Trump 2nd term updates: Trump excludes low-value shipments from looming tariffs

The amendment exempts imports valued at less than $800 from Canada and Mexico.

ByKevin Shalvey, Alexandra Hutzler, Emily Chang, Ivan Pereira, William Mansell, Sarah Beth Hensley, Jon Haworth, and Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: March 2, 2025, 11:08 PM EST

President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal government to his liking suffered a loss in court when a federal judge blocked his administration from firing the head of a federal watchdog agency without cause, likely triggering a lengthy appeal that could end at the Supreme Court.

U.S. District Justice Amy Berman Jackson determined the move was unlawful and issued a permanent injunction that reinstated special counsel Hampton Dellinger to his position.

Meanwhile, the Social Security Administration said it will cut 7,000 jobs and six of its 10 regional centers as part of the president’s downsizing of the federal workforce.

And Trump’s physician announced the president will have his annual physical next month, days after reporters raised questions about a bruise they saw on the back of his hand.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing:
Feb 27, 2025, 10:36 AM EST

Senate Judiciary Committee advances nomination of Trump's attorney to be Deputy AG

The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Todd Blanche, the attorney who represented President Donald Trump in his New York City criminal case, to serve as deputy attorney general Thursday morning by a vote of 12-10.

All Republicans on the panel voted to advance Blanche's nomination. All Democrats opposed.

Todd Blanche, deputy attorney general nominee for President Donald Trump, during a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, Feb. 12, 2025.
Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

This will allow Blanche's nomination to be brought up for a Senate floor vote. He will likely be confirmed.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Feb 27, 2025, 10:11 AM EST

Senate committee advances Labor secretary nomination

The Senate Health Education Labor and Pension’s committee voted to advance Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination to serve as Labor Secretary Thursday by a vote of 13-9.

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, U.S. President Trump's nominee to be secretary of labor, testifies before a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Feb. 19, 2025.
Kent Nishimura/Reuters

Democratic Senators Tim Kaine, Maggie Hassan and John Hickenlooper voted to advance her nomination. Republican Sen. Rand Paul voted against her.

Her nomination will now head to the Senate floor, where she is expected to be confirmed.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

Feb 27, 2025, 9:33 AM EST

Trump says tariffs against Canada, Mexico will go into effect March 4

President Donald Trump is continuing his threat to place tariffs on Canada and Mexico next week if the amount of fentanyl crossing the border does not go down.

President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 26, 2025.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

"We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled. China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date. The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect. Thank you for your attention to this matter. GOD BLESS AMERICA!" Trump wrote on his social media platform.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie

Feb 27, 2025, 8:49 AM EST

USAID officials allege Trump admin sped up foreign aid review as a legal maneuver

USAID officials decried the State Department's seemingly rushed review of foreign aid grants as a legal maneuver to avoid having to comply with a deadline to pay foreign aid groups that was in place until it was stayed by the Supreme Court.

"Instead of complying with a court order to reimburse USAID partners by midnight tonight for the nearly $2 billion owed for programming already provided prior to Trump's inauguration, and to resume USAID programs that had not been reviewed, Director of the Office of Foreign Assistance and acting USAID Deputy Administrator, Pete Marocco, chose to shut down thousands of programs by terminating the awards," the officials said in a circulated release on Wednesday.

"It appears this may have been done to make the case that the entire suit brought by the plaintiffs was moot because the review had been completed or as an excuse for not making the payments yet because the review consumed the majority of the administration's time so they were unable to make the payments," they continued.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston

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