on Chinese products with tariffs on select U.S. imports. It will also launch an antitrust investigation into Google and other trade measures.
The U.S., Canada and Mexico have all agreed to pause as negotiations over border security continue.
Here鈥檚 the latest:
JD Vance will meet world leaders in Paris and Munich
is off to Paris next week for a summit of world leaders focusing on artificial intelligence. Then he鈥檒l appear at the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany.
The AI Action Summit on Feb. 10-11 puts top government officials together with corporate executives at the the Elysee Palace amid galloping advances in technology. And the global talks on international security come amid Russia鈥檚 ongoing war against Ukraine as Trump reasserts his 鈥淎merica First鈥� agenda.
Sustaining support for Ukraine, constraining Russia鈥檚 partnership with Iran and containing China are on the table, all while Trump threatens tariffs on friends and foes alike. Other attendees at the AI summit include China鈥檚 Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
鈻� Read more (edited)
Trump hosting talks with Netanyahu, warning 鈥榥o guarantees鈥� that peace in Gaza will hold
will meet at the White House Tuesday afternoon as the Israeli prime minister faces competing pressure from his right-wing coalition to end a temporary truce in Gaza and from war-weary Israelis who want the remaining hostages home and the to end.
This first visit of a foreign leader during Trump鈥檚 second term comes amid lagging support for Netanyahu in Israel and could distract from his , which Netanyahu called a 鈥渨itch hunt.鈥�
Netanyahu faces an arrest warrant from which accused him, Israel鈥檚 defense minister and Hamas鈥� slain military chief of during the war in Gaza. The U.S. does not recognize ICC authority over U.S. citizens or territory.
鈻� Read more about
Musk claims he 鈥榙eleted鈥� IRS鈥� free tax filing program -- it鈥檚 still available
Hours after Musk posted on X that he had 鈥渄eleted鈥� 18F, a government agency that worked on technology projects such as the IRS鈥� Direct File program, there was confusion about whether Direct File is still available to taxpayers.
But the free filing program is still available for now.
An individual with knowledge of the IRS workforce said the Direct File program was still accepting tax returns. They spoke anonymously with The Associated Press because they were not authorized to talk to the press. As of Monday evening, 18F鈥檚 website was still operational, as was the Direct File website. But the digital services agency鈥檚 X account was deleted.
The last year that it would make the free permanent.
Private tax preparation companies have made billions charging people about $140 each to use their software, and have spent millions .
鈻� Read more about
__By Fatima Hussein and Barbara Ortutay
Senators offer some 鈥榳eird,鈥� 鈥榳ild,鈥� parting words on RFK Jr.
Kennedy鈥檚 quick committee vote did not go without some parting words from senators.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said that maybe Kennedy as a non-health care professional will be just the kind of 鈥渄isrupter鈥� needed to improve the nation鈥檚 health outcomes.
鈥淚 hope he goes wild,鈥� Tillis said, listing all the ways the nominee could shake things up.
But Democratic Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont spoke about Kennedy鈥檚 odd behavior, including leaving a dead bear in New York鈥檚 Central Park.
鈥淭hese are just weird things,鈥� he said before the 14-13 party line vote sent the nomination to the full Senate for confirmation.
Cassidy said JD Vance, White House influenced his vote for RFK Jr.
鈥淚鈥檝e had very intense conversations with Bobby and the White House over the weekend and even this morning. I want to thank VP JD specifically for his honest counsel,鈥� Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and physician, posted on X. 鈥淲ith the serious commitments I鈥檝e received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on the issues we agree on like healthy foods and a pro-American agenda, I will vote yes.鈥�
Cassidy had expressed deep concern ahead of the vote about Kennedy鈥檚 views on routine childhood vaccinations. He said he would speak on the Senate floor later Tuesday morning.
Tuesday鈥檚 vote sets up a high stakes campaign to pressure the full Senate to confirm Kennedy in the coming weeks. If four GOP senators and all Democrats vote against his confirmation, it would fail.
鈻� Read more on
Senate committee advances RFK Jr. for health secretary despite worry over his vaccine stance
cleared his first hurdle to becoming the nation鈥檚 top health official on Tuesday with the Senate finance committee voting to advance his nomination for a floor vote.
Republicans voted together to advance his nomination, while Democrats all opposed.
His nomination now faces the full Senate, where concerns include the work he鈥檚 done to sow doubts around and his potential to profit off lawsuits over drugmakers. To gain control of the $1.7 trillion Health and Human Services agency, Kennedy will need support from all but three Republicans if Democrats uniformly oppose him.
鈻� Read more on
A key Republican senator enters the RFK hearing
The Senate Finance Committee began a meeting to vote on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.鈥檚 nomination, though one key Republican wasn鈥檛 there at first.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and physician who had raised concerns over Kennedy鈥檚 views on vaccines, finally entered the hearing room several minutes after it was underway. Cassidy鈥檚 jaw was clenched and his face downcast.
Cassidy then voted in favor of advancing Kennedy鈥檚 nomination for health secretary to the Senate floor with a simple 鈥渁ye.鈥�
Trump says Musk is doing his bidding
is rapidly consolidating control over large swaths of the federal government with President 鈥檚 blessing, sidelining career officials, gaining access to sensitive databases and dismantling a leading source of humanitarian assistance.
and scope, the world鈥檚 richest man has created an alternative power structure for the purpose of cutting spending and pushing out employees, none of it with congressional approval, inviting a constitutional clash over .
Trump named Musk a 鈥渟pecial government employee,鈥� subject to less stringent rules on ethics and financial disclosures. He鈥檚 given Musk office space in the White House complex to oversee the so-called sending teams into federal agencies Trump has vowed to abolish to gather information and deliver edicts.
Republicans defend Musk as simply carrying out Trump鈥檚 slash-and-burn campaign promises. Democrats accuse Musk of leading a coup from within by amassing unaccountable and illegal power.
鈻� Read more on
White House correspondents鈥� group announces Amber Ruffin as dinner entertainer
Ruffin is an Emmy- and Tony-award nominated writer, comedian, host, performer and best-selling author who soon will return for the second season of the comedy-news series, 鈥淗ave I Got News For You,鈥� which she leads with fellow comedians Roy Wood Jr. and Michael Ian Black.
She also writes for and appears on 鈥淟ate Night with Seth Meyers.鈥�
The White House Correspondents鈥� Association鈥檚 annual black-tie dinner is set for April 26 in Washington.
鈥淪he has the ability to walk the line between blistering commentary and humor all while provoking her audience to think about the important issues of the day. I鈥檓 thrilled and honored she said yes,鈥� said Eugene Daniels of Politico, president of the association.
Mexico surges troops to its US border
Mexico began moving troops Tuesday to reinforce its shared border in the United States, part of the deal President Claudia Sheinbaum reached with U.S. President Donald Trump Monday to suspend 25% tariffs that were set to go into effect.
AP observed more than 100 members of the National Guard boarded a plane Tuesday morning in the southeastern city of Merida, bound for Ciudad Juarez. Additional units were scheduled to depart Cancun and Campeche. Still more were going by road.
A similar deal to surge troops and head off tariffs was made in 2019 between Trump and then-President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador. More than 10,000 Mexican troops stationed along the border have been unable to stifle persistent violence or break the tight grip of organized crime on the smuggling of drugs, migrants and guns.
US negotiates to have El Salvador imprison deportees and jailed US citizens
U.S. Secretary of State left El Salvador on Tuesday with an agreement that President Nayib Bukele will accept jailed U.S. citizens as well as deportees from the U.S. of any nationality and put them in his nation鈥檚 prisons.
Bukele 鈥渉as agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world,鈥� Rubio said.
鈥淲e can send them, and he will put them in his jails,鈥� Rubio said of migrants of all nationalities detained in the United States. 鈥淎nd, he鈥檚 also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States even though they鈥檙e U.S. citizens or legal residents.鈥�
Bukele confirmed the offer in a post on X, saying El Salvador would accept only 鈥渃onvicted criminals鈥� and would charge a fee that 鈥渨ould be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.鈥�
鈻� Read more about whether
What kind of tariffs is China threatening?
China said it would implement a 15% tariff on coal and liquefied natural gas products as well as a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars imported from the U.S. The tariffs would take effect next Monday.
鈥淭he U.S.鈥檚 unilateral tariff increase seriously violates the rules of the World Trade Organization,鈥� the State Council Tariff Commission said in a statement. 鈥淚t is not only unhelpful in solving its own problems, but also damages normal economic and trade cooperation between China and the U.S.鈥�
The impact on U.S. exports may be limited. Though the U.S. is the biggest exporter of liquid natural gas globally, it does not export much to China. In 2023, the U.S. exported 173,247 million cubic feet of LNG to China, representing about 2.3% of total natural gas exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
鈻� Read more about
The Associated Press
