President Trump used an executive order on Tuesday to direct three federal agencies to enforce the health care price transparency regulations he rolled out during his first term.
The big picture: Trump didn't unveil new pricing policies but the order indicates it's still a priority for him — and it could signal more enforcement against noncompliant hospitals and insurers going forward.
More than 1 million federal workers responded to an email asking them to document what they did last week, sent at Elon Musk's behest, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday.
Why it matters: That's only about half the federal workforce — perhaps to be expected, as many agencies told employees to ignore the email.
The number of deadly police encounters jumped last year to its highest level since 2013, according to newly released data.
Why this matters: The rise comes as the momentum for police reform has died five years after the 2020 murder of George Floyd and as President Trump ends initiatives aimed at reducing police misconduct.
A Trump administration freeze on foreign aid has left nonprofits and volunteers scrambling to fill gaps in funding that have forced layoffs, suspended services and closed doors.
The big picture: But with the future of U.S. foreign assistance uncertain following confusion-inducing stop-work orders, organizers warn that it will likely be impossible to sustain critical services with philanthropic efforts.
President Trump told reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the White House on Friday to sign a minerals deal.
Two sources close to the Ukrainian government told Axios the deal was agreed on Tuesday after two weeks of tense negotiations.
Why it matters: The deal is designed to allow the U.S. to tap some of Ukraine's immense mineral wealth and to spur post-war development in the country. But the meeting will bring together two leaders who were publicly feuding just last week, with Trump calling Zelensky a "dictator" and Zelensky claiming Trump was swallowing Russian disinformation.
The Commerce Department will investigate whether to slap tariffs on imports of copper, the latest manufacturing component — on top of aluminum and steel — to be swept up in the Trump administration's trade crackdown.
Why it matters: The White House on Tuesday said the billions of dollars worth of annual copper imports threaten national security, given the metal's critical role in the buildout of military vehicles, aircraft and more.
The Trump White House is trying to short-circuit the Associated Press' lawsuit against it by altering decades-old protocols over which news outlets can access the president at meetings and events when space is limited.
Why it matters: For the first time in a century, the White House — not the independent White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) — will determine which news outlets are part of the press pool, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Tuesday.
A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked President Trump's effort to suspend the country's refugee resettlement program on Tuesday, multipleoutletsreported.
The big picture: U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead granted a preliminary injunction, blocking Trump's executive order and finding that it appeared to "cross the line."
A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to pay a swath of foreign assistance funding for work contracted by USAID and the State Department, multiple outletsreported.
The big picture: It comes days afterU.S. District Court Judge Amir Ali said the administration had "not complied" fully with his order pausing the freeze on foreign aid.
More than 20 Department of Government Efficiency employees resigned on Tuesday, saying that DOGE's actions are incompatible with their mission as civil servants.
The big picture: The workers, who were folded into DOGE via executive order when President Trump took office, warned in their resignation letter about the risks that DOGE presents to Americans' data and public services.
As the Trump administration plows ahead with its bid to radically reshape the federal government, increasing numbers of Republicans are pushing back on the offensive's wide scope and impacts on federal workers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is once again grappling with persistent right-wing defectors ahead of a key budget vote that could come as soon as Tuesday evening.
Why it matters: The vote on a budget resolution is the critical first step towards passing the massive fiscal bill that President Trump has put forth.
Efforts by the Trump administration and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to cut vast numbers of federal jobs will surely show up in national economic data — but don't expect the impact to be massive, or immediate.
Why it matters: In a $30 trillion economy with 159 million jobs, it takes a lot to meaningfully move the dial. The types of cuts to federal employment and government contracts that have been enacted thus far by the DOGE crew are comparatively small scale.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said he'd kill Tucker Carlson if he ever met him, in an apparent hot mic moment captured on Monday.
Why it matters: The threat, which a Crenshaw spokesperson downplayed after it came to light, is the latest incident in a spat between the two Republicans.
Over 230,000 Canadians have signed a petition urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to revoke Elon Musk's citizenship.
The big picture: Tensions between the U.S. and its northern neighbors have peaked under the Trump administration, with the president and others — including his billionaire budget buster — mocking the U.S. ally and questioning its sovereignty.
The Christian Democratic Union Party's win in Germany ensures that Europe's biggest economy is likely to continue to lead on climate change — though with a different framing and focus.
Why it matters: Germany has taken aggressive action to lower emissions and push so-called "green" policies within the European Union and internationally.
The Kremlin emphasized Tuesday that Russia had not dropped its opposition to peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, contradicting a claim that President Trump made a day earlier.
Why it matters: Trump is pushing to reach a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the three-year war. Peacekeeping forces are seen as a key component for any peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.
The second Trump administration is going to be "an evolution" of the first, former Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin told Axios in Doha on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Global businesses and investors are looking for clues as to whether the Trump of 2025 will impose seismic changes on the global economy.
President Trump, Elon Musk, and their band of DOGE budget-cutters celebrate daily, even hourly targets to cut U.S. spending on everything from foreign aid to FAA personnel.
Trump himself has teased a balanced budget — an impossibility without historic cuts to America's most popular programs, such as Social Security.
Despite his threats, Elon Musk can't simply fire federal employees for not responding to an email, attorneys and former senior federal officials told Axios.
Why it matters: So far legal barriers haven't stopped Musk's DOGE purge — and he even has President Trump's explicit support in his latest effort — yet Musk may now be bumping up against a harder boundary.
Facilities in Mississippi and Texas are holding the most detainees among the tens of thousands who've been rounded up across the nation during the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration, according to newly released federal data.
The big picture: The data shed light on the housing arrangements federal officials have made for detainees at a time when the U.S. government's immigration centers are at near capacity — and the Trump White House is pushing for dramatically more arrests.
President Trump sparked criticism and suspicion last week when he falsely blamed Ukraine for invading Russia. But his offhand remark reflected a belief his advisers say is real: that NATO helped "provoke" the conflict years ago.
Why it matters: Trump's view of Ukraine is key to understanding why he has turned 80 years of U.S. foreign policy on its ear by criticizing NATO, opposing its expansion there, and cutting European partners out of peace talks.
A government watchdog who oversees federal workers' whistleblower reports said Monday his office is seeking to halt some of the Trump administration's mass firings of federal workers.
The big picture: Hampton Dellinger, who's suing the administration after President Trump tried to remove him from his role leading the Office of Special Counsel, said he's requested that the firing of six probationary agency workers be halted due to concerns the action may violate the law — and he indicated he may intervene in more cases.
Rudy Giuliani, ex-lawyer to President Trump, had settlement action against him dismissed in district court on Monday after he "fully satisfied" the judgment against him for defaming two Georgia election workers.
The big picture: The former New York City mayor reached a $148 million settlement with Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss in January after twice being found in contempt of court for continuing to defame the Fulton County election workers and for failing to provide financial details related to the judgement.
President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed during a White House meeting on Monday to deploy European peacekeeping forces to Ukraine following a peace deal with Russia to end the war.
The big picture: While the meeting on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was cordial, the peacekeepers deployment was about the only significant plan the two world leaders agreed on during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office.
/2025/02/25/1740447875926.gif?w=3840)
