A Hostile Takeover Is Happening

2.3.25

Ally Sammarco Feb 4

Credit: AP

Good Monday evening and welcome back to Today’s American News, your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment.

Trump backtracks on tariffs but U.S. economy still takes hit… Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada on Friday, prompting backlash among our neighbors, before backing off today after conversations with Mexico City and Ottawa. NBC News reports on the damage: “The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, while the broader S&P 500 declined 0.8%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 lost 1.2%. The Cboe Volatility Index, known as Wall Street’s “fear” gauge, which anticipates major market swings, spiked above 18 — approaching highs seen over the last two years.

Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

Musk’s U.S. takeover extends to Treasury’s payments database…. Politico reports, “Elon Musk’s headlong rush to take control of crucial federal agencies and functions… has stoked widespread alarm in Washington about the aims of his Donald Trump-backed mission. The opaque office’s early moves have violated the Privacy Act and cybersecurity laws, according to legal experts, and triggered a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s assault on government bureaucracy. Legal and security experts are particularly exercised by Musk’s move to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development and take control of the Treasury Department’s central payments database.”

ACLU sues Trump over suspension of asylum… Joined by three immigrant rights groups, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a major lawsuit against the Trump administration today, telling the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that Trump’s executive actions on asylum usurped the constitutional authority of Congress. After a series of Trump moves it has become virtually impossible for refugees to make an asylum claim with the U.S. government. Trump, the lawsuit alleges, “is returning asylum seekers—not just single adults, but families too—to countries where they face persecution or torture, without allowing them to invoke the protections Congress has provided."

Six Americans held in Venezuela come home with Trump envoy… In a diplomatic win for the Trump administration, envoy for special missions Richard Grenell was able to secure the release of six Americans detained in Venezuela after a meeting with President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro, who remained in power after an illegitimate re-election last year, met with Grenell to discuss his government’s refusal to accept Venezuelan nationals deported from the United States under Trump. The Trump Administration, which does not recognize Maduro’s legitimacy for his current, third term, faced questions about whether the meeting was a propaganda win for Maduro.

Today’s Buzz

Grammys: Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter wins best country album… Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé won best country album at last evening’s 2025 Grammys, making the artist the first Black woman to win best country album in Grammy history. She won a second Grammy in the best country duo/group performance category for her collaboration with Miley Cyrus, “II Most Wanted.” Check out People’s best and worst Grammy moments here.

(Photo credit: CBS)

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