Trump pushes for 250-foot permanent triumphal arch near the Potomac that would dwarf the Lincoln Memorial and obstruct views of Arlington National Cemetery.
Utah governor signs bill expanding state Supreme Court from five to seven justices after legislature suffered court defeats on redistricting, abortion and school vouchers, giving him five of seven appointments.
House Democrats tell Speaker Johnson they won’t help pass funding bill, extending partial shutdown as party demands ICE body cameras and warrant restrictions.
UN Secretary-General warns the organization faces “imminent financial collapse” by July after U.S. refused to pay its 2025 contribution and offered only 30% of expected peacekeeping funding.
Trump nominates BLS economist Brett Matsumoto to lead the agency after firing its commissioner over a jobs report and withdrawing a Project 2025 contributor’s nomination.
Trump nominates Kevin Warsh to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair, weeks after DOJ subpoenaed Powell in what Powell called a “pretext” to force rate cuts.
Senate passes $1.2 trillion funding deal 71-29 after Trump and Democrats split off DHS spending, but a brief shutdown begins Saturday with House not voting until Monday.
Noem was not called on to report during Trump’s televised Cabinet meeting, the first since two Americans were killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis.
Ethics watchdog asks Energy Department inspector general to investigate whether assistant secretary violated rules by appearing in jewelry ad featuring $22,700 ring with her official title.
Trump, his two eldest sons, and the Trump Organization sue the IRS and Treasury for $10 billion over tax records leaked to ProPublica and the New York Times.
Framed photo of Trump and Putin from Alaska summit now hangs in White House visitor lobby, part of Palm Room renovation.
Rubio tells Senate that Venezuela must submit monthly budget to Washington for approval, with US controlling how oil proceeds are spent.
Federal Reserve holds rates steady as Powell calls Supreme Court case over Trump’s attempt to fire Governor Cook “perhaps the most important” in Fed’s 113-year history.
Trump administration moves to sell Old Post Office, once home to Trump hotel, as observation tower that was open to public for decades is now shuttered.
Kennedy Center’s new programming chief resigns less than two weeks after Grenell announced his hire to “expand commonsense programming.”
Minnesota’s chief federal judge cancels contempt hearing for ICE chief after agency releases wrongly detained man, but warns of 96 violated court orders: “ICE is not a law unto itself.”
Leaked ICE guidance orders Minnesota agents to avoid “agitators” and arrest only immigrants with criminal history, reversing broad sweeps that led to two killings.
Border Patrol places two agents who shot Alex Pretti on leave as White House says DHS “may not have been following protocol.”
Trump’s acting cyber chief uploaded sensitive government files into public ChatGPT, triggering internal security warnings and a DHS damage assessment.
Democrats win two Minnesota special elections to restore 67-67 state House tie, first contests since ICE shootings sparked backlash against Trump administration.
House Homeland Security Democrats threaten to impeach Noem if she is not fired or resigns, saying she “lied about Alex Pretti” and destroyed public confidence in DHS.
NTSB finds FAA repeatedly ignored air traffic controller warnings about dangerous flight paths before the mid-air collision at Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people a year ago.
Trump blames Kennedy Center’s “massive deficits” on prior leadership nearly a year after his takeover drove ticket sales to three-year low and ended the Washington National Opera’s 50-year residency.
Transportation Department plans to use Google Gemini to rewrite safety regulations for airplanes, pipelines and freight trains, with agency’s top lawyer saying “we don’t need the perfect rule.”
Trump holds two-hour Oval Office meeting with Noem after she requested it, sends Homan to Minneapolis while removing Bovino, but no jobs appear at risk.
Treasury cancels all Booz Allen Hamilton contracts five years after employee leaked Trump tax returns, despite firm’s cooperation with investigation that led to prosecution.
Border Patrol commander a judge found “not credible” and “outright lying” hands Minnesota operation to Border Czar Tom Homan Tuesday, two days after Pretti killing.
House Democrats held emergency caucus call to discuss impeaching DHS Secretary Noem after Pretti killing; 115 members now co-sponsor impeachment articles, including centrists who voted for DHS funding last week.
AG Bondi tells Minn. Gov. Walz ICE will leave only if the state shares Medicaid and SNAP records, repeals sanctuary policies, and gives DOJ access to voter rolls; Minnesota Secretary of State calls it “ransom.”
Trump calls lawsuit challenging $400 million White House ballroom “ridiculous,” claims construction has gone too far to stop and reveals project has “Top Secret” military and Secret Service involvement.
Trump housing finance chief quietly raises bond purchase limit to $450 billion, reversing post-2008 crisis safeguards on government-backed lenders.
Senate Democrats vow to block spending package over DHS funding after second Minneapolis killing, raising odds of partial government shutdown Friday.
GAO reports Social Security at risk of “losing many staff in the near term” after telework ban dropped remote work from 42% to 13% of hours.
Watchdog files complaint alleging Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche violated conflict-of-interest law by ending crypto investigations while owning $159,000 in digital assets.
HUD threatens sanctions against public housing authorities that do not verify tenants’ immigration status within 30 days, claiming audit found 6,000 “ineligible” tenants.
FBI agent resigns after facing pressure to stop investigating ICE officer who killed Renee Good; six federal prosecutors also quit over DOJ push to investigate the widow.
DHS halts terminations of FEMA disaster workers as massive winter storm approaches, hours after staff were escorted out during Noem’s tour of headquarters.
Judge extends order requiring Trump administration to keep funding child care subsidies in five states after HHS cited fraud concerns based on right-wing influencer video.
White House fences off Lafayette Square for “repairs” through May; Trump reportedly wants brick walkways removed to prevent use as weapons during demonstrations.
TikTok announces deal to spin off U.S. operations, with Oracle, UAE’s MGX, and Silver Lake each taking 15% stakes while ByteDance retains 19.9% and continues managing advertising and e-commerce.
Federal judge questions Trump’s authority to build $400 million White House ballroom, snapping “Come on. Be serious” when DOJ compared it to adding a tennis pavilion.
Trump administration orders review of all federal funding to 14 Democratic-led states and DC, directing agencies to report grants, loans, and contracts by Monday; memo claims effort is “data-gathering,” not withholding.
Five Democratic states ask judge to block Trump administration from withholding child care funding; HHS claimed fraud without evidence while demanding recipients’ Social Security numbers.
Trump attributed large purple bruise on left hand at Davos to hitting a table and his daily aspirin regimen; photos showed he later applied makeup to conceal it.
House Oversight Committee schedules Feb. 9 deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell in Epstein probe; her attorney says she will invoke Fifth Amendment throughout.
House Oversight Committee votes to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt for skipping Epstein depositions, with nine Democrats supporting the former president’s resolution.
IRS announces leadership shake-up days before tax season, promoting Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who testified about the Hunter Biden tax probe, to senior roles.
Trump stands by Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer amid allegations of an affair with a staffer, drinking in her office and taking subordinates to a strip club on a government trip.
Judge refuses to block DHS policy requiring seven-day notice for congressional visits to ICE facilities, though she stressed she was not ruling the policy lawful.
Democrat Abigail Spanberger takes oath as Virginia’s 75th governor and first woman elected to the office.
