International
Trump claims Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he was still in White House
Donald Trump claimed Vladimir Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he was still in the White House, during his latest MAGA rally.
The one-term president told the crowd in Michigan that he was surprised at the Kremlin’s assault on Ukraine, and admitted that he thought Mr Putin was just negotiating a “great deal”
“I thought he was negotiating. He had 150,000 soldiers on the border, I thought he was going to make a great deal,” Mr Trump told the rally at Michigan Stars Sports Center in Washington Township, Michigan, on Saturday night.
And Mr Trump insisted that Moscow pushed forward with its unprovoked invasion of its neighbour because of the way that US troops left Afghanistan last August.
“I think that when he (Putin) saw what happened in Afghanistan, the way we ran, we didn’t to have one soldier killed there in 18 months, I said Abdul there are going to be no more of our soldiers killed. Not one person was killed for 18 months and Biden even said that,” he said.
“Then we lost 13, but they don’t talk about how horribly so many of them were wounded. This invasion of Ukraine would never have happened if I was in the White House, would never have happened, not ever.
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“I knew Putin very well, and you know they say ‘Oh well he knows Putin’, that is a good thing, good thing, not a bad thing. I know Kim Jong-un, I know President Xi of China and you know what we had no conflict, remember?”
Mr Trump then added that the Taliban now had $85bn worth of US military equipment left behind in the rapid departure from the country, and suggested that America should “maybe go in and take it back.”
He then mocked Joe Biden for his “mental and physical decline” to roars of approval from his supporters.
“I don’t think we have ever had a time in our country where we feel so low and so dejected. We are living through the most dangerous period of our lifetime and we have a president who has no idea what’s going on, what he’s doing, what he’s saying or where he is. other than that he is doing an excellent job,” he said.
“There is maybe nothing we can do to prevent Joe Biden’s mental and physical decline, but with your vote this November we can stop our country’s decline and Make America Great Again.”
Mr Trump also turned his attention to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who it has been reported is leaving the Biden administration to join MSNBC.
He described Ms Psaki as “the woman with the really beautiful red hair” and claimed the news network is trying to hire her because they need a red head in their line-up.
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International
Poland suspends migrants’ right to apply for asylum
Poland suspends migrants’ right to apply for asylum
Poland has temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving in Poland via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced it would be happening after the controversial bill, which will allow Polish authorities to suspend this right for up to 60 days at a time, was signed into law by President Andrzej Duda.
Tusk had said it would be adopted “without a moment’s delay” while Duda said the changes were needed to strengthen security on the country’s borders.
But the law has been criticized by rights groups including Human Rights Watch, which said the EU should take legal action against Poland if it was implemented.
The group urged the country’s parliament last month to reject the bill, saying it “flies in the face of Poland’s international and EU obligations” and could “effectively completely seal off the Poland-Belarus border, where Polish authorities already engage in unlawful and abusive pushbacks”.
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The government said previously the suspension would only be applied temporarily to people who pose a threat to state security, for example large groups of aggressive migrants trying to storm the border.
Exemptions will be made for unaccompanied minors, pregnant women, the elderly or unwell, anyone exposed to “real risk of serious harm” by being returned and citizens of countries accused of conducting the instrumentalization of migration – like Belarus
Tusk has dismissed criticism from human rights groups.
“Nobody is talking about violating human rights, the right to asylum, we are talking about not granting applications to people who illegally cross the border in groups organised by Lukashenko,” he said in October.
Since 2021, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Finland have seen a huge increase in the number of people crossing into their countries illegally from Belarus and Russia.
Polish authorities have sent thousands of troops and border guards to police its border with Belarus and built a 5.5-metre-high steel fence along 186 km of the frontier where at times several thousand migrants have been left stranded.
Rights groups estimate more than one hundred people have died on the borders between Belarus and Poland, Lithuania and Latvia since 2021.
EU eastern flank countries and the European Commission have accused the Belarusian and Russian authorities of weaponising migration to create a new route into the EU to destabilize the bloc.
Poland suspends migrants’ right to apply for asylum
BBC
International
Trump slaps 25% tariffs on car imports to US
Trump slaps 25% tariffs on car imports to US
US President Donald Trump has slapped new 25% import duties on autos and car parts entering the US, threatening to escalate the global trade war.
Trump said the additional duties would go into effect on April 2, with levies on businesses importing autos beginning the next day. Charges for parts are scheduled to begin in May or later.
The president stated that the proposal would result in “tremendous growth” for the auto industry, saying that it would boost jobs and investment in the United States.
However, analysts believe the measure will result in a temporary stoppage of significant US vehicle production, higher costs, and strained relations with allies.
Last year, the US imported approximately eight million cars, accounting for approximately $240 billion (£186 billion) in trade and roughly half of total sales.
Mexico is the top foreign supplier of cars to the US, followed by South Korea, Japan, Canada, and Germany.
Trump’s latest move could disrupt global car trade and supply chains. Many US car companies have operations in Mexico and Canada under the terms of the long-standing free trade agreement.
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However, the new taxes on parts from Canada and Mexico are exempt until US Customs and Border Patrol establish a method to assess the duties, according to the White House. Every day, billions of dollars in goods cross borders between neighbouring countries.
On Wednesday, General Motors’ stock fell almost 3%. The sell-off spread to other firms, including Ford, following the president’s speech that reaffirmed the tariffs.
When asked during a news conference if there was any chance he would change his mind, Trump responded no, later adding, “This is permanent.”
“If you build your car in the United States there is no tariff,” he said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that his government would consider all measures in reaction to the taxes.
Japan, home to several major automakers, is the world’s second-largest vehicle exporter.
Japanese automakers’ shares, including Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, sank in early trading in Tokyo.
A tariff is a levy on imports levied by the government and paid by the company importing the goods.
Trump has welcomed the instrument, intending to use it to target a wide range of imported goods as part of a larger effort to defend American industries and increase production.
However, while the rules can protect domestic industries, they also increase costs for businesses that rely on imported parts, such as carmakers.
According to the Anderson Economic Group, 25% tariffs on parts from Mexico and Canada alone could increase the cost of a car by $4,000 to $10,000, depending on the type.
Trump slaps 25% tariffs on car imports to US
International
Three girls arrested for attempting to stab mother
Three girls arrested for attempting to stab mother
Three teenage sisters in Texas have been charged with trying to stab their mom to death for turning off the Wi-Fi.
The sisters, ages just 14, 15, and 16, were busted after chasing their 39-year-old mother from their Houston home late Sunday allegedly bashing her with a brick and then knocking over their grandmother when she tried to stop them, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
“The three siblings allegedly coordinated a plan to try and kill the mother,” Gonzalez wrote on X.
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“The mother was struck with a brick” and ” In the process, “the grandmother was knocked over while trying to protect” her, the sheriff said, without further identifying any of those involved.
Luckily, both adults escaped serious injury, he said.
All three sisters were arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and were booked into the Harris County Juvenile facility.
Three girls arrested for attempting to stab mother
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