Lawmakers reveal top issues they want Trump to hammer home during joint address to Congress
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill who spoke to Fox News Digital revealed the issues they would like President Donald Trump to discuss during his address to Congress on Tuesday night. Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech at 9 p.m. Tuesday to a joint session of Congress, meaning both members of the House and the Senate will convene at the U.S. Capitol to hear the president speak. Democrat lawmakers said the president should focus on costs during the speech, and they hope he “keeps it short.” “The economy, how we’re going to lower the cost of groceries,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital when asked what Trump should focus on. TRUMP TO DELIVER FIRST ADDRESS OF HIS SECOND TERM TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS TUNE IN: LIVE COVERAGE OF TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TONIGHT ON FOX NEWS “Actually doing something that is going to help lower the cost of living for the American people, something he promised to do, but since he’s become president, the cost of living has gone up for people,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. “I hope he keeps it short, because he tends to keep it long-winded.” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital that she had already heard the speech and that it is going to be “historic.” “I’ve heard the speech. It’s going to be incredible. It’s going to be epic. It’s going to be historic,” Mace told Fox. “You will laugh. You will cry. And you’ll question what the hell has been going on the last four years under the Joe Biden administration. The Democrats have lost their effing minds.” Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., who voted to impeach Trump during his first term, said the president should focus on farmers, while Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., said the president should highlight “his vision for the country.” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., thinks the president should focus on the “promises made” and “promises kept” during his first month in the White House. PAYTON MCNABB, HS VOLLEYBALL PLAYER SEVERELY INJURED BY TRANS OPPONENT, TO BE AT TRUMP’S SPEECH TO CONGRESS Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said Democrats are “not working with us at all” but that Trump has “got a great track record to celebrate” during his speech. Roy said he hopes to hear Trump talk about “what he’s accomplished the past month,” specifically the issue at the border. Some Democrats, such as Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said they will not attend the president’s speech, the first joint address of his second term.
Is Israel using starvation as a weapon of war?
Israel’s government is refusing to allow food, medicine and fuel into the Gaza Strip. On Sunday, Israel once again cut off much-needed food, medicine and fuel supplies into Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has been clear: the move is meant to pressure Hamas into accepting a new set of ceasefire terms, contrary to the agreement reached by the two sides last month. But despite Israel’s apparent attempt to use starvation as leverage, the global response has largely been muted. While Arab countries have condemned the blockade, the US and Europe do not appear willing to hold Israel to the terms of the original agreement. So, can Israel be held to account? And if so, how? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests Akiva Eldar – Political analyst and contributor to Haaretz Tahani Mustafa – Senior analyst on Palestine at the International Crisis Group Adil Haque – Professor of law and a Judge Jon O Newman Scholar at the Rutgers Law School Adblock test (Why?)
Trump threatens further tariff hikes after Canada retaliates
US president posts warning on social media after Canada PM Trudeau slammed ‘dumb’ trade war. US President Donald Trump has warned Canada that he will escalate his trade war after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced retaliatory tariffs on US goods. Trump’s 25-percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada took effect on Tuesday, prompting Trudeau to announce retaliatory tariffs on more than $100bn of American goods that will take effect over 21 days. The US president responded on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, saying: “Please explain to Governor Trudeau, of Canada, that when he puts on a Retaliatory Tariff on the US, our Reciprocal Tariff will immediately increase by a like amount!” Trump has repeatedly referred to the Canadian prime minister as the “governor” of Canada in recent weeks as he called for the country to become the US’s 51st state. Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday that Trump’s “dumb” trade war was motivated by a desire “to see a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that’ll make it easier to annex us”. “Now, first of all, that’s never going to happen,” said the Canadian leader. “But yeah, he can do damage to the Canadian economy … but he is rapidly going to find out, as American families are going to find out, that that’s going to hurt people on both sides of the border.” Advertisement Vina Nadjibulla, vice president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, told Al Jazeera that the trade war would “hurt consumers and businesses and the economy in Canada and the US” within “a few weeks”. Canada said it will challenge the US measures at the World Trade Organization and through the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. “Canadians are reasonable and we are polite, but we will not back down from a fight,” said Trudeau, who will step down as prime minister after the governing Liberal Party chooses a new leader on Sunday. Ontario premier Doug Ford said he would issue a 25-percent export tax on electricity sold to the US and may later cut it off completely if the US tariffs persist. In 2023, Ontario powered 1.5 million homes in Michigan, New York and Minnesota. ‘No justification’ Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum joined Canada and China – which was also hit Tuesday with a doubling of duties on goods to 20-percent – in promising to respond to the tariff hikes imposed by the Trump administration. “There is no motive or reason, nor justification that supports this decision that will affect our people and our nations,” she said during a daily news conference in Mexico City, signalling that she would announce US products to be targeted by Mexico on Sunday. Sheinbaum took issue with a White House “fact sheet” published on Monday, which repeated the claim that Mexican drug trafficking continues because of “an intolerable relationship” with the government, slamming the allegations as “offensive, defamatory and without support”. Advertisement Recently Mexico’s government seized more than a tonne of the opioid fentanyl, dismantling 329 methamphetamine labs, and extraditing 29 drug cartel figures to the US last week. Trump has also said he was taking action to combat fentanyl trafficking via the US’s northern border, accusing Ottawa of failing to do enough to stem the flow of the drug and its precursor chemicals into the US. Trudeau said the claim was “completely bogus, completely unjustified, completely false”. Meanwhile Beijing announced it would respond with tariffs of up to 15 percent on a range of US farm exports and expanded the number of US companies subject to export controls and other restrictions. Adblock test (Why?)
UEFA Champions League: Benfica vs Barcelona – team news, kickoff, stream
Who: Benfica vs BarcelonaWhat: UEFA Champions League round of 16 first legWhere: Estadio de Luz, Lisbon, PortugalWhen: Wednesday, March 5 at 8pm (20:00 GMT) Follow Al Jazeera Sport’s live text and photo commentary stream. Five-time winners Barcelona visit Lisbon to face Benfica on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie. Barca have not won the competition since 2015 but finished second in the group stage and are among the favourites to lift the trophy. Benfica have reached the final on seven occasions but have only lifted the trophy twice – in 1961 and 1962. What is Barca’s response to favourable Champions League draw? Barcelona coach Hansi Flick dismissed claims that his team have an “easy” path to the Champions League final, ahead of their last 16 clash against Benfica. Should the Spanish giants progress from the tie, they will face either Borussia Dortmund or Lille in the quarterfinals. Real Madrid, the record 15-time winners, as well as Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are in the other half of the draw. Barcelona, who top the Spanish league by a point, could only meet those sides in a potential final. Advertisement “In this phase, there’s no easy game – every team deserves to be here at this stage, and I think Benfica too,” Flick told reporters on Tuesday. “Benfica is a fantastic team [and] we play in a great stadium and it’s really a special atmosphere there. “Their [fans] push the team on a lot, supporting them, and it will be really tough tomorrow – hard work for us.” The road to Munich 🏆#UCL pic.twitter.com/XxOXoJwUAD — UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 4, 2025 Flick would not be drawn on who the tournament favourites are and which side would pose the most threat to Barca’s hopes. “Always the next match. Benfica is for us the next difficult opponent,” the German coach said. “It’s not good to [talk about] these things. We focus on the next match and the next match, and that’s a good way to do this. “It always starts at 0-0, and you have to give everything… the other teams are doing really well and they always want to win against us.” Barcelona’s Raphinha, centre, celebrates scoring his side’s fifth goal during a Champions League opening phase match with Benfica [Armando Franca/AP] What happened the last time Barca met Benfica? Barcelona beat Benfica 5-4 in Lisbon in a thrilling group-stage comeback. Defender Pau Cubarsi said his team had to focus more to stop the Portuguese side, for whom Vangelis Pavlidis scored a 30-minute hat-trick. “It was complicated… we gave up a lot of chances. We have to try not to concede goals,” said Cubarsi, who made his Barcelona debut in January 2024 and has rapidly become a key figure. Advertisement “We have to know how to manage games… this is a two-legged tie and we have to give everything from the start,” continued the 18-year-old. “Each year, Barca should be competing for everything. For me, we are the best club in the world. This year, people say we have the best pathway in the tournament, but I don’t see it like that.” Bruno Lage’s Benfica are three points behind Portuguese league leaders – and cross-city rivals – Sporting Lisbon [Pedro Nunes/Reuters] What is Benfica take on the Barca test? Benfica manager Bruno Lage, whose side are second in the Portuguese league, told fans to brace for more excitement on Wednesday following the nine-goal thriller in the league phase. Lage said Benfica, who lost the last meeting to a stoppage time Raphinha strike, will stay true to their identity of attacking football when they host Barca, and that he expects the Spanish giants to do the same. “I can’t predict how many goals will be scored in the game, but I can predict a great game of football because they’re two teams with an eye for attack,” Lage told a news conference on Tuesday. “I think it’s going to be a tough match and we will go out for the win. Sure, tomorrow’s result will be important, but the result of the second leg will be more decisive. “We’re going up against a great team who score a lot of goals but we’re also looking at the positive things we’ve done against this opponent: the number of chances we’ve had, the number of times we’ve been in front of the goalkeeper… we believe we can get through this tie.” Advertisement Benfica supporters want a different outcome to that late-January rip-roaring encounter at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz in which Barcelona fought back from two goals down to win. “We will try to find the spaces our rivals offer us because they often do,” Lage added. We have to know how to take advantage of the spaces that Barcelona will give us – that should be the key.” 👥 𝗦𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗗 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧! #BenficaBarça pic.twitter.com/RaK1e0Xe8y — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 4, 2025 Barcelona team news Barcelona midfielder Gavi is a doubt for Wednesday’s Champions League clash. Gavi, who featured in Barcelona’s thrilling 5-4 win at Benfica, was on the bench in their last two league games and missed a training session due to illness. “We will see. Yesterday, he did not train as he did not feel so good. He will visit the doctor again, we have to wait,” Flick said. The 20-year-old has played 24 games this season, registering two goals and three assists since returning from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Benfica team news Lage confirmed that attacking midfielder Angel Di Maria and midfielder Florentino will miss Wednesday’s game as they recover but sounded optimistic that winger Renato Sanches should be ready. “The most important thing is for the team to function as a team, as a whole, regardless of who plays,” Lage said. Head-to-head The two European giants have surprisingly only met on 10 occasions. Barca have won four of those, including the victory this season, while Benfica have only won twice. Advertisement
DeSantis takes victory lap on Florida’s ‘momentous immigration legislation’ enforcing Trump agenda
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis says that when it comes to implementing President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, Florida is “rocking and rolling.” Florida’s two-term conservative governor used a portion of his State of the State address on Tuesday to spotlight a sweeping package of immigration laws passed a few weeks ago during a special session of the GOP-dominated legislature. “We are convening for the regular legislative session having already enacted groundbreaking legislation to fulfill the historic mission of delivering on President Donald Trump’s mandate to end the illegal immigration crisis once and for all,” DeSantis said in his address to lawmakers inside the state capitol in Tallahassee. FLORIDA SHOWDOWN: GOP STATE LAWMAKERS DEFY DESANTIS OVER IMMIGRATION PUSH And the governor touted that “no state has done more, and no state did it sooner than we did in Florida.” Florida’s new measures stiffen immigration enforcement by state and local law enforcement. ‘THANK YOU RON’ – TRUMP PRAISES DESANTIS IMMIGRATION PUSH IN FLORIDA “Thanks to the recent legislation, it is now a crime to enter Florida illegally, the days of catch and release are over, and all state and local law enforcement have a duty to assist in interior immigration enforcement efforts,” the governor emphasized. The new law also mandates the death penalty for immigrants in the U.S. without legal authorization who commit capital offenses such as first-degree murder or child rape. The legislation goes even further than a slew of executive orders signed by Trump since his return to the White House in late January. Speaking with reporters following his speech, DeSantis described the new laws as “momentous immigration legislation” and touted that “we’ve gone so much faster than any other state.” The governor signed the immigration bills into law last month after a compromise with the Republican leaders of the legislature was brokered, which brought to an end a weekslong standoff over dueling bills. DeSantis called the original special legislative session, but lawmakers quickly gaveled out and then held a separate special session, where they passed their own immigration bills, which the governor criticized. DeSantis, reflecting Tuesday on the standoff with lawmakers, said “we got there. It wasn’t necessarily a straight shot, but we got there.” The governor, who waged a bitter and unsuccessful primary challenge against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was praised by the then-president-elect in January for calling the special session. “Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!” Trump wrote in a social media post after DeSantis announced the special session.
Vance denies criticising UK, France over Ukraine peacekeeping proposal
VP says he did not mock allies who fought in US-led wars after UK, France commit to sending peacekeepers to Ukraine. United States Vice President JD Vance has denied that his criticism of a potential European peacekeeping force in Ukraine was aimed at the United Kingdom and France, both of which have supported US-led wars in the past. Vance, in an interview with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity aired Monday evening, said the economic pact with Kyiv sought by President Donald Trump “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”. Vance took to X on Tuesday to clarify his remarks, claiming that it was “absurdly dishonest” to suggest he had been referring to the UK and France. The UK and France are the only countries that have publicly committed to a European peacekeeping force in Ukraine as part of broader continental efforts to secure a deal between Moscow and Kyiv. “I don’t even mention the UK or France in the clip, both of whom have fought bravely alongside the US over the last 20 years, and beyond,” Vance posted on X, after his remarks drew an angry response from politicians and veterans in both countries, who said he was dishonouring hundreds of troops killed while fighting alongside US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Advertisement However, he went on to question the viability of what British Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier called “a coalition of the willing” to police any ceasefire in Ukraine. “But let’s be direct: there are many countries who are volunteering (privately or publicly) support who have neither the battlefield experience nor the military equipment to do anything meaningful,” said Vance in the social media thread. Vance’s criticism follows a dramatic row in the Oval Office last week during a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sign a minerals deal with Washington. Zelenskyy left the White House without signing the deal. Trump, who has been accused of sidelining both Kyiv and European allies as he moves to negotiate directly with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, has since cut off military aid to Kyiv. Vance’s latest broadside drew criticism in the UK and France. French President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party said on X, “The French and British soldiers who died fighting terrorism, who fought and sometimes died alongside American soldiers, deserve better than the disdain of the American vice president.” In the UK, Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, said, “The disrespect shown by the new US vice president to the sacrifices of our service personnel is unacceptable.” Obese-Jecty cited Mr Vance’s description of serving as a Marine Corps journalist in Iraq in his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy. The vice president had said he “was lucky to escape any real fighting”. Advertisement Johnny Mercer, a British veteran and a former junior defence minister, called Vance a “clown”. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Dumb thing to do’ Canada, Mexico, China condemn Trump tariffs
Toggle Play ‘Dumb thing to do’ Canada, Mexico, China condemn Trump tariffs NewsFeed Canada, Mexico and China have condemned US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and retaliated with their own, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labels Trump’s move as “very dumb”. Trump says the tariffs will protect US jobs and prevent trafficking of drugs like fentanyl. Published On 4 Mar 20254 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
What is Egypt’s plan for the reconstruction of Gaza?
Arab states have adopted Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan, providing a potential path forward after Israel’s devastating war on the Palestinian enclave. Egypt unveiled its plan on Tuesday while hosting an Arab League Summit in its capital Cairo. The plan offers an alternative to United States President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the Gaza Strip be depopulated in order to “develop” the enclave, under US control, in what critics have called ethnic cleansing. Under the Egyptian plan, Gaza’s Palestinian population would not be forced to leave the territory. Trump had insisted that Egypt and Jordan take Palestinians forced out of Gaza by his plan, but that was quickly rejected, and the US has signalled that it is open to hearing what an Arab plan for Gaza’s post-war reconstruction would be. Speaking at the start of the summit, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that Trump would be able to achieve peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here’s everything you need to know about the plan, based on Al Jazeera’s own reporting, as well as drafts of the plan reported on by the Reuters news agency and the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram. Advertisement What does the Egyptian plan call for? The plan consists of three major stages: Interim measures, reconstruction and governance. The first stage would last about six months while the next two phases would take place over a combined four to five years. The aim is to reconstruct Gaza – which Israel has almost completely destroyed – maintain peace and security and reassert the governance of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Gaza, 17 years after it was kicked out following fighting between Fatah, which dominates the PA, and Hamas. How does the plan aim to rebuild Gaza? A six-month interim period would require a committee of Palestinian technocrats – operating under the management of the PA – to clear the rubble from Salah al-Din Street, which is the main north-south highway in the Gaza Strip. Once the roads are clear, 200,000 temporary housing units would be built to accommodate 1.2 million people and about 60,000 damaged buildings restored. According to the blueprint, longer-term reconstruction requires an additional four to five years after the interim measures are completed. Over that span, the plan aims to build at least 400,000 permanent homes, as well as rebuilding Gaza’s seaport and international airport. Gradually, basic provisions such as water, a waste system, telecommunication services and electricity would also be restored. The plan further calls for the establishment of a Steering and Management Council, which would be a financial fund supporting the interim governing body in Gaza. Advertisement In addition, conferences will be held for international donors to provide the necessary funding for reconstruction and long-term development in the Strip. Who would be in charge of Gaza? The plan calls for a group of “independent Palestinian technocrats” to manage affairs in Gaza, in effect replacing Hamas. The technocratic government would be responsible for overseeing humanitarian aid and to pave the way for the PA to administer Gaza, according to el-Sisi. The plan does not mention elections, but, speaking at Tuesday’s summit, PA President Mahmoud Abbas said that an election could take place next year if circumstances allowed. On the security front, Egypt and Jordan have both pledged to train Palestinian police officers and deploy them to Gaza. The two countries have also called on the United Nations Security Council to consider authorising a peacekeeping mission to oversee governance in Gaza until reconstruction is complete. How much is this going to cost? Egypt is calling for $53bn to fund the reconstruction of Gaza, with the money distributed over three phases. In the first six-month phase it would cost $3bn to clear rubble from Salah al-Din Street, construct temporary housing, and restore partially damaged homes. The second phase would take two years and cost $20bn. The work of rubble removal would continue in this phase, as well as the establishment of utility networks and the building of more housing units. Phase three would cost $30bn and take two and a half years. It would include completing housing for Gaza’s whole population, establishing the first phase of an industrial zone, building fishing and commercial ports, and building an airport, among other services. Advertisement According to the plan, the money will be sourced from a variety of international sources including the United Nations and international financial organisations as well as foreign and private sector investments. Is the plan going to work? There are still a number of variables that could complicate the plan. Perhaps most importantly, it’s unclear whether Hamas, Israel or the United States will agree to it. Hamas welcomed the reconstruction plan, and has previously agreed to a technocratic government. But it is less clear if it will accept the return of the PA, which itself would face the perception from its critics that it has returned to Gaza on the back of Israel’s tanks. And Hamas may be willing to discuss its removal from governance, but is adamantly against its disarmament – something that the Egyptian plan adopted by the Arab League did not discuss. Israel has made it clear that is a red line, and that Hamas will not be allowed to keep its weapons. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also said that he will not allow the PA to return to Gaza. In its response to the adoption of the Egyptian plan, Israel said that Arab states needed to “break free from past constraints and collaborate to create a future of stability and security in the region”. The statement from the Israeli foreign ministry instead backed Trump’s Gaza displacement plan – which echoes a long-standing call from the Israeli far-right to depopulate Gaza. There is also the question of whether US President Trump will abandon his idea of a US-controlled “Middle East Riviera” for the Egyptian plan. It is difficult to predict what Trump’s position will be, particularly if Israel signals its opposition to the Egyptian plan. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Supreme Court appears skeptical of Mexico’s lawsuit against American gunmakers
The U.S. Supreme Court looked skeptically Tuesday at Mexico’s efforts to hold American gunmakers legally responsible for their weapons being smuggled in and contributing to that country’s drug cartel violence. In a brisk 90-minute oral argument, the justices debated whether the production and sale of firearms in the United States is the “proximate cause” of alleged injuries to the Mexican government and its people, by somehow knowingly aiding and abetting illegal sales of guns to traffickers across the border. The U.S. neighbor to the south, which has strict gun sale restrictions, argues it should be allowed to file a $10 billion civil suit in American courts. DOD SENDS OVER 1,000 ADDITIONAL TROOPS TO HELP BOLSTER SOUTHERN BORDER EFFORTS But weapons manufacturers say their “routine business practices” are being unfairly targeted, and strongly deny being aware their products have been illegally transported into Mexico. Both sides of the bench asked tough questions. “We know that a straw seller is going to sell to someone who is going to use the gun illegally, because if they weren’t, they wouldn’t use the straw purchaser, and that illegal conduct is going to cause harm, and harm like this that the gun is going to be used in some way to injure people, correct?” said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, summarizing Mexico’s legal position. “Your theory of aiding and abetting liability would have destructive effects on the American economy,” said Justice Brett Kavanaugh. “Lots of sellers and manufacturers of ordinary products know that they’re going to be misused by some subset of people. They know that to a certainty, that it’s going to be pharmaceuticals, cars, what you can name, lots of products. So that’s a real concern.” The case comes to the high court during a delicate time for both countries, politically and diplomatically. The Trump administration has pushed the Mexican government to better patrol its border to block drugs and migrants from entering the United States, while Mexican officials have demanded the U.S. stop military-style firearms from ending up in Mexico – fueling the very drug crisis both sides seek to end. The public session arguments provide a high-profile American forum for Mexico and its complaints about its northern neighbor, just as the U.S. on Tuesday launched historic tariffs on Mexican imports. MEXICO’S PRESIDENT ON TRUMP TARIFFS: ‘NOBODY WINS’ The case could also affect the broader national debate over competing rights contained in the Second Amendment. A 2005 federal law known as the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) was designed to shield gunmakers from civil suits when their products were criminally misused by others. But Mexico is relying on exceptions in the law to pursue its claims. Families of gun violence, like the parents of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, have since still tried to file such claims, but this will be the first time the Supreme Court will rule on its limits. Those families reached a $73 million out-of-court settlement with gunmaker Remington. Supporters of gun control argue a high court ruling against Mexico will make it harder for them to go after U.S. gunmakers when future mass shootings occur, if it can be proved they knowingly and foreseeably broke the law. Gun rights groups counter that a lawful, heavily regulated industry should not be subject to liability for criminal acts committed by armed gangs in another country. Known as the “Iron River,” anywhere from 200,000 to 500,000 American-made guns are illegally trafficked into Mexico each year, according to U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimates. More than 70% of illegal guns seized in Mexico between 2013-18 were sold in the U.S., according to the Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, named after former Rep. Gabby Giffords, severely wounded in a Tucson, Arizona-area mass shooting in 2011. Mexico has only one gun store – managed by the country’s military – with no private shops, gun shows or commercial manufacture of firearms. Court records show only 3,215 private gun licenses were issued in the country for low-caliber weapons as of the year 2018, and that illegal possession was the third leading cause of criminal imprisonment. Mexico is usually among the top three countries globally in annual gun deaths. Two weeks ago, the Trump administration designated six Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Much of the oral arguments centered on whether gunmakers could be sued on the “proximate case” standard, when the complex commerce pipeline goes from them to wholesalers, distributors, rogue retail dealers, straw purchasers, smugglers, and then to Mexican cartels themselves. “You haven’t sued any of the retailers that were the most proximate cause of the harm,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett told Catherine Stetson, lawyer for Mexico. “And you haven’t identified them that I can tell in the complaint.” “All of the things that you asked for in this lawsuit would amount to different kinds of regulatory constraints that I’m thinking Congress didn’t want the courts to be the ones to impose,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, when it came to such remedies as gun distribution and marketing practices. But some on the court suggested the scope of the problem Mexico alleges has real consequences. “The complaint says that 2% of the guns manufactured in the United States find their way into Mexico,” asked Chief Justice John Roberts of the gunmakers’ attorney Noel Francisco. “And I know you dispute that, but is there a number where your legal analysis might have to be altered – if it’s 10%, if it’s 20%? At some point, the proximate cause lines that you draw really can’t bear the weight of the ultimate result.” The case is Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos (23-1141). A ruling is expected by late June.
Federal judge reverses Trump firing of federal employees’ appeal board chairwoman
The former chairwoman of a little-known agency that hears appeals by fired or disciplined federal government employees has been ordered reinstated to her position by a federal judge. Cathy Harris, a Democrat who led the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) until she was fired by President Donald Trump on Feb. 10, has been put back in her position after a judge issued a permanent injunction. Harris had filed an appeal the day after her sacking, arguing that Trump and other federal officials did not have the authority to terminate her and that an email outlining her dismissal showed no reason for cause to terminate her. She cited the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1935 ruling in Humphrey’s Executor v. United States that has limited a president’s ability to fire certain agency heads. Some justices on today’s 6-3 conservative-majority court have signaled a willingness to rein in or perhaps overturn that ruling. TRUMP FIRES 17 GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS AT VARIOUS FEDERAL AGENCIES On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Rudolph Contreras of the District of Columbia agreed with Harris and wrote that federal law states that members of the MSPB may be removed from office “only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office.” Contreras wrote that President Donald Trump informed Harris that her position on the MSPB was “terminated, effective immediately,” but provided no reason for Harris’s termination. Harris was appointed to the board in 2022 by former President Joe Biden for a 7-year term. The merit Systems Protection Board is the primary agency used by civil servants to file complaints within the federal government. Trump named Henry Kerner, a Republican, as its acting chair upon returning to the White House on Jan. 20. FEDERAL JUDGE HINTS SHE WILL CONTINUE BLOCKING TRUMP FROM FIRING HEAD OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION AGENCY Contreras further ordered that Harris shall continue to serve as a member of the MSPB until her term expires, unless she is earlier removed for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office under that statute. Contreras, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and has served on the court since 2012, initially agreed on Feb. 18 to issue a temporary restraining order for Harris to continue chairing the three-member board until the court decides her case. After a hearing on Monday, the judge issued a permanent injunction extending that previous order. “Harris has undoubtedly experienced an injury to this independence in her capacity as a member of the MSPB following the President’s attempt to terminate her without cause, and any future attempts would prove just as harmful to that autonomy,” the judge wrote. “In addition, unlike most other federal employees, Harris was duly appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to a position carrying a term of years with specific reasons for her removal.” The judge wrote that injunctive relief in this case is in the public interest, and the balance of the equities tips in Harris’s favor. “Given that federal law limits the conditions under which Harris’s tenure may be terminated, Supreme Court precedent supports the constitutionality of those conditions, and defendants do not argue that those conditions were met here, the court finds that it is in the public interest to issue injunctive relief,” the judge wrote. Government attorneys had argued that the court didn’t have the authority to reinstate Harris or bar Trump from replacing her on the board. “The American people elected President Trump to run the executive branch,” they wrote in court documents. “And President Trump has determined that keeping (Harris) in office no longer serves the best interests of the American people. That democratically accountable choice should be respected.” The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.