Things Musk (and Trump) Did... Day 43 | Blog#42
Bad things come in threes: Canada, Mexico and China tariffs
Yesterday’s post
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Treat: musical interlude way at the end of this post.
Yesterday’s news worth repeating
The Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that government spending could be separated from gross domestic product reports in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn.
“You know, that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.” “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.”
Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the U.S. economy’s health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because changes in taxes, spending, deficits and regulations by the government can impact the path of overall growth. GDP reports already include extensive details on government spending, offering a level of transparency for economists.
Continue reading at the Associated Press
1 big thing: Why government spending counts in GDP
Top Trump administration officials are arguing that it is misleading to include government spending in the quarterly tally of GDP.
It sets up a clash between the administration and economists over how to calculate the broadest measure of economic activity.
The big picture: GDP statistics are calculated the way they have been for the last eight decades for good reasons — but administration officials are correct that the accounting for government spending isn't ideal.
[…]
2. Government vs. private GDP
Lutnick suggested the GDP statistics lack transparency about how government spending is incorporated.
In fact, the data releases make crystal clear how much government contributes to overall GDP — and data-watchers can, and regularly do, exclude government for purposes of analyzing economic trends.
By the numbers: In Q4 of last year, overall U.S. output was an annualized $29.7 trillion, of which $1.9 trillion was federal government consumption and investment spending, and another $3.2 trillion state and local governments.
Measures of activity that exclude government spending can give a better sense of the underlying trend in the economy than the headline GDP number.
Continue reading at Axios
Trump tariffs will cause price hikes on these everyday goods
President Trump confirmed Monday that his long-promised tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada will go into effect on Tuesday.
Why it matters: The announcement sent financial markets tumbling in anticipation of a potential trade war between the U.S. and its top trading partners.
State of play: Canada and Mexico will see 25% tariffs on goods exported into the U.S., while a 10% tariff will be levied on Chinese exports.
The latter comes on top of the 10% tariff Trump already imposed on Chinese exports earlier this year.
Trump's decision to pull the trigger on tariffs on Canada and Mexico came after he agreed early last month to delay the planned tariffs for a month.
The big picture: The tariffs will see Trump make good on his campaign pledge to institute sweeping tariffs on America's trade partners.
Continue reading at Axios
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Warren Buffett calls tariffs ‘an act of war’
Legendary investor Warren Buffett likened tariffs to “an act of war” in a new interview as President Trump doubles down on his embrace of the economic strategy.
In an interview that aired Sunday on CBS News, anchor Norah O’Donnell asked Buffett about the effects tariffs will have on the economy.
“Tariffs are actually, we’ve had a lot of experience with them,” Buffett said in response. “They’re an act of war, to some degree.”
On tariffs’ impact on inflation, Buffett said, “Over time, they are a tax on goods.”
“I mean, the Tooth Fairy doesn’t pay ’em,” he added with a laugh.
Continue reading at The Hill
Beijing’s deflation dilemma: Falling prices signal bigger troubles ahead for China’s economy
Such challenges are the backdrop to the annual session of China’s parliament.
BEIJING — When he bought an apartment near a good high school in northeast Beijing in 2020, Zhou Fujin expected that renting it out would cover most of his mortgage. But the apartment’s value and the rent he is getting have plummeted in the past couple years, straining his family’s finances.
China is experiencing a spell of deflation, or falling prices, that contrasts with inflationary pressures prevailing elsewhere in the world. Cheaper prices can be a blessing for some, but deflation is a symptom of relatively weak demand and stalling economic growth.
Such challenges are the backdrop to the annual session of China’s parliament, which begins Wednesday. It’s unclear what the ruling Communist Party might do to tackle the problem, though some economists expect Beijing to announce more government spending. Observers also will be watching for changes to the annual economic growth target, which has hovered near 5% for the past two years.
These are broad, long-term problems. Falling housing prices have left many families reluctant to spend, while factories keep churning out goods.
Continue reading at Politico
‘No room left’ for a deal: Trump says Canada, Mexico tariffs take effect Tuesday
Trump also reaffirmed that he intends to raise his most recent tariff on all Chinese goods to 20 percent.
There is “no room left for Mexico or for Canada” to make a deal to avoid the tariffs, Trump told reporters at the White House. “They’re all set. They go into effect tomorrow.”
The two countries exported more than $900 billion worth of goods to the United States in 2024, including large amounts of autos and auto parts, agricultural goods and other consumer and industrial products. That equaled about 28 percent of total U.S. goods imports last year.
U.S. automakers have warned the steep tariffs would disrupt supply chains that they have built in Canada and Mexico over the past 30 years and have urged Trump to exempt any auto or auto part imports that comply with the stringent regional content requirements that his administration included in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that was negotiated during his first term in office.
Continue reading at Politico
Trade war erupts as Trump hits Canada, Mexico and China with tariffs
President Trump's 25% tariffs on Canada's and Mexico's exports to the U.S. and new levies on China took effect early Tuesday.
Why it matters: Trump's confirmation of the tariffs sent markets sliding Monday amid fears it could raise prices for U.S. customers, see inflation soar and start a trade war — and Canada and China took retaliatory action against U.S. products as tariffs targeting their countries took effect.
After Chinese exports were hit with an additional 10% tariff on top of the 10% Trump had imposed earlier this year, officials in Beijing announced 15% tariffs on some U.S. agriculture imports, including chicken, corn, cotton and wheat.
Canada, which is also facing 10% tariffs on energy products, announced a raft of countermeasures.
Zoom in: Canadian Prime Minister Justin said in a statement Monday Canadian officials would move to impose 25% tariffs against "$155 billion of American goods" at 12:01am Tuesday, when he noted Trump's "unjustified" tariffs were due to take effect.
Canada would start with tariffs on "$30 billion worth of goods immediately, and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion on American products in 21 days' time," Trudeau said.
"Our tariffs will remain in place until the U.S. trade action is withdrawn, and should U.S. tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures," Trudeau added.
Continue reading at Axios
Vance says U.S. "economic upside" in Ukraine is best for Kyiv
Vice President JD Vance said Monday the Trump administration is working with Russia to end its war on Ukraine and said the "door is open" for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if he's "willing to seriously talk peace."
Why it matters: In his first interview since Friday's heated White House exchange that Vance and President Trump had with Zelensky, the vice president on Fox News criticized Ukraine's leader and argued that it's in Kyiv's best interests to sign a minerals deal with the U.S.
Driving the news: "If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that [Russian leader] Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine," Vance said on Fox News' "Hannity."
"That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years."
Zoom in: During the interview, Vance told Fox News host Sean Hannity that Zelensky had "showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process" that Trump has said is "the policy of the American people and of their president."
He accused Zelensky of showing "a certain sense of entitlement" at the Oval Office.
Continue reading at Axios
China and Canada retaliate after Trump trade tariffs come into effect
Markets tumble as US president’s levies against Canada, Mexico and China come into effect
China and Canada unveiled retaliatory measures against the US after Donald Trump imposed his sweeping tariffs plan at midnight US time, despite warnings it could spark an escalating trade war.
US tariffs have come into force of 25% against goods from Canada and Mexico, the US’s two biggest trading partners, and 20% tariffs against China – doubling the levy on China from last month.
The duties will affect more than $918bn-worth (£722bn) of US imports from Canada and Mexico.
China on Tuesday said it would impose fresh tariffs on a range of agricultural imports from the US next week. Its finance ministry said additional 15% tariffs would be imposed on chicken, wheat, corn and cotton, with further 10% tariffs on sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, aquatic products, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
Asian markets were down – after sharp falls in US markets on Monday – as Japan’s Nikkei fell 1.6%, Taiwan’s benchmark TWII index was off 0.5% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down 0.$%.
The Canadian dollar and the Mexican peso fell to their lowest levels in a month on Tuesday.
Continue reading at The Guardian
Warren presses RFK Jr. to clarify vaccine policy ‘intentions’
“In your March 2nd op-ed responding to the Texas measles outbreak, which has already killed one unvaccinated child, you failed to include a strong call for vaccinations,” Warren wrote. “Instead, you claimed that ‘good nutrition remains a best defense against most chronic and infectious diseases.’ Do you believe good nutrition is a better defense against measles than the [measles, mumps and rubella] vaccine?”
“Will you change course and tell American parents to vaccinate their children to protect against measles, yes or no?” she asked.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, wrote in an essay published on Fox News Digital about the growing threat of the measles outbreak in west Texas, noting the rising infection rates are a “call to action.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Stocks sink as Trump trade war with Canada, Mexico escalates
The stock market opened Tuesday with losses after President Trump’s steep tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods went into effect, spurring retaliation from the U.S.’s two top trading partners.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 431 points after the opening bell, losing 1 percent at the start of Tuesday trading. The S&P 500 index was down 0.9 percent and the Nasdaq composite was down 0.7 percent.
Continue reading at The Hill
46 percent say Trump changing economy for the worse: Survey
More Americans think that President Trump is changing the U.S. economy for the worse than for the better, according to a survey released Monday.
The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that 46 percent of Americans said Trump is changing the U.S. economy for the worse, while 42 percent argued he is steering it on a better path. Some 11 percent said Trump’s handling of the economy has not provided any “real” change.
The survey was conducted before the president followed through on his promise to impose tariffs on the country’s biggest trading partners — China, Mexico and Canada.
Continue reading at The Hill
McConnell: Failure to reach spending deal a ‘disaster’ for national defense
McConnell warned that a yearlong continuing resolution, which would essentially keep in place the funding levels and priorities of the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills, would leave the nation ill-prepared to counter Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and other adversaries.
“Never in recent history has Washington forced the U.S. military to spend a full year applying yesterday’s budget to tomorrow’s challenges. Today, we’re closer than ever to making ignoble history on this front,” he wrote in a Washington Post op-ed, referring to the growing momentum on Capitol Hill for passing a yearlong continuing resolution in the absence of a budget deal for the long-delayed 2025 spending bills.
Continue reading at The Hill
Mexico will respond with retaliatory tariffs after Trump action, Sheinbaum says
She announced at her daily press conference Tuesday, the day the tariffs went into effect, that she will convene her supporters Sunday in Zócalo, in Mexico City, to announce her plan, Bloomberg reported. She said her goal isn’t to start “economic confrontation” and that it’s “inconceivable not to think of the damage this will cause to U.S. citizens and companies.”
A trade war kicked off Tuesday, when Trump’s new tariffs on Canadian, Mexican and Chinese imports were imposed, and those countries quickly moved to retaliate.
Continue reading at The Hill
Wall Street Journal knocks Trump over ‘dumbest tariff plunge’
The board, in an editorial published Monday, noted Trump often likes to refer to the stock market as an economic indicator that his policies are successful.
It then questioned what he thought about Monday’s plunge, considering the Dow Jones took a 650-point drop after it was confirmed Trump intended to implement his tariff plan a day later on Mexico, Canada and China.
“We’ve courted Mr. Trump’s ire by calling the Mexico and Canada levies the ‘dumbest’ in history, and we may have understated the point,” the Journal wrote. “Mr. Trump is whacking friends, not adversaries.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Tariffs an ‘expensive game to play’: Powerteam International CEO
Trump said a Taiwanese company investing $100B in US chip manufacturing
Announcement just a way to distract from 'craziness' of tariffs, CEO says
Mexico, Canada to be hit with 25 percent tariffs starting Tuesday
President Trump’s announcement Monday that a Taiwanese company is investing $100 billion in chip manufacturing is “great news,” but it also serves as a “distraction from all the craziness going on” in the White House, according to Powerteam International CEO Bill Walsh.
The $100 billion promised is on top of a previous $65 billion investment from the company under the Biden administration.
This craziness, Walsh told “NewsNation Now,” includes what’s happening with President Trump’s tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico, which went into effect Tuesday, and the war in Ukraine.
“(It’s like) you see what’s happening here? But wait a second, look over here,” Walsh said.
Continue reading at The Hill
9 states report measles cases as outbreaks grow
The largest of the outbreaks is in West Texas, where the total number of people diagnosed with measles grew to 146 on Friday. An unvaccinated child in the region died last week. It was the first measles death in the U.S. since 2015.
While the focus in recent weeks has been on Texas, eight other states have confirmed cases of the virus, the CDC reports. Nine cases have been confirmed in New Mexico’s Lea County, and at least one case has been confirmed in Alaska, California, Georgia, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump’s federal shake-up sparks concerns among election experts
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has paused its election security work while it conducts a review of “all election security related funding, products, activities, and personnel.”
Election experts say service interruptions and changes could compromise the safety and security of U.S. elections. David Levine, a senior fellow at the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement and a former election official, said the administration’s recent moves make U.S. elections “more vulnerable to attacks by malign actors, including foreign adversaries.”
“My concerns are that the recent efforts by the administration to dismantle federal election efforts raise questions about our ability to protect elections, our ability to combat disinformation, our ability for the federal government to provide security resources to state and local partners, to give specialized assistance and to be able to coordinate efforts to manage risk with election infrastructure,” Levine said.
Continue reading at The Hill
No more in-person town halls, NRCC chief tells House Republicans
Rep. Richard Hudson issued the edict after a spate of testy episodes.
The chair of the House GOP's campaign arm told Republican lawmakers Tuesday to stop holding in-person town halls amid a wave of angry backlash over the cuts undertaken by President Donald Trump's administration.
Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), the NRCC chair, delivered the message inside a closed-door meeting of House Republicans, according to three people granted anonymity to describe the private remarks.
Continue reading at Politico
7 things to watch for during Trump’s joint address to Congress
Look for a more emboldened president compared to the Trump of 2017.
“TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
The theme of Trump’s speech will be the “renewal of the American Dream,” and it will include sections on the economy, border security and foreign policy, Fox News reported ahead of the address. An outside political adviser to the president, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told POLITICO the president plans a heavy emphasis on immigration, with the invited guests expected to feature people whose family members were victims of crimes committed by undocumented migrants.
It is also widely expected that the slashing of the federal bureaucracy will come up in the president’s speech, as the so-called Department of Government Efficiency cuts have dominated his first month in office. And the president is expected to mention the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, with someone who was at the rally anticipated to attend, the adviser said.
But if he goes off script? All bets are off, and anyone could find themselves in the president’s crosshairs.
Continue reading at Politico
Capitol agenda: GOP expectations on Trump's speech
Republicans widely agreed they’d like the president to focus on the economy, immigration and continuing peace talks with Ukraine.
Congressional Republicans are giving Trump a long leash at his joint address tonight despite mounting backlash in their districts to his Washington disruptions.
GOP lawmakers widely agreed they’d like the president to focus on the economy, immigration and continuing peace talks with Ukraine. But they don’t expect him to shy away from talking about Musk’s federal government cuts, either.
Sen. Rick Scott told Lisa that Trump should talk about his plans to “get inflation under control” and balance the budget. Sen. John Kennedy said he expects Trump will talk about DOGE’s spending cuts. But Republicans broadly declined to give the president suggestions for his big speech.
Continue reading at Politico
Democrats Are Serious About a Shutdown
Hakeem Jeffries’ House caucus is itching for a fight: “At some point you’ve got to have a goddamn backbone.”
When President Donald Trump announced last week he wanted Congress to “pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill,” that should have dropped the chances of a federal shutdown to near zero.
After all, shutdown threats tend to get driven by conservative hard-liners intent on cutting spending — and who better than Trump to pull them in line and keep the government open?
So it’s quite a testament to how dramatically Trump has shaken up Washington over the past six weeks that the likelihood of a shutdown hasn’t abated. In fact, according to my reporting, it might actually have increased.
This time, it’s Democrats who are itching for a fight — over the Department of Government Efficiency cuts that Trump has blessed and deputized mogul Elon Musk has gleefully carried out.
Senior House Democrats have spent recent days privately surveying their members about whether they’d be willing to shut the government down over DOGE cuts, according to multiple well-placed Democratic sources I spoke to over the weekend.
Continue reading at Politico
JD Vance trashes Starmer and Macron’s Ukraine peacekeeping plan
U.S. vice president mocks idea of “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 years” helping Ukraine, though after backlash denies he was referring to France or U.K.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance brushed aside a plan pitched by Britain and France to send in troops to Ukraine as post-war peacekeepers.
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Vance dismissed peacekeeping assistance from "some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 years" — sparking immediate outrage from politicians in London, but prompting a follow-up comment from Vance denying that he had been referring to either Britain or France in his remarks.
Vance argued that Donald Trump's proposed minerals deal with Ukraine would provide better security guarantees than the plans being hashed out in European capitals.
The U.K. and France are drawing up a plan with Ukraine to present to the U.S. that would include a peacekeeping force comprised of an as-yet-unspecified "coalition of the willing."
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Hungary’s Orbán heading to Paris for talks on Ukraine with Macron
The French president has tried to shore up unity on Ukraine — but the Hungarian PM continues to push back.
PARIS — Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will head to Paris on Wednesday to discuss the war in Ukraine with French President Emmanuel Macron, a spokesperson for the Hungarian government posted on X.
The discussion was “at the invitation of Emmanuel Macron,” said Zoltán Kovács, Hungary’s secretary of state for international communications.
The talks between Orbán and Macron will come less than 24 hours before an emergency meeting of the 27 EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday, to figure out how to boost Europe’s security amid United States President Donald Trump’s looming military disengagement from the continent. On Monday evening, the U.S. halted military aid to Ukraine.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced a plan to send loans of up to €150 billion to EU governments to help them boost military spending as they grapple with the need to rethink their defense infrastructures without U.S. support.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Trump's stunning string of Putin-friendly moves
President Trump's decision to suspend all military aid to Ukraine is the latest in a string of moves that could have been plucked from Vladimir Putin's personal wishlist.
Why it matters: Trump is also considering sanctions relief for Moscow and hinting at regime change in Kyiv. The Moscow-friendly streak comes as he seeks to foster peace in Ukraine and better relations between nuclear-armed superpowers.
But his treatment of Putin as a partner and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a foe has rung alarm bells for NATO allies and even some fellow Republicans.
Driving the news: A White House official told Axios' Barak Ravid Monday night that Trump is stopping all arms shipments to Ukraine because he's "focused on peace" and Ukraine must "be committed to that goal as well."
Trump told reporters earlier Monday that he believes Russia wants peace, but that "maybe someone doesn't want to make a deal" — an apparent reference to Zelensky.
Continue reading at Axios
Scoop: Some Dems plot to disrupt Trump's speech to Congress
Democratic lawmakers are discussing a litany of options to protest at President Trump's speech to Congress on Tuesday, including through outright disruption, a half dozen House Democrats told Axios.
Why it matters: Some of these tactics go beyond their leaders' recommendation that members bring guests hurt by Trump and DOGE. This sets up a potential clash between party traditionalists and its more combative anti-Trump wing.
"The part that we all agree on is that this is not business as usual and we would like to find a way — productively — to express our outrage," one House Democrat told Axios.
There is widespread disagreement among Democrats, both inside and outside of Congress, over what would be the most appropriate and effective form of demonstration.
What we're hearing: Some members have told colleagues they may walk out of the chamber when Trump says specific lines they find objectionable, lawmakers told Axios.
Continue reading at Axios
New tariffs hit, but there's a $100 billion hole in the data
Why it matters: It breaks a pattern of head fakes that Wall Street and businesses large and small had hoped would continue.
Financial market jitters and bearish anecdotes from manufacturers were not enough to stave off the levies.
Trump will plow ahead with 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico and double the import tax on Chinese goods to 20%, with few hints of how long the measures will last.
The big picture: Escalating trade tensions have already been rattling the economy, even before the new tariffs took effect. Many businesses are in paralysis, waiting to make a move until White House trade policy becomes clear.
One manufacturer told the Institute of Supply Management: "Customers are pausing on new orders as a result of uncertainty regarding tariffs. There is no clear direction from the administration on how they will be implemented, so it's harder to project how they will affect business."
The intrigue: A new report casts doubt on how much a tougher trade policy has actually choked off imports from China.
Continue reading at Axios
State Department unfreezes $95 million in aid for the Lebanese army
The State Department is waiving $95 million in military assistance to the Lebanese armed forces amid the Trump administration's nearly 90-day foreign-aid freeze, two U.S. officials told Axios.
Why it matters: The waiver suggests the Trump administration intends to try to strengthen Lebanon's military and the new government that took office in January.
The aid is part of a broader Trump administration strategy to try to continue weakening Hezbollah, decreasing its influence in Lebanon and making sure the ceasefire with Israel holds, U.S. officials said.
"The Department approved an exception to expend the $95 million of foreign military funding recently reprogrammed to Lebanon. We are working with our Department of Defense colleagues to move forward with the implementation of these funds," a State Department spokesperson told Axios.
Driving the news: Hezbollah's influence in the country appears to be weakening over the last several weeks while the Lebanese army has gained a stronger foothold.
Continue reading at Axios
New York City officials report second measles case as Texas outbreak continues
The New York City Department of Health said that one additional case of measles has been reported in New York City.
"As a pediatrician and the State's doctor, I want to remind everyone that immunization is safe and the best protection for your children against measles and other potentially deadly diseases," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a press release.
A first case was reported in New York City earlier this year, but acting commissioner of the New York City Health Department Dr. Michelle Morse told USA TODAY in a statement that the two reported cases are unrelated.
Continue reading at USA Today
Exclusive: US health agency says employees can apply for early retirement
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told employees on Monday they could apply for early retirement over the next 10 days and should respond to a request for information on their accomplishments of the past week, according to emails seen by Reuters.
Continue reading at Reuters
Elon Musk’s $1 Spending Limit Is Paralyzing Federal Agencies
The DOGE-mandated credit card freeze is delaying shipments of critical supplies, stalling travel, and stopping employees from doing their jobs.
Last month, the Trump administration placed a $1 spending limit on most government-issued credit cards that federal employees use to cover travel and work expenses. The impacts are already widely felt.
At the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists aren’t able to order equipment used to repair ships and radars. At the Food and Drug Administration, laboratories are experiencing delays in ordering basic supplies. At the National Park Service, employees are canceling trips to oversee crucial maintenance work. And at the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Aviation Administration, employees worry that mission-critical projects could be stalled. In many cases, employees are already unable to carry out the basic functions of their job.
“The longer this disruption lasts, the more the system will break,” says a USDA official who was granted anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media about the looming crisis.
A researcher at the National Institutes of Health who tests new vaccines and treatments in rodents says he has had to put experiments on hold; his lab is not able to get certain necessary materials, such as antibodies, which are needed to assess immune response. “We have animals here that are aging that will pretty soon be too old to work with,” says the researcher, who requested anonymity as they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about the agency. Young mice and rats that are 6 to 8 weeks old are typically used for drug and vaccine studies, but some of the animals in their lab have now aged out of that window and may have to be euthanized.
Continue reading at Wired
Trump’s FDA Cuts Are Putting Drug Development at Risk
New SEC filings from pharmaceutical companies reveal Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s cost-cutting measures could slow drug research and delay FDA approvals.
Budget and staffing cuts at the Food and Drug Administration orchestrated by President Donald Trump could prevent new drugs “from being developed, approved, or commercialized in a timely manner, or at all,” according to dozens of annual reports sent by pharmaceutical companies to the Securities and Exchange Commission in late February.
“The Trump Administration has enacted several executive actions that could impose significant burdens on, or otherwise materially delay, the FDA's ability to engage in routine regulatory and oversight activities,” says one filing from Xenon Pharmaceuticals, a company based in Canada that researches treatments for epilepsy. “If these executive actions impose constraints on the FDA's ability to engage in oversight and implementation activities in the normal course, our business may be negatively affected.”
Continue reading at Wired
Ethical Concerns Surround Sen. Joni Ernst’s Relationships With Top Military Officials Who Lobbied Her Committee
Earlier this year, the Air Force revealed that the general who oversaw its lobbying before Congress had inappropriate romantic relationships with five women, including three who worked on Capitol Hill.
Maj. Gen. Christopher Finerty’s colleagues told investigators the relationships were “highly inappropriate” as they could give the Air Force undue influence in Congress. “I honestly felt sick to my stomach,” one said, according to a report about the investigation, “because it just felt so sleazy.”
The Air Force inspector general’s report redacted the names of the women who worked on the Hill.
But one of the women whose relationship with Finerty was scrutinized by the inspector general was Sen. Joni Ernst, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation.
Continue reading at ProPublica
Zelenskyy says it is ‘time to make things right’ after Oval Office blowup
The Ukrainian president said he and his team is “ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country is willing to move forward on a minerals and security deal on Tuesday, days after a bitter clash in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance escalated diplomatic tensions and sent shockwaves through the global order.
“Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be,” wrote Zelenskyy on social media platform X. “It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.”
Trump and Zelenskyy have been fleshing out a deal that would allow the United States to tap into Kyiv’s mineral deposits in exchange for a “reconstruction investment fund” for Ukrainian development.
Continue reading at Politico
Zelensky expresses regret for Oval Office spat with Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday expressed regret for his Oval Office spat with President Trump last week and said he's ready to sign a U.S. minerals deal "any time and in any convenient format."
Why it matters: Zelensky's statement, a day after Trump suspended all U.S. military aid to Ukraine, was an attempt to adhere to the conditions laid out by the White House for ending the diplomatic crisis.
Trump officials had demanded that Zelensky publicly apologize and sign the minerals deal in order to get the U.S.-Ukraine relationship back on track.
Zelensky previously said he did not see any reason to apologize after the stunning confrontation with Trump and Vice President Vance in the Oval Office last Friday.
What they're saying: "Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive," Zelensky wrote on X.
Continue reading at Axios
Supreme Court sides with San Francisco on EPA water discharge rules
San Francisco appealed the case to the Supreme Court after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the EPA 2-1. In oral arguments before the court last October, the city argued the EPA’s discharge regulations could leave the city liable based on factors beyond its control.
“They might as well have said: Do not violate the Clean Water Act,” Tara Steeley, an attorney for the city, told the court.
In the ruling, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the statute requires the agency to outline specific limits on sewer overflows, rather than the generic limits that prompted San Francisco to sue.
Continue reading at The Hill
Vance on US not pressuring Russia: ‘I don’t think that’s right’
As the vice president took questions from reporters at a Senate office building on Tuesday, one reporter said there has not been that much pressure on Russia.
“Well, I don’t think that’s right, actually,” Vance replied. “I mean, we still have a number of sanctions that are placed on Russians.
“We do believe the Russians economically are struggling because of this conflict. We believe it is Russia’s best interest and United States and Ukraine best interest to bring this conflict to a close. We believe applying pressure to everybody to stop the killing. That’s what the president’s policy is,” Vance said.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trudeau attacks Trump over trade war: ‘We will not back down’
The prime minister pledged relief to Canadian workers caught in the crosshairs.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced President Donald Trump for launching a trade war with his country, saying that he won’t back down from a tariff fight with the United States.
“Today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada. At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin — a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” Trudeau said in Ottawa.
“Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the well being of everyone in it is at stake.”
Trudeau pledged relief to Canadian workers caught in the trade war’s crosshairs, and told the American people that his quarrel was not with them.
“We don’t want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally, and we don’t want to see you hurt either, but your government has chosen to do this to you,” he said.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China are in effect. Here's what could get pricer — and when.
What will cost more with tariffs?
Products imported directly from Canada, Mexico and China could see price hikes as businesses pass along the tariff costs, either in full or in part, to consumers. But some products that are made in the U.S. but which use imported materials could also see higher prices, such as automobiles that are manufactured domestically but rely on parts imported from Canada, Mexico or China.
Consumers could start seeing higher prices for some products fairly quickly, such as gasoline, with some regions expected to see gas prices jump as much as 40 cents per gallon within days, according to GasBuddy energy analyst Patrick De Haan.
But other goods, such as cars, might not reflect higher prices for several months, experts say.
Continue reading at CBS News
Target CEO: Customers will ‘likely see price increases’ after Trump tariffs
The tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday are likely to have a direct impact on the wallets of Americans, a major CEO said.
In an appearance on CNBC on Tuesday, Target CEO Brian Cornell said the company will probably raise prices on produce and fruits as early as this week.
The reason, he said, was that Target’s produce like strawberries, avocados and bananas are commonly imported from Mexico. As part of Trump’s plan, Mexican and Canadian imports will be hit with a 25% tariff.
“If there’s a 25% tariff, those prices will go up,” Cornell said.
Continue reading at KTLA 5 News
Supreme Court strikes down EPA rules on discharge of water pollution
The ruling came in an unusual case that featured sewage and one of the nation’s greenest cities, San Francisco, battling the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down rules regulating the discharge of water pollution, narrowing the landmark Clean Water Act in an unusual case that pitted one of the nation’s greenest cities — San Francisco — against the Environmental Protection Agency.
The justices found the EPA cannot impose generic prohibitions against violating water quality standards. The ruling could impact businesses and other cities that sit on bodies of water, including New York, Boston, Buffalo and Washington, D.C.
Continue reading at the Washington Post
Trump to huddle with House conservatives about CR as shutdown deadline looms
President Trump is scheduled to huddle with a group of House conservatives Wednesday, as the White House pushes for a clean funding stopgap to keep the government open.
The meeting — which will include members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and other hard-liners, including Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) — is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. EST at the White House, sources told The Hill. Blaze Media first reported the meeting.
The gathering comes nearly a week after Trump endorsed a clean continuing resolution (CR) through September to avert a government shutdown after the March 14 deadline. In a post on Truth Social, the president said “We are working very hard with the House and Senate to pass a clean, temporary government funding Bill (‘CR’) to the end of September.”
“Let’s get it done!” he added.
Continue reading at The Hill
Senate Democrat wants Musk, FAA chief to testify about air traffic control technology
In a letter sent to Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Markey asked if they would have the Trump administration officials testify before the committee about Musk’s recent comments about the aviation communication system.
“Given Musk’s far-reaching role within the U.S. government and his recent involvement with the FAA’s information technology systems, Musk’s comments could understandably cause panic among air travelers,” Markey wrote.
Continue reading at The Hill
Musk to meet with House Republicans to talk DOGE on Wednesday
The huddle is scheduled to take place at the Capitol at 7 p.m.
“He’s just gonna give an update, answer questions,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told The Hill of the gathering. “The closer we coordinate together, the more that we’ll be in position to codify the savings that he’s finding. So that’s what that’s about.”
“There’s a lot of excitement about what DOGE is doing, and some questions, and he’ll be able to answer the questions of members there,” he later added. “The closer we coordinate with what DOGE is doing and with the House the better off the country is, because we’ll be able, again, to make these big savings from fraud, waste and abuse permanent in the budgeting process. So that’s gonna be a good thing for every American taxpayer. So we look forward to that dialogue and to him continuing his work.”
Continue reading at The Hill
DeLauro rejects one-year stopgap spending bill backed by Republicans: ‘Nonstarter’
The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee is rejecting the idea of a stopgap spending bill to fund the government at current levels through the remainder of the fiscal year.
That proposal is being pushed by President Trump, who endorsed a “clean” continuing resolution (CR) last week, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who blanketed the Sunday news shows over the weekend to back Trump’s plan.
But Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has other ideas. The ranking member of the Appropriations panel, DeLauro has been in talks for months with the top appropriators in both parties and both chambers in search of a deal on 2025 spending. On Tuesday, she rejected the idea of abandoning those talks for a long-term continuation of 2024 levels.
“A one-year CR is a non-starter,” DeLauro told reporters in the Capitol.
Continue reading at The Hill
Judge reverses Trump firing of employee appeals board member
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration’s firing of a federal employee appeals board member was unlawful.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled in favor of Cathy Harris, who chaired the three-person Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) during the Biden administration. He indefinitely reinstated her to her post on the board, writing that federal law prevents presidents from removing members of the MSPB without cause.
“The President’s attempt to terminate Harris was unlawful,” Contreras wrote in a 35-page decision.
The order allows Harris to return to her post, granting her full access to the benefits of her office while barring the Trump administration from recognizing any other person as a member of the MSPB in her position.
Continue reading at The Hill
Democrat questions Rubio over reported State Department Tesla purchase
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) pressed the State Department on Monday for answers about the agency’s plans to purchase $400 million worth of armored Teslas after new reporting disputed its initial claims about the contract.
The State Department faced backlash last month after it appeared that Elon Musk’s Tesla was set to receive a $400 million contract for “armored Teslas.”
The agency emphasized at the time that the contract originated in the Biden administration and that there were “no current plans to issue it.” The document featuring the contract was later quietly updated to say “armored electric vehicles” instead of “armored Teslas.”
However, NPR reported last week that a State Department document from the Biden administration showed the agency planned to spend just $483,000 on armored electric vehicles and $3 million on supporting equipment in 2025, well below the $400 million that later appeared on the procurement forecast.
Continue reading at The Hill
US, Ukraine sound optimistic notes on mineral deal
CNN’s Dana Bash pressed Vance on recent remarks by the former president, where Trump again attacked Jewish Americans for considering voting for Biden instead of him. Vance, a potential contender to be Trump’s running mate, brushed off the comments and suggested people look at Trump’s record on Israel.
“Do I think it’s reasonable to look at this situation and say that, if you’re a Jewish American who cares about the state of Israel, who cares about these antisemitic riots, and say you should be on the side of Republicans in 2024 because they govern effectively on some of the issues that you care about? I think it’s a totally reasonable argument to make,” Vance said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“And I think that Donald Trump’s going to keep on making it,” he added.
Continue reading at The Hill
Palestinian Authority president Abbas says ready to hold elections within a year
Abbas announced that he would create a vice-president position in his government, also announcing amnesty to expelled members of his Fatah party at a Cairo summit on Gaza.
Foreign backers of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, have long asked for a vice-president to be appointed.
Abbas, 89, has been in power since 2005 following the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The following year he was elected to a four-year term, with no presidential vote since.
Continue reading at France 24
Zelensky calls for 'truce in the sky and sea' to begin peace talks with Russia
In his first public comments since US President Donald Trump halted US military aid to Ukraine on Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a "truce" with Russia in a post on X and emphasised Ukraine’s intention to work under Trump’s "strong leadership" to secure a lasting peace. Follow our liveblog for the latest developments.
Continue reading at France 24
Overview of US military aid to Ukraine as Trump halts deliveries
In his final months in office, former US president Joe Biden approved assistance to Ukraine well into 2025 in an effort to Trump-proof Ukraine's war effort.
Since Trump took office, Washington has continued to deliver what a US defence official called "critical munitions" approved by the previous administration, including anti-tank weapons and artillery rounds.
The White House has not clarified the scope or amount of aid affected by the pause in aid or how long it will last. The Pentagon also could not provide further details, Reuters reported.
Continue reading at France 24
Trudeau tells Americans: ‘Your government has chosen to do this to you’
The prime minister pledged relief to Canadian workers caught in the crosshairs.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced President Donald Trump for launching a trade war with his country, saying that he won’t back down from a tariff fight with the United States.
“Today, the United States launched a trade war against Canada. At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin — a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” Trudeau said in Ottawa.
“Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight, not when our country and the well being of everyone in it is at stake.”
Trudeau pledged relief to Canadian workers caught in the trade war’s crosshairs, and told the American people that his quarrel was not with them.
“We don’t want this. We want to work with you as a friend and ally, and we don’t want to see you hurt either, but your government has chosen to do this to you,” he said.
Trudeau reserved his bluntest remarks for the president.
“It’s not in my habit to agree with The Wall Street Journal, but Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do,” Trudeau said. “We two friends fighting is exactly what our opponents around the world want to see.”
Continue reading at Politico
Canada ready to hit back at Trump’s tariffs
Ontario premier warns Trump: “I will do everything, including cut off their energy.”
OTTAWA — President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on Canadian goods is drawing an immediate response as Ottawa responds with levies on U.S. products targeting Republican-led states, including Florida oranges and appliances from Ohio.
The Canadian response to the U.S. trade action set to take effect Tuesday has been in the works for weeks since Trump first announced his intention on Feb. 1 to upend decades of trade cooperation between the two nations.
Canada is now poised to hit the U.S. with 25 percent tariffs on C$30 billion of U.S. goods, and the threat of C$125 billion more after a 21-day consultation period. The list of what would get tariffed immediately includes food — poultry, beef, fish, yogurt and more — along with various textiles and furniture.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said thousands of Canadian jobs are at stake.
Continue reading at Politico
Republicans squirm as Trump’s tariffs come for their states
The agriculture industry will take a major hit from the new 25 percent duties on Mexico and Canada that went into effect at midnight.
Republicans in Washington have spent weeks dismissing concerns about President Donald Trump’s tariffs or arguing they’re just a negotiating tactic. But now with major tariffs kicking in on the country’s two largest trade partners, some are starting to publicly worry.
“I’m concerned,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said of the 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico that went into effect Tuesday after midnight. “I’m concerned.”
“Uneasy, I think, is a word,” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).
They and dozens of other GOP lawmakers represent states with major agriculture industries that are among the first targets of trade retaliation from Ottawa and Mexico City. The Canadian government has already disclosed more than $20 billion worth of U.S. goods it plans to slap with higher tariffs, including food products such as poultry, beef, fish and yogurt. The fallout for ag producers, a traditionally conservative-leaning industry, will be severe. And it’s prompting Republicans in those states to take on an uncomfortable position in the party right now — questioning, albeit quietly, a major plank of Trump’s agenda.
Continue reading at Politico
House and Senate GOP leaders split on Trump's tariffs
Speaker Mike Johnson praised the president for giving countries "a dose of their own medicine" while Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hoped the tariffs are "temporary."
President Donald Trump’s decision to slap steep tariffs on Canada and Mexico is revealing something of a split screen between the top two Republicans on Capitol Hill.
In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune — who hails from an agricultural state that was hit hard by the trade wars of the first Trump administration — told reporters he hoped the new tariffs will only be in place as long as it takes to limit the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
"I'm hoping they're a means to an end and not an end itself. I think they're hopefully temporary — designed to achieve a specific result,” said the South Dakota Republican, adding that he believes there is a place for tariffs when used “selectively” — like trying to get Mexico and Canada to work with the United States on ending deadly drug trafficking.
Across the Capitol, however, Speaker Mike Johnson said at a House GOP leadership press conference that separate reciprocal tariffs Trump has planned could have the effect of “giving countries a dose of their own medicine.”
Continue reading at Politico
Trump exempting us from tariffs won’t prevent economic damage, says UK’s Reeves
Trump imposed a flat 25 percent tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada, and increased duties on Chinese goods from 10 to 20 percent.
LONDON — Britain’s economy will be hit by President Donald Trump’s trade war with its allies even if the U.K. strikes a trade deal with the White House, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said Tuesday.
“It's absolutely the case that even if tariffs aren't applied to the U.K. we will be affected by slowing global trade, by slower GDP growth and by higher inflation than otherwise would be the case,” Reeves told hundreds of top British manufacturers at a key industry conference.
Her comments follow the Trump administration’s decision Monday night to impose a flat 25 percent tariff on goods from Mexico and Canada, while also increasing duties on Chinese goods from 10 to 20 percent.
“We don't want to see tariffs,” Reeves told delegates from across Britain’s manufacturing sector at industry body MakeUK’s National Manufacturing Conference in central London. There's "every reason to be hopeful" about a U.K.-U.S. trade deal, she added.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
Canada drops the gloves, tells U.S. to blame Trump for tariff pain
Canada's Justin Trudeau skewered President Trump over aggressive tariffs that went into effect Tuesday, claiming they hurt Americans and would be subject to retaliatory measures.
Why it matters: Relations between the two longtime allies are rapidly souring. The Canadian prime minister accused Trump of launching a "trade war" aimed at tanking the economy of its closest friend.
After much anticipation, the U.S. launched increased tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico. China also took immediate retaliatory steps.
State of play: Canada instituted immediate 25% tariffs on $30 billion of U.S. goods, Trudeau said. An additional $125 billion worth of goods will see 25% tariffs implemented in 21 days.
"I want to speak first directly to the American people ... your government has chosen to do this to you," Trudeau said. He laid out how profoundly the ensuing trade war would hurt the American economy — noting markets are down and inflation could rise.
Continue reading at Axios
The macroeconomics of new tariffs
Big-time tariffs are now in place on America's three largest trading partners. It should be enough to meaningfully move the dial on U.S. economic growth and inflation.
The big picture: President Trump implemented 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico (10% on Canadian energy) and a cumulative 20% on Chinese imports, after postponing the North American levies a month ago.
If the new trade regime is sustained, that will likely mean somewhat higher inflation and lower growth over the coming years, according to economists' projections.
Notably, Trump has threatened additional import taxes on other trading partners but not offered any clear off-ramps or process by which importers can gain exclusions from the tariffs. It raises the risk of a one-way ratchet toward higher trade barriers.
By the numbers: After accounting for how other countries, businesses and consumers will likely react to the tariffs, the Yale Budget Lab estimates that GDP growth is on track to be 0.6 percentage point lower this year than it would have been without the trade war.
Continue reading at Axios
The Fiscal, Economic, and Distributional Effects of 20% Tariffs on China and 25% Tariffs on Canada and Mexico
The Budget Lab modeled the total effect of the planned 25% Canada & Mexico tariffs and the 10% China tariffs, as well as the 10% China tariffs already in effect.
The policy is the equivalent of a 7 percentage point hike in the US effective tariff rate, raising it to the highest since 1943.
The price level rises by 1.0-1.2%, the equivalent of an average per household consumer loss of $1,600–2,000 in 2024$.
Continue reading at Yale Budget Lab
How Trump's tariffs may affect everyday Americans
President Trump imposed sweeping tariffs Tuesday on America's largest trading partners, triggering a global trade war that promises to affect the wallets of everyday Americans.
Why it matters: After running — and winning — on a promise to curb inflation, Trump's trade war threatens to raise prices for everything from food and clothes to cars and computers.
Some estimates suggest just Tuesday's tariffs alone could cost the average U.S. household $830 a year — and that's before you factor in the cost of anticipated retaliatory tariffs from Canada, China and Mexico.
Tariffs on the top U.S. import partners
Continue reading, view maps, charts at Axios
Dinner with Trump costs $1 million a plate at MAGA Inc. fundraisers
Why it matters: The eye-popping figure shows Trump's political operation is hell-bent on banking as much as $500 million this summer, as Axios previously reported, in order to push his agenda, help allies and punish foes.
A Saturday invite for the MAGA Inc. super PAC advised donors it would cost $1M to reserve a seat at the "Candlelight Dinner." WIRED first reported the detail, which Axios independently verified.
The super PAC has another upcoming fundraiser that similarly advises donors to kick in the same amount of money, one Republican familiar with the planning said.
Continue reading at Axios
BlackRock buying two Panama Canal ports from China's Hutchinson
Why it matters: President Trump has threatened to retake control of the Panama Canal, due to what he perceives as unfair treatment of U.S. vessels because of Chinese influence.
This deal could potentially alleviate those concerns.
Zoom in: Hutchinson's official statement says the deal is "wholly unrelated to recent political news reports concerning the Panama Ports" — but it also says the deal was the result of a "rapid" process.
BlackRock declined to comment further, although sources say that the firm briefed both the White House and Congress on the deal.
Continue reading at Axios
Playbook PM: Markets tumble ahead of Trump speech
The fall: Stock markets kept plunging today on news of the tariffs. On top of yesterday’s losses, the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq were all down, with the latter heading for correction territory. The S&P 500 has now dropped below its Election Day level, erasing any Trump-related gains.
The retaliation: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she’ll unveil tariffs and other moves Sunday in a high-profile event in Mexico City’s central square, per Bloomberg.
And Canadian PM Justin Trudeau lashed out at Trump in Ottawa today, saying the American president is attacking allies economically while cozying up to a dictator, per POLITICO’s Nick Taylor-Vaisey. “We will not back down from a fight,” Trudeau warned. He accused Trump of seeking the “total collapse of the Canadian economy” in order to annex Canada, and said Canadians would stop buying U.S. products. (Trump shot back to “Governor Trudeau” that he’d go tit for tat on Canadian tariffs.) Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he’ll add a 25 percent tax on electricity that goes to Michigan, Minnesota and New York, and end the exports completely if Trump adds more tariffs in April, per WSJ’s Vipal Monga.
The defense: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick emphasized on CNBC today that the tariffs are really about stopping the flow of deadly fentanyl — and may end if Canada, China and Mexico can show Trump progress on that front. On Truth Social, Trump touted the success he’s already had in getting Mexico to be more aggressive against cartels, and he wrote that “IF COMPANIES MOVE TO THE UNITED STATES, THERE ARE NO TARIFFS!!!”
Continue reading the Politico Playbook PM newsletter
Avoiding Trump's tariffs, some Chinese companies relocate to Cambodia's "Special Economic Zone"
Phnom Penh, Cambodia — A convoy of semi-trucks passed by as our CBS News team drove about two hours south of Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Moments later we were greeted by an enormous arch with signage in two languages — the local Khmer and, beneath it, Chinese.
There could be no mistake about who's in charge of the "Special Economic Zone" rising from the dirt. We approached a furniture factory, where the Chinese manager invited us in to shoot some video.
The production facility, which makes ottomans, moved to Cambodia from China about a month ago.
Continue reading at CBS News
Supreme Court gravitates toward gun industry in bid to end Mexico lawsuit
The case has become a major battle over the scope of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), which has provided broad immunity to gun makers for two decades despite gun control activists’ attempt to repeal it.
At oral arguments Tuesday, the justices posed piercing questions to Mexico’s attorney about claims the country’s lawsuit falls under an exception to the 2005 law, raising concerns that accepting that position would cause a flood of litigation against the gun industry.
“How is your suit different from the types of suits that prompted the passage of PLCAA?” Justice Clarence Thomas asked.
It wasn’t only the court’s conservatives, like Thomas, who pressed Mexico.
“I’m just wondering whether the PLCAA statute itself is telling us that we don’t want the courts to be the ones to be crafting remedies that amount to regulation on this industry. That was really the point of the entire thing,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, one of the court’s three Democratic appointees.
Continue reading at The Hill
Refiners’ trade group: Tariffs won’t make US energy secure, lower consumer costs
A refiners’ trade group knocked President Trump for his 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, both neighboring nations known for having the largest bilateral free trade agreements with the United States.
“The United States is energy secure, in part because of our trade relationships with Canada and Mexico. Imposing tariffs on energy, refined products and petrochemical imports will not make us more energy secure or lower costs for consumers,” Chet Thompson, president of the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, said in a Tuesday statement.
“So, we continue to hope quick resolution can be found with our North American neighbors,” he added.
Both Canada and Mexico responded to Trump’s tariffs with retaliatory measures that are set to increase prices for consumer goods in a range of industries including electricity, wood products and petroleum.
Continue reading at The Hill
Senate Democrats press Trump administration on assistance to farmers
Senate Democrats have sent the Trump administration a letter pressing them on their plan to economically assist farmers as the tariff plan is implemented.
The letter, signed by Ranking Member for the Agriculture Committee Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and 14 other Democrats, was addressed to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins.
“As you work to establish priorities for the coming weeks and months, we urge you to move forward as quickly as possible on providing disaster relief for farmers,” the senators said.
President Trump’s 25 percent tariff plan for Mexico and Canada went into effect on Tuesday, marking a shift in relations between the neighboring countries. Experts warn that higher prices, particularly on food, will be hitting Americans in the coming days.
Continue reading at The Hill
How Trump’s new tariffs will affect Americans: 5 things to know
The tariffs will affect well over $1 trillion worth of imported goods. Canada, Mexico and China exported a combined $1.4 trillion of goods to the U.S. in 2022, worth more than 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in that year.
Trump has made multiple tariffs announcements that he has subsequently reversed or paused, but the Tuesday tariffs mark the largest escalation so far in the substantial overhaul of U.S. trade policy that Trump promised during his campaign.
Here’s how the policy shift will affect Americans.
Short-term market turmoil
Continue reading at The Hill
Ocasio-Cortez skipping Trump address, will live post instead
She said she will be posting live about the speech on social media instead.
“I’m not going to the Joint Address. I will be live posting and chatting with you all here instead,” the New York Democrat said in a post on the social platform Bluesky.
“Then going on IG Live after,” she added, using a popular shorthand for the social media platform Instagram.
Trump will head to the Capitol for the first joint address of his second term on Tuesday night.
Continue reading at The Hill
FAA union president says DOGE fired essential employees without assessment
Dave Spero, the president of a union representing employees of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said at a Tuesday hearing that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) fired essential employees without accounting for the impact their departure would have on the agency’s functions.
Spero, who heads the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, made the remarks in response to a question from Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who asked about connections between the firings and air safety at a hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation.
Spero said that only three out of the 332 FAA employees who were terminated in the recent mass firings have been brought back, and no other hires have been made to fill the positions vacated after the firings.
Continue reading at The Hill
GOP stopgap holdouts will 'get on board,' Johnson says
The speaker acknowledged Republican "hesitation" about the six-month funding patch.
Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged several GOP lawmakers have "hesitation" over backing the six-month extension of government funding that he and President Donald Trump are pushing ahead of a Friday midnight shutdown deadline.
"But I think once people understand the necessity of it, I think they'll get on board and we'll pass it," he told reporters Tuesday. A group of House Republicans is meeting with Trump at the White House tomorrow as top party leaders try to get members on board with the patch running through September.
Johnson said his goal is to put the funding bill on the House floor "early next week." Legislative text is expected to be released this weekend, said Republicans granted anonymity to describe private plans; Johnson said it would include additional defense funding requests from the Trump administration for defense as well as "very minimal" other additions.
Johnson also said Trump ally Elon Musk will "give an update on his efforts" and "answer questions" when he speaks to House Republicans tomorrow night.
Continue reading at Politico
Republicans risk hard-liner revolt in latest gambit to avoid a shutdown
Fiscal hawks demand autopilot funding levels, or lower, to retain their support for the GOP’s separate party-line policy ambitions.
Should Republican leaders have to abandon their current plan to pass a government funding bill at "flat" levels, hard-liners warn that another fiscal framework is at risk: the budget to advance President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, cautioned Tuesday that fiscal conservatives will demand changes to the budget measure Speaker Mike Johnson pushed through the House last week if Congress ends up clearing a government funding package with fresh, higher spending levels.
It's a warning that comes 10 days until a government shutdown and amid stark disagreement among House and Senate Republicans about how to adopt a single budget resolution that would pave the way for a party-line package of tax cuts, energy policy, military funding and border security investments — the key pillars of Trump's agenda.
Continue reading at Politico
Germany moves to rewrite debt rules to unleash defense spending
“Germany and Europe must now undertake extraordinary efforts to ensure our defense capabilities,” said Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz.
BERLIN — Europe’s most powerful economy is poised to take a major step to bolster its defense capabilities, with Germany’s Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz announcing a plan to partly exempt defense spending from the country’s constitutional fiscal restraints.
“In view of the threats to our freedom and peace on our continent,” Merz said Tuesday evening in Berlin, the motto “whatever it takes” must now apply to the country’s defense.
The plan arrives as European leaders grow increasingly alarmed by the posture of the Donald Trump administration in the U.S. toward NATO and Ukraine.
“The political developments in Europe and the world are evolving faster than we anticipated just a week ago,” Merz said. “Germany and Europe must now undertake extraordinary efforts to ensure our defense capabilities.”
Continue reading at Politico Europe
White House now says firing probationary workers up to agencies
In the wake of a judge's ruling pausing the terminations of federal probationary employees, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is now telling agencies that they're the ones with the power to fire workers.
Why it matters: The firings of as many as 30,000 probationary federal workers have sparked chaos, stress and confusion, as well as disrupted work, across the government.
Catch up quick: A judge last week paused the terminations, finding they may have been ordered illegally.
The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed by unions and advocacy organizations, spearhead by the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents federal workers.
They alleged the firings were illegal and that OPM doesn't have the authority to direct agencies to terminate workers.
Where it stands: On Tuesday OPM emailed new guidance to human resource officers at federal agencies.
Continue reading at Axios
Patch scales to 30,000 U.S. communities with AI newsletters
Patch, the hyperlocal digital news platform, has expanded its editorial presence to nearly every town in the U.S. using AI, according to CEO Warren St. John.
Why it matters: The AI newsletters, which are trained to pull information from vetted sources — including from Patch — have expanded Patch's reach from 1,100 U.S. communities to 30,000 in just a few months.
Of Patch's 3 million newsletter subscribers nationally, 400,000 subscribe to its new AI newsletter products, per St. John.
The big picture: The AI newsletters shift Patch's business from a local publisher to a hyperlocal information platform.
The 120-person bootstrapped company, which was sold by AOL in 2014, is profitable and has been for many years.
Continue reading at Axios
Note from Rima: I’ve been reading patch for decades. This may change things for me. That said, they were recently hiring staff… I will keep an eye on quality.
UAW praises Trump's tariffs "to end the free trade disaster"
The United Auto Workers union on Tuesday hailed President Trump's new tariffs, saying it's necessary "to end the free trade disaster."
Why it matters: With about 1 million members, including retired workers, the UAW is one of the most powerful unions in America.
It has historically supported Democrats, but many of the union's members voted for Trump, seemingly attracted by MAGA's emphasis on "America first."
The big picture: The UAW — which has long advocated for the "buy American" movement and regularly blasts companies for outsourcing jobs —praised the president's new round of 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, plus an additional 10% on China.
"Tariffs are a powerful tool in the toolbox for undoing the injustice of anti-worker trade deals," the union said. "We are glad to see an American president take aggressive action on ending the free trade disaster that has dropped like a bomb on the working class."
The UAW said any price increases stemming from the tariffs should be blamed on companies, not the president.
Continue reading at Politico
Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin rolls out $300K investment in state court race
AFP-WI’s latest investment, news of which was first shared with The Hill, includes several digital and connected TV ads, as well as a mailer. In some of the ads, a narrator says that “Judge Brad Schimel will follow the law, protect us and keep our families safe” while suggesting liberal candidate Susan Crawford will “play dangerous partisan politics” and calls her “soft on crime.”
In one of the digital ads, AFP-WI urges to “stop progressive control” and says “Wisconsin’s future is at stake.” Another digital ad encourages voters to cast their ballot for Schimel.
The ad campaign brings AFP-WI’s ad investments in the race to $1.3 million, which it notes “is in addition to our robust ongoing statewide grassroots work and direct mail campaign.”
“Wisconsinites deserve better than Susan Crawford, who stands by her extreme, partisan agenda over the people of Wisconsin,” AFP-WI state director Megan Novak said in a statement.
Continue reading at The Hill
Pentagon policy chief hearing highlights GOP foreign policy divide
Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker warned the U.S. “cannot simply pivot” away from Europe.
A testy hearing for the Pentagon policy chief nominee on Tuesday underscored the increasingly public schism in the GOP over the administration’s treatment of Ukraine.
Elbridge Colby, who has for years supported shifting resources away from Europe and the Middle East to focus on China, sought to defend that perspective — hours after President Donald Trump froze aid to Ukraine.
But he faced pushback from the more traditional wing of the party that advocates continued American involvement in those regions. The tension spotlighted the challenges some Republicans face in reconciling their views with Donald Trump’s unorthodox efforts to remake global alliances.
Continue reading at Politico
Democrats’ Medicaid strategy gets a reboot after GOP cancels town halls
The outside group Indivisible said Democrats should hold their own town halls — and if Dems don’t, they’ll hold their own.
Democrats are scrambling to rethink their strategy of using Republican town halls to oppose GOP-led plans to slash spending on Medicaid and other government services.
Left-leaning organization Indivisible, which had been spearheading the efforts to disrupt constituent town halls, is calling on Democratic lawmakers to host their own town halls during the March recess or the group will do it for them, according to an email obtained by POLITICO. And other top Democrats, like former vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, are saying they might hold their own events to carry the message in Republican-held districts.
The move follows NRCC chair Richard Hudson’s (R-N.C.) directive in a closed-door meeting with House Republicans on Tuesday that Republicans should forego holding in-person town halls, as GOP members look to tamp down the disruptions as they debate major spending cuts to social programs in their upcoming budget. GOP party members, including President Donald Trump, have blamed “paid troublemakers” attending the contentious town halls, a claim which is unsubstantiated.
Continue reading at Politico
He wasn’t bluffing: Trump’s trade war sparks broad backlash
He levied sweeping tariffs on key trading partners Mexico, Canada and China early Tuesday morning.
It’s dawning on the world — and some Republicans on Capitol Hill — that sometimes President Donald Trump should be taken literally after all.
Trump levied sweeping tariffs on key trading partners Mexico, Canada and China early Tuesday morning, sparking retaliation from Beijing and Ottawa, sending the stock market into a tailspin, and alarming government officials around the globe as they brace for potentially the worst trade war in a century.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blasted the United States for launching “a trade war against Canada” while “they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin — a lying, murderous dictator.” Target CEO Brian Cornell warned that Americans’ grocery prices would go up. John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said that car prices would spike as much as 25 percent. The Dow industrials, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite slumped.
And even local businesses are warning of the effects. Anderson Warlick, the CEO of Parkdale Mills, a yarn manufacturer in North Carolina, told a crowd outside the Capitol that it would be only weeks before he has to start furloughing his workers.
Continue reading at Politico
National Security Daily
Inside Trump’s NSC
UKRAINIANS REACT TO AID CUT-OFF: Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines have reacted to Trump’s decision to cut off military aid to Ukraine with a mixture of dismay and also grim determination, as our own Veronika Melkozerova writes in.
“We’re as ready to keep fighting as we used to. Nothing has changed but our perception of America,” Ukrainian soldier Vitaly, serving in Sumy and Kursk region, told POLITICO. (POLITICO is not sharing his full name or rank for security reasons). “We used to see the United States as a symbol of freedom and hope, now we see it turned into Russian number 2.”
According to Vitaly and other soldiers, American help was not that visible on the war front. However, they said losing access to Elon Musk’s space-based Starlink satellite connections would be catastrophic for the Ukrainian army, which relies on the satellite services to coordinate operations and drone attacks.
The pressure Trump has been putting on Zelenskyy has pushed soldiers who were critical of the Ukrainian president to now defend him. “Because by humiliating and pressuring our president, Trump offended all of us,” Vitaly said.
AND SO DOES CANADA: As Trump levies 25 percent tariffs on top trade partners Canada and Mexico, Canadian Prime Minister JUSTIN TRUDEAU lashed out at the U.S. leader in a press conference on Tuesday, tying in Trump’s recent moves on Ukraine. “The United States launched a trade war against Canada. Their closest partner and ally, their closest friend. At the same time, they’re talking about working positively with Russia, appeasing Vladimir Putin, a lying, murderous dictator. Make that make sense,” Trudeau said.
AUSSIE PEACEKEEPERS? Australia is open to deploying troops to Ukraine as part of a multinational peacekeeping force, Australian Prime Minister ANTHONY ALBANESE announced at a press conference on Tuesday. “There’s discussion at the moment about potential peacekeeping, and from my government’s perspective, we’re open to consideration of any proposals going forward,” he said.
Continue reading at Politico National Security Daily
Alina Habba suggests some veterans ‘not fit’ for government jobs
White House counselor Alina Habba on Tuesday suggested some veterans are perhaps “not fit” for government jobs.
“As you know, we care about veterans tremendously. I mean, that’s something the President has always cared about, anybody in blue, anybody that serves this country. But at the same time, we have taxpayer dollars, we have a fiscal responsibility to use taxpayer dollars to pay people that actually work,” Habba told reporters outside the White House when asked about veterans who worked for the federal government.
“That doesn’t mean that we forget our veterans by any means. We are going to care for them in the right way, but perhaps they’re not fit to have a job at this moment, or not willing to come to work. … I wouldn’t take money from you and pay somebody and say, ‘Sorry, they’re not going to come to work.’ It’s just not acceptable,” Habba said.
Continue reading at The Hill
Ukraine selling T-shirts with Zelensky quote from Trump-Vance meeting
United24, a Ukrainian state-sponsored platform that raises funds amid the ongoing war, is raffling off 100 T-shirts with Zelensky’s response: “I’ll wear a costume when the war is over.”
In Ukrainian, the word “costume” is used as a translated term for suit.
The raffle is open to those who donate $24 or more toward Kyiv’s defense efforts.
Continue reading at The Hill
Note from Rima: The term, costume, is taken from the French. Suit translates to ‘costume’ in French
Ohio governor’s race poll: Ramaswamy a favorite, Sherrod Brown has strong backing
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy appears to be an early GOP favorite in the 2026 Ohio governor’s race, while former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) leads among Democrats, according to a recent poll.
The poll — conducted in February by the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Democracy and Public Policy Research Network and YouGov — shows Ramaswamy leading the pack of Republican candidates in the race, with 61 percent support from prospective GOP primary voters in Ohio.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Heather Hill follow, with 24 percent support and 9 percent support, respectively.
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Trump’s NATO nominee commits to alliance, despite MAGA opponents
Matthew Whitaker, who served as acting attorney general during Trump’s first term, said if he is confirmed as ambassador to NATO, he would push allies to increase their defense spending and convene the alliance to address a multitude of threats.
“President Trump has been clear, the United States remains committed to NATO and to the principle of peace through strength,” Whitaker said in opening remarks.
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‘He Finally Shot the Hostage’: Trump’s Trade War Is a Brutal Reality Check
Trump imposing new tariffs on top of broader policy uncertainty will mean a hit to growth. The question is how large of a hit it will ultimately be.
Everyone should have seen this coming. Trump often talked about tariffs on the campaign trail. He also threatened tariffs after he was elected. Then, he threatened more tariffs after he was sworn in. And yet, investors — like everyone else — weren’t sure how seriously to take those warnings until this week.
“They’re believing him more now,” said Neil Dutta, head of U.S. economic research at Renaissance Macro Research. “He finally shot the hostage.”
Trump’s move to shatter supply chains across North America is a stunning development, no matter how foreseeable, and it’s changing the U.S. outlook fast. The U.S. economy was not entirely out of the inflation woods when Trump took office, but steady consumer spending and a low unemployment rate normally provide a healthy buffer against smaller economic shocks.
Continue reading at Politico Magazine
Energy and Commerce discusses next steps for Trump’s party-line bill
Republicans are eager to put the meat on the bones of their bill to enact the president’s agenda.
Members of the committee held its first meeting on Tuesday, with more planned throughout the week, on “everything” within Energy and Commerce’s jurisdiction, according to one member granted anonymity to discuss the scheduled closed-door gatherings.
It shows how eager House Republicans are to lay the groundwork for what their party-line bill could look like under the contours of the reconciliation process, even though they still need to resolve major differences between the budget resolution they adopted last week and the Senate’s product.
Energy and Commerce, led by Chair Brett Guthrie, is weighing how to cobble together $880 billion in savings to offset the cost of a reconciliation bill encompassing tax cuts, beefed up border security, defense programs and energy policy. The Kentucky Republican has said clawing back clean energy tax credits, repealing electric vehicle incentives and reevaluating Biden administration broadband programs are among possible line items on the chopping block.
Continue reading at Politico
Labor’s new front in the AI fight
A leading California labor group is backing several first-in-the-nation bills this year that could inspire efforts in other states.
SACRAMENTO, California — California’s powerful Labor Federation is channeling George Orwell in its latest fight to influence how and where surveillance tools are deployed in the workplace. The goal: keep big bosses (and Big Tech) from becoming Big Brother.
“We need guardrails and we need regulation that applies to everybody,” Labor Fed President Lorena Gonzalez told POLITICO’s California Decoded newsletter in an exclusive interview laying out the group’s 2025 priorities.
“It doesn’t matter where you work. You should have that right to privacy.”
The Labor Fed has for years been a regular driving force behind workers’ rights legislation in the nation’s most populous state, though it has also faced political headwinds from California’s homegrown, lucrative tech industry, which often has the ear of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Gonzalez said the group is sponsoring three first-in-the-nation bills in Sacramento this year that could inspire efforts in other states as well, aimed at limiting how companies can use AI-powered monitoring systems to track their employees’ movements.
Continue reading at Politico
Courts push back on DOJ’s effort to expand reach of Trump’s Jan. 6 pardon
What did President Donald Trump intend, and when did he intend it?
Federal judges are pumping the brakes on the Justice Department’s newfound claim that President Donald Trump’s blanket pardon of Jan. 6 defendants was meant to cover a broad list of crimes that have nothing to do with the attack on the Capitol.
It began with a tense hearing before a Trump-appointed district judge in Washington, D.C. last week. Since then, three federal appeals courts have also signaled skepticism about the scope of Trump’s Jan. 6 clemency.
The pushback is raising profound, untested questions about the presidential pardon power itself: How can courts be sure what was in a president’s mind when he signed a pardon using broad, ambiguous terms? And do judges have the authority to interpret for themselves what Trump meant when, on the first day of his second term, he pardoned people “convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021”?
Continue reading at Politico
Border crossings plunge to lowest levels in decades: New data
The number of migrants illegally crossing the U.S. southern border plummeted in February to the lowest level seen in decades, according to internal data obtained by Axios.
The big picture: Crossings had been trending down for several months, driven by policies on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border, experts say. But the numbers have plunged since Trump began implementing — and broadcasting — his sweeping immigration crackdown.
"The Invasion of our Country is OVER," Trump wrote in a Saturday Truth Social post celebrating the decline.
The drop represents an overlap of Trump's sweeping changes in policy and rhetoric with trends that began months before he returned to the White House, said the Migration Policy Institute's Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, who closely tracks border data.
Driving the news: Border Patrol recorded around 8,300 apprehensions of migrants who crossed the border unlawfully between ports of entry in February, according to the data obtained by Axios.
Continue reading at Axios
GSA identifies hundreds of ‘non-core’ federal properties amid Trump admin’s DOGE cuts
The General Services Administration (GSA) on Tuesday released a list of nearly 450 federal buildings it may seek to sell — including major real estate like the headquarters of the Justice Department, FBI and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as federal buildings across the country.
The list of 443 “non-core assets” comes as GSA said it plans to “dispose” of some of the buildings — a first step in complying with a February directive to shed government real estate.
Also on the list are other iconic D.C. buildings such as the American Red Cross building, the Old Post Office Building — once the site to a Trump hotel — and the Diplomacy Museum, which has only been open since 2017.
Continue reading at The Hill
The General Services Administration’s Non-core property list
We are identifying buildings and facilities that are not core to government operations, or non-core properties for disposal. Selling ensures that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on vacant or underutilized federal spaces. Disposing of these assets helps eliminate costly maintenance and allows us to reinvest in high-quality work environments that support agency missions.
Note from Rima: The government is selling more of its properties. This is a list of properties for sale.
Ben Shapiro launches effort asking Trump to pardon former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin
Lutnick: Trump may announce tariff compromise with Canada, Mexico on Wednesday
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said President Trump may announce a compromise with Canada and Mexico on Wednesday, the day after he imposed 25 percent tariffs on the two neighboring countries.
Lutnick told Fox Business that he spoke to Canadian and Mexican officials on the phone on Tuesday and that both countries told him “they’ll do better.”
“I think he’s going to work something out with them,” Lutnick said, referring to Trump.
Continue reading at The Hill
Ontario halts US alcohol sales as Trump tariffs take hold
Liquor bottles are flying off the shelves in Canada, but not because they are being sold.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario says it is pulling American-made spirits in response to the U.S. and Canada’s escalating tariff feud.
“As part of Ontario’s response strategy to U.S. tariffs, the government of Ontario has directed LCBO to take operational steps to implement restrictions on all U.S. beverage alcohol sales and related imports into Ontario, effective immediately,” the liquor board said in a statement Tuesday. “Our in-store teams can help customers find alternative products from our extensive selection of products from Ontario, Canada, and around the world.”
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Senate GOP defends Trump’s Ukraine aid pause as negotiating tactic
GOP lawmakers are still feeling the aftershocks of Friday’s blowup, which shelved a minerals deal between the two leaders.
However, many of the GOP’s ardent Ukraine supporters believe the administration’s decision to press pause on delivering aid is nothing more than a ploy to get the Ukrainians back to the table to sign the minerals deal and to pave the way toward a larger deal to end the war with Russia.
“I don’t think it’ll last long. I’m hoping it doesn’t last long. I think the president just wants to get everybody to the table, and I think he’s making progress,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said. “I think President Zelensky’s response that I saw this morning was a positive one and moving in the right direction.”
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CDC says it is on the ground in Texas to aid in measles outbreak response
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is on the ground in Texas to aid the state in tamping down a measles outbreak, the agency said Tuesday.
The agency in a statement on the social platform X said it has sent some of its Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) “disease detectives” to the West Texas region, the same day the state reported an additional 13 cases, bringing the total to 159.
Twenty-two of the patients have been hospitalized and one child has died, the first measles death in the U.S. in a decade and the first death in a child in the U.S. since 2003.
The CDC’s participation means Texas officials requested federal assistance, since the agency can’t send a team without an official state ask.
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Maine Democrat urges Zelensky to ‘call and win a new election’
Golden, a battleground district Democrat, praised Ukrainian soldiers for “bravely” fighting against Russian troops but argued that a prolonged war of “attrition” would make Kyiv’s outcome “worse, not better.”
“If the Ukrainians still have the will to fight, no one will be able to force a peace deal on them that they don’t like,” Golden said in a statement on Tuesday.
“But if peace is on the table, as President Zelenskyy indicated just today, then he should do what it takes to strengthen his hand in negotiating a deal his people can accept,” Golden stated. “One way to do that is to call and win a new election — to show the world he has the mandate to negotiate on behalf of his people.”
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Durbin asks for bar investigation into Bove over Adams case
The request points to accusations from a prosecutor who resigned over the matter indicating Adams offered assistance with President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies ahead of the dismissal — something the Adams camp has denied.
“As detailed in official Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the SDNY memoranda and subsequent public reporting, Mr. Bove has explicitly premised the dismissal of charges against Mayor Eric L. Adams upon the extraction of a political favor from Mayor Adams to benefit President Trump,” ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) wrote to the First Judicial Department in New York, which handles such complaints.
“Notably, the dismissal is inherently coercive, because it was without prejudice, therefore allowing Mr. Bove to use the threat of again charging Mayor Adams to ensure the political favor is fulfilled.”
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Former FEMA CEO sues after firing over New York grant to house migrants
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fired Mary Comans over an $80 million grant to New York City allowing for emergency sheltering of migrants that FEMA ultimately clawed back.
The grant was one of many doled out to cities as part of the Shelter and Services Program created by Congress to help pay for the cost of housing migrants.
Comans was one of four FEMA employees fired over the matter.
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Trump’s trade war wallops stock market
The stock market has suffered through a two-day selloff after President Trump went forward with imposing steep new tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed Tuesday with a loss of 670 points, or 1.6 percent, as Trump’s 25-percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods took effect. Trump also boosted tariffs on Chinese goods by 10 percentage points, adding to import tax rates set during his first administration and maintained by former President Biden.
The S&P 500 index lost 1.2 percent on the day, and the Nasdaq composite closed 0.4 percent lower.
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In shift, hard-line conservatives signal openness to stopgap to avert shutdown
For years, members of the House Freedom Caucus have been predictable “no” votes on stopgaps and other spending measures that do not codify their priorities, railing against leaders for failing to approve appropriations bills on time.
But now, many of those members — happy with how the Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is taking a sledgehammer to the federal government — are being atypically cooperative and signaling support for Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) plan to pass a largely clean continuing resolution (CR) until Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. Trump endorsed the full-year CR last week.
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Booker tells Musk he’s behind social media campaign: Keep your Cybertruck
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Tuesday revealed he was behind a social media campaign involving nearly two dozen Democratic senators after tech billionaire Elon Musk offered a Tesla Cybertruck to the first person to provide “proof” of who wrote the script, which he called “propaganda.”
The social media campaign was launched Tuesday morning, with at least 22 Senate Democrats posting nearly minute-long videos slamming President Trump ahead of his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday evening.
The lawmakers largely followed the same script to highlight what they called “broken promises” on lowering prices for Americans “on day one.”
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Trump’s pick for key Pentagon role faces Senate GOP skeptics
Elbridge Colby, President Trump’s pick to serve as the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy, is facing skepticism from GOP senators concerned about his views on how aggressively to confront Iran and China and whether to pivot away from Europe and Ukraine.
Some Republican senators are threatening to pump the brakes on Trump’s national security agenda by holding up Colby, who has promulgated a variety of controversial or unorthodox policy views — such as suggesting that the United States could tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran.
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What Trump’s tariffs mean for you
Trump’s new tariffs could boost prices, derail stocks
Many businesses and market forecasters have been warning that President Trump’s import taxes could translate into consumer price increases.
Trump kicked off a trade war Tuesday, levying major tariffs on the top three U.S. trading partners — Canada, Mexico and China.
He imposed 25 percent import taxes on Canada and Mexico and increased tariffs on China from 10 percent to 20 percent.
Tariffs don’t translate directly into price increases, and businesses can respond to them in various ways, including just eating the cost increase; Trump’s 2018 tariffs did not cause a major spike in inflation in the way that the 2020 coronavirus pandemic did.
Continue reading this newsletter at The Hill
Trump HHS vaccine messaging under scrutiny
Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been sending mixed messages about a rapidly spreading measles outbreak in Texas.
Kennedy initially downplayed the measles outbreak during a Cabinet meeting with President Trump last week, saying it was “not unusual” and falsely claimed that many people hospitalized were there “mainly for quarantine.”
Two days later, Kennedy in a social media post outlined how his agency is responding, including by providing the Texas Department of Health with MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccines.
On Sunday, he went further in an op-ed published on Fox News’s website in what seemed to be the call for vaccinations that public health proponents had been waiting to see.
“Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons,” Kennedy wrote.
Continue reading at The Hill
Target, Best Buy warn of higher prices over Trump tariffs
At Target’s annual investor meeting on Tuesday, CEO Brian Cornell told reporters that consumers will see price increases on produce such as avocados as soon as in the coming days. He said those price increases are likely to affect the entire industry.
Cornell said he was not prepared to specify all the Target products that could see price increases.
“I think things are unfolding so quickly,” he said. “We will watch this carefully and understand, are these long-term tariffs? Is this a short-term action? How will this unfold over time? I think all of us are speculating, and I think we’re going to listen and learn and make sure that we can control the things we can control. But we don’t want to overreact right now to one day and one headline.”
Target’s chief commercial officer, Rick Gomez, said on the call that the company cannot yet provide specifics on price increases because they are working out pricing in real time, and they want to be strategic.
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Trump tariffs could raise fuel prices
President Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada could raise energy prices for U.S. consumers.
On Tuesday, tariffs against both of America’s neighbors took effect. The broader tariffs included a 10 percent levy on Canadian energy and a 25 percent levy on Mexican energy.
While the U.S. imports more oil from Canada than any other country, some U.S. regions are particularly reliant on Canadian oil — and analysts say that consumers in these regions could see price hikes.
Andrew Lipow, of consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates, told The Hill that in the short term, gasoline prices in New England could jump by between 15 and 25 cents per gallon.
He noted that this region imports significant quantities of Canadian gasoline.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump is about to face an audience with the power to make or break his agenda. And it’s not Congress.
They’ll be front and center at Trump’s joint address.
Trump’s blitz of early executive actions have triggered a tsunami of more than 100 lawsuits — many of them heading toward the high court. Two of those actions have already made it to the justices, and their looming rulings could strike at Congress’ power to control federal spending and the independence of executive branch watchdogs.
Trump’s muscular moves to crack down on legal and illegal immigration, fire tens of thousands of government employees, shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, end diversity, equity and inclusion programs and strip the rights of transgender people all raise significant questions about the legal limits of executive power.
“When a president’s agenda relies on unlawful actions, a lot of the action is going to be in the courts,” said Elizabeth Goitein of New York University’s Brennan Center. “There’s no question that all of this is going to be challenged. This will be a true test of the Supreme Court in many, many ways.”
Continue reading at Politico
Over 100 protesters are on site at the Capitol
They're deriding what they call Trump's descent into “fascism.”
Over 100 protesters have already gathered outside the Capitol shortly before President Donald Trump is set to deliver his joint address to Congress.
In chants and on signs, the demonstrators are slamming the Trump administration — in particular Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency — for what they say is a descent into “fascism.” Many of the protesters here are wearing masks, and one apparent leader, shouting in a megaphone, warned that a counter protester was taking photos of participants and offered them masks if they wished to remain anonymous.
A smattering of Capitol Police officers are monitoring nearby. There appear to be few counter protesters.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump is about to tell us his plans for the next 4 years
The president will deliver his remarks before a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m. Eastern.
For the first time since reclaiming the presidency, President Donald Trump will stand before a joint session of Congress to lay out his vision for the next four years, a prime-time moment that will cap an eventful opening stretch to his second term.
His campaign advisors chose the unifying theme of “renewal of the American dream,” but if Trump’s past speeches are any indication, his address will be in line with his signature style: big, loud and self-congratulatory — part campaign rally, part policy roadmap — as he tries to land a series of made-for-TV moments.
A key question is whether the president will repeat his 2017 joint address, in which the new president surprised the public and members of Congress with a serious tone they had rarely seen from the former reality tv star. Or whether an emboldened, second-term president will spar with congressional Democrats in the House chamber.
Continue reading at Politico
Pete Buttigieg met with Chuck Schumer to discuss potential Senate bid
He’s still undecided on the Michigan race.
Pete Buttigieg met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last week to discuss a possible Senate bid in Michigan, according to two people familiar with the meeting and granted anonymity to describe private conversations.
The former Transportation secretary is still undecided about a Senate run in his adopted home state, according to five people familiar with the situation. But the meeting with Schumer was a sign of how seriously he is considering it.
Democrats are vying to hold onto the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters in a crucial swing state. Republicans see it as a top pickup opportunity after coming close to flipping the other Senate seat last cycle.
Continue reading at Politico
GOP hunts for Democratic votes to avoid government shutdown
House Republicans are planning to pressure vulnerable Democrats to help them pass a short-term funding bill next week.
Why it matters: GOP leaders are talking big about passing a government funding bill with just Republican votes, probably in the House but definitely in the Senate.
"I think the 13 Democrats sitting in Trump seats ought to think twice about shutting down Trump's government," Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) will be on the hunt for at least eight Democrats to overcome a filibuster.
Driving the news: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has decided to try to pass a "clean continuing resolution," which would fund the government through Sept. 30 without any significant policy changes. He says President Trump is on board.
Trump and Johnson are pulling out all the stops to convince potential holdout Republicans to support a funding bill this time.
Continue reading at Axios
Freedom Caucus threatens Trump hecklers with censure
The right-wing House Freedom Caucus on Tuesday issued a threat to try to censure any Democratic lawmakers or guests who disrupt President Trump's speech to Congress.
Why it matters: The declaration is in response to Axios' reporting that some Democrats have considered bringing noisemakers or walking out of the speech to display their opposition to the Republican president.
There is considerable internal division within the Democratic caucus about whether to use more disruptive tactics or stick to traditional, silent protest.
House Democratic leadership has urged its members not to bring props into the House chamber.
What they're saying: "The President's address to tonight's joint session of Congress is a constitutional obligation — not a sideshow for Democrats to use noisemakers, make threats, throw things or otherwise disrupt," the Freedom Caucus' board said in a statement.
Continue reading at Axios
Automakers tap COVID playbook to cope with Trump tariffs
After weeks of stalled decision-making, the global trade war automakers were hoping to avoid is now here, providing a measure of clarity that had been missing.
While significant disruption is inevitable, at least there's a playbook from the last big shock to hit the industry: COVID.
Why it matters: Though unwelcome, supply chain upheavals are nothing new for carmakers, who have built a culture of resiliency while dealing with everything from tsunamis and fires to labor strikes and safety recalls — not to mention the global health crisis.
What's different this time, however, is that the industry is on far shakier ground.
The trade war is hitting at the same time they're juggling sweeping technological change, regulatory pressures and powerful Chinese competition.
Driving the news: President Trump's promised 25% tariffs on imported goods from Canada and Mexico took effect early Tuesday, along with additional levies on China.
Continue reading at Axios
Deadly H5N1 bird flu strain has hit all but 1 continent
The H5N1 bird flu strain has infected humans and other animals in every continent except Australia, and scientists say it could serve as a model for other countries.
The big picture: The continent has seen small outbreaks of other strains of avian influenza in recent months and managed to "close those down," said Professor Catherine Bennett, an Australian infectious diseases' epidemiologist, in an email Monday.
She added: "Infection prevention and control in the agricultural industry has been key in containing outbreaks."
State of play: What makes Australasia better positioned than other countries is not only the fact that it's an island continent, but also because of people's commitment to "one health," said Bennett, who's chair of epidemiology at Australia's Deakin University.
This is a "unifying approach to balancing the health of people, animals and ecosystems," and with that comes a "hefty investment" into environmental, animal and human surveillance, she said.
Continue reading at Axios
Senate votes to overturn IRS' DeFi broker rule
The Senate Tuesday voted on two measures to overturn crypto-related regulations inked late in the Biden administration.
Why it matters: Both regulations, the IRS' DeFi broker rule and a digital-payments rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, are viewed by the crypto industry as overly burdening and crimps to financial innovation.
Both repeal efforts rely on the Congressional Review Act, which gives Congress limited authority to nix whole rules enacted in the final days by an outgoing administration.
This is familiar terrain for Trump and Congressional Republicans. The prior Trump administration rolled back numerous Obama-era rules as well.
Driving the news: The Senate passed the CRA resolution to repeal the IRS DeFi broker rule Tuesday by a vote of 70 to 27.
Continue reading at Axios
Border crossings plunge to lowest levels in decades: New data
The number of migrants illegally crossing the U.S. southern border plummeted in February to the lowest level seen in decades, according to internal data obtained by Axios.
The big picture: Crossings had been trending down for several months, driven by policies on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border, experts say. But the numbers have plunged since Trump began implementing — and broadcasting — his sweeping immigration crackdown.
"The Invasion of our Country is OVER," Trump wrote in a Saturday Truth Social post celebrating the decline.
The drop represents an overlap of Trump's sweeping changes in policy and rhetoric with trends that began months before he returned to the White House, said the Migration Policy Institute's Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, who closely tracks border data.
Driving the news: Border Patrol recorded around 8,300 apprehensions of migrants who crossed the border unlawfully between ports of entry in February, according to the data obtained by Axios.
Continue reading at Axios
A tale of two speeches
FULL GALLOP — If you were betting on the least likely sentiments to emerge from Donald Trump’s speech to the Congress, you might choose among these:
— a hat tip to Black history month and the civil rights movement;
— a call for a long-term agreement on immigration reform;
— strong support for NATO, “an alliance forged through the bonds of two world wars that dethroned fascism, and a Cold War, and defeated communism;”
— a summons to “direct, robust and meaningful engagement with the world…based on vital security interests that we share with our allies all across the globe;”
— a shout-out to Justin Trudeau and Canada;
— support for paid family leave;
— repeated calls for unity, proclaiming that “we are one people, with one destiny. We all bleed the same blood. We all salute the same great American flag. And we all are made by the same God.”
Those of you with strong memories or a taste for the improbable may have realized that all of them come from the first speech the new President Trump delivered to Congress eight years ago. A look back at that address is a bracing reminder of how astonishing the shift has been in the political terrain.
Continue reading at Politico (newsletter)
Economic Policy Institute:
How many federal employees live in your state?
The federal workforce consists of roughly 3 million employees distributed throughout the country (and the world). Individuals holding these jobs are hired and discharged based on their merit and are protected from undue political influence or reprisal. President Trump has taken drastic steps to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
The impact of these attacks will be felt throughout the country, in every state, every county, every congressional district.
Click through to check the statistics for your state
Polish PM tells European leaders to ‘keep calm and carry on’ amid US-Ukraine tensions
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday told European leaders to “KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON” amid tensions in the U.S.-Ukraine relationship
“To all the European leaders: KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON,” Tusk said in a post on the social platform X.
Tusk’s comments follow a tense Oval Office meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Trump and Vice President Vance last Friday.
The meeting, which began cordially, went off the rails as Vance and Trump criticized Zelensky and said he should be more thankful for U.S. support in the war.
Continue reading at The Hill
Democratic Rep. Al Green ejected from Trump address
Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat, was ejected from President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday.
Rep. Al Green, a Texas Democrat, was ejected from President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday.
Green stood in the aisle early in Trump’s speech and shouted that Trump had “no mandate.” Speaker Mike Johnson ordered him removed from the chamber.
Continue reading at Politico
Mullin hits ‘governor’ Trudeau while defending tariffs against Canada
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) on Tuesday referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor,” as the senator defended President Trump’s tariffs against the neighbor to the north.
In an interview on CNN’s “The Arena,” Mullin suggested the tariffs were necessary to stem the “flow of illegal activity coming across our northern, our southern border.”
“We’d love to have Governor Trudeau work with us on the northern border and help solve that issue,” Mullin added. “We would love to have Mexico work with us and solve that issue.”
Continue reading at The Hill
Select posts during Trump’s address
Trump pleads with people of Greenland to join the US
President Trump in his address to Congress touted receiving a letter from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier Tuesday amid an effort to smooth ties between Washington and Kyiv following an extraordinary clash between the two leaders in the Oval Office last week.
“The letter reads, Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer,” Trump said in prepared remarks during his joint address to Congress, calling the letter “important.”
“I appreciate that he sent this letter, I just got it a little while ago,” the president added.
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump repeatedly attacks Biden in speech to Congress
President Trump repeatedly attacked his predecessor, former President Biden, during his speech to Congress on Tuesday night, at one point calling him “the worst president in American history.”
Trump, who referenced Biden and his administration more than a dozen times in his speech, suggested Biden had an “open southern border” and said his administration inherited “an economic nightmare” from the Biden administration.
Trump touted that migrant crossings at the U.S. southern border are now down during his presidency, and said he was fighting “to reverse this damage” on the economy.
Continue reading at The Hill
Warren to Trump: Fire Musk
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) urged President Trump to fire Elon Musk, wittingly quoting the leader’s remarks during his Tuesday address to Congress.
“I agree with Donald Trump that an unelected bureaucrat should be fired,” Warren wrote in a post on X.
“Let’s start with Elon Musk.”
During Trump’s speech he condescendingly referenced Warren as “Pocahontas” and suggested the days of “bureaucratic rule” were over at the start of his second administration.
Several Democrats in the audience raised signs that read “FALSE” and pointed to Elon Musk, who’s been in charge of federal spending cuts led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Continue reading at The Hill
Trump's plan to build ships will prove tougher than it sounds
The president announced a new shipbuilding office during his speech to Congress to "bring this industry home."
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday in his speech to Congress that he would create a new shipbuilding office in the White House and “offer special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America where it belongs.”
Lawmakers have been trying for years to rebuild the American shipbuilding industry, which lags far behind other countries.
Mike Waltz, Trump’s national security adviser and a former House Republican from Florida, introduced a bill last year with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) meant to reinvigorate the American shipbuilding industry, which has declined for decades as China rushes ahead with dozens of new warships and commercial vessels each year.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump mentioned Joe Biden at least 16 times tonight
Trump's focus on his predecessor was striking — and unusual.
President Donald Trump couldn’t stop talking about Joe Biden Tuesday night.
The GOP president referenced his Democratic predecessor at least 16 times in one way or another during his 1 hour, 40-minute speech, including name-checking Biden, calling him the “worst president” and blaming him for the price of eggs. (Former Vice President Kamala Harris also got a mention.)
That is striking and unusual: Presidents usually take this opportunity to look forward, not back. Going back more than two decades to former President George W. Bush’s first term, no recent president has — in his first address to Congress — referenced his “predecessor” (or the “previous administration”) more than once, according to a POLITICO review of transcripts. That includes Trump in 2017 and Biden in 2021.
Continue reading at Politico
France warms to idea of seizing Russian assets in Europe
Paris is looking into whether Russia’s €200 billion can be used to guarantee new loans to Ukraine.
PARIS — France is warming up to the possibility of seizing Russian frozen assets to help Ukraine, said an official with direct knowledge of talks within the French government and between Paris and Berlin.
The official, who was granted anonymity to speak freely on a delicate matter, said members of the French government have privately discussed seizing the assets, including with their German counterparts, and potentially using them to guarantee loans for Kyiv.
European authorities froze around €200 billion of Russian assets held in Brussels-based financial institution Euroclear after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. G7 countries agreed last year to use profits coming from those assets to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine, but ruled out using the underlying assets directly as it risks breaching international law.
Continue reading at Politico Europe
US military aid pause leaves Ukraine vulnerable to Russian air attack
Ukrainian intelligence worries that Russia is prepared to unleash waves of drones and missiles.
KYIV — The U.S. halt in sending military aid to Ukraine could leave the country vulnerable to aerial attacks just as Russia is gearing up for a massive increase in drone and missile strikes.
Ukraine has a reported six MIM-104 Patriot missile batteries — used to protect some of the country's highest priority targets. The Patriot, with a range of about 160 kilometers, is one of the few systems Ukraine operates that can hit distant targets and knock down Russian ballistic missiles like the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missile.
The pause in deliveries of U.S. weapons coincides with signs that Russia will double down on longstanding efforts to exhaust Ukraine’s remaining supplies of Patriot air-defense missiles. And with no chance of any immediate replenishment from Washington, that leaves Ukraine’s infrastructure and key cities highly exposed.
Continue reading at Politico
100 minutes of the world according to Trump
President Trump wants to will the country back into the "golden age" he promised on the campaign trail, the headlines be damned.
"America's momentum is back. Our spirit is back. Our pride is back. Our confidence is back," Trump said in his first address to Congress of his second term.
Why it matters: This was a record-breaking 100 minutes of the world according to Trump — an address largely indistinguishable from a campaign-style speech. He recited the historic number of executive orders, touching every aspect of American life from immigration to sports.
🚢 To thunderous applause from his party, Trump announced a new office of shipbuilding in the White House, to help "resurrect the American shipbuilding industry, including commercial shipbuilding and military shipbuilding," with "special tax incentives to bring this industry home to America, where it belongs."
💰Trump pledged to fulfill his "no tax on tips" campaign trail promise to service-sector workers, and called for car loan interest payments to be tax deductible — if the car was made in America.
🕊️ Trump declared peace in Ukraine was closer than ever now that its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote him a letter that said he was ready to negotiate.
Reality check: Trump will have a nearly impossible time balancing the budget, as he promised, and cutting taxes. And the economy shows troubling signs: Trump was unmoored from plummeting stock prices, sagging consumer confidence and the specter of rising prices due to tariffs.
"There'll be a little disturbance," Trump seemingly ad-libbed about 50 minutes into the speech. It was his clearest acknowledgement that times might be tough.
📜 Flashback: The contrast with Trump's first address to Congress, in 2017, was notable.
Continue reading at Axios
An emboldened Trump doubles down on partisanship in speech to Congress
It was a stark contrast to the president’s first joint address to Congress in 2017, in which he signaled unity.An emboldened Trump doubles down on partisanship in speech to Congress
It was a stark contrast to the president’s first joint address to Congress in 2017, in which he signaled unity.
President Donald Trump entered the House chamber Tuesday night donning his purple tie in an apparent attempt at political unity.
The bipartisanship ended there.
Continue reading at Politico
Trump asks for funding for mass deportations and repeats debunked claims
President Trump renewed his ask for more funding to carry out his immigration agenda, including border security and "the largest deportation operation in American history" during his address to Congress Tuesday night.
Why it matters: Trump's mass deportation plans are near-impossible to achieve without more money, which Democrats are likely to oppose. Trump Cabinet members, particularly border czar Tom Homan, have made a similar ask for weeks.
Zoom out: During the speech, Trump said he hoped to surpass the deportation record of "current record holder Dwight D. Eisenhower, a moderate man but someone who believed very strongly in borders" — a reference to Operation Wetback.
That mass deportation, in the 1950s, used military-style tactics to round up 1.3 million Mexicans and Mexican Americans across the country for the-then largest deportation operation in U.S. history. "Wetback" is a racial slur for Mexicans.
The president also celebrated new data on border crossings in February that showed they'd declined to their lowest level in decades.
Zoom in: Trump made his case for more funding by repeating messages from the campaign trail, including falsehoods about migrants and immigration policy.
Continue reading at Axios
Trump softens on Zelenskyy in speech to Congress
After berating the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office last week and cutting all military aid to Kyiv, Trump on Tuesday said he appreciated Zelenskyy’s climbdown.
U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a rapprochement with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a speech to Congress overnight, saying he had received "an important letter" from the Ukrainian leader, which "I appreciate."
Trump recited the purported content of the letter, which he said included gratitude for U.S. support to Kyiv in the three years since Russia's full-scale invasion, a promise by Zelenskyy and his team to "work under President Trump's strong leadership to get a peace that lasts," and an undertaking to sign a minerals deal with Washington.
"I appreciate that he sent this letter — just got it a little while ago," Trump said in his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday.
"Simultaneously, we've had serious discussions with Russia and received strong signals that they are ready for peace," Trump added. "Wouldn't that be beautiful?"
Continue reading at Politico Europe
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