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Donald Trump has said ‘I don’t need international law” and that his power is limited only by his “own morality”.

In a new interview with the New York Times, Trump said the only constraint to his power as president of the US is “my own morality, my own mind”.

“It’s the only thing that can stop me,” Trump said, adding: “I’m not looking to hurt people.” He went on to concede “I do” in regards to whether his administration needed to adhere to international law, but said: “It depends on what your definition of international law is.”

Trump, who spoke to the newspaper as his administration looks into “a range of options” in attempts to gain control of Greenland, also emphasized the importance of ownership.

“Ownership is very important,” Trump said, adding: “Because that’s what I feel is psychologically needed for success. I think that ownership gives you a thing that you can’t do with, you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Ownership gives you things and elements that you can’t get from just signing a document.”

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The top United Nations official on Thursday said the United States has a “legal obligation” to keep paying its dues that fund U.N. agencies after the White House announced that it is withdrawing support from more than 30 initiatives operated by the world body.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he regretted President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from 31 U.N.-related agencies, including the U.N.’s population agency and the U.N. treaty that establishes international climate negotiations. The U.S. will also depart from dozens of other global organizations or initiatives not affiliated with the U.N.

“As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the UN Charter for all Member States, including the United States,” Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, said in a statement.

He added that despite the announcement, the U.N. entities targeted will keep doing their work: “The United Nations has a responsibility to deliver for those who depend on us.”

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The House passed legislation Thursday to revive and extend expired ObamaCare tax credits in a bipartisan vote that is boosting hopes of centrist Republicans for a bipartisan deal to revive the tax credits.

The tally, 230 to 196, highlighted the tenuous grip Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has over his restive GOP conference. Seventeen centrist Republicans crossed the aisle to join every voting Democrat in support of the measure.

The measure, which would provide a three-year extension to the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that originally passed in response to COVID-19, now heads to the Senate, which defeated the same proposal last month in a largely partisan vote. Indeed, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has suggested he’ll ignore the House bill altogether.

Still, lawmakers think it could light a fire and pressure the bipartisan Senate group working to reach a bipartisan deal.

Negotiators from both parties in the Senate, who revived compromise talks in response to centrist Republicans forcing the vote in the House, have said they are close to a deal to bring back the tax credits, which expired at the end of 2025, and extend the open enrollment period.

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There is a new deadline for U.S. importers to file for electronic refunds if the Supreme Court rules President Donald Trump’s IEEPA tariffs are illegal.

U.S. Customs published details of a new electronic refund process on Jan. 2, established as part of a March 25 Trump executive order on modernizing government payments and phasing out physical checks. 

A Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the Trump tariffs could come as early as this Friday. The mandatory deadline for importers to sign up in order to receive electronic refunds through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network with Customs is Feb. 6.

The new digital Customs system is called ACE (Automated Commercial Environment), a secure electronic portal allowing businesses to file import/export data, manage trade information, and comply with regulations. ACE will manage the ACH refunds.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani got an early win on a signature policy proposal thanks to Gov. Kathy Hochul.

On Jan. 8, Hochul announced the city and state would partner on a plan to launch free universal childcare for 2-year-old children in New York City. Mamdani, a week into taking office, had centered no-cost childcare for New Yorkers in his winning campaign to address cost of living.

The two Democrats need each other — Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has to make good on sweeping proposals in the nation’s largest city, and Hochul, a moderate, needs to show receipts as she faces re-election in 2026. The childcare plan, part of Hochul's budget proposal, would need approval by the Legislature as part of the state's budget.

New York City already has universal preschool for 4-year-old children, and offers 3-K, or early childhood education for 3-year-old students.

Hochul and Mamdani are set to launch the free childcare program beginning at 2 years old within New York City. Hochul’s office said she is committed to fully funding the first two years of the expansion.

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Two people in Portland, Oregon, were injured in a shooting involving federal agents on Thursday, authorities and officials said, a day after tensions were heightened across the nation following a fatal shooting by immigration agents in Minneapolis.

Portland police officers responded to a report of a shooting at around 2:18 p.m. local time on Jan. 8. Officers confirmed that federal agents were involved in the shooting, the Portland Police Bureau said in a news release.

Shortly after, police said officers received information that a man had been shot and had called for help in the area. Officers discovered a man and woman with apparent gunshot wounds.

Israel has cleared the final hurdle before starting construction on a contentious settlement project near Jerusalem that would effectively cut the West Bank in two, according to a government tender.

The tender, which seeks bids from developers, would clear the way to begin construction of the E1 project.

The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now first reported the tender. Yoni Mizrahi, who runs the group’s settlement watch division, said initial work could begin within the month.

Settlement development in E1, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, has been under consideration for more than two decades, but was frozen due to U.S. pressure during previous administrations.

The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank to be illegal and an obstacle to peace.

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Americans should eat more whole foods and protein, fewer highly processed foods and less added sugar, according to the latest edition of federal nutrition advice released Wednesday by the Trump administration.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins issued the 2025-2030 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which offer updated recommendations for a healthy diet and provide the foundation for federal nutrition programs and policies. They come as Kennedy has for months stressed overhauling the U.S. food supply as part of his Make America Healthy Again agenda.

"Our message is clear: Eat real food," Kennedy told reporters at a White House briefing.

The guidelines emphasize consumption of fresh vegetables, whole grains and dairy products, long advised as part of a healthy eating plan.

But they also take a new stance on "highly processed" foods, and refined carbohydrates, urging consumers to avoid "packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat or other foods that are salty or sweet, such as chips, cookies and candy." That's a different term for ultraprocessed foods, the super-tasty, energy-dense products that make up more than half of the calories in the U.S. diet and have been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

The new guidance backs away from revoking long-standing advice to limit saturated fats, despite signals from Kennedy and Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary that the administration would push for more consumption of animal fats to end the "war" on saturated fats.

Instead, the document suggests that Americans should choose whole-food sources of saturated fat — such as meat, whole-fat dairy or avocados — while continuing to limit saturated fat consumption to no more than 10% of daily calories. The guidance says "other options can include butter or beef tallow," despite previous recommendations to avoid those fats.


The dietary guidelines, required by law to be updated every five years, provide a template for a healthy diet. But in a country where more than half of adults have a diet-related chronic disease, few Americans actually follow the guidance, research shows.

The new recommendations drew praise from some prominent nutrition experts.

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