Key Events (10)
Paul Ingrassia, Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel (whistleblower office), withdrew from consideration after racist text messages he sent surfaced. The withdrawal followed rare Republican pushback against his nomination.
Construction has begun on a $250 million ballroom in the White House by demolishing parts of the East Wing. The White House East Wing will be torn down within days, drawing fierce backlash from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Trump stated he has final say on paying himself $230 million from the federal government for past investigations during and after his first term, claiming the government owes him 'a lot of money.'
The Trump administration imposed sanctions on major Russian oil companies and called for Moscow to accept an immediate Ukraine ceasefire. This came after Trump canceled a planned summit with Putin, stating that past conversations had not led anywhere.
Vice President JD Vance met with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and expressed 'great optimism' that a Gaza ceasefire would hold, while also discussing potential Israeli alliances in the Middle East. Hamas joined talks in Cairo to iron out differences on the ceasefire implementation.
The University of Virginia agreed to Trump administration demands over admissions and hiring practices to restore funding, joining other universities including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia, and Brown in complying with White House requirements.
ICE raids in New York City's Chinatown over alleged counterfeit goods sparked protests, with officials condemning the operation. A TikTok creator streaming the raids was charged with assault after being shot in the elbow by federal agents during arrest.
Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon completed a nearly 23-hour floor speech arguing that President Trump is 'violating the law' through authoritarianism, making his case to the Senate.
California announced $80 million in funding and a National Guard deployment to assist food banks amid federal shutdown, with Governor Gavin Newsom criticizing Trump for 'endangering people's lives' as the shutdown delayed food benefits.
US firearms examiners were declared 'essential' shutdown workers after gun-lobby pressure, allowing Americans to resume purchasing firearms while other government services remained suspended during the shutdown.