Axios

The Washington Post reports that a January trip by Eric Trump — who does not have a position in his father's administration — to visit a Trump-licensed property in Uruguay cost taxpayers almost $100,000.

Hotel rooms for Eric's Secret Service attachment cost $88,320 while rooms for U.S. Embassy employees to "support the VIP visit" tacked on another $9,510. The government did not provide the length of the trip, the name of the hotel, or the number of rooms booked.

Why it matters: It's another example of the difficulty in separating the Trump administration from his previous business ventures in a way that speaks most to taxpayers — cold hard cash.

A French prosecutor has announced that the man who attempted a knife attack on soldiers outside the Louvre today was an Egyptian national living in the UAE who entered France on a tourist visa last week, per the AP.

The obvious issue: Neither Egypt nor the UAE is on Trump's list of seven Muslim-majority countries whose citizens are barred from entering the United States. That prompts the question — does the list expand?

Politico reports that two sources close to Ivanka and Jared Kushner said that the couple worked to get Trump to release a statement clarifying that he'd uphold Obama's 2014 executive order protecting LGBTQ rights. He did just that in a statement Tuesday night.

White House officials said that the draft that is circulating now would never have reached Trump's desk, as it was one of some 200 orders that were considered during the transition and was never meant to be signed into law.

Trump's executive actions today will direct his advisors to evaluate financial regulations put in place by the Obama administration in response to the 2008 financial crisis.

1. Trump will be asking federal agencies to identify potential reforms to the financial regulatory system. This won't cause any immediate changes on Wall Street, and a Trump official said this doesn't signal an intent to fire the head of the CFPB or roll back the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.
2. The second directive Trump signed will delay implementation of the "Fiduciary Rule," which required retirement advisors to act in their clients' best interests. The Labor Dept has 90 days to review the rule and report back.

Why this matters: Changes to Dodd-Frank would face Democratic opposition. The CFPB is a particular point of contention. In October, a divided three-judge panel ruled the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was unconstitutional. The ruling made it so the president can remove the CFPB director at will, at any time and for any reason. This is the first sign he might follow through on his voiced distaste for the Dodd-Frank reforms that created the agency in the first place. Chuck Schumer has said if Trump moves to remove the current director, there will be a "long fight."

After a busy two weeks and one weekend as POTUS, Trump is off to Mar-a-lago — his "Winter White House."

The State Department says fewer than 60,000 visas were revoked from foreigners within the seven countries Trump's executive order barred from traveling to the U.S., per AP.

In a hearing about the ban earlier today, a lawyer from the Department of Justice claimed that over 100,000 visas were cancelled. The State Dept. clarified that the larger number wrongly includes diplomatic and expired visas, as well as others that were exempted in the travel ban.

• Financial regulatory executive orders: The president is about to sign two executive orders that set the table for a revamped regulatory system that "mitigates risk and encourages growth."
• Dodd-Frank: "Dodd-Frank is a disaster ... It did not address the causes of the financial crisis." In addition to executive orders, Spicer said that the administration plans to work with Congress to potentially repeal some or all of the law.
• Foreign policy roundup: Iran: Trump doesn't like to "telegraph his actions" and refuses to explicitly rule out military action.Cuba: The Trump administration is "committed to human rights" and is "reviewing" policy, but nothing has been explicitly discussed with the Cuban government.Israel: "At the end of the day, the goal is peace." Pressed on settlements, Spicer said that new construction or expansion of settlements "is not going to be helpful going forward."
• Opioid and heroin crisis: The administration not only believes it is a "health crisis," but a "border crisis" as well.
• "I'll get back to you on...": "The 100,000 visas revoked" under the travel ban; changes to the current anti-extremist "Countering Violent Extremists" program; Trump's tweet on professional anarchists; further arming Ukraine

German opinion of the U.S. is currently at a record low, down 37 percentage points from the Obama presidency. And here's the next magazine cover from Der Spiegel, the German weekly magazine.

my new cover art for @DerSPIEGEL magazine pic.twitter.com/Lz4KH8ySGx — Edel Rodriguez (@edelstudio) February 3, 2017

Read more: What Trump means by "America First"

Uber hasn't had the best week. The ride-share company has been trying to boost its image following the #DeleteUber trend last weekend and the drama surrounding CEO Travis Kalanick's participation in — and yesterday's resignation from — Trump's business advisory council.

As part of the damage control, Uber has been sending emails to users who have canceled their accounts, and reminding them that Trump's immigrant ban is "unjust, wrong, and against everything we stand for as a company," per CNBC. On Wednesday, users tweeted out photos of the messages they received after deleting their accounts.

Now, Uber is rolling out a new "Flat Fare" package, where users are able to purchase a series of rides at much cheaper prices.

Why this matters: Uber is going to great lengths to get back into its users' good graces, suggesting this week's PR turmoil has had a fairly significant impact on its relationship with its customers.

Government ethics advocates are raising concerns that Trump is blatantly dodging the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a 45-year-old law that requires advisory committee meetings — where influential business leaders are expected to give advice or recommendations to a President or agency — to be open the public.

CBS's new poll showed America just about split over Trump and some of his first key actions. As usual, the divide falls mostly along party lines.

Refugee ban: More people disapprove than approve of Trump's ban — 51% to 45%. And 57% think the temporary ban is against the nation's founding principles. However, most Republicans think it makes America safer.

SCOTUS Nominee: While 56% can't decide yet, more Americans think the Senate should confirm Gorsuch, than think they should vote against him.

Trump himself: 40% of Americans approve of Trump's work so far — the lowest approval rating of any president at this point in the presidency.

Yesterday's phone call between Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and President Trump did not go well, according to sources on both sides.

The view from some in Trump's inner circle:

If you want to cut off your access to the White House, f@#k you.

Why it matters: Kalanick's decision may satisfy many of his employees and drivers ― plus Kalanick himself, who has been critical of Trump's policies in Uber all-hands meetings ― but it could come at a real long-term cost to Uber. The company operates in many foreign markets, and there is tangible value in having a sympathetic White House ear when business troubles arise overseas.

Kalanick is the only Council member to resign, but he's not the only one absent from today's meeting. Disney boss Bob Iger is instead attending a company board meeting.

A recent poll released by German news site ARD shows that only 22% of Germans consider the U.S. a trustworthy ally, down from 59% when Obama was in office and a record low in Germany. The report points out that this low-level confidence is comparable to how the Germans view Russia, at 21%.

Trump's first two weeks as president have also specifically seen little approval among the Germans. Only 26% of respondents think it's good that Trump is implementing his campaign promises, while 69% feel the opposite.

In an interview with MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Kellyanne Conway defended Trump's travel ban. She said the 7 countries were first singled out by Obama, and that the U.S. can't turn their heads to the recent terrorist attacks...

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Never heard of the Bowling Green Massacre? You're not alone...

"At least he's DOING something. Washington never DOES anything."

Rock-solid support from Trump's base is likely to keep his national numbers from collapsing even as he weathers withering coverage on the coasts. Newspapers, trying to make up for their pre-election blind spots, are sending reporters to obscure datelines to talk to Trump voters, and three front-pagers in three days tell an identical story:

• Seattle Times today, "Supporters: Trump is just doing what he promised": "They don't get the hubbub. He won. And he's doing exactly what he said he would do."
• WashPost yesterday, "Trump backers like his early moves," from Accident, Md.: "Critics are unfairly exaggerating the effect of Trump's executive orders and complaining without giving him a fair chance, supporters say, just as critics blew some of his comments and jokes out of proportion during the campaign."
• Boston Globe on Wednesday, "Trump voters say clamor clouds one fact: He delivers": "This was what they voted for."

The New Yorker is pulling out of its annual kickoff party at the W Hotel, per the NYT, and Vanity Fair has withdrawn from co-sponsoring the dinner's swankiest after-party known for its A-list guest list. Graydon Carter, Editor of Vanity Fair, said he canceled the event in rebuke to Trump.

What's next: The New Yorker and Vanity Fair have started the trend, and now other media companies will be asked whether they'll do the same. And last week, late-night comedian Samantha Bee announced she'll be hosting an alternative event the same night as the dinner, emphasizing that all journalists who have been dissed by Trump are welcome.

Trump, who was once brutally roasted by Obama at the dinner in the past, might just decide to just blow it off.

May you live in interesting times ...