Donald Trump has announced a 25 percent tariff on all fully-assembled cars imported to the U.S., the latest escalation of his chaotic trade war that is intended to boost American manufacturing but which could hit consumers.
His administration meanwhile remains under fire over the alarming security breach that saw Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, added by mistake to a Signal group chat in which the president’s most senior security officials discussed upcoming military action.
The magazine published their text exchange in full on Wednesday in response to denials that classified information had been compromised.
Trump said his National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has nothing to apologize for and has attempted to shift the blame towards an unnamed “lower level” White House employee instead, despite Waltz himself saying he takes “full responsibility” for the disaster.
Also swept up in the scandal, centered on an operation targeting Houthi positions in Yemen, are Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance.
Hegseth shared strike times and other details in the chat and is facing calls for his resignation from Democrats as the White House pushes back by blaming the media.
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Key Points
- Donald Trump announces 25 percent tariffs on all vehicle imports and issues new threat to EU and Canada
- Watch: Trump crowns himself the ‘fertilization president’ at Women’s History Month event
- Defiant White House switches to attack mode and blames Signalgate on ‘coordinated’ media campaign
- Trump was ‘p***ed’ at Mike Waltz for text blunder but there's more to it than just the leak
- The Atlantic publishes Trump administration’s Houthi attack plans in full
Watch: Trump crowns himself the ‘fertilization president’ at Women’s History Month event
09:20
,
Joe Sommerlad
Yes indeed friends, he really did say this – apologies if you happen to be eating your breakfast while reading this.
Speaking at a White House celebration of female achievement on Wednesday, the president declared: “We’re going to have tremendous goodies in the bag for women too, between the fertizilation and all the other things we are talking about, it’s going to be great.
“I am still very proud of it, I will be known as the fertilization president, that’s OK, that’s not bad.”
Top story: Trump announces 25 percent tariffs on all vehicle imports and issues new threat to EU and Canada
09:00
,
Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
Donald Trump has announced a 25 percent tariff on all fully-assembled cars imported to the U.S., the latest escalation of his chaotic trade war that is intended to boost American manufacturing but which could hit consumers.
Here’s what he had to say about it in the Oval Office yesterday, apparently not having thought about the consequences for his “first buddy” Elon Musk.
REPORTER: Are these auto tariffs permanent for the rest of your term?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 26, 2025
TRUMP: Oh, this is permanent. Yeah. 100 percent. pic.twitter.com/0WbgrPdslk
REPORTER: Do you think tariffs are gonna be good for Tesla?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 26, 2025
TRUMP: Good for who?
R: Tesla
TRUMP: Ahhh. Well, he has a fantastic -- Tesla -- I think they may ahh -- it could be a net neutral or it could be good pic.twitter.com/nUYwTWmrPn
The president was also up late on Truth Social raging about tariffs and threatening to hike them for the EU and Canada if they attempt to bypass the U.S. on imports by collaborating behind his back.
If the European Union works with Canada in order to do economic harm to the USA, large scale Tariffs, far larger than currently planned, will be placed on them both in order to protect the best friend that each of those two countries has ever had!
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) March 27, 2025
LIBERATION DAY IN AMERICA IS COMING, SOON. FOR YEARS WE HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF BY VIRTUALLY EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, BOTH FRIEND AND FOE. BUT THOSE DAYS ARE OVER — AMERICA FIRST!!!
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) March 27, 2025
Trump asks DOGE leader Elon Musk to investigate Signal blunder
08:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Elon Musk and the team at the Department of Government Efficiency will assist the White House and National Security Council in investigating how a journalist was added to a Signal group chat with national security officials, the White House Press Secretary said Wednesday.
Ariana Baio reports.
ICE arrests Tufts University doctoral student and revokes visa
08:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Federal immigration authorities arrested a Tufts University doctoral student from Turkey on Tuesday night, the latest in a string of arrests targeting international students for their Palestinian advocacy.
Rumeysa Ozturk, a PhD student in the graduate school of arts and sciences at the Massachusetts university, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers outside her off-campus apartment on her way to an Iftar dinner with friends, according to her attorney and activists.
Alex Woodward reports.
Trump was ‘p*****’ at Mike Waltz for the text blunder — but it was more than just about the leak, report says
07:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump was reportedly upset at National Security Adviser Mike Waltz for accidentally adding a journalist to a group chat between top national security officials about a military operation – but he was also allegedly upset that Waltz had the journalists’ phone number saved to begin with.
Ariana Baio reports.
After firing chaos, Trump offers timeline on DOGE cuts
06:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump has offered a timeline for when the Department of Government Efficiency’s mass firings and budget cutbacks could ease.
Trump said he will be satisfied with the agency’s work — led by Elon Musk — within the next few months during a cabinet meeting Monday.
“We’re getting down to a point we think probably over the next two or three months, we’ll be pretty much satisfied with the people that are working hard and want to be members of the administration and our country,” Trump said.
“Our country was riddled with fat, and we’re getting rid of the fat,” he added.
Katie Hawkinson reports from Washington, D.C.
‘Big Balls’ gave tech support to criminal group, report says
05:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Elon Musk’s teen protege, known online as “Big Balls,” provided tech support to a criminal gang that cyberstalked an FBI agent two years before working at the Department of Government Efficiency, a new report alleges.
Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old Northeastern University drop-out, is part of a group of young DOGE engineers who have been given access to critical computer systems as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to gut the federal government.
James Liddell reports.
Dave Portnoy declares that ‘somebody’s got to go down’ over Signalgate
04:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
While the White House continues to downplay Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's sharing of Yemen attack plans in a Signal group chat that inadvertently included a journalist, Barstool Sports “el presidente” Dave Portnoy demanded that President Donald Trump take action over the “f*** up of epic proportions.”
“There’s nothing’s being made up here,” Portnoy declared. “Somebody’s got to go down for this!”
Justin Baragona has the story.
Here's how Fox News reacted to this morning's publication of group chat texts
03:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Calling the White House’s bluff, The Atlantic released the messages Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent to a Signal chat group — which inadvertently included Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg — detailing the attack plans on Houthi targets in Yemen.
Immediately and unsurprisingly, the denizens of President Donald Trump’s favorite morning talk show dismissed the bombshell revelation as a nothingburger, insisting that Goldberg had “overpromised” when he first reported that Hegseth had shared “war plans” in an unclassified text chain that included a journalist who was randomly added to it.
Justin Baragona reports.
ICYMI: Entire Signal chat about Yemen attacks published
02:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Newly published texts reveal a minute-to-minute breakdown of “war plans,” weapons and targets in Yemen as Trump administration officials and military leaders discussed the operation with a journalist privy to the entire conversation.
The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who was inadvertently added to the Signal group chat discussing sensitive military operations, has published the messages after the White House and senior officials repeatedly claimed the chat did not contain classified information.
The messages from Hegseth, sent on the day of the attack, March 15, contain a detailed timeline of when U.S. forces would strike Houthi targets in Yemen.
Rhian Lubin reports.
Trump shares clip of CNN touting his favorability ratings, despite 'fake news' name-calling
01:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
Donald Trump has shared a clip from CNN—a network he has repeatedly derided for disseminating so-called “fake news”—showing a report touting his favorability ratings.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office last week, the president said that both CNN and MSNBC may be “turned off,” calling their journalism “dishonest” and stating their ratings are doing “horribly.”
On Wednesday morning, Trump took to Truth Social to share a video from the very outlet he attempted to discredit in the midst of the fallout over the Signal text leak.
James Liddell reports.
Noem looks to scrap FEMA and eliminate funding for emergency prep and long-term rebuilding
00:30
,
Oliver O'Connell
The Trump administration wants to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), reportedly aiming to end its role in funding long-term rebuilding efforts after disaster and seeding communities with funds to prepare for emergencies.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees the agency, discussed the administration’s plans during a Tuesday meeting with FEMA officials and Corey Lewandowski, E&E News reports.
Read on...
Democrats mock Republican hysteria over PBS and NPR in DOGE committee hearing
00:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Republicans on a congressional subcommittee supporting Elon Musk’s so-called DOGE efforts dragged NPR and PBS leadership to a public hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to accuse the publicly supported outlets of turning into “radical, left-wing echo chambers” with “anti-American” bias.
Democrats reacted accordingly, as Alex Woodward reports.
Trump admin security breach raises concerns among some military spouses and veterans
Wednesday 26 March 2025 23:30
,
AP
When Alyssa Myatt’s husband served on an aircraft carrier last year, she and other U.S. Navy spouses had to follow strict security protocols that meant driving to the ship’s home port just to learn that its deployment was being extended.
“It was not information that they would send in an email or share over the phone,” Myatt said. “They wouldn’t even stream it. You had to physically come and be present in a location with them to hear the information.”
Now Myatt is among some military spouses and veterans questioning the White House’s own adherence to security safeguards after President Donald Trump’s national security adviser added a journalist to a group chat about striking Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Read on...
Jesse Watters floats bizarre conspiracy theory about Signalgate
Wednesday 26 March 2025 22:40
,
Oliver O'Connell
Fox News presenter Jesse Watters floated a conspiracy theory that Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg "catfished" the nation's top military officials and tricked his way into a now-infamous group chat coordinating an attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Graig Graziosi has the story.
Full story: Trump announces 25 percent tariffs on all vehicle imports
Wednesday 26 March 2025 22:20
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump announced his latest round of tariffs on Wednesday, telling reporters at a press conference that the US would levy duties of 25 percent on all imports of fully-assembled vehicles.
John Bowden reports from Washington, D.C.
Watch: Shares in automakers fall as Trump speaks about tariffs
Wednesday 26 March 2025 22:14
,
Oliver O'Connell
"Driving the auto industry into a recession... We're sitting around the desk looking at the declines in the automakers as President Trump was speaking." pic.twitter.com/dNn1ylBQHa
— Kelsie Taggart (@kelsientaggart) March 26, 2025
Could Pornhub's Canadian owners block US access to protest Trump’s takeover hopes?
Wednesday 26 March 2025 22:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
What began as a joke by a comedian quickly turned into speculation about how Canada could mount a powerful protest against the U.S. over President Donald Trump’s takover hopes.
Not with its own retaliatory tariffs, or shutting down every branch of Tim Horton’s and Lululemon in the U.S. — but by banning access to the Canadian-owned adult entertainment website Pornhub.
“If Canada could ban Pornhub in the States, we win the trade war. That’s it. There is no trade war,” Toronto-based comedian Matthew Puzhitsky joked to the New York Post earlier this month, referring to it as “Canada’s nuke.”
Rhian Lubin reports.
Trump open to China tariffs reduction over TikTok deal
Wednesday 26 March 2025 21:56
,
Oliver O'Connell
During his Oval Office tariffs announcement, President Donald Trump said that he might give China a little reduction in tariffs to get a deal related to Chinese-owned TikTok done, while adding that he was likely to extend a deadline if an agreement over the social media app was not reached.
"With respect to TikTok, and China is going to have to play a role in that, possibly in the form of an approval, maybe, and I think they'll do that. Maybe I'll give them a little reduction in tariffs or something to get it done," Trump told reporters.
CIA director erupts after Democrat asks whether Hegseth was drinking before Signalgate leaks
Wednesday 26 March 2025 21:45
,
Oliver O'Connell
CIA Director John Ratcliffe blew up on Democratic Congressman Jimmy Gomez after the lawmaker asked if Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had been drinking before he and other top Trump administration officials leaked sensitive military information to Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg.
Graig Graziosi reports.
Trump makes further comments on Signalgate
Wednesday 26 March 2025 21:44
,
Oliver O'Connell
When asked about Signalgate, President Donald Trump says Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is “doing a great job” and had “nothing to do” with Signal chat.
Hegseth is the one who sent the apparently classified information about the attack’s minute-by-minute timeline and military equipment to the chat.
The president also called it a witch hunt and made sure to say: “I wasn’t there.”
Asked whether he believes classified information was shared Trump said: “Well, that's what I've heard. I don't know.”
He added: “I'm not sure, you’ll have to ask the various people involved. I really don’t know.”
Reporter: Do you still believe nothing classified with shared?
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 26, 2025
President Trump: Well, that's what I've heard. I don't know. pic.twitter.com/YigLcMebGb
Trump on Signal-Gate: I think it is a witch hunt. I wasn't involved with it. I wasn't there pic.twitter.com/yXu4oEekRC
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 26, 2025
Watch: Trump asked about assuring Americans tariffs won't lead to long-term price increases
Wednesday 26 March 2025 21:36
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump was asked how he could assure Americans that new tariffs would not cause a long-term increase in prices.
His answer appeared to refer to the stock market and wider economy and not the question of prices for American consumers.
Trump says imported pharmaceuticals will be taxed too
Wednesday 26 March 2025 21:27
,
Oliver O'Connell
Trump’s intention is for foreign manufacturers to build vehicles in the U.S. The president said he will soon also do the same with pharmaceuticals.
Trump: We are going to be doing tariffs on pharmaceuticals.. we’re going to have lumber pic.twitter.com/shXR0CepSI
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 26, 2025
Trump announces 25% tariff on imported cars
Wednesday 26 March 2025 21:22
,
Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump has announced that cars and light trucks imported into the U.S. will be subject to a 25 percent tariff in addition to any existing tariffs.
Cars manufactured in the U.S. will not be subject to the new tax, regardless of the company’s country of origin.
He will sign an executive order shortly but has not said at what point the tariffs will take effect.
Trump also has not said if there will be any exemptions, such as for cars built in Canada and Mexico under USMCA.
More follows...
Trump: "What we're gonna be doing is a 25 percent tariffs on all cars that are not made in the United States." pic.twitter.com/AiSE1Aoxzh
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 26, 2025
Watch LIVE: President Donald Trump makes auto tariffs announcement
Wednesday 26 March 2025 21:17
,
Oliver O'Connell
Full story: Trump appoints ‘first buddy’ and DOGE head Elon Musk to investigate Signal blunder
Wednesday 26 March 2025 21:00
,
Oliver O'Connell
Elon Musk and the team at the Department of Government Efficiency will assist the White House and National Security Council in investigating how a journalist was added to a Signal group chat with national security officials, the White House Press Secretary said on Wednesday.
After the shocking news that the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic was added to a group with cabinet members about a U.S. military operation in Yemen, lawmakers and the public have called for investigations into how the incident occurred.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said those requests would be filled by the National Security Council, White House Counsel’s Office and Musk’s DOGE team.
Ariana Baio reports.
Full story: Appeals court rejects Trump’s attempt to throw out order that blocks deportations under Alien Enemies Act
Wednesday 26 March 2025 20:23
,
Oliver O'Connell
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. has rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to throw out a lower-court ruling that has blocked the administration from deporting immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act.
Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the fourth time in U.S. history at some point before three planes with dozens of Venezuelans were sent to El Salvador’s notorious prison, where they do not have access to legal counsel and face the prospect of indefinite detention.
Alex Woodward reports.
Watch: Trump refers to himself as 'fertilization president' at Womens' History Month event
Wednesday 26 March 2025 20:17
,
Oliver O'Connell
Watch: Marjorie Taylor Greene shouts down British journalist over Signalgate
Wednesday 26 March 2025 20:15
,
Oliver O'Connell
