President Donald Trump turns his attention to the steel industry, preparing to levy new tariffs. And the Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl champions after crushing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Monday, Feb. 10, 2025.
Trump to announce new 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum
President Donald Trump said he would announce new 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to the U.S., including from trade partners Canada and Mexico, on Monday, Feb. 10.
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It’s similar to a move he made during his first administration. In 2018, he announced 25% tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminum, but he lifted them for Mexico and Canada a year later.
When previewing the new levies during an interview on Air Force One en route to the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 9, Trump did not say how expansive they would be or when they might go into effect. It’s also unclear if the new steel and aluminum tariffs will be in addition to those already on exports from countries like China.
The president said he believes he is leveling the playing field regarding trade.
“I’ll be announcing, probably Tuesday or Wednesday at a news conference, reciprocal tariffs and very simply, it’s if they charge us, we charge them,” he added.
Trump told reporters that the tariffs would go into effect “almost immediately,” but he would not provide any more details, saying they would be available during the official announcement.
Also, during his flight from South Florida to New Orleans, Trump signed an executive order declaring Feb. 9 “Gulf of America Day” as he flew over the body of water. Last month, he signed an order officially renaming the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump becomes first sitting president to attend Super Bowl
The president made history Sunday, becoming the first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl.
Trump watched the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs from a suite after flying in with some of his closest Republican allies in Congress, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and South Carolina Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott.
Many celebrities were on hand, including pop superstar Taylor Swift — rooting for her boyfriend, the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce. Actors Kevin Costner, Paul Rudd, and Anne Hathaway were among other A-listers spotted throughout the game.
While the president predicted the Chiefs would score a three-peat before the game, the Eagles dominated. They routed the Chiefs 40-22, intercepting quarterback Patrick Mahomes twice and sacking him six times.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran one in himself, earning Super Bowl MVP honors.
In Philadelphia, thousands of fans took to the streets, and things got out of control. In celebration, fans carried off a toppled traffic light pole, swarmed a trash truck and climbed on top of it.
Award-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar headlined the halftime show with appearances from SZA and Hollywood star Samuel L. Jackson.
There was also a bit of controversy. Police detained one of the performers among the 400-member cast on the field. That person could face criminal charges after unfurling a combination of the Sudan-Palestinian flag with “Sudan” and “Gaza” written on it.
New Orleans police said in a statement that they were “working to determine applicable charges in this incident.” The performer stood on a car, used as a prop for Lamar’s performance, and held up the flag.
The NFL said the performer had the flag hidden beforehand, and “no one involved with the production was aware of the individual’s intent.”
Trump’s serious about wanting Canada as 51st state
During an exclusive interview with Fox News during the Super Bowl pre-show, Trump pushed forward on his previous comments about the U.S. taking over Canada.
“[Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau] said that your wish for Canada to be the 51st state is a quote, real thing. Is it a real thing?” Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked.
“Yeah, it is,” Trump said. “I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada, and I’m not going to let that happen. It’s too much. Why are we paying $200 billion a year, essentially, in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they’re a 51st state, I don’t mind doing it.”
In the interview, Trump defended the work of billionaire Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE has drawn criticism from Democrats as Musk moves to shut down government agencies that the Trump administration believes are unnecessary and waste taxpayer money. His administration has offered buyouts to thousands of federal workers.
Last week, Musk and Trump attempted to put thousands of workers from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on leave. However, on Friday, Feb. 7, a judge temporarily blocked that effort.
Trump said Musk has “been terrific” and will target the Department of Education and the military next. He expects Musk to find “billions” of dollars of abuse and fraud in the Pentagon.
This comes as a new poll out Sunday from CBS News showed 53% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing in his first couple of weeks in office, while 47% disapprove.
Federal court blocks Venezuelan migrants from being sent to Guantánamo Bay
A federal court has blocked the Trump administration from sending three Venezuelan immigrants to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for detainment.
In a legal filing, lawyers for the men, who are currently being held in New Mexico, said they “fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo” since they were being held on charges of connections with the gang Tren de Aragua.
However, they asked a U.S. district court for a temporary restraining order blocking their transfer, saying the U.S. government has created uncertainty surrounding legal process and counsel availability.
Holding immigrants in Guantánamo is a key aspect of Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration in the U.S.
Last Wednesday, Feb. 5, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said federal agents arrested more than 8,000 people. Trump has said his administration plans to house up to 30,000 migrants suspected of being in the country illegally at the Guantánamo military base in Cuba.
Vought shuts down Consumer Financial Protection Bureau operations
The new Office of Management and Budget director, Russell Vought, has wasted no time in his new position, taking aim at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
In a weekend e-mail, Vought told the agency’s employees to cease all supervision and examination activity, pause all pending investigations, not issue any public communications and put a hold on enforcement actions.
He also instructed them not to approve or issue any new rules. Vought later posted to X that he had notified the Federal Reserve that the CFPB will not receive its next funding stipend because he does not believe it’s necessary to carry out the bureau’s duties.
“The bureau’s current balance of $711.6 million is in fact excessive in the current fiscal environment. This spigot, long contributing to CFPB’s unaccountability, is now being turned off,” he said.
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who helped create the bureau in 2008, fired back on X, saying Vought is “giving big banks and giant corporations the green light to scam families.”
Staff and contractors at the CFPB were told the Washington headquarters is now closed this week, and they are to work from home.
The National Treasury Employees Union, representing employees in the CFPB, filed two lawsuits against the closure on Sunday. One said Vought telling CFPB employees to stop working is unlawful, and another said three DOGE-affiliated staffers were allowed into the bureau’s internal communications system and that Vought instructed CFPB employees to give the DOGE team “access to all non-classified CFPB systems.”
Trump orders Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies
Trump directed the Treasury Department to stop making new pennies. In a post on his Truth Social platform Sunday night, the president said it costs the U.S. twice what one penny is worth to make one.
The one-cent coins fell in the crosshairs of Elon Musk’s DOGE last month. The U.S. Mint reported losing $85.3 million in the 2024 fiscal year on the 3.2 billion pennies it produced.
It might not stop with pennies, either. The Mint also loses money on nickel, with each of the five-cent coins costing nearly 14 cents.