Donald Trump said he was “happy” to exempt the big three American carmakers—Ford, General Motors and Stellantis—from paying 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico for one month. Their bosses had lobbied for relief. The levies would have been devastating for the firms. Meanwhile, Mr Trump again lambasted Canada’s efforts to stop (the paltry amounts of) fentanyl from crossing the border, calling them “not good enough”.
Mr Trump issued a “last warning” for Hamas to release all hostages held in Gaza. The threat came after the White House confirmed it was directly engaging with the militant group for the first time, breaking its longstanding position not to negotiate with organisations it deems to be terrorist. He said that Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it did not comply.
Emmanuel Macron said he was ready to discuss ways to extend France’s nuclear deterrence across Europe to counter Russia. The remarks came in response to a call by Friedrich Merz, who will probably soon become Germany’s leader, for France and Britain to consider “nuclear sharing” in the face of American unreliability. The president also said the continent’s future should not be “decided in Washington or Moscow.”
John Ratcliffe, the head of the CIA, said that America has stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, the latest blow to the war effort. Ukraine has used Western intel to guide its missiles towards targets in Russia. America suspended all military aid to Ukraine on Monday following last week’s row between Mr Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
Novo Nordisk slashed the monthly cost of Wegovy, its weight-loss injection, from more than $1,300 to $499 for American patients not paying for it through health insurance. Discounted pens will be sold directly to them through the firm’s own online pharmacy. Competition between weight-loss drugmakers is heating up; last week Eli Lilly reduced the price of some of its Zepbound pens.
America’s Justice Department indicted 12 Chinese nationals for their alleged involvement in a wide-ranging hacking scheme, which stole data from American citizens and organisations. The Justice Department accuses China’s government of “paying hackers for hire” to harm Americans critical of its regime. Two of the people charged are officers of China’s Ministry of Public Security.
Cyclone Alfred continued its passage across the Pacific, and is forecast to hit Brisbane, on Australia’s east coast, over the weekend. Though cyclones are not uncommon in Australia, Alfred—a category-two storm—stands out for its southern trajectory. A cyclone has not struck that part of Australia since 1974. An estimated 20,000 homes could be affected by flooding.
Figure of the day: 3.6m. The numbers of cars that America imported from Canada and Mexico last year. Read the full story.
Donald Trump’s return to the presidency has brought exceptional changes to American politics—with consequences for the rest of the world, too. Read The US in brief, a daily update of the domestic political stories that matter. Sign up here to receive it as a newsletter, each weekday, in your inbox.