Stock markets are braced for more volatility as the US president prepares to unveil a swathe of new levies on Wednesday. The measures could include tariffs of around 20% on most imports, according to reports. Listen to Trump 100 as you scroll.
Wednesday 2 April 2025 00:30, UK
But we’ll be back tomorrow on what Donald Trump has dubbed „liberation day“ to discover the extent of his promised tariffs.
Little was revealed today – to avoid any link to April Fool’s Day – other than the fact Trump will detail his plans in the afternoon.
To remind yourself on what that all means and how it could impact the UK, click on the link below.
Princeton University has become the latest school to lose government funding as Donald Trump continues to target institutions his team feels fail to protect Jewish students.
In a statement, the university’s president Chris Eisgruber said several dozen research grants have been frozen, but no reason has been given.
It’s not clear how much those grants are worth.
Trump’s team has threatened to slash funding for universities over alleged tolerance of antisemitism during last year’s pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
„We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism,“ Eisgruber said.
„Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this university.“
Federal agencies have not commented.
Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say Trump wrongly conflates their criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and advocacy for Palestinian rights with antisemitism and support for Hamas.
Trump’s administration is also reviewing $9bn in federal contracts and grants awarded to Harvard University – and last month it cancelled $400m for Columbia University.
Schools have been targeted over other culture war issues as well, such as the University of Pennsylvania, which saw $175m in funding suspended over transgender sports policies.
Major legal firms with ties to lawyers who have investigated Donald Trump have been targeted with executive orders.
These orders seek to curtail their business with the government, and have been met with backlash by three firms suing the administration – and judges have blocked key provisions within those orders.
But Trump has announced Wilkie Farr & Gallagher – where his election rival Kamala Harris‘ husband works as a partner – has agreed to a settlement.
This includes providing $100m in legal services and not engaging in diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.
A Willkie Farr spokesperson did not immediately offer a comment.
We reported earlier on the mass cuts to staff at health agencies in the US – see our 21.01 post.
According to a source cited by Reuters news agency, those cuts include staff working on a bird flu response.
Reuters reports key employees at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine have been let go.
That centre tests pet food for bird flu, and the FDA has issued recalls after identifying the virus linked to the death of pet cats.
Kristy Pabilonia, executive director of clinical diagnostics at Colorado State University’s Veterinary Health System, has relied on the centre for reports of cat infections.
„It keeps me up at night thinking that there would be a chance that I wouldn’t have someone to report to,“ she said.
The cuts are also likely to disrupt efforts to develop bird flu testing infrastructure for aged artisan raw milk cheese, according to Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Coordinating bird flu testing through the national lab network is vital to keeping track of the virus‘ spread, Poulsen said.
„You chop off the head of the leadership, and now we have to reinvent that wheel,“ he added.
„That’s not in our best interest.“
Health officials have warned against drinking raw milk – something Donald Trump’s health secretary Robert F Kennedy has promoted – with nearly 1,000 dairy cattle herds infected over the past year.
The virus has killed nearly 170 million chickens, turkeys and other birds in an ongoing outbreak since 2022.
The price of eggs has increased as a result.
The senator delivering marathon remarks against Donald Trump right now is still going.
In the past half an hour, 55-year-old Cory Booker has cracked the top four longest speeches in Senate history, passing Ted Cruz’s time of 21 hours and 19 minutes.
The record stands at 24 hours and 18 minutes – which Booker would hit at about 20 minutes past midnight UK time.
He has not been allowed to sit down or leave the Senate floor in all this time, not even to use the bathroom.
For more about Booker and why he’s taking this kind of stand, click on the link below…
Following last week’s revelations that a journalist was accidentally added to a group chat detailing war plans, more questions around data security within Donald Trump’s team have risen.
According to The Washington Post, members of his National Security Council – including top adviser Mike Waltz – have conducted government business over personal Gmail accounts.
The paper cites documents they have reviewed and interviews with three US officials.
The report states a senior Waltz aide used the email service for „highly technical conversations“ with colleagues at other government agencies „involving sensitive military positions and powerful weapons systems relating to an ongoing conflict“.
Waltz, the report added, has had „less sensitive, but potentially exploitable“ information sent to his Gmail account, including his schedule.
NSC spokesman Brian Hughes said he’s seen no evidence of Waltz using his personal email as described, the Post states.
As Donald Trump’s team slashed the workforce at health agencies today, employees were informed by security guards that they had lost their jobs.
Long lines formed in downtown Washington DC, outside a hub of health agency offices, with many waiting hours and not knowing what would happen when they reached the front.
Some were denied entry when they got there, before being given a ticket and told to return home.
The ticket, seen by Reuters news agency, listed numbers for staff to call to retrieve their „essential“ equipment.
„Dozens of people have been RIF-ed this way so far,“ one employee said, referring to the government’s euphemism „reduction in force“.
They included a deaf person, who needed a security guard to type on a phone the message she had been fired.
„So now it’s fallen on the security guards to tell people they’ve lost their jobs,“ the employee added.
What’s happening?
According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, the Trump administration began mass cuts of 10,000 staff at health agencies today.
Those cuts – affecting several agencies under the Department of Health and Human Services, including the FDA, CDC and the National Institutes of Health – are part of a wider plan by Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk to shrink the government and reduce spending.
Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr described the cuts as essential to fixing a bloated bureaucracy.
But they have included the ouster of top scientists overseeing public health, cancer research and vaccine and drug approvals.
That’s raised concerns over how the country will respond to health emergencies, such as the ongoing measles outbreak.
Melania Trump made a rare appearance earlier today, speaking at the 2025 International Women of Courage Award ceremony.
„Today, we celebrate courage, a strength that is based in love,“ the first lady said.
„This truth is illustrated to our honourees who prove that love can inspire extraordinary valour, even with the face of vulnerability.“
She also struck a personal note, reports our US partner network NBC News, revealing she had relied on the „power of love“ to „exhibit bravery in the face of unforeseen circumstances“ in her own life, though she did not go into detail.
A senator is still delivering a marathon speech in the US Senate in protest against Donald Trump – as we reported at 16.09.
Cory Booker, 55, took to the floor at midnight UK time, vowing to remain there as long as he is „physically able“.
Little more than 20 hours later, he’s still going.
Watch him in action right now in our live stream below…
Earlier today, the Speaker of the House said there was a „constitutional path“ for his ally Donald Trump to seek a third term in office.
But Mike Johnson added it would need an amendment to the constitution.
Speaking to our US partner network NBC News, he said: „I just told everybody to read the constitution, there’s a constitutional path.“
„You have to amend the constitution to do it, and that’s a high bar,“ he added.
Johnson said that while he and Trump had „joked about it“, he believed the president „recognises the constitutional limitations“.
Trump told NBC over the weekend he was „not joking“ about the possibility of seeking a third term, claiming there were „methods“ for doing just that.
Amending the constitution would be an arduous task, as it was designed to be by those who wrote it, requiring majority approval across the board.
You can find out more about the hurdles that make a third term „virtually impossible“ in the link below…
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Trump latest: White House says 'days of US being ripped off are over' as president prepares to unleash new tariffs – Sky News
