Trump tariffs live updates: White House adviser says Canada ‘taken over by Mexican cartels’ amid brewing trade war

Donald Trump’s top trade adviser Peter Navarro has accused Canada of being “taken over by Mexican cartels” and not doing enough to stop the importation of deadly fentanyl.

Speaking to Bret Baier on Fox News’s Special Report last night, Navarro declared: “What I wanna say to every world leader who gets up in arms when all we’re asking for is fairness and to have them stop killing our people is, please, listen to us.

“Canada could do a lot more. Canada has been taken over, Bret, by Mexican cartels. They bring up these pill presses and printers, and the medicines that they fake, you can’t tell the difference.”

After Navarro claimed that 70,000 Americans were being killed annually by the drug, Baier asked if he were laying the responsibility solely at Canada’s door.

“No, of course not. Of course not, Bret,” he answered.

“But what we want to see is Canada and Mexico crack down on China. China, for whatever reason, and there is a lot of speculation as to whether they mean to do us harm with this, they don’t seem to care, okay? So, it’s up to Mexico and Canada help us do this.”

The outburst came after the administration agreed to grant the auto sector a one-month exemption from Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods after the president came under pressure from the CEOs of America’s “Big Three” carmakers.

As the president’s trade war begins to brew up, here’s Gustaf Kilander on what American business leaders have said so far on how the Trump tariffs will affect prices.

Elon Musk suggested Wednesday that the U.S. government should privatize “as much as possible” and named Amtrak and the U.S. Postal Service as two services ripe for privatization, NBC News reports citing a source at a Morgan Stanley technology conference at which the tech mogul appeared virtually.

The Trump adviser and apparent head of the Department of Government Efficiency told attendees about his experiences riding bullet trains abroad and said: “And we come back to America, like, Amtrak is a sad situation.”

“If you’re coming from another country, please don’t use our national rail. It can leave you with a very bad impression of America,” Musk added. “So, I just, I think we should prioritize anything that can be privatized.”

The ownership structures of high-speed railways abroad vary widely. Some are fully state-owned, like China’s. Others, like Japan’s railways, have been largely privatized. The European system is mixed.

The House Democratic leader laid out his reasoning for attending while urging as many as possible in his party to do so, in a dear colleague letter this week.

“[I]t is important to have a strong, determined and dignified Democratic presence in the chamber,” wrote Jeffries on Monday. “The House as an institution belongs to the American people, and as their representatives, we will not be run off the block or bullied.”

Roughly 650 Marines and Army soldiers who were forced out of the military for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine have so far expressed interest in returning to the force under an executive order from President Donald Trump, officials said this week.

The number represents about 8% of the roughly 8,200 troops who had been discharged. The total, officials say, confirms military leaders’ early view that many troops have moved on with their lives. They have been allowed to rejoin since 2023, and Trump’s offer of providing back pay may be a factor in spurring a bit more interest now.

Mike Bedigan has the story.

Reuters reports that an email shows that the U.S. Marshals Service is providing security to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Sources told Reuters that the arrangement was unusual.

In the February 12 email, the HHS Office of the Inspector General stated that it was winding down its protective services operations and that Attorney General Pam Bondi would arrange security for Kennedy moving forward.

“After over four decades of providing for the personal protection of the Secretary and other high-ranking HHS officials when necessary — both nationally and internationally, day and night, through a pandemic, and other obstacles — OI’s protective operations are coming to an end,” wrote Christian Schrank, the deputy inspector general for investigations at HHS OIG.

A Marshals spokesperson referred questions from Reuters to the Justice Department.

Bondi confirmed the arrangement: “My friend Secretary Kennedy is a valued and respected leader in President Trump’s Cabinet who will be provided the proper security protection.”

A spokesperson for the HHS OIG declined to comment when approached by Reuters.

The Marshals Service, which has about 3,900 federal agents, is the enforcement arm of the federal court system. Its agents protect judges and court buildings. The agency also houses and transports prisoners and manages the sale of assets seized in criminal forfeiture proceedings.

It is sometimes called upon to provide security for individuals involved in court or congressional proceedings, such as witnesses, prosecutors, and judges who may face threats.

The attorney general is also authorized to assign agents to provide security for other officials, such as cabinet secretaries.

The chair of a quiet government agency secured the re-employment of nearly 6,000 fired federal workers for the next month and a half on Wednesday, just a day after her own firing was ruled illegal by a federal judge.

Cathy Harris struck what is likely the biggest blow so far to DOGE’s firing campaign on Wednesday, ruling that 5,600 probationary employees at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) were terminated in a move that may have violated federal procedures. Her ruling halts the firings for 45 days, while the Merit Systems Protection Board, which she chairs, reviews the decision.

John Bowden reports from Washington, D.C.

In a social media message, posted shortly after Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, Graham wrote: “My take on President @realDonaldTrump’s address tonight: Inspiring, funny, compelling and the Democrats’ worst nightmare.” He added: “Trump 2028!”

Kevin E G Perry has the story.