President’s cabinet picks move forward with RFK Jr confirmed at health, Kash Patel’s FBI director nomination heads to Senate vote, and Linda McMahon grilled on possible role overseeing education. Donald Trump is set to announce reciprocal tariffs today but gave no hints about his latest plan, which could target every country that charges duties on U.S. imports. “Today is the big one: reciprocal tariffs,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
He later posted he would detail the latest in a barrage of tariffs he has unveiled since taking office last month in a press conference at 1 p.m. in the Oval Office. Trump will host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House later today with trade between the two nations high on the agenda. On Capitol Hill, the president’s controversial nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has been confirmed by the Senate and will be sworn in later today.
Trump’s choice for Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, is answering questions at her confirmation hearing a day after he ranted about closing that very department. Kash Patel’s nomination to lead the FBI has advanced out of committee and will soon face a vote in the full Senate. In other news, Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk have begun initiating the mass layoff of federal employees, with Musk saying he wants to “delete entire agencies” to reduce bureaucracy.
The Senate has voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the conspiracy-promoting environmental lawyer-turned-anti-vaccine activist, to run the nation’s largest public health agency. In a 52-48 vote, Kennedy was approved as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, with only Sen. Mitch McConnell breaking from his Republican colleagues to reject the confirmation. McConnell, a polio survivor, has stressed the importance for vaccinations.
Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky issued the following statement today on the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to serve as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. I'm a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I've watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world. I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.
Individuals, parents, and families have a right to push for a healthier nation and demand the best possible scientific guidance on preventing and treating illness. But a record of trafficking in dangerous conspiracy theories and eroding trust in public health institutions does not entitle Mr. Kennedy to lead these important efforts. This Administration – led by the same President who delivered a medical miracle with Project Warp Speed – deserves a leader who is willing to acknowledge without qualification the efficacy of life-saving vaccines and who can demonstrate an understanding of basic elements of the U.S. healthcare system. Mr. Kennedy failed to prove he is the best possible person to lead America’s largest health agency. As he takes office, I sincerely hope Mr. Kennedy will choose not to sow further doubt and division but to restore trust in our public health institutions.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted along party lines to approve Kash Patel's nomination to lead the FBI and send it to a vote of the full Senate. Patel moved on to the Senate floor with a vote of 12-10. This comes after the ranking Democrat on the committee, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, accused Patel of orchestrating a purge of the agents at the FBI. Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, D.C.
Playing purely in hypotheticals... The Senate Judiciary Committee just voted to advance Kash Patel's nomination to be FBI Director to the full Senate, 12-10. The vote was along party lines, with all Republicans voting to advance the nomination and all Democrats voting against it. Robert F Kennedy Jr is confirmed as Health and Human Services Secretary and will be sworn in at the White House this afternoon.
Notably, Senator Mitch McConnell voted against Kennedy’s confirmation. The president’s Thursday morning social media tirade comes hours after DOGE chief Elon Musk peddled a misleading claim on X (formerly Twitter) that Reuters engaged in a “total scam,” sharing a post that alleged the news organization had been paid millions of dollars from the government for a “social engineering” program.
Justin Baragona has all the details. Elon Musk has denied that the U.S. government will purchase $400m worth of Tesla Cybertrucks. The billionaire jumped on X to deny the allegations, as it was widely reported on Wednesday that the Trump administration intended to spend $400m on “armored” Tesla electric vehicles in one of the State Department’s biggest contracts of 2025. Madeline Sherratt reports.
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