AFP USA

There was dismay on the left and jubilation on the right as Donald Trump’s addressed the US Congress on Tuesday in a tense atmosphere and with Washington’s political divisions rarely more visible. Trump entered the chamber to cheers from Republicans and took a languid stroll down the center aisle to the podium, taking his time and pressing flesh along the way. As he passed Democrat Melanie Stansbury, the New Mexico congresswoman held up a sheet of paper reading “This is not normal.” A Republican politician snatched the sign out of her hands — a harbinger of the tensions to come. The ultra-Trumpist Marjorie Taylor Greene, always a politician to wear her support on her sleeve, sported a red “Trump was right about everything” cap — in violation of a ban on headwear introduced almost two centuries ago.When Trump arrived at the podium, the Republican half of the chamber chanted “USA! USA!” their jubilation evident in their broad grins. On the other side of the room, the Democratic members remain seated and stony-faced. The only (presumed) Republican who might have bested the president on the applause-o-meter: his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, who waved to acknowledge the raucous applause as she took her place, wearing a charcoal gray suit. “To my fellow citizens, America is back!” Trump enthused as he began his address, whose theme was “Renewal of the  American Dream.”- Yellow and blue -Minutes later, Democrat congressman Al Green stood up and yelled at the president: “You don’t have a mandate.” His protest was drowned out by the uproarious Republicans, who ordered him to take a seat as they dived into another stirring round of patriotic chants. Green refused to sit down, and was quickly escorted out of the chamber, as he was jeered by his political opponents on the Republican side. When Trump called predecessor Joe Biden the “worst president” in history, there were whistles from a few triggered Democrats, some of whom denounced the “lies.” Many were wearing scarves, striped ties, or lapel ribbons in the yellow and blue colors of the Ukrainian flag, as a sign of solidarity for a war-torn ally they consider the Trump administration to have betrayed.Indeed, the speech came just after Trump had ordered a pause in American military aid to Kyiv, and the atmosphere was markedly different from Biden’s March 2022 address to Congress, five days after the start of the Russian invasion.On that occasion marked a demonstration of unity from both sides of Congress, and both chambers, as Democrat and Republican alike rose at Biden’s beckoning to offer solidarity with the Ukrainian people. That unanimity is decidedly a thing of the past in the Washington of the “America First” movement which has Trump as its standard-bearer. In addition to Ukrainian yellow and blue, a number of Democrats came in pink outfits to protest against what they see as the Trump administration’s anti-women policies.Some of the House Democrats left the chamber before Trump had even got into his stride and Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett removed her jacket to reveal a t-shirt with the word “Resist” emblazoned on the back. – Musk the spectator -Some traditions hold, even in the norm-breaking Trump era, and the usual bevy of Supreme Court justices could be found in the front row, enjoying the pomp and circumstance. With many of the Trump administration’s decisions already the subject of legal challenges, the judicial panel — with its strong conservative tilt —  is likely to have its hands full in the weeks and months ahead. But if Trump was expecting a sold-out speech, he will have been disappointed. A number of Democrats, such as left-winger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had previously announced that they would be giving the event a wide berth. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and Trump’s point man on drastically downsizing the federal government, watched from the galleries, a spectator to the drama for once. Yet, even from the sidelines, he still managed to command the attention of the TV cameras as Trump invited applause for a man whose millions helped get the Republican elected.A few hours before Trump’s arrival, a dozen protesters outside the US Capitol waved signs reading “Stand up to tyranny” and “Musk must go.” Trump seemed to provide a direct retort during his speech, as he warned: “We’re just getting started.”

More people watched the Oscars than previously thought, Disney said Tuesday, after they totted up those tuning in on their mobile phones and laptops.The company, which owns network ABC and streamer Hulu, had initially reported that ratings were down for the show, which saw indie sex worker romp “Anora” take home a bevy of awards.But on Tuesday they said an additional 1.6 million people had watched on a mobile device, taking the total on-the-night viewership to 19.69 million.”As viewing patterns continue to evolve, there is the potential to see a greater difference” between initial figures and the final number, the company said in a statement.”In the case of Sunday night’s live telecast of ‘The Oscars,’ we saw dramatic growth with younger viewers from mobile and PC viewing that was not captured” in the early viewing figures.Disney said the revised number made the broadcast the most watched Oscars in five years.The show went live on streaming for the first time this year, but the stream was beset by technical glitches that left some viewers unable to see the final prizes.The revised figure is slightly up from last year’s early ratings of 19.5 million, for a gala that saw Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster “Oppenheimer” dominate prizes, and featured live musical performances from smash hit “Barbie.” During the Covid-19 pandemic, Oscars ratings sank as low as 10.4 million.The Academy Awards telecast regularly topped 40 million just a decade ago.

President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the retaliation they attracted will likely weigh on US growth and boost inflation, according to analysts, but, beyond that, uncertainty surrounding the levies threatens to overshadow optimism about his future policies.Trump reignited trade wars this week with hefty duties on Canadian, Mexican and Chinese imports, drawing sharp retaliation from Ottawa and Beijing, including new tariffs on key American farm products.Collectively, these could dent US GDP growth by one percentage point and hike inflation by 0.6 points if kept in place for the year, said Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic.”Tariffs represent a negative supply shock. It hurts production, raises prices,” she told AFP, warning that business and consumer confidence also take a hit from levies.And the unpredictability of Trump’s tariff plans stand to offset positivity about the president’s promises of deregulation and tax cuts, which are seen as pro-growth, she said.”That hope and excitement right now is overwhelmed by the uncertainty of what’s going to play out,” she added.It also remains unclear if new tariffs will be long-lasting, and they come atop cost-cutting measures in the federal government which are being challenged in courts, KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk said.The fallout from these efforts can undermine demand.Trump has not only quickened the pace of tariff hikes in his second term by tapping emergency economic powers to impose them without an investigation period, but his levies cover a larger value of goods.Trump’s first-term tariffs hit $380 billion worth of US imports over 2018-2019, mainly from China, said Erica York of the Tax Foundation.But his latest duties introduced over a month impact $1.4 trillion of imports, mostly from allies, she added.”Because of the faster implementation and the larger magnitude, the new tariffs will be much more disruptive to the US economy than Trump’s first trade war,” York said.- Prices, jobs -While the situation is fluid, Bostjancic said prices of products like motor vehicle parts could rise by 10 percent within months, given how integrated North American supply chains are.This could inflate consumer costs for big ticket items. Used car prices could increase if producing new vehicles became pricey, analysts said.New homes stand to become more expensive too, potentially making property owners reluctant to move and weighing on the housing market, said Jessica Lautz at the National Association of Realtors.Trump’s latest 25 percent tariff on Canadian goods hits lumber imports, which are important to homebuilders.With the breadth of Trump’s current tariff plans, “some companies may not be able to maintain the same level of employment,” Swonk of KPMG warned.During Trump’s first term, despite an initial uptick in steel industry employment when he imposed tariffs on imports of the metal, these were more than offset by higher input costs and layoffs elsewhere, she noted.- ‘Choke points’ -Other near-term effects include countries’ readiness to to hit US “choke points” following experiences from his first administration, said Swonk.”They’re going to look for the places that are the biggest pinch points for the president’s party and that’s the Republican Party,” she told AFP.This means taking aim at Republican-dominated states.When the world’s biggest economy takes action like sweeping tariffs other countries tend respond strategically, targeting countermeasures at areas which likely have more political sway over the administration, she said.Farm and food products are often primary targets of retaliation, said Wendong Zhang of Cornell University. This could spark the need for federal aid to farmers subsequently.Already, China said it would impose 10 percent and 15 percent levies on various US agricultural exports including soybeans.In Trump’s first term, retaliatory tariffs on the United States caused more than $27 billion in US agricultural export losses from mid-2018 to late-2019.Economists say the hit to growth and inflation in 2025 could be somewhat counterbalanced by aggressive deregulation efforts next year, as Trump’s government seeks to rein in the budget deficit and make certain tax cuts permanent.For now, the “uncertainty effect,” serves as a tax of its own, Swonk said.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now aiming for Wednesday to conduct the next test flight of its massive Starship rocket, following a last-minute cancellation on Monday.The world’s biggest and most powerful launch vehicle is set to lift off from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, during a launch window that opens at 5:30 pm local time (2330 GMT).It will be Starship’s eighth orbital mission — all so far uncrewed — and the first since its dramatic mid-air explosion over the Caribbean during its last test.Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall — about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty — Starship is designed to eventually be fully reusable and is key to Musk and SpaceX’s vision of colonizing Mars.Meanwhile, NASA is awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded Starship after its previous flight on January 16 ended with the upper stage disintegrating in a fiery cascade over the Turks and Caicos Islands, prompting cleanup efforts for fallen debris.Last Friday, the FAA announced that Starship could proceed with its next flight before the agency finalizes its review of SpaceX’s “mishap investigation.”During Joe Biden’s presidency, Musk frequently accused the FAA of excessive scrutiny over SpaceX’s safety and environmental concerns. Now, as one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisors, the world’s richest person faces allegations of wielding undue influence over regulatory agencies overseeing his companies.For the upcoming flight, SpaceX says it has introduced numerous upgrades to the upper-stage spaceship that enhance its reliability and performance.The mission, expected to last just over an hour, includes another attempt to catch the booster stage using the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms — a feat SpaceX has successfully executed twice, including in the last flight.Additionally, Starship will deploy Starlink simulators designed to mimic Starlink satellites, which will burn up upon atmospheric re-entry.Eventually, SpaceX aims to recover the upper stage as well, but for now, it is targeting splashdown in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of Australia, as in previous flights.In a recent interview on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Musk said the toughest engineering hurdle is building a “fully reusable orbital heat shield — a problem that has never been solved before.”Despite the challenge, Musk remains optimistic, predicting that Starship will be fully and rapidly reusable by next year, a milestone he describes as the “fundamental breakthrough required for life to be multiplanetary.”

Florida’s attorney general said Tuesday that a criminal investigation has been opened into self-described misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, who flew to the southern US state last week from Romania, where they faced rape and human trafficking charges.”These guys have publicly admitted to participating in what very much appears to be soliciting, trafficking, preying upon women around the world,” James Uthmeier said in comments posted online by a reporter with EW Scripps broadcasting.”This is an ongoing criminal investigation and we’re going to use every tool we have to ensure that justice is served,” he said.Andrew Tate arrived in the United States on Thursday — the first time he has been out of Romania since his 2022 arrest.Prosecutors in the eastern European country allege that Tate, 38, his brother Tristan, 36, and two women set up a criminal organization in Romania and Britain in early 2021 and sexually exploited several victims.Andrew Tate, speaking to reporters after arriving in Fort Lauderdale last week, said he and his brother have “yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever.””We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty, and I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood,” he said.The government in Bucharest said the Tates, who have British and US nationalities and have been under judicial supervision in Romania, need to return to court on March 24, with a no-show potentially leading to “preventive arrest.”Four British women, who have accused Tate of rape and coercive control in a separate civil case in the United Kingdom, recently voiced concern that the US government would help the Tates escape.In a joint statement, the four British women said they “feel retraumatized by the news that the Romanian authorities have given in to pressure from the Trump administration to allow Andrew Tate to travel.” Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu has said Richard Grenell, special envoy for President Donald Trump, raised the case at the Munich Security Conference in February.Trump last week denied all knowledge of any advocacy for the Tates from his administration.”I know nothing about that,” Trump told reporters. “We’ll check it out.”A Romanian court has granted a British request to extradite the Tates, but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.Andrew Tate moved to Romania years ago after first starting a webcam business in the United Kingdom.He leapt to fame in 2016 when he appeared on the “Big Brother” UK reality television show, but was removed after a video emerged showing him attacking a woman.He then turned to social media platforms to promote his often misogynistic and divisive views on how to be successful.Banned from Instagram and TikTok for his views, Tate is followed by more than 10 million people on X, where his posts are often homophobic and racist.

An internet rights group on Tuesday raised alarm over reports the United States may steer billions of dollars to Elon Musk’s Starlink by making changes to a rural broadband deployment program.Net neutrality supporter Free Press spoke out after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Commerce could set Musk up for a windfall by overhauling a $42.5 billion program established under former President Joe Biden to bring broadband internet service to rural parts of the country.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has told staff he plans to significantly increase the share of money available to satellite-internet providers such as Starlink rather than firms that use fiber-optic cables to deliver high-speed internet service, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation.Starlink is a unit of Musk’s SpaceX company.Musk — the world’s wealthiest person and a top donor to Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign — has status as a “special government employee” and “senior adviser to the president.”Trump put Musk in charge of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency that has been slashing the ranks of US agencies under the auspices of budget cutting.”The Trump administration is undermining an essential bipartisan program designed to bring reliable and affordable broadband to tens of millions of Americans — and it’s doing so just to line Elon Musk’s already bulging pockets,” Free Press co-chief Craig Aaron said in a statement.The Commerce Department did not respond to a request for comment.During the Biden administration, the Federal Communications Commission rejected Starlink’s application for nearly $900 million in subsidies on the grounds it failed to show it could meet service requirements, Free Press noted.Fiber optic cables are considered faster and more reliable than satellites for broadband internet service.Congress created the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program as part of a 2021 infrastructure bill that Biden signed into law.Proposals from every US state have been approved, but critics argue the program is moving too slowly.The bill called on states to prioritize reliable, fast broadband service built to last, according to Free Press.”The Trump administration is throwing out this sensible approach to favor only providers who are stationed inside the White House,” Aaron said.”From the FAA to the Defense Department, giving billions to Musk seems to be the Trump administration’s top priority, and now the Commerce Department is getting in on the action,” he added.Starlink internet service can currently be accessed by anyone in the United States, and the company doesn’t need taxpayer subsidies, Free Press argued.

The US commerce secretary on Tuesday said President Donald Trump could dial down huge tariffs on Canada and Mexico this week while maintaining pressure on China, hours after Canada’s premier attacked the United States’ “dumb” trade war.”I think he’s going to work something out with them,” Howard Lutnick told Fox Business, adding the announcement would probably come on Wednesday.”Somewhere in the middle will likely be the outcome, the president moving with the Canadians and Mexicans, but not all the way.”Earlier Tuesday, a furious Trudeau accused Trump of trying to cause the collapse of Canada’s economy to make it easier for the United States to annex his country, and blasted Washington for targeting a close ally while “appeasing” Russia over Ukraine.Trump had announced — and then paused — blanket 25 percent tariffs on imports from major trading partners Canada and Mexico in February, accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking.But he pushed ahead with them Tuesday, citing a lack of progress on both fronts. After Canada retaliated, Trump quickly threatened to escalate tariffs further, while mocking Trudeau’s position as the country’s prime minister.Fears that the tariff spat is rapidly devolving into the most brutal trade war of modern times sent global markets lower, with major Wall Street indexes tumbling for a second straight day.The sweeping duties will hit US imports from both North American neighbors, affecting everything from avocados to the lumber crucial for building US homes, and hampering supply chains for key sectors like automobiles.Multiple Canadian provinces also banned the sale of US alcohol products Tuesday, as part of a broad national retaliation against Trump’s latest tariffs.Trump also inked an order Monday to increase a previously imposed 10 percent tariff on China to 20 percent — piling atop existing levies on various Chinese goods.Beijing condemned Washington’s “unilateral imposition of tariffs,” filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization and threatening to impose 10-15 percent levies on a range of agricultural imports from the United States. – ‘Inflationary in its essence’ -Analysts and businesses have warned that the higher import costs could increase prices for consumers, which may complicate efforts to bring down inflation, one of the issues that got Trump elected.That includes at grocery stores — Mexico supplied 63 percent of US vegetable imports and nearly half of fruit and nut imports in 2023, according to the US Department of Agriculture.Brian Cornell, chief executive of US retail giant Target, said Tuesday the company could be forced to raise the cost of some fruits and vegetables over the coming days.”If there’s a 25 percent tariff, those prices will go up,” he told CNBC. “The short-term effect of any tariff clearly is inflation,” Charles van der Steene, the North America president for shipping giant Maersk, told CNBC. “It’s inflationary in its essence.”Housing costs could also be hit. More than 70 percent of imports of two key building materials — softwood lumber and gypsum — come from Canada and Mexico, according to the National Association of Home Builders.Truck drivers at the Otay Mesa border crossing in Mexico told AFP they were already feeling the impact as they waited to cross into the United States.- Fight to ‘bitter end’ -Ottawa’s retaliatory 25 percent tariffs on $30 billion of goods took effect early Tuesday, and Trudeau said they would expand to “the remaining $125 billion of American products in 21 days time.””Canadians are reasonable. We are polite,” he said. “We will not back down from a fight.”Addressing the US president directly, Trudeau said that while he thinks Trump is a “smart guy,” the tariffs are a “very dumb thing to do.”China said its tariffs against the United States will come into effect next week and will impact tens of billions of dollars in imports, from soybeans to chicken.Beijing also announced that imports of US lumber have been suspended, and that soybean shipments from three American exporters have been halted, as China’s foreign ministry vowed to fight the US trade war to the “bitter end.”burs-da-bys/mlm

Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle show went live on Netflix Tuesday, showcasing the former British royal as a thriving domestic maven.The Duchess of Sussex, wife to Britain’s Prince Harry, harvests honey, makes pasta and mixes bath salts against an idyllic California backdrop.A rustic and effortlessly chic home provides the setting for the first episode, whose conceit is that she is hosting a long-time friend.Of course, we’re not actually at Markle’s house, but rather another luxury property near her home, where camera operators roam, offering purposely wobbly close-ups of candles, crudite and cake.It also seems to have two kitchens. You know, like everyone’s house does.Harry — whom Markle wed in a fairytale ceremony in 2018, and with whom she fled to California two years later — only makes a fleeting appearance at the end of the eight episodes.But there are little hints about life as a British royal; reminders of how — in their telling — the couple were spurned by a stuffy and racist establishment.A friend who comes to stay, makeup artist Daniel Martin, “has just been in my life from the before, during and after, shall we say,” Markle tells an off-screen producer, with a meaningful pause to let viewers piece everything together.Episodes of “With Love, Meghan” feature appearances from chef Alice Waters, actress Mindy Kaling and Abigail Spencer, one of Markle’s “Suits” co-stars.The show coincides with a rebranding of Markle’s jam-and-cookies online retailer, which was originally called “American Riviera Orchard” but is now known as “As Ever.”The series is the latest effort by the Sussexes to make their own financial way after being cut off from the royal purse.A reported $100 million deal with Netflix yielded the much-talked-about “Harry & Meghan,” a six-episode tell-all about their relationship and their high-profile split from the House of Windsor.That was followed by Harry’s successful autobiography “Spare,” which re-trod much of the same angry ground, with bonus tales about taking drugs in proximity to Hollywood celebs.But subsequent media ventures that have not rehashed the same grievances have fallen flat.A Spotify interview podcast by Markle was not renewed after a first series critics blasted as pointless, while Netflix offerings about the sport of polo and the Invictus Games failed to make much impression.Early reviews of “With Love, Meghan” in the British press were not kind, with The Telegraph calling the series an “exercise in narcissism.””Meghan invites people to her pretend house” wrote the paper’s critic, and “they tell her how amazing she is. This happens for eight episodes,” it said.Meanwhile Britain’s The Times newspaper said the show was desperate in its “upbeatness” with Markle “presenting her extreme wealth and mind-bogglingly exclusive lifestyle as if it is available to anyone.”