President Trump signed an executive order on Monday rescinding most U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria since the 1970s, a major step toward offering the war-torn country a path to normalization with the West.
Why it matters: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former Islamist rebel who overthrew the Assad regime last year, had urged the U.S to lift sanctions to give Syria a chance to rebuild after 14 years of civil war.
President Trump sent a letter to Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell urging the central bank to lower interest rates "by a lot," the White House said on Monday.
Why it matters: The administration has stepped up public pressure on the Fed, with top officials floating the possibility of announcing Powell's replacement months before his term expires.
President Trump said Sunday there is a buyer for TikTok, a week after he extended the app's ban deadline for a third time.
The big picture: Trump would not say who the buyer is while appearing on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," noting only it is "a group of wealthy people."
President Trump said he would like to see those involved in leaking an intelligence report on Iran prosecuted, and suggested the government could go after reporters to unmask their sources.
Why it matters: Trump and officials in his administration have railed against the media's coverage of the Defense Intelligence Agency's preliminary report on the U.S. strikes against three Iranian nuclear sites.
Why it matters: U.S. presidents have long treated aid to Israel as a sacrosanct, bipartisan commitment. Trump's unprecedented intervention appeared to tie the security of 10 million Israelis to the criminal prosecution of one man.
The images of masked, heavily armed immigration agents snatching people off the streets and taking them away in unmarked cars have shocked many Americans — and led to a simple question: Is all of this legal?
It is — at least for now.
Why it matters: Since Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was created after the 9/11 attacks, its agents have operated with vastly more enforcement power, less transparency and fewer guardrails than local police.
