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GOP Turns on Trade: Trump Rebuked Over Canada Tariffs as Midterm Anxieties Grow (Bloomberg)
Donald Trump’s tariff policies suffered their strongest political blow yet with the Republican-led US House passing legislation aimed at ending the president’s levies on Canadian imports.
Wednesday’s vote represents an increase in political pressure to change course on Trump’s signature economic policy just months before the midterm elections, including by forcing swing-district Republicans affected by the tariffs to weigh when or if to cross the president by voting against his agenda.
While Trump is almost certain to veto any bill calling for a repeal of his tariff agenda, making it unlikely the measure will ever become law, defections from six Republicans alongside opposition from nearly all Democrats underscore his increasingly tenuous hold on the narrow House majority.
Canada Aftermath: Police Identify Suspect in British Columbia School Shooting as 18-Year-Old (Associated Press)
Police on Wednesday identified the suspect in a school shooting in Canada as an 18-year-old who had prior mental health calls to her home and who was found dead following the attack that killed eight people in a remote part of British Columbia.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald said Jesse Van Rootselaar had a history of mental health contact with police, and that the suspect’s mother and stepbrother were found dead in a home near the school. The motive remained unclear.
Mideast Latest: Trump Meets Netanyahu in Washington Amid Tensions With Iran (Bloomberg)
US President Donald Trump said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he intended to press ahead on talks with Iran, and that his preference was to reach a deal with the Islamic Republic despite reservations from the visiting leader.
Trump said the pair had a “very good meeting” and that the “tremendous relationship between our two countries continues,” in a post on social media on Wednesday after his sitdown with Netanyahu.
While Trump and Netanyahu are normally aligned in their worldview, the US push for a diplomatic deal with Iran has alarmed officials in Israel, particularly after the US president indicated support for seeking a narrow agreement that focused on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Beyond Iran, Trump said he also discussed with Netanyahu “the tremendous progress being made in Gaza, and the region in general.”
Attacks on Gaza surged higher in January,
as both Israel and Hamas traded accusations of cease-fire violations and progress on President Trump’s peace plan stalled, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The US is trying to parlay a shaky ceasefire into an ambitious peace and reconstruction plan. Trump next week is slated to hold an international conference to raise donations to help rebuild war-ravaged Gaza. The first formal meeting of Trump’s Board of Peace is slated for Feb. 19, according to a US official.
Heat on Capitol Hill: Pam Bondi Spars With Lawmakers on Epstein, Targeting Trump Foes (Bloomberg)
Democratic lawmakers accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of using the US Justice Department to target enemies of President Donald Trump and bungling the release of files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein during a fiery hearing Wednesday.
“You’ve turned the people’s Department of Justice
into Trump’s instrument of revenge,” said Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee in Washington. “Trump orders up prosecutions like pizza. And you deliver every time.”
Oil Oversight: Democrats Push for Transparency on Venezuelan Oil Money Controlled by US (New York Times)
Congressional Democrats are escalating their efforts to ensure more oversight of hundreds of millions of dollars in Venezuelan oil proceeds being controlled by the Trump administration in what they say is an unregulated and opaque arrangement susceptible to corruption.
US
Economy Jolt: Fed’s Path to More Rate Cuts Challenged by Jobs Surprise (Bloomberg)
Growth Stall: UK Economy Grows Less Than Forecast in Fresh Setback for Starmer (Bloomberg)
The UK economy grew less than forecast in the fourth quarter as business investment shrank and services stagnated, adding to pressure on embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The figures mark a disappointing end to a year in which the economy was forced to navigate huge tax rises, US President Trump’s trade wars and a devastating cyberattack at the largest UK car manufacturer. They will do little to help shore up Starmer, who has been under pressure over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite the Labour grandee’s known links to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Tech Tensions: Spain’s Sánchez Says Elon Musk Is Damaging Mental Health of Teens (Bloomberg)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accused Elon Musk of breaking local law and harming the mental health of teenagers in the latest escalation of a public spat between the two.
The comments are the latest in a series of public barbs
between Sánchez and Musk, who has criticized the Spanish leader’s push to block children from using social media and his plans to legalize some half a million immigrants.
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Siri Setback:
Apple’s Latest Attempt to Launch New Siri Runs Into Snags (Bloomberg)
Apple’s long-planned upgrade to the Siri virtual assistant has encountered setbacks during testing in recent weeks. Reports indicate that the revamped Siri does not always process queries correctly and can take too long to handle requests, potentially delaying the release of several highly anticipated features.
Music News: Bad Bunny Streams Skyrocketed After the Super Bowl, Up 175% in the US (Associated Press)
Game Day Feature: How Toñita, a Brooklyn Icon, Joined Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl (New York Times)
Maria Antonia Cay, known as Toñita,
who runs a social club in New York, had to keep her appearance a secret for nearly two months. The halftime show gave her a star turn at 85.
NYC Planner: 27 Things to Do Across New York City This February, From Mardi Gras Parades to Late-Night Jazz Sessions (New York Times)
February in New York City features a wide range of cultural events, including chocolate tastings at La Maison du Chocolat’s Upper East Side boutique, where workshops combine discussions of French culture with guided samplings. The Harlem Chamber Players mark Black History Month with their annual concert at Aaron Davis Hall in Harlem, presenting a program centered on works by living composers under the theme “American Landscapes.”
At David Geffen Hall, Emanuel Ax joins the New York Philharmonic for the New York premiere of John Williams’s “Piano Concerto,” bringing the famed film composer’s classical work to the city stage. On Broadway, Daniel Radcliffe returns in previews of “Every Brilliant Thing” at the Hudson Theatre, a solo production that stands out in a packed winter theater lineup.
Explore the full list here.
Olympics Latest: Eight Golds Awarded on Day 5 as USA Dominates Moguls, Italy Celebrates Luge Sweep (New York Times - The Athletic)
Day 5 of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics delivered eight gold medals and performances that are quickly defining the hierarchy of the Games.
Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen continued his dominant run by winning the men’s super-G, adding to his downhill and team combined titles to cement his status as one of alpine skiing’s stars.
Team USA asserted itself in freestyle moguls, with Elizabeth Lemley taking gold and Jaelin Kauf silver in a commanding one-two finish, while Italy ignited the home crowd by capturing gold in both the men’s and women’s luge doubles — the women’s event making its Olympic debut.
On the oval, American phenom Jordan Stolz delivered one of the day’s signature moments, winning the men’s 1,000 meters in Olympic-record time to secure his first gold medal and further elevate the United States’ medal haul.
In figure skating, France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron captured gold in ice dance, with Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates earning silver.
In team competition, Slovakia delivered one of the tournament’s first major upsets with a 4–1 victory over Finland in men’s hockey, as traditional powers Sweden and the United States also opened with strong performances.
With Italy, Norway and the United States stacking early golds, the medal table is beginning to take shape:
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