Susan Crawford, a liberal judge, won a pivotal Supreme Court race in Wisconsin, beating Brad Schimel, a conservative backed by Elon Musk to the tune of $21m. The result maintains the court’s 4-3 liberal majority. The race was by far the most expensive judicial contest in America’s history and widely considered an early verdict on the Trump administration.
Donald Trump is finalising what look set to be America’s most expansive tariffs in a century. He is expected to announce them on Wednesday at 4pm local time. The White House said the tariffs on “all countries” would take effect immediately. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said the European Union had a “strong plan to retaliate”, though it still hoped for a “negotiated solution”.
Israel said it would broaden its military operation in Gaza in order to “crush and clear the area of terrorists”. It said it plans to seize “large areas” of the enclave, and incorporate them “into Israeli security zones”. Residents were ordered to evacuate. Israel resumed its offensive on March 18th, shattering a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.
Marine Le Pen’s hopes of running for the French presidency in 2027 rose after Paris’s court of appeals said it should be able to rule on a challenge to her conviction for embezzlement by mid-2026—earlier than expected. The leader of France’s hard-right National Rally was sentenced to four years, two of them suspended and two under house arrest, on Monday. She claims the verdict was politically motivated.
The European Union fined 15 carmakers, including giants such as Volkswagen and Stellantis (whose largest shareholder part-owns The Economist’s parent company), a total of €458m ($494m) for operating a recycling cartel. The EU said that between 2002 and 2017 the firms conspired not to pay outside firms to dismantle cars, or to let on how much of a vehicle was recyclable, allowing them to profit from the processed parts.
China’s navy conducted live-fire exercises in the Taiwan Strait, as it continued the surprise military drills it began on Tuesday. The People’s Liberation Army said it was testing its ability to perform “joint blockade and control” over the self-governing island, simulating strikes on “key ports and energy facilities”. The manoeuvres are intended to “serve as a stern warning” against Taiwanese independence.
Newsmax’s stockmarket valuation soared by more than 2,200% after its public listing debut on Monday. The Trump-aligned cable-TV company had a market capitalisation of nearly $30bn on Tuesday—surpassing that of Fox Corp, the owner of its rival, Fox News—even though records show that it made a loss last year. Analysts said retail investors were behind the surge.
Figure of the day: 4.8bn tonnes, the amount of coal China produces each year. Read the full story.
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