Canada, China respond swiftly to new US tariffs

President Donald Trump imposes new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. And Trump puts American military aid to Ukraine on hold as he questions whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants peace. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

Canada, China respond swiftly to new US tariffs taking effect

The tariff war between the United States, Canada, Mexico, and China has begun. President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada officially started at midnight, and he has doubled the 10% tariff slapped on China last month to 20%.

Additionally, Canadian energy products will now see a 10% import duty.

Retaliation has been swift, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announcing that his country will impose its own tariffs against the U.S. over the next 21 days, vowing to implement taxes of up to 25% on more than $100 billion worth of American goods.

China has also responded, targeting American agricultural products. The new Chinese levies will include a 15% tariff on chicken, wheat, corn and cotton, as well as a 10% tariff on sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, fruits, vegetables and dairy products, including fish.

These will take effect next Monday, March 10.

Mexico has not yet responded.

Altogether, China, Canada and Mexico accounted for over 40% of all U.S. imports last year. They’re also the top three markets for American exports.

The tariffs against Mexico and Canada were scheduled to take effect last month, but Trump postponed them by 30 days to allow for ongoing negotiations.

Trump has maintained that the tariffs are intended to compel those countries to stop the flow of the powerful drug fentanyl into this country. He has also demanded that Mexico and Canada take strong action to prevent migrants from crossing their borders into the U.S. illegally.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform, “To the great farmers of the United States, get ready to start making a lot of agricultural products to be sold inside the United States.”

Trump pauses military aid for Ukraine

At least one top Ukrainian official is speaking publicly about Trump’s decision to pause U.S. military aid to the country.

Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said the move appears to be an attempt to force Ukraine to accept Russia’s demands when negotiating a peace agreement, Reuters reported.

“On the surface, this looks really bad. It looks like he is pushing us towards capitulation, meaning (accepting) Russia’s demands. To stop aid now means to help Putin,” Merezhko said.

This all comes after last week’s contentious meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which escalated into an argument in front of reporters on live TV.

Straight Arrow News reporter Karah Rucker has more on what led up to this moment here.

The Ukrainian official, Merezhko, compared the U.S. cutting off military aid to the Munich Agreement of 1938, when Nazi Germany was permitted to annex part of Czechoslovakia.

Meanwhile, in a statement, a White House official said, “President Trump has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”

Trump to deliver first joint address to Congress on Tuesday

The pause to Ukraine aid comes as Trump readies to address both chambers of Congress for the first time during his second term in office on Tuesday, March 4.

White House staffers told Fox News that tonight’s speech will focus on four main parts and have the theme “The renewal of the American dream.”

They included highlighting accomplishments from Trump’s second term so far, both in the U.S. and internationally. This includes his administration’s impact on the economy, Trump’s renewed push for Congress to pass more funding for border security and how the president plans to encourage global peace.

The event comes just ten days before the federal government is expected to run out of money, with the possibility of a shutdown looming March 14.

Trump has already urged the Republican-led Congress to adopt a stopgap funding measure to keep the government open—and this is likely to take center stage Tuesday as well.

FBI has turned over ‘truckloads’ of Epstein files: AG Bondi

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department has received additional Jeffrey Epstein files from the FBI. After last week’s major release, which turned out to be somewhat disappointing, it was revealed that the files contained Epstein’s contact list, but not what is believed to be his client list.

She told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday night, March 3, that the DOJ delivered “truckloads” of additional documents.

Bondi said the FBI would review thousands of new documents, and Director Kash Patel would issue a detailed report explaining why the bureau had not released them initially.

This comes as the agency forces James Dennehy, the top special agent overseeing the FBI’s New York field office, to retire.

Multiple news outlets reported that Dennehy sent an email to colleagues saying he was told to submit his retirement papers last Friday, Feb. 28, but was not given a reason why.

Dennehy was appointed to lead the New York field office in September 2024 by then-FBI director Christopher Wray, who departed when former President Joe Biden left office.

Senate blocks bill banning transgender athletes from women’s sports

The U.S. Senate failed to advance a bill that bars transgender women and girls from participating in school sports designated for female athletes.

The vote was along party lines with 51 republicans voting for the measure and 45 democrats voting against it.

The bill needed 60 votes to advance in the Senate.

Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools and education programs that receive federal funding.

The measure looked to determine protections for Title IX, “Based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. “

Trump signed an executive order last month giving federal agencies power to ensure that entities that receive government funding interpret sex as a person’s gender at birth. He said it’s “common sense” that men play men’s sports and women play women’s sports.

Republicans in Congress have now tried to make that policy, into law.
Democrats and LGBTQ+ activists have called the measure bullying.

NCAA conference launches women’s flag football as varsity sport

On Monday, March 3, the NCAA officially recognized flag football as a women’s sport.

The Atlantic East Conference launched its first women’s flag football season on Monday at a press conference in Philadelphia, at the home stadium of the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The Atlantic East Conference is a group of schools in the NCAA’s smallest division, but it said it is setting the stage for a new era of growth and recognition for the sport.

The conference has seven members, and while not all of them will field a team, three outside schools will participate for the flag season only.

Women and girls’ flag football has gained popularity in recent years, with 14 states already sanctioning it for play at the high school varsity level and 18 more testing pilot programs.

Additionally, the National Federation of State High School Associations reported that participation doubled last year, with almost 43,000 girls participating.