Vance defends Trump’s negotiations with Russia at CPAC: Live

A senior Chinese economic official says there is no winner in trade wars and tariffs and that Beijing will work with the international community to safeguard global trade.

Zhao Zhao, counselor of economy and commerce at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said the move by the Trump administration to impose 10% tariffs on Chinese goods was “without authorization.”

“It represents a typical form of unilateralism and trade protectionism,” he told reporters.

Trump has imposed the tariff due to China’s role in making the opioid fentanyl.

Beijing has taken the case to the World Trade Organization. Zhao said much is at stake for the world’s two largest economies to handle their trade relations appropriately.

Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville lashed out at ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith for dipping his toes into political punditry, telling the bombastic sports commentator to stop “running your f***ing mouth off about politics” because Smith doesn’t know “his a** from a hole in the ground.”

Earlier this week, Smith — who said in December he regretted voting Democrat in the last election — talked about how weak the Democratic Party has become, which is why his name has been floated as a possible 2028 presidential candidate in some polls.

Justin Baragona has the story.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson throws cold water on the idea that American taxpayers would receive so-called DOGE dividend checks from the savings supposedly being uncovered by Elon Musk’s team.

“We have a $36 trillion federal debt, we have a deficit we’re contending with. I think we need to pay down the credit card,” he tells the audience during a session at CPAC.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin released the following statement following the Senate confirmation of Kash Patel as FBI director:

“Donald Trump thinks he is above the law. He likened himself to a king. He’s already weaponizing the presidency to target people on his political enemies list. We cannot give Trump’s henchmen the benefit of the doubt — especially when they’re in full control of federal law enforcement. I know Trump is starry-eyed for his boss Vladimir Putin, but we can’t let Kash Patel do his bidding and turn us into the next Russia. Patel’s confirmation puts our basic rights and national security at risk.”

A Texas prosecutor with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is behind a white supremacist social media account, according to a report.

An account on Elon Musk’s X platform with the handle @GlomarResponder, which has since locked its posts from public view, has been linked to the ICE employee spouting “blatantly racist and anti-immigrant views,” the Texas Observer reports.

Rhian Lubin has the story.

Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest, made the following statement regarding the Senate’s confirmation of Kash Patel as FBI director.

“Kash Patel’s confirmation is a deeply alarming sign of what is to come with this Trump administration.

“Despite all of the evidence presented before, during, and after Patel’s confirmation hearing that proves he is a dangerous and unqualified choice to lead the FBI, all but two Republican senators lacked the courage or brains to stand up for Americans and oppose Patel’s confirmation.

“Instead, these Republicans made it clear that their loyalty is not to the American people or democracy, but to the increasingly authoritarian leadership of Donald Trump.”

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky announced on Thursday he will not be seeking reelection next year at the end of his term, bringing to a close a four-decade career in the Senate.

“Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of my lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time,” McConnell said in a floor speech. “My current term in the Senate will be my last.”

A U.S. appeals court has denied Donald Trump’s bid to end automatic birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants born in the nation.

The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s request to pause a lower court judge’s order halting the president’s executive order, which he signed when he took office a month ago.