‘Jamie Dimon probably wants higher rates. Maybe he makes more money that way’: Trump continues Fed attacks in Detroit visit

Speaking to the Detroit Economic Club, the president essentially accused the Fed of stealing his joy by not being bullish about lowering interest rates.

It comes as the Trump administration’s criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has sparked an outcry, with defenders of the U.S. central bank pushing back against Trump’s efforts to exert more control over it. Federal data from December showed inflation declined a bit last month as prices for gas and used cars fell — a sign that cost pressures are slowly easing.

After last year’s election losses for the GOP, the White House said Trump would put a greater emphasis on talking directly to the public about his economic policies after doing relatively few events around the country earlier in his term.

Trump says Renee Good may have in ‘normal circumstances’ been a ‘solid’ person

But, the president said in his interview, “her actions were pretty tough.”

He said that video of the moment when an immigration agent fatally shot her in Minneapolis, “can be viewed two ways, I guess,” but said “there are a couple of versions of that tape that are very, very bad.”

It wasn’t completely clear what he meant by that.

Trump offers little defense when questioned on whether Powell investigation appears to be retribution

The president was asked in an interview that aired Tuesday night on the “CBS Evening News” about the Justice Department’s investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Trump was asked if the probe appeared to be political retribution for Powell having resisted Trump’s repeated hectoring to lower interest rates.

Trump said Powell is “either corrupt or incompetent.” When asked again about the appearance of retribution, he said, “I can’t help what it looks like.”

White House responds to Trump flipping off heckler at Ford plant

While Trump was in Michigan, someone at the auto plant yelled something at the president that included the words “pedophile protector.”

Trump, in a video published by TMZ, appeared to respond by mouthing the F-bomb at the person and raising his middle finger.

White House spokesman Steven Cheung said, “A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.”

It’s not the first time Trump has dropped an expletive with cameras rolling.

‘No basis’ for civil rights probe in Minnesota ICE shooting, Justice Department official says

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that “there is currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation.” The statement, first reported by CNN, did not elaborate on how the department had reached a conclusion that no investigation was warranted.

The decision to keep the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division out of the investigation into the fatal shooting of Renee Good marks a sharp departure from past administrations, which have moved quickly to probe shootings of civilians by law enforcement officials for potential civil rights offenses.

Federal officials have said that the officer acted in self-defense and that Good was engaging in “an act of domestic terrorism” when she pulled forward toward him.

Trump says JPMorgan Chase CEO is wrong in criticizing his moves against Powell

Trump said he thinks JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon is wrong in saying it’s not a great idea to chip away at the Federal Reserve’s independence by going after Chair Jerome Powell.

“Yeah, I think it’s fine what I’m doing,” Trump said Tuesday in response to a reporter’s question at Joint Base Andrews after returning from a day trip to Michigan. He called Powell “a bad Fed person” who has “done a bad job.”

“We should have lower rates. Jamie Dimon probably wants higher rates. Maybe he makes more money that way,” Trump said.

Trump: US is awaiting ‘accurate’ numbers of protesters killed in Iran before acting

Trump told reporters Tuesday afternoon that he is expecting a report on the number of protesters who have been killed in Iran since protests began last month as the internet blackout has complicated the death toll.

“The killing looks like it’s significant, but we don’t know yet for sure,” he said. “I’ll know within 20 minutes. We will act accordingly.”

In the last week, the Republican president has escalated threats of U.S. intervention in Iran, saying as recently as this morning that the Islamic Republic will “pay the price” for the hundreds of Iranians that have been killed. But Trump appeared to use more careful rhetoric when pushed by reporters late Tuesday about what kind of action he will take.

“It would seem to me that they have been badly misbehaving, but that is not confirmed,” he said.

RFK Jr. shares the supplements he takes, but cautions he shouldn’t be seen as a role model

The health secretary was open about his dietary supplement routine on The Katie Miller Podcast — but he warned that he shouldn’t be seen as a pinnacle for what others should take.

In response to Miller asking, Kennedy said he takes Vitamin D, quercetin, zinc, magnesium, Vitamin C and “a bunch of other stuff.”

How does he choose which supplements to take? In a relatable way — and one that’s not necessarily medically advised.

“My method is I read an article about something, you know, and I get convinced that, oh, I gotta have this stuff,” he said. “And then I get it and then six months later I’m still taking it. I don’t remember what the article said. So, I end up with a big crate of vitamins that I’m taking, and I don’t even know why.”

RFK Jr. on Trump’s diet: ‘I don’t know how he’s alive, but he is’

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on a podcast posted online Tuesday said the president eats healthily at Mar-a-Lago and at the White House — but not when he’s traveling.

In the interview with Katie Miller, who is married to top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, Kennedy said people who travel with the president get the idea that he’s “pumping himself full of poison all day long.” He said that while on the road, the president tries not to get sick by eating food he trusts from McDonald’s and other “big corporations.”

“He has the constitution of a deity,” Kennedy said of Trump. “I don’t know how he’s alive, but he is.”

Still, Kennedy praised Trump’s overall health and said he eats well “usually.”

Trump is “the most energetic person” that “any of us have met,” Kennedy added.

Plane used in boat strike off Venezuela was painted to look like a civilian aircraft, AP sources say

The plane used by the U.S. military to strike a boat accused of smuggling drugs off the coast of Venezuela last fall also was carrying munitions in the fuselage, rather than beneath the aircraft.

That raises questions about the extent to which the operation was disguised in ways that run contrary to military protocol.

Details of the plane’s appearance, first reported Monday by The New York Times, were confirmed by two people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson says “the U.S. military utilizes a wide array of standard and nonstandard aircraft depending on mission requirements.”

U.S. military guidelines on the laws of war prohibit troops from pretending to be civilians while engaging in combat. The practice is legally known as “perfidy.”

The Defense Department manual specifically notes that “feigning civilian status and then attacking” is an example of the practice.

Trump criticizes 5 Republican senators who voted to limit his ability to attack Venezuela again

Trump questioned why they would be against what he says was the most successful U.S. military attack in 100 years, the operation that captured Nicolas Maduro and brought him to New York to face drug charges.

Congress has the authority to declare war but the president didn’t give any lawmakers advance warning of the operation.

“It’s one thing if the attack failed,” Trump said. “But here we have one of the most successful attacks ever and they find a way to be against it. It’s pretty amazing. And it’s a shame.”

Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana last week voted with Democrats to send a message of disapproval about Trump’s actions against the South American nation.

The measure still must clear the Republican-controlled House and be signed into law by the Republican president — steps that appear unlikely.

Trump says he plans to announce health care plan this week

The president didn’t specify when he will announce his plan but he and Republicans have been under increasing pressure to address Americans’ health care costs, especially as subsidies for those who get coverage under the Affordable Care Act expired at the end of last year.

Trump reiterated his wish to have money be sent directly to consumers to buy health insurance rather than sending money to insurers.

He also promoted his agreements with various drug manufacturers to lower the costs of their prescription drugs in the U.S. and said his party should win midterm elections this year based on that alone.

“We should win the midterms in a landslide,” he said.

Trump lashes out at Federal Reserve in Detroit speech

The president essentially accused the Fed of stealing his joy by not being bullish about lowering interest rates.

“If you announce great numbers, they raise interest rates,” Trump said in the speech. “When the market goes up, they should lower rates.”

Trump has disagreed sharply with the interest rate strategy of the independent Fed, chaired by Jerome Powell, and has pressed for lower rates, faster. He maintains that a rising stock market should cause the Fed to cut its benchmark interest rates in order to further boost economic growth.

But the Fed has the legal responsibility of keeping prices stable and maximizing employment. Slashing rates as Trump has suggested could push more money into the U.S. economy and worsen inflation.

Trump starts address to Detroit Economic Club

The president opened with introductions and a few jokes, then immediately shifted to talking about his elections and voter ID laws, instead of the economy.

He then resumed recognizing some of the more notable people in the audience in Detroit.

Trump dismissive of Canada and Mexico free-trade agreement

The president stopped to speak to reporters while touring the auto factory and was indifferent to the idea of renegotiating the United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, which is up for review this year.

“I think they want it,” he said of the other nations. “I don’t really care.”

Trump said the U.S. doesn’t need cars made in Canada or Mexico, but he wants to see them made in the U.S.

Beijing opposes Trump’s threatening 25% tariff on Iran’s trading partners

Beijing on Tuesday criticized President Donald Trump’s plan to impose an additional 25% tariff on Iran’s trading partners, which includes China, Iran’s largest trading partner.

“Tariff wars have no winners,” said Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry. “China will firmly protect its legitimate and lawful rights and interests.”

It’s not immediately clear if the tariff on Chinese goods will go up, because the two governments have agreed to a yearlong truce in their trade war following a summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October in South Korea.

On Tuesday, the Chinese commerce ministry extended anti-dumping tariffs on U.S. solar polysilicon imports. The rates are 53.3% to 57%.

Republican senator warns against US military action in Iran

Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican who has been outspoken against the Trump administration’s overseas military pursuits, said an attack on Iran would likely harm U.S. interests and could backfire.

“I hope they are able to rise up in sufficient force to actually topple the regime,” he said about the Iranian people protesting.

“But once we start dropping bombs on their government, I mean, it can create the opposite of the intended effect, because when people — no matter who they are, whether they’re pro or against the regime — tend to be unhappy when foreign bombs are dropping on them.”

Trump administration ending protected immigration status for small group of Somali immigrants

“Temporary means temporary,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement to The Associated Press.

DHS told Fox News separately that Somalis with Temporary Protected Status must leave the U.S. by March 17, when existing protections expire. The TPS move comes amid Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, where many Somalis have U.S. citizenship. Trump has targeted Somali immigrants with racist rhetoric and accused them of defrauding federal programs.

A congressional report last year estimated the Somali TPS population at 705 people. Noem insisted that circumstances in Somalia “have improved to the point that it no longer meets the law’s requirement for Temporary Protected Status.”

Located in the horn of Africa, Somalia is one of the world’s poorest nations and has for decades been beset by chronic strife and insecurity exacerbated by multiple natural disasters, including severe droughts.

Following Minnesota ICE killing, Democrats renew aim at qualified immunity for law enforcement

A bill introduced by Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts would allow people to sue federal law enforcement officers for civil rights violations and remove their qualified immunity protections in such cases.

“When masked ICE agents are allowed to kill and harm people with impunity, we have crossed a dangerous threshold in our nation,” Markey said in a statement.

The bill “sends a powerful message to everyone in America — citizen or not — that when ICE agents break the law, they should and will be held accountable” Pressley said.

The bill stands little chance of passage in the GOP-controlled Congress.

Qualified immunity protects government agents from lawsuits unless they violate “clearly established” constitutional or statutory protections. Debates over the scope of the legal doctrine have held up bipartisan negotiations over policing reforms.

Trump sends a message to the citizens of Iran

Trump said Tuesday he’s canceled talks with Iranian officials amid their protest crackdown and promised help to protesters in the country after human rights monitors said Tuesday that the death toll spiked to 2,000.

Trump did not offer any details about what the help would entail, but it comes after Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic. Trump’s latest message on social media appeared to make an abrupt shift about his willingness to engage with the Iranian government.

“Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!” Trump wrote in morning post on Truth Socia. “Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price. I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”

Trump warns Minnesota that day of ‘retribution’ is coming

In a social media post, Trump defended the aggressive immigration enforcement actions being carried out across Minneapolis as part of his deportation agenda.

Throngs of people have taken to the streets of Minneapolis to protest the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after a woman was shot and killed during an operation last Wednesday.

The president asserted in the post that the anti-ICE activity is also shifting the spotlight away from alleged fraud in the state and said, “FEAR NOT, GREAT PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!”

Trump blames what he calls “professional agitators” for the protests. He has not provided evidence to support his claims.

Michigan Democratic party chair pans the president’s trip

“Michiganders are feeling the effects of Trump’s economy every day,” Michigan Democratic Party chair Curtis Hertel said in a statement, singling out Republican opposition to extending health care subsidies.

“After spending months claiming that affordability was a ‘hoax’ and creating a health care crisis for Michiganders, Donald Trump is now coming to Detroit — a city he hates — to tout his billionaire-first agenda while working families suffer,” Hertel said.

Microsoft pushes Big Tech to ‘pay our way’ for AI data centers amid rising opposition

It won’t be easy for Big Tech companies to win the hearts and minds of Americans who are angry about massive artificial intelligence data centers sprouting up in their neighborhoods, straining electricity grids and drawing on local reservoirs.

Microsoft is trying anyway. The software giant’s president, Brad Smith, is meeting with federal lawmakers Tuesday, pushing for the industry, not taxpayers, to pay the full costs of the vast network of computing warehouses needed to power AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s own Copilot. Trump gave the effort a nod with a Truth Social post saying he doesn’t want Americans to “pick up the tab” for data centers and pay higher utility costs.

“Local communities naturally want to see new jobs but not at the expense of higher electricity prices or the diversion of their water,” Smith said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Central bankers back US Fed Chair Jerome Powell in clash with Trump

Central bankers from around the world said Tuesday they “stand in full solidarity” with U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, after Trump dramatically escalated his confrontation with the Fed with the Justice Department investigating and threatening criminal charges.

Powell “has served with integrity, focused on his mandate and an unwavering commitment to the public interest,” read the statement signed by nine national central bank heads including European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey.

They added that “the independence of central banks is a cornerstone of price, financial and economic stability in the interest of the citizens that we serve. It is therefore critical to preserve that independence, with full respect for the rule of law and democratic accountability.”