Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some urgent stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening nationally and around the world.
A member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet shares the commander-in-chief’s bold vision for eliminating the IRS; an American official visits Ukraine for crucial discussions regarding the end to a bloody war; and a federal judge doubles down on a critical ruling concerning the Trump administration and foreign aid.
Also, the Department of Homeland Security changes the deportation status of half a million Haitians, and a widely used over-the-counter analgesic frequently used by pregnant women is now being linked to a serious disorder.
US Commerce Secretary Confirms Plans to Abolish the IRS
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says that the Trump administration is aiming to completely abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), eliminate certain taxes, and rely instead on collecting funds from tariffs and other sources.Lutnick says that the president’s ultimate goal regarding the use of what are called reciprocal tariffs is to even the playing field. He says that if other countries don’t lower their tariffs, we’re going to bring ours up, and that if we equal their level, it will earn our country $700 billion a year.
He went on to say that as a result of those funds, the Trump administration believes it can reduce deficit spending, lower interest rates, give a boost to the nation’s entire economy, and cut out the IRS entirely.
Lutnick also says that in order to accomplish that goal, the United States must rely on its economic strength, use what he calls an “External Revenue Service” to collect money, and cut out the abuse along with the waste found in the federal government.
By the way, President Donald Trump recently signed an order to create an External Revenue Service to collect foreign trade-related revenues for the U.S. government. He has also already issued tariffs on aluminum, steel, and other products, and says that he’s considering imposing reciprocal tariffs on all countries that have similar charges on U.S. goods.
Zelenskyy Says Meeting With US Envoy Restores Hope for Security Deal
Zelenskyy says that his recent meeting with U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg has renewed his hope for a number of possible agreements between the two nations regarding the Russia–Ukraine war.The Ukrainian president says that during their conversation, he and Kellogg discussed the battlefield situation, the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war, and security guarantees for Ukraine.
He also says that it’s important for the entire free world that what he called “American strength” is felt by all parties involved, and that any agreement must result in a lasting peace so that Russia can never bring war to their land again.
He went on to say that Ukraine is ready to commit to a strong security agreement with President Donald Trump. He added that they’ve proposed the best way to move forward, that economy and security must go hand in hand, and that the more carefully the details of any agreement are spelled out, the greater the likelihood it will succeed.
For his part, Kellogg says that the meeting was intended to allow the Ukrainian leader to share his concerns. He also says that the United States recognizes the need to provide Ukraine with security guarantees against any possible future Russian aggression.
Judge Again Orders Trump Admin to Unfreeze Foreign Aid
A federal judge is ordering government officials to comply with his recent ruling to lift their freeze on nearly all foreign aid.He says that since he issued that ruling, a number of administration officials, including some from the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), have come up with new ways to justify their widespread suspension of funding.
He went on to say that their “blanket suspension of congressionally appropriated foreign aid” was the very thing the court had put a hold on in the first place, pending a review, because the plaintiffs had claimed it would cause “irreparable harm.”
Administration officials say they’ve been complying with the order; however, they also say they’ve reviewed a number of contracts and grants, and that so far, they’ve determined that all of them allow the federal government to either cancel or suspend those agreements.
As justification, they pointed to a line in the judge’s prior order, which indicated they are still allowed to enforce the terms of those contracts.
Meanwhile, a pair of nonprofit groups who are among the plaintiffs are urging the judge to find those administration officials in contempt of court. So far, the judge has declined that request, and he says that the court is preparing to hold another hearing to decide the issue once and for all on March 4.
US Government Speeds Up End of Deportation Protection for 500,000 Haitians
The Department of Homeland Security says that it’s partially rescinding an extension of what’s called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly half a million Haitian nationals, greatly reducing their protection time against deportation.Under TPS, the Homeland Security secretary can safeguard nationals of certain countries from deportation if they determine there are “extraordinary and temporary conditions” in those countries that prevent the immigrants from returning to their homes safely. That protection is typically extended a number of times once it’s been granted.
Last year, the Biden administration extended that protected status for Haitians until February 2026. However, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has just reduced that extension, setting a new end date in August of this year.
The department says that Noem made the move because the previous administration did not say why it gave the Haitians such a lofty extension nor justify why allowing them to remain in the United States is not contrary to our national interest. It says it’s returning integrity to a broken system that has been exploited for decades.
It also says that shortening the protected status period allows the department to accurately review whether or not the current conditions in Haiti permit its nationals to return home in safety, as well as to assess whether or not allowing them to remain in the United States is good for our country.
Meanwhile, some lawmakers are condemning the step, saying that the turmoil in Haiti is real and that instead of turning our backs, the United States should be a beacon of hope for people seeking refuge from danger.
Researcher Says FDA Needs to Reevaluate Acetaminophen After Study Finds ADHD Link
A researcher is warning that federal officials may need to reevaluate the use of acetaminophen after a recent study suggesting that the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children could be linked to their mother’s use of the medication.Acetaminophen is the main ingredient in Tylenol as well as a number of other over-the-counter pain-relief medications, and the study shows that more than 70 percent of pregnant women use acetaminophen during their pregnancies to either control pain or reduce their fever.
The research tracked more than 300 women throughout their pregnancies, and then followed up with their children for up to 10 years.
It found that the ADHD rates among children born to women who used acetaminophen were just under 20 percent—nearly double the number among the children of women who did not take the medicine.
The paper’s senior author points out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has long considered acetaminophen safe to take during pregnancy; however, she says that in light of the new study, that assessment may now need to be reevaluated.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Saturday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Don’t forget the News Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and we’re always on-demand.
Finally, as we do each day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from one of the greatest accordion players of all time, Lawrence Welk, who said:
“There are good days and there are bad days, and this is one of them.”
I like that.
From 1951 to 1982, Welk hosted “The Lawrence Welk Show,” which featured his signature music and ran for over 30 years, and you can still catch reruns on PBS.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.
Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.
Enjoy the remainder of your day, and we’ll see you right back here next time for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
