The head of President Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced the shutdown of a government agency. And the new week starts with tariffs and a possible trade war as Canada and Mexico quickly respond to Trump’s decision to levy fees on imported goods over the weekend. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.

Trump administration to shut down USAID: Elon Musk

Billionaire Elon Musk, who heads President Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said the Trump administration is shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development. USAID funds foreign aid and internationally focused charities.

In an audio-only post on X early Monday morning, Feb. 3, Musk said the president agreed to close the agency hours after Trump called its leadership “a bunch of radical lunatics.”

Musk spoke on X Spaces with Republican Sen. Joni Ernst and Vivek Ramaswamy, who was initially named co-chair of DOGE but has since left. Musk said he had spoken with Trump several times about the matter.

https://t.co/vJxAg70GdT

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3, 2025

“To be clear, in shutting down — which we’re in the process of doing — shutting down USAID, the reason for that as opposed to simply, you know, trying to do some minor house cleaning is that as we dug into USAID it became apparent that what we have here is not an apple with a worm in it, but we have actually just a ball of worms,” Musk said.

He continued, “And so, at the point of which you don’t merely… if you’ve got an apple that’s got a worm in it maybe you can take the worm out, but if you’ve got actually just a ball of worms it’s hopeless. And USAID is a ball of worms. There is no apple and when there is no apple you’ve just gotta basically get rid of the whole thing.” 

Musk’s announcement came after an incident on Saturday, Feb. 1, in which USAID’s director and deputy director of security were placed on administrative leave after they tried to stop DOGE employees from accessing secure USAID systems. 

Congress determines how U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent, and Musk did not say what legal authority the White House has to shut down a federal agency without congressional approval or when the closing will happen.

Crews to start removing wreckage from deadly midair collision

Crews will start clearing the wreckage Monday of an American Airlines passenger jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided midair from the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., last week. 

The Army Corps of Engineers will work alongside the Coast Guard and the Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving. They will start by removing the jet’s remnants from the water. This process will take three days.

Once completed, crews will work to retrieve the Black Hawk wreckage from the river. 

Haulers will take the wreckage to a National Transportation and Safety Board hangar for investigators to inspect as they work to determine what led to the deadly collision near Reagan National Airport last Wednesday, Jan. 29. 

This comes as the search continues for the remains of all those killed in the crash. Federal authorities said searchers have recovered and identified the remains of 55 of the 67 people killed in the collision. 

Authorities expect to recover all bodies.  However, low visibility in the frigid water and the strewn-about wreckage of both aircraft are slowing the process. 

The Corps of Engineers said the goal is to have everything removed by next Wednesday, Feb. 12. However, if any remains are found while the wreckage is getting removed, work will immediately cease. 

Col. Francis Pera, the commander of the Corps of Engineers Baltimore District, said “the dignified recovery of missing flight passengers and personnel takes precedence” over the extraction timeline. 

On Sunday, Feb. 2, an emotional scene played out when victim families gathered for a memorial on the airport runway at the edge of the Potomac River, viewing the site where their loved ones died.

Black box recovered from deadly medical jet crash in Philadelphia

At least five people remain hospitalized after a medevac jet crashed into a residential neighborhood in Philadelphia on Friday night, Jan. 31. The crash killed all six people aboard the plane, and one person in a car on the ground.

Nearly two dozen others were injured as the wreckage spanned five city blocks near northeast Philadelphia’s Roosevelt Mall. 

In an update Sunday night, Feb. 2, the city’s mayor said three people remain in critical condition. 

While the cause of the crash remains unknown, investigators recovered the Learjet’s black box late Sunday afternoon.

The aircraft had been in flight for less than one minute when it disappeared from radar and crashed.

Flames from the wreckage engulfed at least five homes. Eleven homes in total sustained significant damage. Parked cars also caught fire and witnesses said jet fuel was everywhere in the area. 

The six people aboard the plane were all Mexican nationals, including a girl who had been treated for an illness at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and her mother. They were returning home to Tijuana, Mexico, after the girl’s treatment.

Earlier in the day Friday, caregivers at Shriners gave the girl a warm send-off as she left the hospital.

Canada, Mexico retaliate against Trump’s tariffs

Canada released its list of American products it will impose its own 25% tariffs. The country’s Department of Finance said the tariffs, which take effect Tuesday, Feb. 4, will impact about $30 billion worth of goods imported from the U.S., including everything from meat and liquor to hair care products. 

The move is in retaliation to the 25% tariffs Trump levied against Canada and Mexico over the weekend to crack down on illegal immigration and curb America’s fentanyl crisis. 

The Canadian Finance Department website said the tariffs will remain in place “until the U.S. eliminates its tariffs against Canada.” Mexico is also set to unveil tariffs against the U.S. on Monday. 

Trump addressed Americans’ concerns over the impact these tariffs could have when speaking with reporters Sunday night. 

“We may have short-term a little pain, and people understand that,” he said. “But long term the United States has been ripped off by virtually every country in the world.” 

The president seemed unconcerned about retaliatory measures from Canada saying, “If they want to play the game, I don’t mind.” 

Trump also said he’d be speaking with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday morning.

Netanyahu to meet with Trump in Washington as ceasefire reaches deadline

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Washington on Monday, where he will meet with Trump. The meeting comes as the clock ticks toward the deadline to begin talks with Hamas on extending the ceasefire in Gaza. 

Netanyahu’s office said he had agreed with Trump’s Middle East envoy that “negotiations on the second phase of the hostage deal will begin with their meeting in Washington.”

The ceasefire is set to expire on March 1. 

So far, both sides have released hostages, and Israeli troops have pulled back from Gaza, allowing Palestinians to see what’s left of their homes. Trump floated the idea of relocating the Palestinians to other countries, such as Egypt and Jordan.  

Under the terms of that deal, talks with Hamas on the next phase are supposed to begin no later than Monday. So far, Israel has not given any indication it will honor the deadline.

Beyonce wins Album of the Year, Best Country Album at Grammys

History was made Sunday at music’s biggest night: the Grammys. 

Beyonce won her first Album of the Year award for her foray into country music, “Cowboy Carter.” She also won Best Country Album, becoming the first Black woman in Grammys history to ever win in that category.  

Kendrick Lamar picked up five Grammys, including two of the night’s most prestigious awards: Song of the Year and Record of the Year for his track “Not Like Us.” He dedicated his wins to fire-ravaged Los Angeles.  

Chappell Roan was named Best New Artist. During her acceptance speech, she urged the music industry to offer living wages and health care to up and coming artists. 

Sabrina Carpenter took home Best Pop Solo for her song “Espresso,” and Doechii won her first Grammy, taking home honors for Best Rap Album.