Good morning.
Donald Trump said the US would impose a 25% tariff on foreign-made cars, drawing condemnation from America’s traditional allies and trading partners.
The announcement, on Wednesday, came just days before the US president is expected to announce yet more wide-ranging taxes on other imported goods, as he continued to ramp up a trade war that has caused jitters in global markets.
“What we’re going to be doing is a 25% tariff for all cars that are not made in the United States,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We start off with a 2.5% base, which is what we’re at, and go to 25%.” The announcement was immediately criticized by Canada and the European Commission, while Japan said it would be considering “all options”.
Trump then threatened further tariffs if the EU cooperated with Canada “in order to do economic harm to the USA”.
When will they come into force? Trump claimed they will be effective from 2 April and that the US will start collecting them the next day.
Republican senators call for investigation of Pentagon’s leaked attack plans
Top Republican senators are calling for an investigation into the scandal of top US officials sharing sensitive plans for bombing Yemen on a group chat, arguing it would become a “significant political problem” if not addressed properly.
It is the latest in the continuing fallout after the Atlantic’s revelation on Monday that its editor in chief had been accidentally added to a group chat on which security heads were discussing striking targets in Yemen.
On Wednesday, the publication revealed further details of the sensitive information discussed in the group, while the German media outlet Der Spiegel reported that private data of top US security advisers was available online.
“This is what happens when you don’t really have your act together,” the Alaska Republican senator Lisa Murkowski told the Hill. The Mississippi senator Roger Wicker, who chairs the armed services committee, also told the Hill he would be asking the defense department’s inspector general for an investigation.
What does criticism from within the Republicans suggest? That senior members of the party are breaking ranks over the national security scandal. On Tuesday, the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said he took “full responsibility” for the leak – but also deflected heavily and insulted the journalist involved.
US immigration officials detain doctoral student at University of Alabama
US immigration enforcement have detained a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, campus officials confirmed on Wednesday, in the latest report of the Trump administration targeting students for deportation.
A university spokesperson said in a brief statement that a student was arrested “off campus” and the justification for the student’s detainment was not immediately clear. It was not known if they had a lawyer.
It comes amid a wave of reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) targeting students in the US on visas and permanent residents with green cards, raising alarm.
Who is the student? The individual is Iranian and was in the US on a student visa and studying mechanical engineering, according to a report in the Crimson White, a student newspaper.
In other news …
The European Commission has advised people to stockpile enough food, water and essentials for 72 hours as part of its strategy to prepare civilians for natural disasters, pandemics and military attacks.
Scientists fear that health officials appointed by Donald Trump will cut crucial research into mRNA technology, experts and researchers told the Guardian.
Coca-Cola’s waste in oceans and waterways is expected to amount to 602m kg each year by 2030, a stark new analysis shows – enough plastic to fill the stomachs of 18m whales.
A Yale professor who studies fascism has said he is moving to Canada because he worries that the US is at risk of becoming a “fascist dictatorship”, prompted in part by Columbia University’s recent capitulation to the Trump administration’s demands.
Stat of the day: Aid cuts predicted to cause 2.9m more HIV-related deaths by 2030
Funding cuts to overseas budgets by countries including the US and the UK are expected to cause up to 2.9 million HIV-related deaths among children and adults by 2030, new research has found. Researchers predicted that the cuts would result in between 4.4m and 10.8m extra new infections in the next five years, with “devastating consequences”.
Don’t miss this: What can the future possibly hold for Gaza’s children?
Gaza has more child amputees per capita than anywhere else in the world: Unicef estimates that between 3,000 and 4,000 children in the tiny territory have had one or more limbs amputated. Ahmed Moor met a Palestinian family – a mother and her three children under 10 – who have been evacuated to the US for urgent medical care, as he tries to piece together what will happen to the children of Gaza: “Their needs, their capacities and limitations, will define the contours of Palestinian society and memory for ever.”
Climate check: South Korea wildfires become country’s biggest on record
South Korea’s wildfires have doubled in size over the course of a day, making them the worst in the country’s history. Tinder-dry conditions and powerful winds have supercharged the damage, with the country’s disaster chief saying the fires had showed the “harsh reality” of the climate crisis. At least 26 people have died and hundreds of buildings have been destroyed.
Last Thing: Miaow-lbourne! Fare-evading cat in custody
A fare-dodging cat has been caught red-pawed after it slunk through the barriers and jumped on to a train into central Melbourne on Tuesday morning. Victoria’s premier, Jacinta Allan, posted on social media: “They didn’t have a Myki [transport card] to touch on or off but some kind passengers took care of them all the way to Flinders Street.”
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