The Latest: Trump signs order that likely sets in motion a future ban on transgender troops
President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders focused on the military, including one that directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to revise the Pentagon’s policy on transgender troops, likely setting in motion a future ban on their military service.
Here's the latest:
After taking office, President Donald Trump ordered that the water bordered by the Southern United States, Mexico and Cuba be renamed to the Gulf of America. He also ordered America’s highest mountain peak be changed back to Mt. McKinley.
“We have a longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources,” Google said in a post on X.
The company said Maps will reflect any updates to the Geographic Names Information System, a database of more than 1 million geographic features in the United States.
“When that happens, we will update Google Maps in the U.S. quickly to show Mount McKinley and Gulf of America,” Google said.
▶ Read more about the name changes on Google Maps
Although Leavitt recently took questions from reporters aboard Air Force One, she hasn’t used the briefing room until Tuesday’s briefing, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
During President Donald Trump’s first term, it was the site of clashes between the administration and journalists. It also went unused for long stretches of time. Trump’s third press secretary, Stephanie Grisham, never held a briefing.
It’s unclear how frequently Leavitt, the youngest press secretary at 27, plans to speak from the podium, a role that will make her among the most recognizable members of Trump’s administration.
At least 56 senior officials in the top U.S. aid and development agency were placed on leave Monday amid an investigation into an alleged effort to thwart President Donald Trump’s orders.
A current official and a former official at the U.S. Agency for International Development confirmed the reason given for the move Monday. Both spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
Several hundred contractors based in Washington and elsewhere also were laid off, the officials said.
It follows Trump’s executive order last week that directed a sweeping 90-day pause on most U.S. foreign assistance disbursed through the State Department.
As a result of the freeze, thousands of U.S.-funded humanitarian, development and security programs worldwide had stopped work or were preparing to do so. Without funds to pay staff, aid organizations were laying off hundreds of employees.
▶ Read more about the dozens of senior aid officials being put on leave
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington as early as next week, according to two U.S. officials familiar with preliminary planning for the trip.
Should the trip come together in that timeframe, Netanyahu could be the first foreign leader to meet with Trump at the White House since his inauguration last week. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the planning remains tentative, said details could be arranged when Trump’s special Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, travels to Israel this week for talks with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.
Trump teased the upcoming visit in a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One, but didn’t provide scheduling details. “I’m going to be speaking with Bibi Netanyahu in the not too distant future,” he said.
Netanyahu’s plans were first reported by Axios. Netanyahu’s spokesman, Omer Dostri, said Monday on the social platform X that the Israeli leader has not yet received an official invitation to the White House.
An Israeli official, however, said Netanyahu is expected to go to the White House in February but did not have a date. That official spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement.
▶ Read more about Netanyahu and Trump’s potential meeting
Having already forced Colombia to accept deportees by threatening a 25% tariff, President Donald Trump is readying the same move against Canada and Mexico as soon as Saturday.
But this time, the stakes are higher and many economists surveying the possible damage doubt Trump would be comfortable with what they say would be self-inflicted wounds from the tariffs.
Trump has repeatedly insisted that tariffs are coming on Canada and Mexico, despite both countries seeking to address his stated concerns about illegal border crossings and the smuggling of fentanyl. But the Republican president is also motivated by the idea that tariffs would force other countries to “respect” the United States.
“We’re going to immediately install massive tariffs,” Trump said in a Monday speech, adding, “Colombia is traditionally a very, very strong-willed country,” but it backed down rather than face import taxes.
▶ Read more about Trump’s tariff plans for Mexico and Canada
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