Colombia accepts deported migrants after tariff showdown with Trump

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

THIS MORNING — THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS CLAIMING A QUICK AND DECISIVE WIN — AFTER COLOMBIA AGREED TO ALLOW THE UNITED STATES TO TRANSPORT REPATRIATED MIGRANTS BACK TO THE COUNTRY. 

EARLY SUNDAY MORNING — COLOMBIA BLOCKED TWO U-S MILITARY PLANES, CARRYING DEPORTEES, FROM LANDING — WITH THE COUNTRY’S PRESIDENT SAYING THE U-S – QUOTE — “CAN’T TREAT COLOMBIAN MIGRANTS LIKE CRIMINALS.” 

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP RESPONDED TO THE MOVE IN A POST ON HIS TRUTH SOCIAL PLATFORM, SAYING HE ORDERED “EMERGENCY 25 PERCENT TARIFFS” ON ALL IMPORTS FROM THE COLOMBIA — WHICH WOULD BE RAISED TO 50 PERCENT IN A WEEK. ALSO, A “TRAVEL BAN” FOR COLOMBIAN CITIZENS, AND A REVOCATION OF VISAS FOR COLOMBIAN OFFICIALS IN THE UNITED STATES. 

WITHIN HOURS, COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT GUSTAVO PETRO THREATENED A RETALIATORY TARIFF INCREASE OF 25 PERCENT, ON THE U-S IN A SERIES OF SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS OBJECTING TO THE USE OF MILITARY PLANES AND THE TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS. 

BUT BY LATE LAST NIGHT — PRESS SECRETARY KAROLINE LEAVITT RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING COLOMBIA’S GOVERNMENT HAD AGREED TO THE QUOTE “UNRESTRICTED ACCEPTANCE” OF MIGRANTS FROM COLOMBIA “WITHOUT LIMITATION OR DELAY.” 

LEAVITT ADDED TARIFFS AND FINANCIAL SANCTIONS WILL BE HELD IN RESERVE BUT NOT SIGNED. BUT THE VISA SANCTIONS AGAINST COLOMBIAN OFFICIALS AND STRICTER CUSTOMS INSPECTIONS OF COLOMBIAN NATIONALS AND CARGO SHIPS, ORDERED BY TRUMP EARLIER SUNDAY, WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT QUOTE “UNTIL THE FIRST PLANELOAD OF COLOMBIAN DEPORTEES IS SUCCESSFULLY RETURNED.” 

THE STATEMENT SAID THAT OTHER COUNTRIES SHOULD TAKE NOTICE AND FULLY COOPERATE IN ACCEPTING ITS DEPORTEES WHO WERE IN THE UNITED STATES ILLEGALLY.

NOW TO THE MIDDLE EAST — WHERE EARLY THIS MORNING, QATAR ANNOUNCED AN AGREEMENT HAS BEEN REACHED TO RELEASE AN ISRAELI CIVILIAN HOSTAGE AND ALLOW PALESTINIANS TO RETURN TO NORTHERN GAZA. 

YEAHOUD IS THE SECOND IMAGE, BERGER IS THE FIRST 

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU’S OFFICE, SAID IN A STATEMENT, THE HOSTAGE RELEASE, WILL INCLUDE CIVILIAN HOSTAGE, ARBEL YEHOUD AND FEMALE SOLDIER AGAM BERGER.  IT WILL HAPPEN ON THURSDAY. 

AS OF THIS MORNING — PALESTINIANS ARE BEING ALLOWED TO RETURN TO NORTHERN GAZA ON FOOT. 

THEY **WERE** SET TO START RETURNING SATURDAY — BUT ISRAEL PUT THAT ON-HOLD BECAUSE OF YEHOUD — WHOM ISRAEL SAID SHOULD HAVE BEEN RELEASED ON SATURDAY. 

HOWEVER, ISRAEL **DID** RELEASE 200 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF THE SECOND PHASE OF AN EXCHANGE IN THE CEASEFIRE DEAL THAT SAW HAMAS RELEASE 4 FEMALE ISRAELI SOLDIERS. 

ALSO, THIS PAST WEEKEND — PRESIDENT TRUMP, WEIGHED-IN BY SUGGESTING MOST OF GAZA’S POPULATION BE RESETTLED IN OTHER COUNTRIES, SUCH AS EGYPT AND JORDAN — AT LEAST TEMPORARILY — TO QUOTE “JUST CLEAN OUT” THE WAR-RAVAGED ENCLAVE. 

EGYPT, JORDAN AND THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY REJECTED THAT IDEA.

AUTHORITIES INVESTIGATING LAST MONTH’S DEADLY PASSENGER JET CRASH AT SOUTH KOREA’S MUAN AIRPORT SAY THEY’VE FOUND EVIDENCE A BIRD MAY HAVE CAUSED THE PLANE TO GO DOWN. 

A PRELIMINARY REPORT, RELEASED TODAY, SAYS DUCK FEATHERS AND BLOOD STAINS WERE FOUND IN **BOTH** ENGINES OF THE JET THAT CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE STRUCTURE THAT HOUSES A “LOCALIZER,” KILLING 179 OF THE 181 PEOPLE ON BOARD. 

THE LOCALIZER AIDS NAVIGATION OF AN AIRCRAFT MAKING AN APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY.   

THE REPORT SAID THE JET ENGINES AND THE CONCRETE STRUCTURE WILL BE EXAMINED FURTHER TO DETERMINE THE ROLE EACH PLAYED IN THE DEADLIEST PLANE CRASH ON SOUTH KOREAN SOIL.

BACK HERE IN THE U-S — THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS, DISPLACED BY THE DEADLY WILDFIRES IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA **COULD** BE ALLOWED TO RETURN TO THEIR HOMES, OR WHAT REMAINS OF THEM, TODAY, AS THE AREA SEES ITS FIRST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IN **MONTHS**. 

A SLOW-MOVING RAINSTORM SETTLED OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SUNDAY — BROUGHT MUCH-NEEDED RELIEF AS THREE MAJOR WILDFIRES CONTINUE TO SCORCH THE ALREADY DEVASTATED AREA.  THERE ARE MOSTLY CONTAINED BUT HAVE DONE LOTS OF DAMAGE.  

HOWEVER — THERE ARE MAJOR CONCERNS THIS MORNING ABOUT   MUDSLIDES, FLASH FLOODING AND TOXIC ASH. 

EXPERTS SAY RAIN THAT FALLS ON A RECENTLY BURNED AREAS PICKS UP CONTAMINANTS FROM ASH, CHARRED VEHICLES AND OTHER DEBRIS AND CAN CARRY POLLUTANTS INTO THE ECOSYSTEM AND WATER SUPPLY. 

FORECASTERS SAY RAIN SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO THIS AFTERNOON.

THE C-I-A NOW SAYS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC “MORE LIKELY” STARTED WITH A LAB LEAK RATHER THAN ORIGINATING FROM ANIMALS — HOWEVER, THE AGENCY SAID IT WOULD STILL CONTINUE EVALUATING ANY NEW INTELLIGENCE REPORTING.   

ON SATURDAY, A C-I-A SPOKESPERSON SAID QUOTE A “RESEARCH-RELATED ORIGIN” OF THE PANDEMIC “IS MORE LIKELY THAN A NATURAL ORIGIN BASED ON THE AVAILABLE BODY OF REPORTING”. 

HOWEVER, ANALYSTS SAY THEY HAVE “LOW CONFIDENCE” IN THAT ASSESSMENT — DESPITE FORMER C-I-A DIRECTOR BILL BURNS TELLING THE AGENCY IT NEEDED TO LOOK AT THE EXISTING EVIDENCE AGAIN AND COME DOWN ON ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER. 

THE DECISION TO RELEASE THAT ASSESSMENT MARKS ONE OF THE FIRST MADE UNDER THE C-I-A’S NEW TRUMP-APPOINTED DIRECTOR JOHN RATCLIFFE, WHO TOOK OVER THE AGENCY ON THURSDAY. 

THE ORIGIN OF A COVID HAS LONG BEEN ARGUED IN THIS COUNTRY,  WITH OTHER AGENCIES LIKE THE FBI AND THE ENERGY DEPARTMENT BELIEVING THE CORONA VIRUS MOST LIKELY CAME FOR A LEAK, IN A LAB IN WUHAN, CHINA AND NOT THE THEORY OF AN INFECTED ANIMAL AT AN OUTDOOR MARKET, WHICH OTHER INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES HAVE FAVORED.

FINALLY THIS MORNING — SUPER BOWL 59 IS NOW SET. 

IT WILL BE A REMATCH FROM TWO YEARS AGO, AS THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AND PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WILL PLAY FOR THE TITLE.   

THE CHIEFS WILL BE GOING FOR THREE IN A ROW, SOMETHING THAT HAS NEVER BEEN DONE IN NFL HISTORY. 

THE DEFENDING CHAMPS KNOCKED OFF THE BUFFALO BILLS, 32-TO-29 IN A THRILLER AT ARROWHEAD STADIUM ON SUNDAY NIGHT. 

PATRICK MAHOMES RAN FOR TWO TOUCHDOWNS AND THE CHIEFS HELD OFF JOSH ALLEN AND THE BUFFALO BILLS. 

THE BILLS LED GOING INTO THE FOURTH QUARTER 22-21, BUT MAHOMES WAS ABLE TO LEAD HIS TEAM DOWN THE FIELD TWICE… 

INCLUDING A GAME WINNING FIELD GOAL BY HARRI SON BUTKER WITH JUST OVER 3 MINUTES LEFT. 

IN THE FIRST GAME OF THE DAY, THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, PUT UP 55 POINTS — THE MOST POINTS EVER IN A CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – AND ROUTED THE UPSTART WASHINGTON COMMANDERS — 55 TO 23. 

EAGLES STAR RUNNING BACK SAQUON BARKLEY RAN FOR THREE TOUCHDOWNS INCLUDING A 60 YARDER ON THE VERY FIRST PLAY FROM SCRIMMAGE FOR THE EAGLES. 

QUARTERBACK JALEN HURTS ALSO HAD A STELLAR GAME. 

HE TOO, RAN FOR THREE TOUCHDOWNS.