# Trump administration briefing: Vance defends US position on Ukraine; tariffs hit Canada, Mexico and China

Donald Trump has paused military aid to Ukraine following his clash with the country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, last week, according to US media reports.

Vance told Fox News in an interview recorded before the announcement on Monday that giving Washington an economic interest in the future of Ukraine will serve as a security guarantee for the country that Russia invaded in February 2022.

“If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine,” Vance said in the interview.

“That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years,” he added.

## China and Canada retaliate after tariffs come into effect

China and Canada unveiled retaliatory measures against the US after  imposed his sweeping tariffs plan at midnight US time, despite warnings it could spark an escalating trade war.



## US health department offers early retirement in latest round of Musk-led cuts

The US health department told employees on Monday they could apply for early retirement over the next 10 days and should respond to a request for information on their accomplishments of the past week, according to emails seen by Reuters.



## Trump outraged at Zelenskyy – again

The rift between Washington and Kyiv over a potential ceasefire in the war with Russia grew larger on Monday as  expressed new outrage at  for saying that the end of the war could be “very, very far away”.



## Linda McMahon, wrestling industry billionaire, confirmed as US education secretary

The US Senate has confirmed Linda McMahon as the nation’s next education secretary, entrusting the former wrestling executive with a department marked for dismantling by .

The 76-year-old billionaire businesswoman and longtime Trump ally was approved 51-45, reflecting deep divisions over her qualifications and the administration’s education agenda. McMahon, who previously led the small business administration during Trump’s first term, now faces the paradoxical task of running an agency while simultaneously working toward its potential elimination.

McMahon’s ascension comes amid reports that Trump is preparing an executive order instructing her to slash the department’s operations to the legal minimum while pushing Congress for its complete closure.



## Health official quits after reported clashes with RFK Jr

A top spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services has abruptly resigned from the department, just two weeks after starting the job and as the country grapples with an escalating measles outbreak.



## Democrats invite fired federal workers to Trump’s address

Workers fired in Donald Trump’s mass purge of the federal government will attend his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday at the invitation of Democrats seeking to display the human costs of the president’s radical policies.



## Schumer: pause on cyber operations gives Putin ‘free pass’

A senior US Democrat has hit out at Donald Trump’s attempt to reset relations with Russia following revelations that the president’s administration is retreating from the fight against Russian cyberthreats, calling the reported move “a critical strategic mistake”.



## What else happened today:

- ** featuring speakers including self-described eugenicists and promoters of race science** will be held at a hotel and conference venue operated by the public University of Texas, Austin.
  
- ** have been pushing a slew of anti-LGBTQ+ measures targeting same-sex marriages** with an aim of ultimately securing a supreme court ban on the federally protected right.
  
- **The CEO of a giant in the semiconductor chip industry joined Trump to announce the Taiwanese company’s new $100bn investment in production in the United States.** CC Wei, the chief executive of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) said the new investment brings TSMC’s total investment in chip manufacturing in the US to $165bn.
  
- **US stocks plunged Monday afternoon as selling intensified after Trump said there was “no room left” for tariff negotiations with Canada and Mexico.** The ISM survey showed manufacturing PMI slipped to 50.3 last month from 50.9 in January.
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