Trump administration briefing: President downplays market volatility; US placed on civic decline watchlist

US president ducks question on whether he thinks the US will face a recession; watchdog fears US seeing a rapid decline in civic freedoms - key US politics stories from Sunday at a glance

Donald Trump has refused to rule out the possibility the US economy will head into recession this year and that inflation will rise, as his chaotic trade tariffs policy caused uncertainty and market turbulence.

The US president predicted that his economic goals would take time and a period of transition to bear fruit. But when asked in an interview with the Fox News show Sunday Morning Futures are you expecting a recession this year?" he demurred.