TribCast: The looming fight over regulating AI in Texas
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with University of Texas at Austin professor Sherri Greenberg about proposed state laws related to artificial intelligence.
Texas guests picked to hear Trump speech represent policy points
The experiences of each guest reflect the issues of border security and other priorities of the president.
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?)