10 things you need to know today: March 6, 2018
Paul Ryan urges Trump to drop proposed tariffs, former Trump aide Sam Nunberg threatens to defy Mueller subpoena, and more
- 1. Ryan splits with Trump over tariffs
- 2. Ex-Trump aide vows to defy Mueller subpoena, then backtracks
- 3. South Korea: North Korea willing to discuss giving up its nukes
- 4. Showdown appears to end with Trump name coming off Panama hotel
- 5. Trump and Netanyahu meet in the White House
- 6. Florida's Senate passes package of gun-control measures
- 7. Trump's DACA deadline passes with no decisive action
- 8. Former Russian spy ill after exposure to unidentified substance
- 9. Judge orders Martin Shkreli to forfeit $7.4 million
- 10. GOP Sen. Thad Cochran to resign
1. Ryan splits with Trump over tariffs
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) publicly split with President Trump on Monday, saying Trump's proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum could spark a trade war that would hurt the U.S. "We are extremely worried about the consequences of a trade war and are urging the White House to not advance with this plan," a Ryan spokeswoman said in a statement. "The new tax reform law has boosted the economy and we certainly don't want to jeopardize those gains." Trump has not given any indication that he would be willing to back away from his proposal, other than to say that the only way for Canada and Mexico to get out of having to pay the tariffs was to agree to a new "fair" multilateral trade deal in talks to alter the North America Free Trade Agreement.
2. Ex-Trump aide vows to defy Mueller subpoena, then backtracks
Former Trump aide Sam Nunberg said Monday that he would defy a subpoena to appear before a federal grand jury investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Nunberg later appeared to backtrack, suggesting he might show up to testify Friday, after all, and give investigators his password so they can get emails they seek. He had told The Washington Post he was refusing to go because Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office made an unreasonably broad request for emails exchanged with numerous Trump aides, including outgoing White House communications director Hope Hicks, former White House strategist Stephen Bannon, and adviser Roger Stone, whom Nunberg describes as a mentor. Nunberg later told MSNBC's Katy Tur that Mueller's team might have something on President Trump, adding, "I think he may have done something during the election, but I don't know that for sure."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Washington Post The New York Times
3. South Korea: North Korea willing to discuss giving up its nukes
South Korean officials said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told South Korean envoys he was willing to negotiate with the U.S. on giving up his country's nuclear weapons, and would suspend nuclear and missile tests during the talks. During a Monday meeting in Pyongyang, the two sides also agreed on a summit meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in for late April. "The North Korean side clearly stated its willingness to denuclearize," the statement said. "It made it clear that it would have no reason to keep nuclear weapons if the military threat to the North was eliminated and its security guaranteed." There was no immediate corroboration on the unprecedented offer from Pyongyang.
4. Showdown appears to end with Trump name coming off Panama hotel
Workers pried the Trump name off the sign in front of the Trump International Hotel in Panama on Monday, after the building's owner said he had won a battle with the president's family company over control of the property. The majority owner, Cypriot businessman Orestes Fintiklis, has been locked in a 10-day standoff with the Trump Organization, which has a management contract through 2031. Fintiklis sought to fire the organization, saying he blames it and the Trump brand for low revenue. Police showed up at the hotel several times during the clash, which included shoving matches and a power outage. Trump Organization executives said they would keep fighting to win control over the hotel, the company's only property in Latin America.
5. Trump and Netanyahu meet in the White House
President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday to discuss a host of contentious Middle East issues, including Jerusalem, Iran, and reviving peace efforts with the Palestinians. After the discussion, the two leaders presented a united front, with Trump saying he might travel to Jerusalem for the official opening of the new U.S. Embassy he ordered to be set up in the Holy City, after he ordered it moved from Tel Aviv. Trump's comments amounted to a key show of support for Netanyahu, who is battling corruption allegations back home.
6. Florida's Senate passes package of gun-control measures
Florida's Republican-controlled Senate voted Monday to exclude most teachers from a proposal to let school staff carry guns as part of the state's response to the school shooting that left 17 people dead in Parkland, Florida, last month. Many parents, legislators from both parties, and the state's Republican governor, Rick Scott, opposed arming teachers. The state Senate measure also would raise the legal age for buying any gun to 21. This was already the minimum age for handgun purchases, but not rifles, which can be purchased at age 18. The Senate legislation also would impose a three-day waiting period for gun purchases. The state House is expected to consider the bill Tuesday.
7. Trump's DACA deadline passes with no decisive action
President Trump's March 5 deadline for phasing out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program elapsed Monday with no resolution. DACA, which provides protections for young immigrants brought into America illegally as children, was supposed to terminate Monday after Trump announced he would end the program in September, but a number of court rulings have blocked Trump from ending the program. Trump has blamed Democrats for having "totally forgotten about DACA," and the national policy director for the ACLU, Faiz Shakir, expressed his own frustrations with Congress to NPR. "There's a concern that the March 5 deadline could die with a whimper rather than a bang," he said.
8. Former Russian spy ill after exposure to unidentified substance
A former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal, fell critically ill on Monday after being exposed to an unidentified substance in the U.K. Skripal, 66, served as a colonel in Russia's GRU military intelligence service, but was convicted of treason in 2006 for betraying Russian agents to British intelligence. He got out of the country, however, in a 2010 spy swap. British authorities would not identify a man and a woman found critically ill in a park, but two sources told Reuters the man was Skripal. "This has not been declared as a counter-terrorism incident and we would urge people not to speculate," Wiltshire police's Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Craig Holden said.
9. Judge orders Martin Shkreli to forfeit $7.4 million
Judge Kyo Matsumoto ruled Monday that former drug company leader Martin Shkreli will have to forfeit $7.4 million to the federal government under his upcoming criminal sentence on a fraud conviction. Shkreli was reported last year to be cash-broke, so the judge ordered him to forfeit his stake in several "substitute" assets, including a $5 million E-Trade brokerage account, the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, and a painting by Pablo Picasso. He also will have to give up his stake in the drug company Vyera Pharmaceuticals. Shkreli became notorious while leading Vyera, formerly known as Turing Pharmaceuticals, by raising the price on a life-saving drug for AIDS patients by 5,000 percent in 2015.
10. GOP Sen. Thad Cochran to resign
Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran (R) announced Monday that he will resign, citing health concerns. He will leave the Senate on April 1. "I regret my health has become an ongoing challenge," said Cochran, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "I intend to fulfill my responsibilities and commitments to the people of Mississippi and the Senate through the completion of the 2018 appropriations cycle." Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) will appoint a replacement to fill Cochran's seat until a special election later this year. Mississippi's other senator, Roger Wicker (R), is also up for re-election this fall.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A flower revival, a vibrant carnival, and more
By Anahi Valenzuela, The Week US Published
-
Drawing the Italian Renaissance: a 'relentlessly impressive' exhibition
The Week Recommends Show at the King's Gallery features an 'enormous cache' of works by the likes of Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael
By The Week UK Published
-
Niall Williams shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The Irish novelist chooses works by Charles Dickens, Seamus Heaney and Wendell Berry
By The Week UK Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 24, 2024
Daily Briefing Trump closes in on nomination with New Hampshire win over Haley, 'Oppenheimer' leads the 2024 Oscar nominations, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 23, 2024
Daily Briefing Haley makes last stand in New Hampshire as Trump extends polling lead, justices side with US over Texas in border fight, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 22, 2024
Daily Briefing DeSantis ends his presidential campaign and endorses Trump, the US and Arab allies push plan to end Gaza war, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 21, 2024
Daily Briefing Palestinian death toll reportedly passes 25,000, top Biden adviser to travel to Egypt and Qatar for hostage talks, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 20, 2024
Daily Briefing Grand jury reportedly convened to investigate Uvalde shooting response, families protest outside Netanyahu's house as pressure mounts for hostage deal, and more
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 19, 2024
Daily Briefing Congress averts a government shutdown, DOJ report cites failures in police response to Texas school shooting, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 18, 2024
Daily Briefing Judge threatens to remove Trump from his defamation trial, medicine for hostages and Palestinians reach Gaza, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
10 things you need to know today: January 17, 2024
Daily Briefing The US strikes Houthi targets in Yemen a third time, Trump's second sex defamation trial begins, and more
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published