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North America

Today

Donald Trump signs an executive order pulling back on tariffs.

Trump’s tariff pullback shows honeymoon may be over

The US president’s backtrack on imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico shows that political gravity may apply to him after all.

SpaceX’s new rocket explodes near Florida.

Musk’s SpaceX Starship explodes (again)

Wreckage from the latest explosion was seen streaming from the skies over Florida.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum had been preparing a major rally on Sunday to announce retaliatory tariffs.

Mexico’s cool-headed president charms Trump on tariffs

Claudia Sheinbaum is enjoying soaring approval ratings while deftly dealing with the bellicose, volatile Donald Trump.

Donald Trump at the White House.

Trump pauses Mexico-Canada tariffs but no aluminium exemptions

Both countries secured an exemption until April 2, when the US expects to slap fresh levies, including “reciprocal” duties, on nations around the world.

Goods imports increased a record 12.3 per cent to an all-time high of $US329.5 billion.

US trade deficit hits record high in January as imports surge

Imports soared 10 per cent to $633.6 billion, the most in almost five years, as tariff clouds spurred a buying wave.

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Yesterday

A short reprieve is granted to car makers.

Trump grants car makers one-month tariff exemption

The president declined, however, to give Canada and Mexico a broader reprieve on levies, while Justin Trudeau said he would not lift retaliatory duties.

Lutnick dismissed recent economic data that some analysts said reflected a negative impact on business and consumer confidence from Trump’s trade and other measures.

Trump set to decide on Canada, Mexico relief, Lutnick says

The car sector, and potentially others, could be given a reprieve as early as Thursday AEDT, the commerce secretary said.

This Month

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress.

Trump vows tariffs on ‘nearly every country on Earth’

In a lengthy speech to Congress, the president also conceded his trade war could cause a “little disturbance” to the US economy.

Soyabean farming in Brazil. US farmers are worried about China’s diversification of suppliers.

Tariffs will bring ‘nothing but pain’ to rural America, farmers say

Farmers expressed particular concern about the impact of retaliatory tariffs, saying they will restrict their access to some of the US’s most important export markets.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, left, and Kash Patel, FBI director nominee, look on after the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump 2.0 marks the end of shame. Here’s how that’s playing out

You could call it the ‘Great Emboldening’: an era where ideas and actions that might have been unthinkable in the past are now on the table.

The Canadian economy is set to face the most severe shock since the COVID-19 pandemic and will probably sink into a recession if a tariff war persists.

How do tariffs work? Who pays, who collects and more

Donald Trump has rattled economies and markets with punitive levies on goods from the US’ largest trade partners. But why is he doing it?

Trudeau did not hold back in his criticism.

‘Dumb thing to do’: Trudeau quotes WSJ in slamming tariffs

The prime minister said the US president wanted to trigger “a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that’ll make it easier to annex us”.

Donald Trump says he wants to be remembered as a “peacemaker”.

What to watch for in Trump’s speech to Congress

The US president is expected to promote a laundry list of accomplishments – immigration, tariffs and cuts to spending – and outline his plans for the months ahead.

Canadian and US flags fly on Peace Bridge at the Canada-US border in Fort Erie, Ontario.

Trump tariffs to drive Canada into recession, cause price spike

Economists have estimated that the US tariffs on Canada will shave 2 to 4 percentage points off the country’s gross domestic product growth.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump.

Trump halts US aid to Ukraine after Oval Office meltdown

Washington made the announcement days after the president attacked Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office for not being grateful enough for US assistance.

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‘Unjustified decision’: Canada hits back at Trump with 25pc tariffs

The US president is pushing ahead with tariffs on his biggest trading partners, including doubling levies to 20 per cent on China, sparking a market selloff.

Citi head of energy and utilities research James Byrne has left the bank.

Citi copy-paste error sends $9.6b to customer

The bank said it “promptly identified and corrected this inputting error” but it came the same month as $US81 billion was accidently sent to a different client.

Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington DC.

MAGA godfather Steven Bannon extols a ‘reframing’ US-Russia alliance

Bannon says splitting Russia and China “will change the course of the 21st century”.

Donald Trump, with TSMC boss C.C. Wei and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, at the White House.

Chipmaker TSMC to invest $161b in US to appease Trump

The Taiwanese company’s announcement comes as the president threatens to slap tariffs on the sector to try and boost American manufacturing.

Sean Baker takes the prize for best director for his work on Anora.

Strip club Cinderella story ‘Anora’ wins top Oscar

Sean Baker’s tale of an erotic dancer who elopes with the son of a Russian oligarch was made for just $US6 million.

Start-up lands on the moon – its first mission is to take a selfie

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander is the first private company to put a spacecraft on the moon without crashing or falling over.

Historic downtown Santa Fe. Locals have been shaken by the mysterious death of actor Gene Hackman and his wife.

Hackman’s mysterious death bewilders his hometown

Among those who knew Gene Hackman – and those who had never once seen him around the artistic hub of Santa Fe – theories about how he died are piling up.

Musk isn’t the only one who wants to know what you did last week

Bosses across the world want the same thing, as do many employees, especially those whose work is often invisible. It can be difficult to answer.

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their Santa Fe home.

Police probe Gene Hackman’s phone records to determine death

Santa Fe police said they are trying to piece together a timeline of the Oscar-winning actor’s movements leading up to his unexplained death.

Zelensky and Trump got into a heated argument at the White House.

‘Gambling with WWIII’: How Trump and Zelensky’s fight unfolded

As the US president and his deputy ranted and bellowed in the Oval Office, it became clear they had staged a diplomatic ambush against Ukraine’s leader.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/world/north-america