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Some Republican lawmakers speak out as Donald Trump’s spending cuts and tariffs hit their constituents. Some seniors in an affluent South Carolina community have fallen victim to crypto scams. And why your Valentine’s Day treats might have more filling and less chocolate in them this year.
Here’s what to know today.
When the pain hits home, Republicans balk at Trump’s spending cuts and tariffs
Republican lawmakers voiced support for President Donald Trump’s vast spending cuts in the first weeks of his second administration — but now that the pain is hitting home, they’ve started to push back.
Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama recently pushed back on the administration’s funding restrictions under the National Institutes of Health. The state’s largest employer, the University of Alabama, is a major recipient of that money. GOP senators Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana also called out the cuts to NIH funding.
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A coalition of Republicans in rural states and districts, including House Agriculture Committee Chair Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, introduced legislation this week to save the Food for Peace program, in which the government buys and distributes American crops to help fight hunger around the world, by transferring it to the Department of Agriculture. USAID, the department targeted by Elon Musk, had administered the program.
Other Republicans, including Kentucky senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, have called out Trump’s plans to impose tariffs.
The dynamic points to an upcoming challenge for Trump, as GOP lawmakers are the most important line of defense for his controversial orders. But if the president goes too far, they could use their legislative powers to stop him.
More Trump administration and politics news:
- The House Budget Committee today will consider a budget resolution from House Republicans that calls for cutting taxes by up to $4.5 trillion, sets a goal of slashing federal spending by $2 trillion and raises the debt limit by $4 trillion.
- Trump said he has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine and that Putin had indicated he would be willing to negotiate directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- The trade with Russia that saw the return of teacher Marc Fogel back to the U.S. not only earns Trump favor at home. It also may ease Washington-Moscow relations.
- A federal judge in Boston ruled that the Trump administration’s plan to offer mass buyouts for millions of federal workers to resign can move forward.
- A federal judge in Boston ruled that the Trump administration’s plan to offer mass buyouts for millions of federal workers to resign can move forward. About 75,000 employees accepted the offer, a spokesperson for the Office of Personnel Management said.
- In recent weeks, Trump and his administration have moved beyond his usual anti-news media rhetoric and taken action that includes blocking reporters from covering White House news events and investigating public media companies.
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts will reintroduce a bill to study reparations for slavery as the Trump administration leads a wide-scale rollback of DEI efforts in the federal government.
Linda McMahon to make her case for being education secretary
Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s pick for education secretary, will face questioning from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee today as they consider whether to push her nomination forward. McMahon, 76, previously was the chief executive of World Wrestling Entertainment, the company founded by her husband, Vince McMahon. She was also the head of the Small Business Association in Trump’s first term and has led several pro-Trump political groups.
Expect senators to quiz McMahon on policy questions, like whether she’d push to privatize public education, whether she’d support pay raises for teachers and whether she’d support efforts to cut programs in low-income schools. It is unclear whether McMahon supports eliminating the department, which Trump has said he would do.
Looming over McMahon’s nomination is her time as an executive at WWE. Several former employees, their family members and two current and former education officials have raised concerns about whether she is fit for the position that oversees more than 50 million students. At issue, they said, is her commitment to safeguarding children and overseeing Title IX, which protects against discrimination. A lawsuit filed in October alleges McMahon turned a blind eye to child sex abuse at the hands of a WWE employee during her tenure. An attorney for McMahon has denied the claims.
Read more about McMahon’s hearing, and follow our live blog for the latest updates.
Seniors in affluent South Carolina community targeted by crypto scammers
Marianne, a 66-year-old retired health care worker in Hilton Head, South Carolina, was told she needed to pay $7,500 to stay out of jail after missing jury duty. When the supposed sheriff’s officer who was on the phone with her said she needed to pay $3,000 more, she became skeptical — but it was too late. “Oh my God,” she realized. “They got me. Doggone them.”
Marianne’s lost savings is among the $3.1 million in reported losses in Beaufort County from crypto scams, including several involving bitcoin ATMs, reported last year alone. But it’s not just in South Carolina where these scams are happening. From Colorado to Georgia, sheriffs and police departments are warning residents about impersonators who claim their marks have missed jury duty and must pay fines to face arrests. With a growing number of crypto kiosks at grocery stores and gas stations across the country, lawmakers and advocates say more should be done to protect consumers.
“We can’t keep going down this road of our victims going to these ATMs, just putting a large amount of money into them and there not being any regulation,” said Eric Calendine, a lieutenant with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department.
Read All About It
- An asteroid that measures up to 300 feet wide could hit Earth in 2032, and though NASA said the chances of a collision are low, the probability of one has slowly increased.
- An audio recording was released of the doomed Titan submersible’s final moments before it imploded in the North Atlantic Ocean nearly two years ago, killing five people.
- Maná has made history as the first Spanish-language rock band nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Other nominees for induction this year include Chubby Checker, Mariah Carey and Phish.
- Actor Scarlett Johansson has called for regulating the use of AI after her likeness was used in a fake viral video that appears to show a handful of celebrities protesting the rapper Ye.
- Duolingo’s bright green mascot, Duo the Owl, is dead, the company announced in an apparent marketing stunt. Fake or not, other brands and organizations are in mourning.
Staff Pick: Valentine’s chocolates will be pricier and packed with nuts
That’s due to adverse weather in key cacao-growing regions of West Africa, where crop yields have suffered. It’s another sign of climate-change-linked challenges hitting global agriculture in ways that wind up biting consumers’ wallets. Now, famed chocolatier Jacques Torres tells NBC News’ Maya Huter and Emilie Ikeda that he is raising prices and reaching for more filler ingredients, like nuts and fruits, to offset the rising costs of cocoa. — Rich Bellis, senior business editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Skeptical about using red light therapy for acne, redness or texture on your face? We spoke to multiple dermatologists about the benefits of red light therapy and the best masks and wands available. And if the cold weather has you dealing with chapped lips, NBC Select’s editors tested over 50 lip balms to find the best ones.
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