Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 200 percent tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits in retaliation for the European Union’s proposed 50 percent tariff on American whiskey has prompted domestic wine sellers and importers to warn that such a move would essentially kill off their business.
As Trump’s trade war continues to unsettle financial markets, the president continues to suffer political setbacks in the courts.
Two federal judges ruled on Thursday that Trump’s administration must reinstate the thousands of probationary employees fired from multiple agencies by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Staff from the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Agriculture, Interior and other agencies must get their jobs back, California District Court Judge William Alsup ruled.
Hours later, U.S. District Judge James Bredar issued a similar ruling, ordering fired employees across 18 agencies to be reinstated for at least 14 days.
Meanwhile, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he will vote for the House Republicans’ new spending bill after all, reducing the chance of the government going into shutdown and demonstrators swarmed Trump Tower in New York City to protest the immigration detention of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil.
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Key Points
- Trump’s 200% tariff threat on E.U. wines and Champagne will kill demand, U.S. importers warn
- President's plans dealt another blow as federal judge orders fired probationary employees be rehired
- Trump asks Supreme Court to let him enforce executive order redefining birthright citizenship
- Vance defends DOGE, says there's no tension between Musk and Rubio
Trump’s 200% tariff threat on E.U. wines and Champagne will kill demand, U.S. importers warn
08:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump’s threat to impose a 200 percent tariff on European wine, Champagne and spirits in retaliation for the European Union’s proposed 50 percent tariff on American whiskey has prompted domestic wine sellers and importers to warn that such a move would essentially kill off their business.
“I don’t think customers are prepared to pay two to three times more for their favorite wine or Champagne,” Ronnie Sanders, the CEO of Vine Street Imports in Mt. Laurel Township, New Jersey, said.
Jeff Zacharia, president of fine wine retailer Zachys in Port Chester, New York, said 80 percent of the wine he sells is from Europe.
Importers depend on European wines for a big part of their distribution system, he said, and there’s not enough American wine to make up for that.
“This is just going to have a major negative impact on the whole U.S. wine industry in all aspects of it, including U.S. wineries,” he said.
Here’s more.
Watch: CNBC reporter blasts Trump's 'insane' handling of the economy
08:30
,
Katie Hawkinson
Dozens of colleges in Trump administration’s crosshairs for ‘anti-semitism’ after Trump administration yanks $400m from Columbia
08:00
,
Ariana Baio
At least 60 colleges and universities received warnings from the Department of Education to follow their obligation to protect Jewish students on campus or face repercussions, just days after the Trump administration revoked $400 million in grants and contracts to Columbia University for what they call a failure to combat antisemitism on campus.
Keep reading:
Watch: The View thrashes ‘despicable’ Gavin Newsom’s ‘inauthentic’ MAGA podcast interviews
07:30
,
Katie Hawkinson
‘Where’s Elon Musk?’ Democratic Rep angrily calls out missing ‘genius’ at DOGE hearing
07:00
,
Kelly Rissman
A House committee hearing turned explosive when Connecticut Congressman John Larson blasted “genius” Elon Musk for not showing up to a hearing concerning the cuts he was overseeing through the Department of Government Efficiency.
Keep reading:
Iran hawks divided over whether Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ works without Europe’s help
06:30
,
Katie Hawkinson
Can Washington strategically isolate Iran while growing further apart from Europe itself?
Read on as The Independent’s John Bowden considers this key question:
‘No daylight’: Biden refused to let Harris break with him on policy issues during campaign, new book alleges
06:00
,
Joe Sommerlad
President Joe Biden refused to allow Vice President Kamala Harris to establish “daylight” between his policies and hers when she succeeded him as the Democratic presidential nominee last summer, an insistence that hamstrung her campaign and ultimately contributed to her defeat to Donald Trump at the polls, a new book alleges.
Keep reading:
Watch: Protesters occupy Trump Tower over arrest of Mahmoud Khalil
05:30
,
Katie Hawkinson
Canadian entrepreneur detained by ICE and sent to Arizona facility in chains after visa was revoked, family says
05:00
,
Joe Sommerlad
A Canadian businesswoman who was arrested in the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents over an incomplete visa is being held in “inhumane” conditions in an Arizona detention center, according to her family, who have now gone public in an attempt to secure her release.
Keep reading:
Mahmoud Khalil sues Columbia and House Republicans over student records as university announces expulsions over protests
04:30
,
Alex Woodward
Mahmoud Khalil and other Columbia University students are suing the university and a Republican-led House committee to block thousands of student records from getting into the hands of members of Congress investigating pro-Palestine protests on college campuses.
Read more:
Watch: Daily Show mocks Trump's White House Tesla purchase
04:00
,
Katie Hawkinson
DOGE obscures details of savings after posting error-filled data on its website
03:30
,
Katie Hawkinson
Two days before voters elected Donald Trump for his second term, Elon Musk claimed on X that “all government data should be default public for maximum transparency.”
Now, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is obscuring the data of the programs and contracts they cut, leaving it impossible for independent organizations to fact-check their savings claims, The New York Times reports.
The DOGE website touts billions of dollars in savings and lists the individual contracts, grants and real estate that were cut. Originally, each individual item came with identifying information that allowed everyone to fact-check the savings, according to the Times.
Keep reading:
Trump demands Columbia change discipline and admissions rules
03:29
,
Katie Hawkinson
President Donald Trump’s administration demanded Columbia University change its student discipline and admissions rules before it would consider reversing the cancellation of $400 million in funding and contracts, The New York Times reports.
The administration says the university must formalize a definition of antisemitism and ban masks that are “intended to conceal identity or intimidate,” according to the Times.
They also demanded the school place the Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies Department under “academic receivership,” which means the department leader is removed and replaced by an outside chair.
A Columbia spokesperson told the Times the university is “reviewing the letter.”
Republicans get behind effort to make hating Elon Musk domestic terrorism
03:00
,
Katie Hawkinson
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and her colleagues appear to be stepping up the pressure on the FBI and the Attorney General to investigate instances of Tesla vandalism as acts of domestic terrorism, which Donald Trump has championed.
Keep reading:
Former CDC nominee goes scorched earth, blaming two Republicans and ‘big Pharma’ for failed bid
02:30
,
Ariana Baio
Dave Weldon, the former congressman who had his nomination to head the Centers for Disease Control yanked away by the White House Wednesday, blamed “Big Pharma” for influencing two Republican senators to vote “no” on his nomination.
Weldon, 71, was slated to appear before the Senate health committee for his confirmation hearing, but 12 hours earlier, was informed he did not have enough votes to make it out of committee. The Trump team told him they were withdrawing his nomination.
Weldon, a physician who has espoused skepticism about the safety of widely used vaccines, blamed Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana for his failed bid – theorizing both were voting against him to appease “Big Pharma.”
Keep reading:
Another federal judge orders Trump to rehire fired probationary employees
02:13
,
Katie Hawkinson
A second federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to rehire probationary workers who were cut in the slew of mass firings.
The order reinstates the workers for at least 14 days, after which the judge will consider extending the order or issuing a longer-term injunction while the legal battle plays out.
White House ‘drawing up plans’ for increasing troops in Panama amid Trump’s push to ‘reclaim’ canal: report
02:00
,
Katie Hawkinson
The U.S. military is reportedly drawing up plans to increase American troop presence in Panama at the direction of the White House – part of President Donald Trump’s goal to “take back” the Panama Canal.
Since taking office in January, the president has vowed to reclaim the Panama Canal, which is currently operated by Panama, as part of his effort to improve foreign relations in what he believes is the nation’s favor.
Keep reading:
Texas megachurch founder and Trump ally Robert Morris indicted on charges of committing lewd acts with child
01:30
,
Rhian Lubin
The founder of a Texas megachurch and former Trump ally has been indicted on charges of lewd or indecent acts with a child - which allegedly happened in the 1980s.
Robert Morris, 63, resigned last year from the Gateway Church in the Dallas suburb of Southlake as senior pastor after the allegations surfaced.
He is charged with five criminal counts of lewd or indecent acts involving a child, who was 12 at the time, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office said in a statement Wednesday.
Analysis: Trump says he loves Canada, but it should not exist
01:00
,
Richard Hall
It’s rare for threats of annexation to be delivered with a smile. But in the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, Donald Trump repeated his intention to eliminate Canada from the map and occupy Greenland with the same casualness that one might order lunch.
Keep reading:
What is the Alien Enemies Act of 1798? The wartime law that Trump wants to invoke to speed up deportations
00:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to use a wartime law to speed up the number of deportations, four people familiar with the talks told CNN.
The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 would give the president broad authority to remove undocumented immigrants, but it’s only ever been invoked during actual wartime, and legal experts have said that President Trump would likely face pushback in the courts if he were to use it.
Venezuelan organized crime group Tren de Aragua, which is present in the U.S. and other countries, would be a top target for deportation under the law, according to the outlet. President Donald Trump has already instructed his administration to designate the group as a foreign terrorist organization and wants to use the law to remove its members.
Keep reading:
Trump Tower takeover: Here is what it was like on NYC’s 5th Avenue as pro-Palestine protesters were dragged out by cops
00:00
,
Kelly Rissman
The corner of New York City’s 5th Avenue and 56th Street is typically dotted with shoppers, designer goods and more than one reaction to the famous building casting its shadow over the block. Images of Donald Trump's "Fight Fight Fight" are held in the air, others choose to put a choice finger in the air, merchants hawk T-shirts with the president's mugshot. A few buskers hope to sell MAGA hats to anyone who breaks stride.
On Thursday, that typical NYC chaos turned into actual - but short-lived - chaos. MAGA-red was replaced by protest red and cop blue as protestors were dragged outside the famous tower after “occupying” it.
Keep reading:
Vance defends arrest of Mahmoud Khalil
Thursday 13 March 2025 23:39
,
Katie Hawkinson
Vice President JD Vance defended ICE’s arrest of Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil for his “advocacy for Palestinian rights.”
“A green card holder, even if I might like that green card holder doesn't have an indefinite right to be in the United States of America,” Vance said. “American citizens have different rights from people who have green cards, from people who have student visas. And so my attitude on this is this not fundamentally about free speech.”
“And to me, yes it's about national security, but it's also more importantly about who do we, as an American public, decide gets to join our national community,” Vance continued. “And if the Secretary of State and the President decide this person shouldn't be in America, they have no legal right to stay here.”
Vance defends DOGE, says there's no tension between Musk and Rubio
Thursday 13 March 2025 23:35
,
Katie Hawkinson
Vice President JD Vance said there’s no truth to reports that there’s tension between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and DOGE leader Elon Musk after the two reportedly had a heated argument during a cabinet meeting last week.
"I don't think there's tension,” Vance said. “There's certainly disagreement. From time to time, we're not going to agree on everything.”
“Elon is doing a great job...Marco [Rubio], I think, is doing an incredible job as Secretary of State...So the fact that you disagree at a meeting, that does not mean that you have misalignment,” he added.
Read the full report on the argument between Musk and Rubio:
Senate Democrats prepare to defy Chuck Schumer and brace for a shutdown
Thursday 13 March 2025 23:20
,
Eric Garcia
Senate Democrats seemed to prepare themselves for the possibility of letting the government shut down as more of them came out against a continuing resolution on Thursday.
This comes even though their leader, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, signaled that he was willing to provide the votes to avert a shutdown, a sign that enough Democrats could join Republicans to vote for the stopgap spending bill.
Keep reading:
Pete Hegseth moving to relax rules of engagement as part of military lawyer overhaul, says report
Thursday 13 March 2025 23:00
,
Josh Marcus
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reportedly planning an overhaul for the military’s lawyers to relax the rules of combat engagement and change how charges are brought against service members.
Hegseth wants sweeping changes among the judge advocate general’s corps, pushing for more aggressive battlefield actions and more leniency against soldiers accused of offenses, which could include war crimes, sources told The Guardian.
Keep reading:
JD Vance's interview with Fox News to air tonight
Thursday 13 March 2025 22:41
,
Katie Hawkinson
Vice President JD Vance sat down for an interview with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham, which will air tonight at 7 p.m. ET.
Follow along for live updates from The Independent.
DOGE obscures details of savings after posting error-filled data on its website
Thursday 13 March 2025 22:40
,
Katie Hawkinson
Two days before voters elected Donald Trump for his second term, Elon Musk claimed on X that “all government data should be default public for maximum transparency.”
Now, Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is obscuring the data of the programs and contracts they cut, leaving it impossible for independent organizations to fact-check their savings claims, The New York Times reports.
Keep reading:
Canadian entrepreneur detained by ICE and put in chains, family says
Thursday 13 March 2025 22:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
A Canadian entrepreneur who was arrested in the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents over an incomplete visa is being held in “inhumane” conditions in an Arizona detention center, according to her family, who have now gone public in an attempt to secure her release.
Joe Sommerlad has the details.
Dr. Oz ‘significantly underpaid’ his taxes, Democrats say as they prepare to grill him in confirmation hearing
Thursday 13 March 2025 22:20
,
Rhian Lubin
Dr Mehmet Oz “significantly underpaid” his taxes for some of the programs he intends to oversee, Democrats claimed ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing Friday.
A memo from Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee reportedly claims that Oz, 64, underpaid Medicare and Social Security taxes in 2022 and 2023, NBC News reports.
Keep reading:
Explained: What is the Alien Enemies Act of 1798? The wartime law that Trump wants to invoke to speed up deportations
Thursday 13 March 2025 22:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to use a wartime law to speed up the number of deportations, four people familiar with the talks told CNN.
The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 would give the president broad authority to remove undocumented immigrants, but it’s only ever been invoked during actual wartime, and legal experts have said that President Trump would likely face pushback in the courts if he were to use it.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Nearly 100 pro-Palestine protesters arrested after storming NYC’s Trump Tower
Thursday 13 March 2025 21:40
,
Oliver O'Connell
The New York Police Department has made multiple arrests after dozens of activists swarmed Trump Tower to protest the immigration detention of a Columbia University activist.
Chaotic scenes showed NYPD officers dragging out members of the group Jewish Voice for Peace on Thursday.
Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident who is married to an American citizen and who hasn't been charged with breaking any laws, was arrested outside his New York City apartment on Saturday and faces deportation.
Mike Bedigan has the story.
Representative Raúl Grijalva of Arizona dies at 77
Thursday 13 March 2025 21:21
,
Katie Hawkinson
Representative Raúl Grijalva, a Democrat from Arizona, has died at 77 due to complications from cancer treatment.
“The Office of the 7th District of Arizona is saddened to announce the passing of Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva. Rep. Grijalva fought a long and brave battle,” his office said in a statement. “He passed away this morning due to complications of his cancer treatments.”
DOGE staffers at Social Security have access to Americans’ personal data as Elon Musk hunts for dead people
Thursday 13 March 2025 21:20
,
Oliver O'Connell
At least 10 people working with Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency are embedded within the Social Security Administration to bolster claims from Donald Trump and the world’s wealthiest man that millions of dead people are receiving benefits, according to court documents.
Seven DOGE employees “have been granted access” to Americans’ Social Security data or “personally identifiable information,” government lawyers said.
Alex Woodward reports.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer meets with Trump
Thursday 13 March 2025 21:08
,
Katie Hawkinson
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, revealed she met with President Donald Trump earlier today.
“I had a productive
