappling with the implications of Friday’s US Supreme Court ruling for President Donald Trump’s future tariff strategy.
A vote by the European Parliament’s committee on international trade originally planned for tomorrow will now no longer take place, delaying the final ratification of the US-EU trade deal, known as the Turnberry Deal, by the wider assembly.
The committee’s chair, Bernd Lange, wrote on X today that the European Parliament’s work on the deal “is on hold until further notice,” adding that “clarity” and “legal certainty” were needed before the process could move forward.
The implications of the US Supreme Court’s ruling “cannot be ignored and business as usual is not an option,” he added in a statement.
The vote originally scheduled for Tuesday is one step in a multi-stage legislative process.
Trump threatens countries who "play games" will be forced to pay higher tariffs
President Donald Trump on Monday threatened that any country that plays “games” after the Supreme Court’s ruling will be forced to pay higher tariffs.
“Any Country that wants to ‘play games’ with the ridiculous supreme court decision, especially those that have ‘Ripped Off’ the U.S.A. for years, and even decades, will be met with a much higher Tariff, and worse, than that which they just recently agreed to,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
The president has continued to rail against the Supreme Court after the court ruled Friday that Trump’s emergency trade tariffs are illegal. The president has doubled down on his trade war, announcing new 15% global tariffs over the weekend.
Watch more about global reaction to the decision:
What's on Trump's schedule today
Welcome to the new workweek. As Monday gets underway, here’s what is going on in Washington today.
At 10 a.m. ET, President Donald Trump will participate in an “Angel Families Remembrance Ceremony,” according to his official schedule.
Yesterday, the White House said Trump will designate February 22 as “Angel Family Day,” using a term to describe those who have lost a family member to violence perpetrated by undocumented immigrants. The New York Post first reported that Trump’s proclamation will honor nursing student Laken Riley and other victims.
The president then has two other events on his calendar — policy meetings at 11 a.m. ET and “executive time” at 1 p.m. ET.
As a major winter storm wallops the Northeast, the House and Senate both have postponed their first vote series of the week to tomorrow.
UK says tariffs ruling not expected to impact "the majority" of trade under deal with US
The United Kingdom is optimistic it will retain the bulk of last year’s trade agreement with the United States, after it was thrown into question by the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“We don’t expect that this ruling will impact the majority of trade under the… deal, including sectoral tariffs,” a UK government spokesperson told reporters today. “As (US Trade Representative) Jamieson Greer announced over the weekend, the deals the US has agreed all remain in place.”
However, the spokesperson’s subsequent comments pointed to less confidence: “We’ll continue to work with the (US) administration to understand how the ruling will affect tariffs for the UK and the rest of the world and to secure the best possible outcome for British businesses.”
Under the US-UK agreement unveiled in May, the United States kept the new baseline levy on UK goods imports at 10% but with some carve-outs for British cars, plane parts and agricultural goods such as beef. Tariffs on UK steel were also meant to be scrapped but those plans were later put on ice.
Trump over the weekend announced a new baseline 15% tariff on all trading partners.
The UK spokesperson said earlier on Monday that discussions with Washington were continuing “at all levels.”
“Nothing is off the table at this stage. Industry doesn’t want to see a trade war where both sides keep escalating the situation, and that’s why our focus is on constructive engagement with our US counterparts to retain the UK’s competitive advantage,” the spokesperson added.
This post has been updated with remarks from a UK government spokesperson.
US State Department orders non-emergency personnel and families to leave Lebanon
The US Department of State has ordered non-emergency US government personnel and eligible family members to leave Lebanon as tensions in the region continue to escalate.
According to a senior State Department official, the agency “determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel” based on its latest review, noting that the department “continuously” assesses “the security environment.”
The US Embassy in Beirut “remains operational with core staff in place,” the official told CNN Monday. “This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist U.S. citizens.”
CBP to halt collection of tariffs that were struck down by Supreme Court
US Customs and Border Protection said it will halt the collection of tariffs that were issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s efforts to issue the emergency tariffs.
The agency said in a bulletin that it would end the collection of emergency tariffs issued by Trump under the act after 12 a.m. ET Tuesday.
The Supreme Court ruled last week that Trump violated federal law through his unilateral imposition of the tariffs. Trump responded by railing against the justices who ruled against him — two of whom he appointed — and announced he would use a separate authority to impose a new 15% global tariff.
Listen to more of what Trump said about the justices:
"A deal is a deal": Europe calls on US to stick to trade agreement after tariff ruling
The European Union has called on the United States to adhere to the terms of a bilateral trade deal agreed last year, after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s tariffs Friday, injecting fresh uncertainty into the global economy.
The court found that Trump had violated federal law when he unilaterally imposed sweeping tariffs on dozens of trading partners last year. In response, Trump used a different legal tool to announce a temporary across-the-board tariff of 10% on goods imports, which he hiked to 15% a day later.
The European Commission yesterday demanded clarity on Washington’s next steps and said that, as America’s largest trading partner, the EU expected the United States to stand by the bilateral trade deal.
Under the US-EU deal, most goods imports from the 27-nation bloc face a 15% tariff. Some products, such as aircraft parts, are exempt from duties. The EU, meanwhile, agreed to eliminate levies on many American industrial goods and some agricultural products.
The trade deal still has to be ratified by the European Parliament. Its committee on international trade will later today decide whether to postpone a vote on its endorsement, originally scheduled for tomorrow, ahead of a vote by the overall assembly.
Committee chair Bernd Lange said on X Sunday that he would propose delaying the vote until there was further legal clarity on whether the deal remained intact.
Trump says Supreme Court will likely come to "wrong conclusion" on birthright citizenship
President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post this morning that he believes that the Supreme Court will come to the “wrong conclusion” on birthright citizenship.
“How much better can you do than that? But this supreme court will find a way to come to the wrong conclusion, one that again will make China, and various other Nations, happy and rich,” he added.
His post comes just days after the Supreme Court ruled that the president’s sweeping emergency tariffs are illegal. Trump has continued to use Truth Social to criticize the court and Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch, both Trump appointees, who joined with Chief Justice John Roberts and the three liberal justices in favor of striking down the tariffs.
Some background: The president has sought to end birthright citizenship in the US, a nearly 160-year-old practice guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution that grants citizenship to anyone born on American soil.
The Supreme Court has agreed to decide if the president’s attempt to end birthright citizenship with an executive order is constitutional.
CNN’s John Fritze and Devan Cole contributed to this report.
