Trump said he is “pleased” with the “initial outcome” of U.S. discussions with Canada, in which the two countries agreed to hold off on imposing tariffs for at least 30 days.

“As President, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of ALL Americans, and I am doing just that. I am very pleased with this initial outcome, and the Tariffs announced on Saturday will be paused for a 30 day period to see whether or not a final Economic deal with Canada can be structured. FAIRNESS FOR ALL!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump's post came shortly after Trudeau announced the pause on tariffs.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, offered her support for Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for director of national intelligence, a good sign for Gabbard, who cannot lose a single Republican in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s vote to advance her nomination and thus needs Collins’ vote tomorrow.

“After extensive consideration of her nomination, I will support Tulsi Gabbard to be the Director of National Intelligence,” Collins said in a statement today.

“As one of the principal authors of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that established this coordinating position, I understand the critical role the DNI plays in the Intelligence Community. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, however, has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size,” Collins added.

Trudeau announced this afternoon that proposed tariffs between Canada and the United States will be “paused for at least 30 days while we work together.”

“I just had a good call with President Trump. Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border,” Trudeau said on X.

He added that Canada would reinforce its border, increase resources to stop the flow of fentanyl, appoint a “Fentanyl Czar” and launch a “Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force” to combat organized crime, among other measures.

Just two years ago, 43 Republican senators told the Supreme Court they were alarmed by what they viewed as President Joe Biden's unlawful, unilateral action to forgive billions of dollars in federal student loan debt.

"The President is not a king, and he has no power to dispense with the lawful acts of the legislature,” lawyers for the senators wrote in a court filing. The court agreed and struck down Biden's plan, saying such a proposal needed to be explicitly approved by Congress.

But with Trump in office, there has so far been no pushback from Republicans on Capitol Hill against his aggressive use of executive power as seen in various executive orders and the ongoing attempt to unravel the U.S. Agency for International Development, a federal agency set up and funded by Congress.

In fact, two senators who signed the brief in 2023, Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, praised Trump's effort to undermine the federal bureaucracy in an audio discussion with Musk last night, in which Musk announced plans to shut USAID down entirely.

In what appears to be yet another move to consolidate parts of the federal government, Trump has appointed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The CFPB said in a statement today that Trump designated Bessent as the acting head on Friday. Its former director, Rohit Chopra, confirmed in a letter to Trump on Saturday that he was leaving the agency. He had a year remaining in his five-year term after Biden appointed him in 2021.

The news about Bessent's taking over the CFPB was first reported by The Washington Post. Bessent, a former hedge fund executive, was sworn in as treasury secretary last week.

Read the full story here.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced he's launching his state's own Division of Government Efficiency, a reference to the Musk-backed Department of Government Efficiency that has stoked controversy in Washington as it has clashed with executive agencies.

Stitt, a Republican, announced the new department, which will be housed within the state's Office of Management and Enterprise Services, in a news release. The release said that the division will be led by an unpaid "Chief DOGE Advisor" and that it will be allowed to "collaborate with state agencies, officials, and existing government efficiency initiatives to identify and eliminate waste."

It also added that agencies must "ensure DOGE-OK receives full access to agency records, data, software systems, and I.T. systems."

DOGE-OK is required to submit a report for more efficient government to the governor by the end of March.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said today that he plans to place a blanket hold on all Trump State Department nominees until the administration reverses its effort to shut down USAID.

"Until and unless this brazenly authoritarian action is reversed and USAID is functional again, I will be placing a blanket hold on all of the Trump administration’s State Department nominees. This is self-inflicted chaos of epic proportions that will have dangerous consequences all around the world," he said.

While a hold on nominees would slow the Senate process to confirm them, Democrats don't have the power to block their eventual confirmations.

Officials in China have vowed unspecified countermeasures in what could become a trade war after Trump proposed 10% tariffs on all Chinese goods. NBC News’ Janis Mackey Frayer reports from Beijing on China’s reaction.

Global markets braced for chaos ahead of Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada and China announced over the weekend, which have alarmed allies and spooked markets about what some fear may spiral into a global trade war.

While most world leaders have been circumspect about the levies against Canada, Mexico and China, economists say consumers around the world will face spiraling prices as the supply chains that move goods among countries become more exposed to political risk and therefore costlier.

Read the full story here.