THE HILL - 12.30 Report - U.S. and Mexico agree to one-month delay on tariffs. Trump in talks with Canada over tonight’s tariff. Elon Musk says he's shutting down USAID

 

8:32 PM (28 minutes ago)

View Online  12:30 REPORT It’s Monday. We made it to February. Beyoncé announced her tour dates for this year. She’s coming to D.C. in July! (Here’s her Instagram announcement.) In this edition: U.S. and Mexico agree to one-month delay on tariffs. Trump in talks with Canada over tonight’s tariff.  Elon Musk says he's shutting down USAID Beyoncé made history at the Grammys.   I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips & feedback to cmartel@thehill.com. Someone forward this to you? Sign up. *Sheepishly waves at the neighbors*: ©  GIPHY/Grandfathered President Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said they have agreed to a one-month delay on the tariffs, which were scheduled to take effect at midnight.   Trump posted on Truth Social that their conversation was “friendly.” Sheinbaum echoed the sentiment in her X post, describing her conversation with Trump as “good.”   What about Canada?: Keep an eye out for developments today. Trump says he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this morning — and the two will speak again at 3 p.m. EST.   Details of the tariffs: All Canadian and Mexican imports will have a 25 percent tariff. Chinese imports will have a 10 percent tariff.   How the markets reacted: The stock market dipped this morning.    Follow today’s live blog for developments ➤  REACTIONS TO THE TARIFF THREATS: From Canada’s former deputy prime minister: “This really is utter madness,” Chrystia Freeland told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “These tariffs are going to make life more expensive for Americans. … It is self-mutilation. America is hurting itself. We think that it is utterly crazy. And we’re also really, really angry at you.”   From Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), the former Senate GOP leader: “It will drive the cost of everything up. In other words, it will be paid for by American consumers. I mean, why would you want to get into a fight with your allies over this?” McConnell said while speaking with Lesley Stahl on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” ➤  RELATED READS: NPR: Trump used fentanyl to justify tariffs, but the crisis was already easing The New York Times: One Response to Trump’s Tariffs: Trade That Excludes the U.S. The Wall Street Journal: Trump’s Move to Put Tariff Hikes Ahead of Tax Cuts Has Spooked Almost Everyone Axios: Musk's wrecking ball pierces government's inner sanctum Elon Musk pushes to dismantle US foreign aid agency: ©  AP Tech billionaire Elon Musk says he and President Trump are shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).   “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die,” Musk posted on X, which he owns.   Musk is doing this with Trump’s blessing: “And I actually checked with [Trump] a few times. I said, ‘Are you sure?’ He’s like, ‘Yes,’” Musk said in an X Spaces discussion. “So we’re shutting it down.”   What does USAID do?: It provides humanitarian aid to developing countries and areas impacted during conflicts. It was formed in 1961 and has a $50 billion budget.   What happened over the weekend?: Senior officials at USAID physically tried to block Musk’s team from having access to its internal systems, some of which are classified, according to NBC News. The employees of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were eventually able to access the secure system. The senior USAID officials who tried physically blocking access were then put on leave.   And then overnight: All USAID employees were ordered to stay home Monday.  See the email sent to USAID employees   Keep in mind: USAID.gov went dark Saturday, but a webpage for the agency exists on state.gov. Last week, it was revealed that Trump is considering merging the organization with the State Department.   FWIW: Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been appointed interim administrator of USAID.    Why this matters: Trump has sought to temporarily freeze nearly all federal funding since he returned to the White House, though a judge blocked it. Trump has also given Musk a lot of power to weed out what they see as wasteful spending. ➤  EZRA KLEIN’S TAKE ON TRUMP’S FIRST 100-DAY STRATEGY: The New York Times’s Ezra Klein argues that Trump’s strategy is to flood the zone with as many executive actions as possible to dilute opposition. He argues that Trump’s power comes from perception of strength. Read his opinion piece: ‘Don’t Believe Him’  On Capitol Hill So, how are Democrats feeling these days?: Not great. The Hill’s Amie Parnes and Alexander Bolton report that Democrats are furious about their party leadership’s response to President Trump’s whirlwind of major U.S. policy changes.   Tensions bubbled up: “Frustrations mounted during a tense call last week between Democratic governors and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.). Six Democratic governors, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, pressed Schumer to put up more of a fight against Trump’s agenda.”   “That produced an exasperated response from Senate Democrats, who spoke on the floor late into the night Wednesday to highlight the impact the funding freeze ordered by Trump’s budget office would have on communities around the country.”   Democrats in the Senate are at odds on how to combat Trump and his agenda, with some, like Chris Murphy (Conn.) saying the party should be putting up more of a fight. But others on the left say Democrats hands are tied due to their congressional minority.   “I would say to my friend [Pritzker], as you would like to have a majority of governors, we would like to have the majority of senators. There’s a limit to how much we can do,” Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) said.   Read more about what Dems are doing to push back: ‘Democrats fume over weak early response to Trump’ Who’s up for a confirmation vote this week?: Republicans are hoping to confirm five or six of Trump’s Cabinet nominees this week.   Today: The Senate will hold a vote to advance Office of Management and Budget nominee Russell Vought and attorney general nominee Pam Bondi’s nominations. Plus, the Senate will hold a final confirmation vote on Christopher Wright to serve as Energy Secretary.   Happening on Tuesday: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be up for a vote in the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday.    Here’s the schedule  Internet Buzz  Celebrate: Today is National Carrot Cake Day!    The Grammys: Beyoncé won the coveted Album of the Year at last night’s Grammys — and became the first Black woman to win Best Country Album. She  looked shocked when Taylor Swift announced her win. Oh, and Kanye West and Bianca Censori were escorted out after showing up in an … unusual outfit.  Full list of winners ©  AP  Your inspirational message for today — Let’s all be Chili’s: Chili’s has had a recent glow-up. The restaurant chain’s sales increased by a massive 31 percent last quarter (!)   Excerpt: “Analysts gushed over Chili’s results on an earnings call, offering congratulations to the company 11 times. One analyst said the company’s turnaround was ‘the best one of all time’ in the restaurant industry, and another said CEO Kevin Hochman was ‘going to write a great book on this some day.’”                 Read: ‘Chili’s is America’s hottest restaurant’  On The Agenda The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is in Washington. (all times Eastern) 5:30 p.m.: Three Senate confirmation votes.  Today’s agenda Tuesday: Trump will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Sunday: Fox News’s Bret Baier will interview  And Finally… To lighten things a bit, let’s watch Mr. Maple get a pat down at airport security. I don’t think he minded it one bit. Stay Engaged Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com. A friend forward this to you? Subscribe here.   View past issues of 12:30 Report here and check out other newsletters from The Hill here. See you next time!