\u201cIran would be very wise to make a deal with president Trump,\u201d Leavitt added today.<\/p>\n
She also noted that while there was a \u201clittle bit of progress\u201d following Tuesday\u2019s talks in Geneva between the US and Iran, \u201cwe\u2019re still very far apart on some issues\u201d.<\/p>\n
Leavitt did not answer a question about an exact deadline that Donald Trump<\/a> would give Iran to achieve a deal, before engaging in military action.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.25 EST<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n NYU hospital to shutter gender-affirming care program for minors NYU Langone Health, one of New York City\u2019s major hospital networks, announced this week that it will shut down its gender\u2011affirming care program for minors, as the Trump administration<\/a> escalates threats to strip federal funding from providers that treat trans youth.<\/p>\n In a statement to the Guardian, spokesperson Steve Ritea said that \u201cgiven the recent departure of our medical director, coupled with the current regulatory environment, we made the difficult decision to discontinue our Transgender Youth Health Program.\u201d He added that the hospital\u2019s pediatric mental health services will continue.<\/p>\n The move comes after months of sustained pressure from the administration, including an executive order signed shortly after Trump returned to office declaring that the federal government will not \u201cfund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so\u2011called \u2018transition\u2019 of a child from one sex to another\u201d.<\/p>\n NYU Langone reportedly<\/a> began cancelling appointments for minors soon after the order was issued. New York attorney general Letitia James directed<\/a> the hospital to resume care, warning that the network risked violating state anti\u2011discrimination laws. A federal judge later issued a temporary restraining order blocking the administration\u2019s directive from taking effect.<\/p>\n In December, however, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a rule that would withhold Medicare and Medicaid funding from hospitals providing \u201csex\u2011rejecting procedures for children under 18\u201d.<\/p>\n Gender\u2011affirming care is endorsed by major US and international medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. Treatments such as puberty blockers are reversible, and surgery for minors is rare. Providers emphasize that care plans follow extensive evaluations and involve families throughout.<\/p>\n Local officials and advocacy groups condemned NYU Langone\u2019s decision, arguing the hospital is capitulating to threats to cut federal funds. Manhattan borough president Brad Hoylman\u2011Sigal said the closure would \u201cjeopardize the lives and well\u2011being of their patients\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cStudies have shown that ending gender\u2011affirming care after it has begun without patient consent can carry significant physical and mental health risks,\u201d he said. \u201cFor these young patients, gender\u2011affirming care is life\u2011affirming care.\u201d A rally in support of trans youth is planned for Wednesday evening outside the Stonewall National Monument in Manhattan.<\/p>\n STAT news reported earlier this month that 40 hospitals across the country have paused or ceased to offer some type of gender-affirming care to young people since Trump returned to office. The White House has not yet responded to the Guardian\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>13 US states sue Trump administration over cancelled funding for clean energy projcts<\/p>\n The attorneys general of California, Colorado and Washington filed a lawsuit<\/a> in federal court on Wednesday on behalf of a coalition of 13 states, seeking to force the federal government to pay billions of dollars in grants approved by Congress for clean energy projects.<\/p>\n The Trump administration<\/a> terminated some funding already allocated under environmentally focused laws, including the Inflation Reduction Act, that passed during the presidency of Joe Biden to support wind, solar and other fossil-free power sources.<\/p>\n Donald Trump, long known for his irrational hatred of wind power, has instead focused on fossil fuel production.<\/p>\n \u201cThe President claims to seek \u2018American Energy Dominance\u2019 but, in California, his unlawful termination of over $1.2 billion in total funding for crucial clean energy projects means over 200,000 union job cuts, rising energy prices, and higher rates of pollution that wreak havoc on our health,\u201d California\u2019s attorney general, Rob Bonta, said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cThe President is cherry-picking this funding at the expense of hardworking Americans and stifling innovation and the economy for the sake of partisan retribution. My office will continue to hold the President and his administration accountable for breaking the law.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not allow Trump to sell out our future to his biggest donors,\u201d California\u2019s Governor, Gavin Newsom, added. \u201cTrump didn\u2019t just tear up a contract: he defied Congress, jeopardized more than 200,000 good-paying jobs, and robbed billions of dollars in health savings from communities that have been hit the hardest by pollution. We\u2019re not letting that stand. California will fight for these jobs, this infrastructure, and the global clean energy competitiveness that the Trump administration has ceded to China.\u201d<\/p>\n The lawsuit alleges that the termination of billions of dolalrs in federal funding for Arches (Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems) and millions under the Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation (RECI) program violates the constitutional separation of powers, since the funding was approved and appropriated by bipartisan majorities in Congress before Trump took office.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.46 EST<\/p>\n In his rambling speech today, Donald Trump<\/a> repeated the longstanding lie that Joe Biden didn\u2019t actually win the 2020 election. \u201cWe had a man that was not a president,\u201d Trump said at a reception celebrating Black History Month at the White House.<\/p>\n Even though it\u2019s an official event, it\u2019s resembling a campaign-style stump speech. Trump has listed \u2013 what he sees as \u2013 the crowning achievements of his second term in office, and inspired the crowd to heckle the reporters in the room.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.31 EST<\/p>\n At a reception today honoring Black History Month, Donald Trump<\/a> kicked off the event by remembering the late civil rights trailblazer Jesse Jackson, calling him a \u201cforce of nature\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cHe really was special, with lots of personality, grit and street smarts,\u201d Trump said. \u201cHe was gregarious and someone who truly loved people.\u201d<\/p>\n The president noted that Dr Ben Carson \u2013 who served as the housing and urban development secretary during Trump\u2019s first term \u2013\u00a0will be honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. This will be Carson\u2019s second, as he was first awarded with the honor in 2008.<\/p>\n Donald Trump speaks at the White House Black History Month reception on Wednesday. Photograph: Kyle Mazza\/ShutterstockShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.42 EST<\/p>\n White House says it is ‘deeply unfortunate’ that Vatican declines invitation to join Trump’s Board of Peace<\/p>\n Earlier today, the Vatican announced that Pope Leo XIV<\/a> would not join Donald Trump\u2019s Board of Peace \u2013 focused on the reconstruction of Gaza. Ahead of the board\u2019s first meeting in Washington DC on Thursday, the Vactican\u2019s secretary of state said that at the international level it should \u201cabove all be the United Nations should that manages these crisis situations\u201d.<\/p>\n White House press secretary said the snub was \u201cdeeply unfortunate\u201d while addressing reporters today.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think that peace should be partisan or political or controversial,\u201d she added. \u201cThe administration wants all those who were invited to join the Board of Peace to join because, again, the board of peace is overseeing the reconstruction of a territory that has been plagued with violence, with bloodshed, poverty, for far too long.\u201d<\/p>\n Leavitt went on to underscore that the board is a \u201clegitimate\u201d organization. This, despite major European allies declining to join the group<\/a>, and the $5bn entry fee that Trump has touted for member states to join the board.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Karoline Leavitt said today that the next step to contain the sewage spill in the Potomac River is for the leaders of Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC to \u201cstep forward and to ask the federal government for help\u201d so they can \u201ctake control of this local infrastructure that has been abandoned and neglected by Governor Moore in Maryland for far too long\u201d.<\/p>\n Moore has rejected the White House\u2019s criticism, saying Trump is \u201clying\u201d, noting that the federal government is responsible for the sewage pipe as it sits on federal land. \u201cIf the president wants me to ask nicely, my response is this: \u2018Please Mr President, do your job,\u2019\u201d Moore said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n When asked about the governor\u2019s comments today, Leavitt simply replied:<\/p>\n The federal government has been preparing plans. The White House has been in contact with Fema, with the Army Corps of Engineers, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Again, we\u2019ve been standing by this is a problem we want to fix, not just for the federal government, but for everyone who lives in District of Columbia, including all of you.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.52 EST<\/p>\n White House says ‘diplomacy’ is ‘always’ top option for Trump on Iran<\/p>\n When asked about the possibility of US strikes against Iran, Leavitt said that the Trump administration<\/a> \u201ctotally obliterated Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities\u201d and has been clear that \u201cdiplomacy\u201d is always the president\u2019s \u201cfirst option\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIran would be very wise to make a deal with president Trump,\u201d Leavitt added today.<\/p>\n She also noted that while there was a \u201clittle bit of progress\u201d following Tuesday\u2019s talks in Geneva between the US and Iran, \u201cwe\u2019re still very far apart on some issues\u201d.<\/p>\n Leavitt did not answer a question about an exact deadline that Donald Trump<\/a> would give Iran to achieve a deal, before engaging in military action.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.25 EST<\/p>\n Leavitt defends development of ICE detention facility in New Hampshire, amid outrage in the state<\/p>\n Karoline Leavitt defended the ongoing development of an immigration detention facility in her home state of New Hampshire today.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, there are a lot more illegal alien criminals left in our homeland. That includes in New England, there are many within our communities, in New Hampshire, in Maine and definitely in Massachusetts and in the Boston suburbs that need to be arrested, detained and deported back to their home countries,\u201d Leavitt said.<\/p>\n The possible construction in Merrimack, New Hampshire, has caused controversy in the state, with the Republican governor Kelly Ayotte saying that she initially received limited information from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) about the facility \u2013 which many local organizers and lawmakers have opposed. Ayotte\u2019s office published plans of the facility last week, after ICE acting director Todd Lyons claimed he had worked with the governor\u2019s office \u2013\u00a0Ayotte denied that the agency had shared the requisite documents. The governor is now facing pressure to prevent the federal government to expand its detention footprint and signing off on the facility.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.07 EST<\/p>\n Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, has started today\u2019s briefing by noting that Donald Trump<\/a> will travel to Georgia tomorrow where he\u2019ll visit two local businesses and give a speech on his \u201cefforts to make life affordable for working people\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>White House says parties are ‘still pretty far apart’ when it comes to DHS funding bill negotiations<\/p>\n A White House official tells the Guardian the parties remain \u201cpretty far apart\u201d, after Democrats sent the Trump administration<\/a> their counter-proposal for a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill.<\/p>\n Currently, the department has been shut for days, following stalled negotations over legislation to secure DHS funding through September with tougher guardrails on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).<\/p>\n The White House official said that the administration \u201cremains interested in good faith conversations to end the Democrat shutdown before more Americans feel the impacts\u201d but also remains \u201ccommitted to carrying out the President\u2019s promise to enforce federal immigration law\u201d.<\/p>\n On Monday, a spokesperson for Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said that Democrats had sent the White House their latest offer. For their part, GOP lawmakers say that Democrats\u2019 demands \u2013 which include the use of judicial warrants for at-home arrests and ensuring officers no longer wear masks \u2013\u00a0are red lines.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.11 EST<\/p>\n The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) found there was \u201cno violation\u201d of its rules during Bad Bunny\u2019s Super Bowl half-time show performance, Reuters reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n The FCC had requested transcripts of the performance from NBC, after a Republican lawmaker suggested that Bad Bunny\u2019s performance may have violated federal indecency regulations.<\/p>\n The FCC commissioner, Anna Gomez, said she reviewed the transcripts of the performance in Spanish after the commission requested them.<\/p>\n \u201cI reviewed them carefully, and I found no violation of our rules and no justification for harassing broadcasters over a standard live performance,\u201d Gomez said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.19 EST<\/p>\n The Trump administration is working to block states and cities from offering free transportation to undocumented immigrants, according to reporting<\/a> from Politico.<\/p>\n The outlet reported today that the Department of Transportation is drafting a law that would prohibit local jurisdictions from using federal transit money to assist undocumented migrants.<\/p>\n In some states and cities, officials have offered free buses to help migrants reach sources, including intake shelters or shelters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe change wouldn\u2019t stop undocumented immigrants from using public transportation,\u201d Politico reports. \u201cHowever, it would seek to prevent local agencies or towns from using public transportation to move unauthorized immigrants around the city or outside it to another state, a person familiar with the plan said.\u201d<\/p>\n The transportation department\u2019s proposal is part of a package of measures that the White House is considering to include in the transportation reauthorization bill slated to go to Congress this year.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.32 EST<\/p>\n Democratic voters are still lacking optimism about their political party since President Donald Trump\u2019s 2024 win, a recent poll reveals.<\/p>\n Only around seven in 10 Democrats have a positive view of the Democratic party, the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the overwhelming majority of Democrats still feel good about their party, they\u2019re much less positive than they\u2019ve been in the past,\u201d the AP reports.<\/p>\n The midterm elections are still months away. Increasing negative views of Trump and other Republicans may help their party later this year. Favorable views of the Democratic party plummeted after the 2024 election.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.33 EST<\/p>\n Several Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott State of the Union for National Mall rally<\/p>\n Several Democratic lawmakers will boycott Donald Trump\u2019s address to Congress on Tuesday 24 February, and instead attend a rally on the National Mall.<\/p>\n So far, at least 12 Democratic members of Congress will skip the State of the Union. These include senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, as well as progressive representatives Pramila Jayapal and Greg Casar.<\/p>\n The event, dubbed the \u201cPeople\u2019s State of the Union\u201d, is being coordinated by progressive media network MeidasTouch and the liberal advocacy group MoveOn. Attorney and commentator Katie Phang and former anchor Joy Reid will co-host the rally. The event\u2019s organizers say it will spotlight federal workers, immigrants and Americans affected by the Trump administration\u2019s policies.<\/p>\n In a statement, Van Hollen said <\/a>that he would not attend the joint address to Congress next week. \u201cTrump is marching America towards fascism, and I refuse to normalize his shredding of our Constitution & democracy,\u201d he said. \u201cThis cannot be business as usual.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a012.19 EST<\/p>\n Top oversight Democrat says that Wexner deposition is ‘very important’ for committee<\/p>\n Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House oversight committee, said Les Wexner\u2019s deposition will be \u201cvery important\u201d to the ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s crimes, in an interview with MSNOW on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t pay a person the amount of money that Wexner was paying Epstein for just financial advice. They were very close for a long period of time,\u201d Garcia said of the 88-year-old billionaire who employed Epstein as a personal money manager for 20 years. \u201cWe have a lot of questions about the finances, the relationship, what Wexner knew, who Jeffrey Epstein also received money from, what was actually Wexner\u2019s larger involvement with Ghislaine Maxwell, and we hope those questions will be answered.\u201d<\/p>\n Robert Garcia speaks during a press conference on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the US Capitol, 18 November 2025. Photograph: Bonnie Cash\/UPI\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Garcia added that the questions from lawmakers to Wexner will be \u201cpretty direct\u201d during today\u2019s deposition. \u201cWe know he has significant information as to why he was providing so much money to Epstein,\u201d he said. The lawmaker is also determined to understand why Wexner\u2019s name \u2013 along with those of other high profile men \u2013 were redacted in the justice department\u2019s latest release of documents.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy the cover-up? Why we protecting possible co conspirators? Why are we protecting Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s, essentially, benefactors?,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Talarico says campaign raised $2.5m in the immediate aftermath of Colbert interview controversy<\/p>\n Following the decision by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to air its interview with James Talarico on YouTube, the Texas Democratic Senate candidate said that his campaign raised $2.5m <\/a>in the 24 hours since Colbert said that CBS told him not to air the segment, for fear of triggering the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) equal-time rule.<\/p>\n James Talarico answers questions from reporters after early voting in Austin, Texas, 17 February 2026. Photograph: Mikala Compton\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.48 EST<\/p>\n Crockett praises move from Colbert to air Talarico interview on YouTube: ‘It probably gave my opponent the boost he was looking for’<\/p>\n In an interview with MSNOW<\/a>, Democratic congresswoman Jasmine Crockett addressed the claims from Stephen Colbert that CBS told him not to air a television interview <\/a>with James Talarico, the Texas state lawmaker running for US Senate. Colbert said the decision stemmed from a concern that it would trigger a legal requirement to provide equal access to Talarico\u2019s campaign rivals \u2013\u00a0which includes Crockett.<\/p>\n The congresswoman said that her team received a call from Paramount Skydance \u2013\u00a0CBS\u2019s parent company \u2013\u00a0who told her that Colbert could, in fact, move forward with airing the Talarico interview but would need to offer Crockett equal time.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not get a request from the Colbert show to go on \u2026 I\u2019ve been on Colbert multiple times, and frankly, if we would have gotten an offer that would have been great, but we\u2019re in the middle of early voting, so I\u2019m kind of focused on being in Texas at this moment,\u201d Crockett told MS Now.<\/p>\n Jasmine Crockett speaks to reporters and supporters before voting early in the primary election, in Dallas, on Tuesday. Photograph: LM Otero\/AP<\/p>\n In the end, the Talarico interview was instead broadcast on Colbert\u2019s YouTube page<\/a>, which is out of the remit of the FCC. In a statement, CBS said that The Late Show was not prohibited from broadcasting the segment, instead the network \u201cprovided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates\u201d.<\/p>\n Speaking to MS Now, Crockett added that she had \u201cno love\u201d for CBS News editor Bari Weiss, nor for the FCC chair Brendan Carr. \u201cIt is important that we resist,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it probably gave my opponent the boost he was looking for so I think it\u2019s probably better than he didn\u2019t get on, and that they went straight to streaming.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a011.11 EST<\/p>\n Oversight committee to depose Victoria’s Secret CEO, amid renewed scrutiny over ties to Epstein<\/p>\n Today, congressional lawmakers on the House oversight committee continue their investigation into the handling of Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s crimes with a deposition of Les Wexner, the billionaire and former CEO of Victoria\u2019s Secret.<\/p>\n![\"Shrai](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Shrai_Popat.png\")
Shrai Popat<\/p>\n