Trump changes course and delays some tariffs on Mexico and Canada
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has postponed 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some imports from Canada for a month amid widespread fears of the economic fallout from a broader trade war. The White House insists its tariffs are about stopping the smuggling of fentanyl, but Trump's proposed taxes have caused a gaping wound in the decades-old North American trade partnership. Trump’s tariff plans have also caused the stock market to sink and alarmed U.S. consumers. Imports from Mexico that comply with the 2020 USMCA trade pact would be excluded from the 25% tariffs for a month, according to the orders signed by Trump.
China’s foreign minister criticizes US tariffs and accuses the country of ‘meeting good with evil’
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says China will continue to retaliate to the United States’ “arbitrary tariffs” and accused Washington of “meeting good with evil” in a press conference Friday on the sidelines of the annual parliamentary session. Wang said China’s efforts to help the U.S. contain its fentanyl crisis have been met with punitive tariffs, which are straining their ties. He said, “No country should fantasize that it can suppress China and maintain a good relationship with China at the same time.” The two countries have been reengaging in tit-for-tat retaliatory tariffs since President Donald Trump’s return to office in January. The U.S. imposed flat tariffs of 20% of all Chinese imports, while Beijing has countered with additional 15% duties on key U.S. imports.
Judge orders Trump administration to speed payment of USAID and State Dept. debts
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has given the Trump administration until Monday to speed up payment toward some of nearly $2 billion owed to partners of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department. Thursday's decision thaws the administration’s six-week funding freeze on all foreign assistance. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled in favor of nonprofit groups and businesses that sued over the funding freeze, which has forced organizations around the world to slash services and lay off thousands of workers. Ali issued his order a day after a divided Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s bid to freeze funding that flowed through USAID.
Trump envoy says Ukrainians 'brought it on themselves' after US pauses aid and intelligence sharing
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine was given “fair warning” by the White House before President Donald Trump this week ordered a pause on U.S. military assistance and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. That's according to retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia. The administration announced the pauses earlier this week following Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s disastrous Oval Office meeting last week. Kellogg in an appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations on Thursday said the pause is already having an impact on Kyiv, adding the Ukrainians “brought it on themselves."
Trump casts doubt on NATO solidarity, despite it aiding the US after Sept. 11
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expressing uncertainty that NATO would come to the United States' defense if the country were attacked. That's despite the alliance doing just that after Sept. 11 in what was the only time that the Article 5 defense guarantee has ever been invoked. He also suggested Thursday that the United States might abandon its NATO commitments if member countries don’t meet defense spending targets. Trump mentioned France during his remarks, saying if he called them and said, “We got a problem,” he's “not so sure” they would protect the United States. French President Emmanuel Macron responded by saying that he and his country are “loyal and faithful allies” to the U.S.
SpaceX's latest Starship test flight ends with another explosion
SpaceX has blown up another Starship mega rocket on a test flight. Nearly two months since the last explosion, SpaceX launched another 403-foot Starship from Texas on Thursday, but lost contact with the spacecraft within minutes. Wreckage was seen streaming from the sky over Florida. Like last time, SpaceX caught the first-stage booster back at the pad with giant mechanical arms. The spacecraft on top continued eastward, but its engines started shutting down eight minutes into the flight and contact was lost. SpaceX later confirmed that the spacecraft broke apart.
A weak Pope Francis thanks people for their prayers 'from the bottom of my heart' in audio message
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis recorded a pained and labored audio message to thank people for their prayers for his recovery. The message broadcast Thursday was the first public sign of life from the 88-year-old pope since he was hospitalized three weeks ago with pneumonia. Francis’ weak voice, discernible through his labored breaths and in his native Spanish, was broadcast to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square who had gathered for the nightly recitation of the rosary prayer. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your prayers for my health from the square, I accompany you from here,” he said, his soft voice piercing the hushed square. “May God bless you and the Virgin protect you. Thank you.”
War heroes and military firsts are among 26,000 images flagged for removal in Pentagon's DEI purge
WASHINGTON (AP) — References to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan and women and minorites are among the tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content. That's according to a database obtained by The Associated Press and confirmed by U.S. officials. It includes more than 26,000 images that have been flagged for removal across every military branch. But the eventual total could be much higher when considering social media pages and other websites that are also being culled for DEI content.
Hamas brushes off Trump's threat and says it will only free hostages in return for a lasting truce
CAIRO (AP) — Hamas has brushed off President Donald Trump’s latest threat and reiterated that it will only free the remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The militant group accused Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to back out of the ceasefire agreement they reached in January. The agreement calls for negotiations over a second phase in which the hostages would be released in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Negotiations on that phase were supposed to begin in early February. Only limited preparatory talks have been held so far.
Life-saving avalanche forecasts could be hindered by Trump budget cuts
LEADVILLE, Colo. (AP) — Officials in the Western U.S. who protect the public from avalanches are sounding the alarm about the Trump administration firing hundreds of meteorologists and other scientists. The experts are worried the dismissals could hurt forecasts for snow slides that kill about two dozen people annually in the U.S. The forecasting work is crucial for skiers and climbers who travel through mountain gullies that are prone to slides. A search for three victims of a large avalanche in Alaska was ongoing Thursday. Forecasters had warned it would be “easy” to trigger an avalanche on the day it occurred because of a weak layer in the deep snow.
