President Donald Trump reversed course in the global trade war he launched just a week ago, announcing in a social media post a 90-day pause on new tariffs against every country but China.

That came just hours after Trump urged the country to “BE COOL” in another post that came amid continued worldwide chaos, with China and the European Union hitting back and the financial fallout spreading to bond markets.

As he halted his broader tariff program amid rising recession fears, Trump ratcheted up tariffs against China to 125 percent, based, he wrote, “on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets.”

Beijing on Wednesday imposed additional tariffs on imports from the United States for a total of 84 percent, a response to the White House expanding tariffs on all Chinese goods to 104 percent.

“When you punch at the United States of America, President Trump is going to punch back harder,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters outside the West Wing following Trump’s announcement. It had been just 24 hours since she told reporters there were no plans to delay or reverse any of the tariffs.

The walk-back by Trump — albeit with a 10 percent reciprocal tariff on countries during the pause — sent the stock market back into positive territory after several days of huge losses. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who spoke to reporters alongside Leavitt, outlined plans to sit down with his counterparts from Japan, Vietnam and South Korea this week to work on bilateral trade agreements.

Michelle Obama has broken her silence amid rumours her and former US President Barack were set for divorce.

The ex-First Lady sat down with actress Sophia Bush on her podcast Work in Progress to address the rumours. During the chat, she revealed her decision to not accompany Barack to President Jimmy Carter's funeral as well as President Donald Trump's inauguration were made for herself. The absences fuelled divorce rumours which was only compounded by Barack's admission he was in a "deep deficit" with his wife. "That's the thing that we as women, I think we struggle with disappointing people," she said. "I mean, so much so that this year people were, you know, they couldn't even fathom that I was making a choice for myself that they had to assume that my husband and I are divorcing."

Ms Obama added: "That's what society does to us." She continued: "We start actually, finally going: 'What am I doing? Who am I doing this for?' And if it doesn't fit into the sort of stereotype of what people think we should do, then it gets labelled as something negative and horrible. 

The former First Lady spoke candidly tot he One Tree Hill star about how she wanted to spend her twilight years, reflecting on having recently turned 61 on January 17. "So, you know, now is the time for me to start asking myself these hard questions of who do I truly want to be every day," Ms Obama said. 

She continued: "And I still find time to you know, give speeches, to be out there in the world, to work on projects. I still care about girls' education. We you know, the library is opening in a year from now."

A transgender woman who was erroneously identified as a helicopter pilot involved in the Washington DC crash that killed 67 people has filed a lawsuit against one of the conservative influencers who spread the false claims about her.

Jo Ellis, whom the Guardian wrote about after she was thrust into the spotlight, is suing Matthew Wallace, the person behind the X account, for defamation, claiming Wallace “concocted a destructive and irresponsible defamation campaign” that monetized a “false narrative” about her.

Ellis is represented by the Equality Legal Action Fund. The suit was filed in federal court in Colorado, where Wallace is believed to live.

The 29 January crash – where a helicopter hit a commercial airplane – led to a swarm of claims that diversity was to blame. Ellis, who was not involved in the crash in any way, is a Black Hawk pilot with the Virginia national guard. To dispel the rumors, she posted a video showing she was alive, effectively refuting the claims because all involved in the crash had died.

At the time, her name was trending on X. Wallace’s posts to his more than 2 million followers about Ellis, naming her as the pilot and in some cases including her photo, received millions of views, the suit notes. It doesn’t appear Wallace started the rumor, but he amplified it considerably.

Meg Phelan, Ellis’s attorney, said Wallace is believed to be the first person to have shared Ellis’s likeness, though tracking social media posts has been difficult because many were subsequently deleted.

“He was one of the largest platforms with the most followers to really publicize this and put it out there, and so that it went viral. It seemed very strategic, so that was really why we zeroed in on Matt Wallace,” Phelan said.

As a result, Ellis has received threats, including “credible death threats”, and hateful messages, many of which are transphobic, the suit claims. “Gaining infamy overnight caused Plaintiff and her family tremendous suffering,” the lawsuit says. “Plaintiff was devastated that her story was overshadowing the tragic events of the plane crash and likely causing more suffering for the families who lost their loved ones. She also feared for her safety and for the safety of her family.”

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Good Morning—

If you woke up wondering how many ways one man can wreck an economy before breakfast, you're not alone. Today’s headlines are a crash course in Trump’s magical thinking—where tariffs make everything better (except markets, global relations, consumer prices, and freedom of the press).

Rand Paul is calling out Trump’s “fake accounting.” When even your favorite libertarian eyebrow-raiser thinks you’ve lost the plot, it’s probably time to log off. Meanwhile, Trump is tripling tariffs on Shein and Temu, which should really help working families… pay more for socks.

Also in the mix: the IRS is leaking immigrant tax data to ICE, coal is back like it’s 1923, and the White House is ghosting journalists and our allies.

You can't say he's not efficient—he's just cutting prosperity, privacy, and progress all at once.

Stay informed, stay engaged. 💪

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This Day in History:

On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the American Civil War and setting the stage for national reunification. In a landmark moment for civil rights, Marian Anderson performed at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, after being barred from Constitution Hall due to her race—her performance drew 75,000 people and became a powerful symbol of resistance to segregation. During World War II, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway in 1940, aiming to control strategic resources and gain military advantage in Scandinavia. In 1959, NASA unveiled the Mercury Seven, the first group of American astronauts who would go on to lead the nation’s early space exploration efforts. And in 2003, Baghdad fell to U.S. forces, marking a pivotal moment in the Iraq War and leading to the eventual capture of Saddam Hussein and the dismantling of his regime.

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• ‘Makes No Sense’: Rand Paul Rips Trump’s ‘Fake Accounting’ Behind Tariffs
• Treasury Yields Spike. Inside the Selloff That’s Spooking Markets.
• Trump Triples Tariff That Affects Packages From Shein, Temu
• ‘We Are All Waiting for a Reply.’ Countries Say White House Hasn’t Responded on Tariff Talks.
• Asian Markets Fall Before Trump’s 104 Percent Tariff on China Takes Effect
• Trump Tariffs Are Another Nail in the Coffin for Hollywood in China
• Trump Claims Nations Are Begging for Deals as Hours Count Down to Tariff Deadline
• IRS Acting Commissioner Is Resigning After Deal to Share Immigrants’ Tax Information With ICE
• Trump Officials Freeze $1 Billion for Cornell and $790 Million for Northwestern

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📢 Get Involved 📢

Getting to Work This Recess

Once they’ve finished with the blank check for Trump and Musk, Congress is heading out of Washington for a recess.

We’ll be waiting, and they owe us some answers. They may try to hide from us, but we’re not going anywhere.

Steps we can take

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▶️ Featured Video ▶️

History Repeating? Parallels Between the 1920s and Today

This episode examines the striking similarities between the conditions of the 1920s and today's socio-economic climate, highlighting potential consequences from economic collapse to political unrest.

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• Trump Signs Executive Orders to Boost US Coal as Power Demand Rises
• ‘Whose Throat Do I Get to Choke’ if Tariff Approach Fails, Tillis Asks Trade Rep
• “Constitution Requires No Less”: Judge Orders White House to Reinstate Associated Press’ Access
• Why Did John Roberts Just Give Trump Such a Huge Supreme Court Win?
• Examples of Potential Consumer Price Hikes Under Trump’s Tariffs
• History of Hollywood Red Scare Offers Insight Into Trump’s Free Speech Attacks
• Trump Is Trying to Axe Collective Bargaining for 1 Million Federal Employees
• Ukraine Captures Two Chinese Nationals Fighting for Russia
• How Progressives Can Transform the Dems to Save Our Democracy and Renew Prosperity

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📊 Poll Time 📊

Democrats are still figuring out who should take the wheel. Who should lead the party into 2026 and beyond?

🔹 Cory Booker — optimism with policy chops
🔹 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — bold vision, unapologetic voice
🔹 Gavin Newsom — polished, progressive, and ready to fight
🔹 Someone else?

Vote & Discuss

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• Keystone, 'Safest Pipeline in the World,' Ruptures—Again
• House Rejects Proxy Voting for New Parents, Chooses ‘Pairing’ Instead
• Musk’s Brother Urges Trump to Fire Navarro
• China Reacts to Pete Hegseth's Panama Canal Remarks
• As Egg Prices Soared at the Supermarket, So Did Producer Profits
• Mexico Warns Against Potential U.S. Drone Strikes on Cartels
• One Aspect of Trump’s El Salvador Gulag Is Particularly Illegal
• Introducing a Framework for Private School Voucher Accountability

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Current Crisis Overview

• Federal Funds Withheld: Multiple agencies have refused to release congressionally approved funds, despite clear judicial rulings requiring them to do so. This has prompted a series of escalating legal battles and widespread concerns among constitutional scholars.
• Legal Experts Sound the Alarm: Analysts from institutions like ProPublica, The New York Times, and The Washington Post warn that these actions undermine the separation of powers and set a dangerous precedent.
• White House Position: President Trump and his allies argue that the judiciary is overstepping its bounds, framing the dispute as a battle over executive authority.
• Political Responses: While conservative figures such as JD Vance and Elon Musk have signaled concerns, there is no concrete indication yet of a unified government strategy to outright ignore the courts. However, rapid developments suggest this could change quickly.

Track the Crisis

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