Trump became the first sitting president ever to attend the Super Bowl in person on Sunday as he jetted into New Orleans to see the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, relishing the occasion not least because pop superstar Taylor Swift was booed by fans when her face appeared on the jumbotron in the Caesar’s Superdome.
The president posted a clip of the incident on Truth Social and wrote: “The only one that had a tougher night than the Kansas City Chiefs was Taylor Swift.
“She got BOOED out of the Stadium. MAGA is very unforgiving!”
Before the game, the president gave an interview to Bret Baier of Fox News, which he used to double-down on his support for billionaire Elon Musk’s increasingly controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in its efforts to strip back waste in the federal government, denying that Musk had anything to gain from his activities.
Third federal judge blocks Trump’s birthright citizenship orderAnother federal judge has slapped down Donald Trump’s executive order to unilaterally redefine the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship clause.
New Hampshire District Judge Joseph Normand Laplante will release a written order later today.
This was one of the first lawsuits, filed by an immigrants’ rights advocacy group with support from the ACLU.
The order marks the third federal judge to block the order.
Alex Woodward10 February 2025 15:00
Kremlin playing hardball on Ukraine peace deal, refuses to confirm if Trump and Putin spokeRussia is standing firm on its conditions for peace in Ukraine and has neither confirmed nor denied whether President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump have spoken, as the U.S. leader claimed on Sunday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov painted a bleak picture when speaking to the media on Monday, stating that relations with Washington “are balancing on the brink of a breakup.”
He reiterated that the war in Ukraine would continue until Kyiv abandons its plans to join NATO and withdraws from the four regions occupied by Russian forces.
In remarks suggesting Moscow is maintaining its tough negotiating stance, Ryabkov said that “we simply imperatively need to get … the new U.S. administration to understand and acknowledge that without resolving the problems that are the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine, it will not be possible to reach an agreement.”
The “political solution as we envisage it cannot be achieved otherwise than through the full implementation of what was pronounced by President Putin when he spoke to the Russian Foreign Ministry in June,” Ryabkov said.
“This is where we are and the sooner U.S., Britain, and others understand it, the better it would be and the closer this desired political solution will be for everyone,” said Ryabkov.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that he would “neither confirm nor deny” Trump’s comments to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, indicating that he and Putin had spoken in his first officially acknowledged contact with the Russian leader since 2022.
Asked whether he had had a conversation with Putin since he became president on January 20 or before, Trump told reporters: “I’ve had it. Let’s just say I’ve had it.”
With reporting from Reuters
Oliver O’Connell10 February 2025 14:56
Democrats open whistleblower portal for federal workers to report Trump administration wrongdoingSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and his fellow Democrats have set up a whistleblower complaint portal for federal workers wishing to report what they believe to be unlawful activities at their agencies as Elon Musk and his DOGE underlings attempt to downsize the federal government.
That portal is right here, for those that need it.
Chuck Schumer (AP)Joe Sommerlad10 February 2025 14:50
EU: No justification for U.S. tariffsThe European Commission has released the following statement on the potential imposition of U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium.
At this stage, we have not received any official notification regarding the imposition of additional tariffs on EU goods. We will not respond to broad announcements without details or written clarification. The EU sees no justification for the imposition of tariffs on its exports. We will react to protect the interests of European businesses, workers and consumers from unjustified measures.
In general: The imposition of tariffs would be unlawful and economically counterproductive, especially given the deeply integrated production chains the EU and US established through Transatlantic trade and investment. Tariffs are essentially taxes. By imposing tariffs, the US would be taxing its own citizens, raising costs for business, and fuelling inflation. Moreover, tariffs heighten economic uncertainty and disrupt the efficiency and integration of global markets.
Oliver O’Connell10 February 2025 14:44
Hegseth’s first foreign trip hits snag before it beginsDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first foreign trip has hit a snag even before it begins. His C-17 plane is having electrical problems and can’t take off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
Hegseth will fly to Germany to visit U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) headquarters.
He will then travel to Brussels to attend the NATO Defense Ministerial and the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting chaired by the United Kingdom.
Hegseth’s final stop will be Poland, where he will meet with Polish leaders to discuss bilateral defense cooperation and continued deterrence efforts along NATO’s eastern flank.
Vice President JD Vance is already in Europe, arriving in Paris this morning to attend the international summit on AI. Later in the week he will also be at the Munich Security conference.
Oliver O’Connell10 February 2025 14:34
Judd Apatow issues warning to Hollywood stars who voted for TrumpThe writer and director, whose credits include Knocked Up and Funny People, was hosting the Directors Guild of America (DGA) awards in Los Angeles over the weekend when he addressed the newly-elected US president.
“There’s a good chance that some of you in this room voted for Trump,” Apatow said.
“I won’t judge you, I won’t judge you. But God will.”
Jacob Stolworthy has more.
Joe Sommerlad10 February 2025 14:30
Trump to sign more executive orders todayPresident Donald Trump has a light public schedule today after yesterday’s Super Bowl appearance and mile-high press availability aboard Air Force One.
After receiving his daily briefing at 11 a.m., the president will sign further executive orders in the Oval Office at 1 p.m.
Stay tuned…
Oliver O’Connell10 February 2025 14:27
Analysis: How Republicans won on DEI and wrestled the topic from DemocratsMore than lowering the price of eggs, extending tax cuts, launching new tariffs against China or anything else Donald Trump campaigned on, rooting out all signs of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has become the main target of Republicans.
And they have successfully wrestled control of the battleground topic from Democrats, argues Josh Marcus.
Joe Sommerlad10 February 2025 14:10
Trump order prioritizes U.S. resettlement of white South AfricansAfter years railing against immigrants coming to America, Donald Trump has signed an executive order to prioritize the U.S. resettlement of white South African “refugees” suffering from what he called “government-sponsored race-based discrimination.”
Trump also shut down all federal funding for the country, much of which is used to battle AIDS.
Here’s what he had to say about that on Truth Social yesterday:
Afrikaners, who largely benefitted as white people from the historically racial discriminatory system of apartheid in South Africa, would be resettled in America through the U.S. refugee program.
Trump had suspended the resettlement program by executive order on his first day in office.
Mary Papenfuss has more.
Joe Sommerlad10 February 2025 13:50
Trump hits highest approval mark of either term in new pollWhat a difference four years can make.
Polls are showing Donald Trump’s early moves in office are yielding the highest approval ratings of either of his terms in the White House, a stark change from when he left office in early 2021 with the lowest support in his presidential career.
Overall, 53 percent of respondents approved of the job Trump was doing, according to a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted in early February.
Josh Marcus has more details.
Joe Sommerlad10 February 2025 13:30
