US updates: Trump meets India's Modi, announces tariffs

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily lift a three-week-long funding freeze on international aid and development programs.

The order means that money can again flow to foreign aid contracts and awards that were in place before Trump took office on January 20.

"At least to date, defendants have not offered any explanation for why a blanket suspension of all congressionally appropriated foreign aid, which set off a shockwave and upended reliance interests for thousands of agreements with businesses, nonprofits, and organizations around the country, was a rational precursor to reviewing programs," US District Judge Amir Ali wrote in a filing on Thursday.

The ruling was the first to temporarily roll back a Trump administration funding freeze on foreign aid that effectively stopped USAID and State Department programs.

The Trump administration started laying off thousands of employees across several government agencies on Thursday as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk continue efforts to  purge federal buraeucracy, sources privy to the matter told Reuters news agency and US media.

More than 1,000 employees were laid off at the Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides health care for veterans, while they were on probation.

In a statement, the Department of Veterans Affairs said the firings will "save the department more than $98 million per year, and VA will redirect all of those resources back toward health care, benefits and services for VA beneficiaries."

Meanwhile, the US Forest Service is set to fire more than 3,000 workers.

According to official data, about 280,000 civilian government workers were hired less than two years ago, most of whom are still on probation making them easier to fire.

However, termination notices have been sent to dozens of term employees, full-time workers who have contracts with end dates, said sources who requested anonymity.

In the past 48 hours, termination notices have been shared with employees at agencies such as the Department of Education, the Small Business Administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the General Services Administration, which manages many federal buildings.

Trump announced that one of the plotters behind the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai will be extradited to India.

The Associated Press reported that Trump appeared to be referencing Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who was convicted in the United States in 2011 for plotting an attack on a Danish newspaper.

"He's going to be going back to India to face justice," Trump said.

Modi said he was grateful for the news.

US President Donald Trump has announced the opening of trade talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the Indian leader set a goal of more than doubling bilateral trade by the end of the decade.

"We'll begin negotiations to address the long-running disparities that should have been taken care of over the last four years," Trump said.

Modi said an agreement would be finalized "very soon."

He said the US and India had set a target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion (€478 billion) by 2030.

Modi said the talks would focus on energy.

"In order to ensure India's energy security, we will focus on trade in oil and gas," he said.

"Investment in energy infrastructure will also increase in the area of nuclear energy," he added, pointing to future cooperation on small modular reactors.

Trump said the United States would increase defense sales to India, including selling F-35 fighter jets.

"Starting this year, we'll be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars," Trump said at a joint press conference with Modi.

"We're also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35 stealth fighters," Trump added.

Modi said the US plays a role in India's defense preparedness.

US President Donald Trump said he expected to strike "wonderful" trade deals with India.

"They're going to be purchasing a lot of our oil and gas," Trump said beside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office "They need it. And we have it."

India currently imposes the highest tariffs on US products of any major US trading partner. Trump on Thursday promised reciprocal tariffs on all its trading partners. 

US President Donald Trump has welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House.

The two leaders enjoyed good rapport during Trump's previous term as president.

"He is a great friend of mine. For a long time we've had a wonderful relationship," Trump said as he greeted Modi in the Oval Office.

Meanwhile, Modi said the two shared "the same bond, with the same trust and the same excitement."

Modi also praised Trump for speaking with the leaders of Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday.

"The world had this thinking that India somehow is a neutral country in this whole process," Modi said. "But this is not true. India has a side, and that side is of peace."

US President Donald Trump said he had decided to impose "reciprocal tariffs" on trading partners, without specifying which countries would be affected.

Speaking to the press in the Oval Office, Trump said US allies are often "worse than our enemies" on trade. "We want a level playing field," he said.

"I've decided for purposes of fairness that I will charge a reciprocal tariff," Trump said. "It's fair to all. No other country can complain."

According to Trump, the levies would be tailored to each US trading partner, taking into account factors such as value-added tax (VAT).

The US president said other countries could reduce or eliminate tariffs, and that sending goods through another country to avoid tariffs would not be accepted.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is visiting the US, said he had a "very good meeting" with tech billionaire Elon Musk and his family. The meeting took place at Blair House, where the prime minister is staying opposite the White House. 

"We discussed various issues, including those he is passionate about such as space, mobility, technology and innovation," Modi wrote in a post on X.

Earlier, Reuters reported that Starlink's entry into the South Asian market could be discussed during the meeting between Musk and Modi.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged European countries to "make NATO great again" and called on allies to spend more on defense, in a twist on Donald Trump's trademark slogan.

The Pentagon chief said Washington remained committed to the alliance, but members needed to do more for it to "endure."

"Our partners must do far more for Europe's defense. We must make NATO great again," Hegseth told reporters after the talks in Brussels, warning that "President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into Uncle Sucker."

He warned that confronting Russia was an "important European responsibility," adding that "there is no replacement for hard power."

Responding to concerns about the red lines on Ukraine he outlined on Wednesday, including that Kyiv's goal of returning to its pre-2014 borders was "illusory," Hegseth denied they amounted to "concessions" to Putin.

"It's a recognition of the hard power realities on the ground," he said.

At the beginning of his visit to Germany, US Vice President JD Vance visited the Dachau concentration camp memorial and walked its solemn halls.

"I've read a lot about the Holocaust in books," Vance said. "But being here, and seeing it up close in person, really drives home what unspeakable evil was committed and why we should be committed to ensuring that it never happens again."

A mix of light rain and sleet fell as the vice president and his wife, Usha Vance, spoke to a group of dignitaries near the gate of the concentration camp. The couple then listened intently to details about the camp from its director and other museum officials.

At Dachau, Vance also met 96-year-old Holocaust survivor Abba Naor, who was deported to the concentration camp from Lithuania. 

Dachau concentration camp was the first large, permanent Nazi concentration camp. From 1933 to 1945, more than 200,000 people from all over Europe were imprisoned at Dachau and its 140 satellite camps.

Prisoners who were able to work were used as labor slaves. The camp was finally liberated by US soldiers on April 29, 1945, after more than 40,000 people had lost their lives in the previous twelve years.

On Friday, Vance will attend the Munich Security Conference. There, he will hold critical talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine. 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a lawyer who has expressed criticism of vaccines, has been confirmed as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services.

RFK Jr. had ran during the 2024 presidential election last year, where he ran on a health-based platform. He later dropped out of the race and backed Donald Trump for a second term in the White House.   

While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is looking forward to renewing his friendly relations with Donald Trump, the meeting between the top leaders is not going to be a breeze.

Modi's visit to the US comes on the heels of a flight carrying handcuffed Indian immigrants arriving from the US — which was part of Trump's aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration.

The third highest number of undocumented immigrants in the United States are Indians.

In a bid to strike new trade deals and investment, Trump has struck several countries with threats of tariffs. Trump, for whose administration trade remains a key focus, has lambasted India calling it the "biggest tariff abuser."

Preempting Trump's rage, Modi is visiting the US prepared with quick tariff concessions and promises of increased liquefied natural gas, combat vehicle and jet engine purchases, according to Indian government officials who spoke to Reuters news agency.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the US on Thursday to meet US President Donald Trump with the hopes of relaxation on tariffs and immigration polices.

During Trump's past tenure, Modi share a good rapport with him and is now going to meet the US president with hope of rekindling their relationship.

In addition to trade tariffs and immigration policies, Modi's meeting with Trump is also likely to center on business deals and improving bilateral relations.

Before leaving for Washington, Modi said the visit was a chance to "deepen our partnership" in key areas such as technology, trade, defense and energy.

Shortly after landing in the US, Modi met with US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, focusing on enhancing intelligence cooperation in counter-terrorism and emerging threats.

US President Donald Trump said he would sign a new order that could impose reciprocal tariffs across the global economy.

"TODAY IS THE BIG ONE: RECIPROCAL TARIFFS!!!" Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social. "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"

Later, he wrote that the press conference on tariffs is scheduled to take place at the White House at 1 p.m. local time (7 p.m. GMT).

The US president has not yet said which countries will be targeted, nor has he specified how he defines the term "reciprocal" and whether his order would apply only to matching tariffs or to address other foreign taxes that he views as barriers to American exports.

But analysts have warned that reciprocal tariffs could lead to a broad tariff increase for emerging economies such as Brazil, China, India, Thailand and Vietnam, which tend to have higher effective tariff rates on US products.

Countries such as South Korea that have trade agreements with Washington are less at risk from the move, analysts say, as are most wealthy countries that have average tariff rates similar to the US.

A sharp increase in tariffs could send shockwaves through the global economy, potentially depressing growth and exacerbating inflation.