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A coalition of 12 American states filed a lawsuit Wednesday to challenge the Trump administration’s tariffs, saying the president cannot institute the levies without the approval of Congress.”President Trump’s insane tariff scheme is not only economically reckless — it is illegal,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement. The southwestern state is joined by Democratic-led Minnesota, New York, Oregon and others in the filing. Separately, California filed a similar suit a week ago.President Donald Trump has sent markets into tumult in his second term, turning decades of free trade policy on its head with his “Liberation Day” announcements of new tariffs against numerous countries.Trump has imposed an additional 145 percent import duties on China, and Beijing responded with its own 125 percent tariffs on US goods. On Wednesday, Trump told reporters he’s working on a “fair deal with China.”Meanwhile he has imposed 10 percent tariffs on other trade partners — and he is threatening more punishing levies.In the lawsuit filed Wednesday, the states argue that the 1977 law invoked by Trump does not allow him to use emergency measures to impose tariffs, a power constitutionally reserved for Congress.”By claiming the authority to impose immense and ever-changing tariffs on whatever goods entering the United States he chooses, for whatever reason he finds convenient to declare an emergency, the President has upended the constitutional order and brought chaos to the American economy,” the lawsuit alleges.Trump has said his protectionist policy will return manufacturing jobs to the United States. “No matter what the White House claims, tariffs are a tax that will be passed on to Arizona consumers,” Mayes said.On Wednesday, The New York Times reported that Trump’s approval rating has fallen steadily during his first three months in office, hitting a low of 44 percent this week. Democrats are seizing the opportunity to illustrate how his policies are hurting pocketbooks.Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom called Trump’s tariff policy “the worst own-goal in the history of this country.”

Elon Musk says he will step back from his controversial White House role as the unofficial head of the cost-cutting “Department of Government Efficiency” to focus more on his troubled Tesla car company.While classified as a mere “special government employee” and “senior advisor to the president,” the South African-born tycoon has left indelible marks on American politics as President Donald Trump’s most visible billionaire backer.- The ‘Nazi’ salute -Being Trump’s right-hand man took on a new meaning when the world’s richest person made headlines by dramatically throwing out his arm — twice — at a rally celebrating Trump’s January 20 inauguration.Standing at a podium bearing the presidential seal, Musk’s right arm was straight, his hand open, his palm facing down. Historians agreed with Democratic politicians that the sharp gesture looked exactly like a Nazi salute.The Tesla boss — whose electric vehicles were soon dubbed “swasticars” by critics — dismissed the claims, posting on his X social media platform: “The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”Whatever the display meant, Nazi-related jokes and memes dominated public reactions to the day meant to mark Trump’s triumphant return to office.- Endorsing Germany’s extreme-right -Hot off his salute shock, Musk participated virtually at a January rally for Germany’s anti-immigration, ultra-nationalist AfD party.Musktold the crowd “you really are the best hope” for Germany and urged them to be “proud of German culture and German values.”His endorsement of the AfD shook mainstream German parties, which said they viewed it as foreign interference by Trump’s advisor. Vandals burned four Teslas in the streets of Berlin afterward.Despite record gains at the polls, AfD ultimately took second place in the election behind Germany’s conservatives. – Brings kid to work -Dressed down in MAGA hats andt-shirts, Musk became a near constant presence in the White House. For a while, so did his four-year-old son named X.During Musk’s first appearance before press since his arrival in Washington to run DOGE, the child was trotted out and Trump said, “This is X and he’s a great guy.”The boy was filmed picking his nose while his father boasted about his cost-cutting exploits standing next to the Oval Office’s Resolute Desk.- Brings chainsaw to budget -Unelected and unconfirmed by Senate, Musk has repeatedly bashed the “unelected, fourth unconstitutional branch of government, which is the bureaucracy” and immediately made brutal cuts to the federal workforce and budget.To illustrate his management style, Musk donned sunglasses and brandished a chainsaw on stage at a conservative get-together in Washington.It was handed to him — not turned on — by right-wing Argentine President Javier Milei, who made the machine a symbol of slashing bureaucracy and state spending in his own country.- Overshadowing Trump’s cabinet -At Trump’s first cabinet meeting on February 26, Musk had a starring role even though he is not part of the cabinet. He stood looming near a doorway, wearing a t-shirt with words “Tech Support” across the chest as the cabinet met.Even without a literal seat at the table, the country’s most powerful officials were overshadowed by Musk, who helped bankroll Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.Trump downplayed this tension shortly before the meeting, posting on his social media platform: “ALL CABINET MEMBERS ARE EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH ELON.”- Trump the Tesla salesman -With Musk’s Tesla car company taking a battering on the stock market and sales dropping sharply, and with vandals targeting his brand, the White House hosted a highly publicized test drive to boost Tesla’s rep. With a Tesla Cybertruck and a Model S parked on the South Portico, Trump and Musk mounted a sale’s pitch.Trump even said he had purchased one.The stunt didn’t ultimately turn around Tesla’s plummeting sales, with the electric vehicle maker reporting a 71 percent drop in first-quarter profits.- Fails to sway court election -Money can’t buy you everything, Musk discovered, after pouring $25 million into the most expensive court race in US history to try to get a pro-Trump Republican judge elected to Wisconsin’s Supreme Court.Musk paid voters $100 to sign a petition opposing “activist judges” and even handed out $1 million checks to voters, beseeching the public to select the conservative judge. The court’s docket was packed with precedent-setting cases over abortion and reproductive rights, the strength of  public sector unions, voting rules and congressional district boundaries. The US state in April instead chose a liberal judge by a wide margin, dismaying the billionaire — who had spent roughly $277 million in 2024 in the national race to help get Trump elected.- Tariff dissenter -After Trump announced his sweeping US tariffs, deeply affecting major trading partners China and the European Union, Musk made the case for a free-trade zone between the US and Europe.This clashes with Trump trade policy.Shortly after, he called Trump’s economic adviser Peter Navarro, a longtime advocate for trade barriers, “dumber than a sack of bricks.”Navarro had taken aim at Tesla, saying the carmaker mostly sourced assembled major components from factories in Asia.Musk retorted with studies he said showed “Tesla has the most American-made cars.”White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt later tried to play down the public feud, saying that “boys will be boys.”

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency called Wednesday on Iran to explain tunnels built around a nuclear site but voiced optimism that US-Iran talks would land a deal.The Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington think tank, released satellite imagery on Wednesday that it said showed a new, deeply buried tunnel alongside an older one around the Natanz site, as well as a new security perimeter.”I’ve been raising this issue repeatedly, and I will continue to do so,” Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told reporters on a visit to Washington.Grossi, who visited Tehran last week, said that all countries need to inform the IAEA of intentions for facilities around nuclear sites but that Iran has a stance “unique in the world” that it does not need to inform the agency ahead of time.”We’re asking them, what is this for? They are telling us, it’s none of your business,” Grossi said.Grossi said it “cannot be excluded” that the tunnels would store undeclared material but said he did not want to speculate on intentions.But Grossi also said that Iranian and IAEA experts would meet to follow up on his visit, including on reinstalling cameras on nuclear sites.”It was agreed that I am sending a technical team to continue our discussions on this very specific kind of things,” he said.”They are going to be meeting in the next few days in Tehran.”- Expectation of new deal -Iran and the United States have held two rounds of talks since President Donald Trump called for a diplomatic solution to avoid conflict. A new round of technical talks is expected this weekend.”I think there’s a general expectation that this goes well and that the agreement is verified by the IAEA,” Grossi said.He said that was “more or less the sense of what I’m getting when I’m talking to leaders,” mentioning specifically Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as hopeful for a US-Iran deal.Trump in 2018 ripped up an earlier nuclear agreement negotiated under Barack Obama and reimposed sweeping sanctions.But Trump has voiced hope in his second term for a new accord that would resolve the issue diplomatically, and has discouraged Israel from a military strike on Iran.Asked about a military option, Grossi said: “I should simply remind that attacks on nuclear facilities is something that could have potentially very, very serious consequences.”- US talks tough -The Obama deal, known as the JCPOA, allowed Iran to maintain uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent — far below the level needed for nuclear weapons — for civilian nuclear usage.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood firm in an interview released Wednesday that there should be no enrichment.”If Iran wants a civil nuclear program, they can have one just like many other countries in the world have one, and that is they import enriched material,” he told the Honestly podcast.Rubio said the Trump team would not repeat the Obama deal which “gave Iran immediate and full sanctions relief in exchange for enrichment capabilities that at any point could be weaponized in the future.”Obama administration officials counter that the JCPOA worked in constraining Iran’s program until Trump walked away and that it is unrealistic to expect Iran to surrender its whole program.The Trump administration has kept up sanctions despite the diplomacy. On Tuesday, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on an Iranian shipping network and its purported owner.Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei responded that the move was in “clear contradiction with the United States’ demand for dialogue and negotiation and indicates America’s lack of goodwill and seriousness in this regard.”burs-sct/mlm

Celebrated rocker Carlos Santana was forced to postpone several tour dates after testing positive for Covid-19, his manager said Wednesday.The 77-year-old guitar icon “experienced dehydration” before canceling Tuesday’s show in San Antonio, and “out of an abundance of caution” is doing the same for Wednesday’s performance in Sugar Land, Texas, his manager Michael Vrionis said.”Mr. Santana has tested positive for Covid and is resting at his hotel,” Vrionis said in a message posted to Santana’s official Facebook.”I am happy to report that Carlos is doing well and will be back on his US Tour this Friday in Thackerville,” in the state of Oklahoma, the statement continued. “We appreciate everyone’s well wishes and concern. Carlos is looking forward to seeing you all very soon.” The postponed shows will be rescheduled as soon as possible, according to the post.Superstar Santana is one of the world’s most vaunted guitarists, who soared to fame after his legendary 1969 performance at Woodstock, and put out smashes including “Oye Como Va,” “Black Magic Woman” and “Evil Ways.”He experienced a career renaissance in the late 1990s and early 2000s with his Grammy-winning, chart-topping “Supernatural” album.

Boeing’s CEO confirmed Wednesday that China had stopped accepting new aircraft due to the US-China trade war, as the company’s shares surged following a smaller than expected loss.In a televised interview with CNBC, Boeing Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg said Chinese customers had “stopped taking delivery of aircraft due to the tariff environment,” adding that if the halt continued, the aviation giant would soon market the jets to other carriers.President Donald Trump’s trade conflicts with China and other countries loom as a question mark for Boeing, a major US exporter, despite Wednesday’s solid results.Boeing had planned to deliver around 50 aircraft to China in 2025, said Ortberg, adding that the company wouldn’t “wait too long” to send the jets to other customers.”I’m not going to let this derail the recovery of our company, so we’ll give the customers an opportunity if they want to take the airplanes,” Ortberg said.”That’s what we prefer to do. But if not, we’re gonna remarket those airplanes.”The comments came as Trump and top administration officials have, over the last day, spoken more optimistically about a trade accord with China. But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters Wednesday that Washington is “not yet” speaking with Beijing on tariffs.Boeing’s engagement with the White House on trade has been “very dynamic,” Ortberg said on a conference call with analysts.”I can’t predict” the course of trade talks, Ortberg said. “We do hear signs that indicate that there will be negotiated settlements… I just don’t know the timing.”A priority is “to make sure we don’t see more countries in a similar boat as where we are with China,” Ortberg said.Boeing downplayed the impact of Trump’s tariffs, saying steel and aluminum make up only one or two percent of aircraft costs, with most of the raw material supplied domestically anyway. Under a US duty drawback program, Boeing can recover custom duties on certain goods when they export the taxed item.- Smaller loss -The aviation giant reported a loss of $123 million in the first quarter, smaller than the $343 million loss in the year-ago period. Revenues rose 18 percent to $19.5 billion.In its earnings release, Boeing confirmed targets to raise commercial plane production as it bolsters its safety efforts following deadly crashes and other major incidents.The company reaffirmed that production of its 737 MAX will hit 38 per month in 2025, while output of the 787 Dreamliner will climb to seven per month from five per month.Boeing said it still expects first delivery of the 777-9 in 2026.Boeing also reported a cash burn of $2.3 billion, “much better” than the expected $3.7 billion hit to free cash flow, according to analysts at TD Cowen.Boeing on Tuesday announced plans to sell portions of its digital aviation solutions business to software-focused investment firm Thoma Bravo for $10.6 billion as it seeks to bolster its financial position.Ortberg told analysts that he is considering some other divestments of assets “smaller” than those in the Thoma Bravo deal, which includes Jeppesen, an 81-year-old aviation navigation company.Ortberg joined Boeing last summer following a leadership shakeup in the wake of a January 2024 Alaska Airlines flight that made an emergency landing after a panel blew out mid-flight.Before that, there were deadly plane crashes on the 737 MAX in 2018 and 2019 in Indonesia and Ethiopia.To win back the confidence of lawmakers and customers, Boeing has been implementing quality control enhancements under close scrutiny of federal regulators.”Our company is moving in the right direction as we start to see improved operational performance across our businesses from our ongoing focus on safety and quality,” Ortberg said in a press release. Boeing led the Dow index Wednesday, rising six percent.

A US Army intelligence analyst was sentenced to seven years imprisonment on Wednesday for providing sensitive defense information to China, including documents about US weapons systems and military tactics and strategy.Sergeant Korbein Schultz, who held a top-secret security clearance, was arrested in March 2024 at Fort Campbell, a military base on the Kentucky-Tennessee border.Schultz was sentenced after he pleaded guilty last August to sharing at least 92 sensitive US military documents, the Justice Department said in a statement.He admitted charges of conspiring to obtain and disclose national defense information, exporting technical data related to defense articles without a license, conspiracy to export defense articles without a license, and bribery of a public official.”This sentencing is a stark warning to those who betray our country: you will pay a steep price for it,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.According to the charging documents, Schultz provided dozens of sensitive US military documents to an individual living in Hong Kong who he believed to be associated with the Chinese government.He was paid $42,000 for the information, according to the Justice Department.Among the documents handed over by Schultz was one discussing the lessons learned by the US Army from the Ukraine-Russia war that it would apply in a defense of Taiwan.Other documents discussed Chinese military tactics and preparedness, and US military exercises and forces in South Korea and the Philippines.US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday that the Justice Department “remains vigilant against China’s efforts to target our military and will ensure that those who leak military secrets spend years behind bars.”Schultz’s arrest came less than a year after the arrests of two US Navy sailors in California on charges of spying for China.One of them, petty officer Wenheng Zhao, was sentenced to 27 months in prison in January 2024 after pleading guilty to charges of conspiring with a foreign intelligence officer and accepting a bribe.

US President Donald Trump’s popularity has sunk since his riotous return to the White House, polls showed Wednesday, with Americans criticizing him on key issues of the economy and immigration.The Republican has unleashed a flood of actions -– from sweeping tariffs to immigration crackdowns –- to deliver on what he considers an overwhelming mandate from US voters.But an Economist/YouGov survey found a downward trend in Trump’s approval rating, with 41 percent of Americans now signaling support compared to around half in January.Another poll, by Pew Research Center, found Trump’s job rating has dropped from 47 percent in February to 40 percent today –- significantly lower than his predecessor Joe Biden’s score of 59 percent in April 2021. Overall, Trump’s average approval rating of 45 percent in his first three months back in office has been below all other post-World War II presidents elected in the United States, Gallup said last week.Results also show Americans losing confidence in Trump’s ability to handle key issues such as the economy.Voters last year viewed the 78-year-old billionaire as strong on the economy, but his imposition of sweeping tariffs on trade partners this month has rattled global markets. Some 54 percent of Americans now feel the economy is getting worse, compared to 37 percent in January, according to the Economist/YouGov poll. Trump’s approval rating is notably lagging on the cost of living, a Reuters/Ipsos survey showed, with just 31 percent of Americans approving of his performance on that issue.Inflation was a hot topic in the November election, with Trump vowing to immediately lower prices as president.He has seen a similar downward trend on immigration –- another typically strong area for Trump, who has led a hardline deportation strategy targeting undocumented migrants which has pitted him in legal battles with the courts.The Economist/YouGov poll found that 45 percent of Americans approve of how Trump is handling immigration, compared with 50 percent two weeks ago.Polls also show a drop in support among some key demographics that helped Trump return to power by picking him over Democratic election rival Kamala Harris.They include Hispanic voters, whose approval score has dropped from 36 percent in early February to 27 percent, according to the Pew poll.

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank “must be made fit for purpose again,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday, arguing the institutions should be promoting economic growth instead of social issues.Speaking on the sidelines of the organizations’ spring meetings in Washington, Bessent said the IMF devotes “disproportionate time” to climate change, gender, and other social topics.”The Trump Administration is eager to work with them — so long as they can stay true to their missions,” Bessent said, adding that the IMF should concentrate on global monetary cooperation and financial stability.The World Bank, he said, should focus on core functions like helping developing countries grow their economies, lower poverty and boost private investment.Bessent’s comments come amid concerns that Washington might pull back from the fund and the bank.In a briefing with reporters after his speech Wednesday, Bessent said that he has had meetings with IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President Ajay Banga, and that his remarks on Wednesday were “not a surprise for them.””I think that they are good leaders, and I hope that they will earn the confidence of the administration in the coming months through their actions,” Bessent added.While the IMF and World Bank serve critical roles in the global economy, “under the status quo, they are falling short,” Bessent said in his speech.He added that they “must step back from their sprawling and unfocused agendas.”Bessent called on the IMF to be tougher with borrowers, saying the fund “has no obligation to lend to countries that fail to implement reforms.””Economic stability and growth should be the markers of the IMF’s success — not how much money the institution lends out,” he said.An IMF spokesperson told reporters that the fund looks forward to furthering engagement with the US government.On the World Bank, Bessent said the group should also “no longer expect blank checks for vapid, buzzword-centric marketing accompanied by half-hearted commitments to reform.”He noted that the bank could use resources more efficiently by helping emerging countries boost energy access, saying they should focus on “dependable technologies” rather than seeking out “distortionary climate finance targets.”This could mean investing in gas and other fossil fuel-based energy production, he said. He also lauded the bank’s recent efforts toward removing restrictions on support for nuclear energy.He urged for “graduation timelines” too, calling it “absurd” for China to still be considered a developing country.Bessent said he was not concerned about the IMF slashing its US growth outlook.He expects greater clarity on tariffs around the third quarter of the year, and said effects of deregulation should also begin kicking in around the same time.

US President Donald Trump lashed out at Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, blaming the Ukrainian president’s refusal to accept Russian occupation of Crimea for failure to end the war.Trump said in a Truth Social post that a deal was “very close” but that Zelensky’s refusal to accept US terms for ending the conflict — which began with Russia’s invasion — “will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field.'”The comments came as lower-level envoys from Washington, Kyiv and European nations wrapped up talks in Britain.Ahead of Trump’s broadside, Vice President JD Vance laid out the US vision for a peace deal where Russia would get to keep already occupied swaths of Ukraine, which include Crimea.Zelensky rejected this as a violation of Ukraine’s constitution.That in turn prompted Trump’s outburst in which he accused Zelensky of “boasting” and taking a position “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia.””Inflammatory” Zelensky “has “no cards” and “can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” Trump wrote.Trump said Crimea — a lush Black Sea peninsula with longtime major Soviet and Russian naval facilities — “was lost years ago” and “is not even a point of discussion.”The intense US pressure on Ukraine to accept the terms comes as Trump is scrambling to live up to his election campaign promises, which included vowing to resolve the conflict in 24 hours.He has put no equivalent visible pressure on Russia, while dangling a lifting of massive US economic sanctions against Moscow if the fighting stops.- ‘Freeze’ Russia’s gains -Vance earlier gave the fullest public explanation of the US plan so far, saying that the deal would “freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today.””The Ukrainians and the Russians are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own,” Vance said while on a trip to India.Freezing the frontlines would mean Ukraine losing huge areas to Russian occupation.The vice president did not explain what territory Russia — which seized Crimea in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion targeting the rest of the country in 2022 — would have to give up.Washington has “issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians” and “it’s time for them to either say ‘yes’, or for the United States to walk away from this process,” Vance said.Growing speculation over Washington being ready to recognize Russian rule over Crimea as a sweetener to get Moscow to stop its invasion has alarmed European capitals.French President Emmanuel Macron’s office told AFP on Wednesday that “Ukraine’s territorial integrity and European aspirations are very strong requirements for Europeans.”A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters “it has to be up to Ukraine to decide its future” and “we will never walk away from Ukraine.”UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy had been due to lead a meeting of foreign ministers in London on Wednesday.The talks were then downgraded to “official level” — a sign of the difficulties surrounding the negotiations.US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is to visit Moscow this week.- Russian bombing -The latest diplomatic wrangling comes after a fresh wave of Russian air strikes that shattered a brief Easter truce.A Russian drone strike on a bus transporting workers in the southeastern city of Marganets killed nine people and wounded at least 30 more, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor said Wednesday.Ukrainian authorities also reported strikes in the regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava and Odesa.In light of the attacks, Zelensky called for an “immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire”.In Russia, one person was reported wounded by shelling in the Belgorod region.burs-sms/aha

The roof of the Dominican nightclub that collapsed on concertgoers, killing 232 people, had been leaking for years, the club’s owner told local media Wednesday.In an interview with the Dominican Republic’s Telesistema channel, the owner of the Jet Set nightclub said water intrusion had been a consistent issue, and that the roof was “never” inspected by the authorities.”In the building there were always leaks. When we bought it at the end of the 1980s (and) there were already leaks,” Antonio Espaillat said of his club, a lynchpin of nightlife in the capital Santo Domingo for half a century.The roof of the venue came crashing down in the early hours of April 8 on hundreds of people attending a concert by merengue star Rubby Perez, in the Caribbean nation’s worst disaster in decades.Perez, 69, was among the victims, along with two retired Major League Baseball players and a provincial governor.Aerial images of the disaster site showed large air conditioning units sitting atop the rubble.Espaillat said water leaking from the air conditioning system constantly caused ceiling panels to buckle and need replacing.”The gypsum planks absorb all the water. The gypsum gets heavy and falls,” he said, adding that the panels had been changed hours before the collapse.The cause of the disaster is still under investigation.Building experts have suggested that the roof collapsed under excess weight and have also pointed a finger at poor oversight by the authorities. Espaillat’s sister and mother were pulled alive from the rubble.”If this could have been avoided…I would have tried to avoid it,” he said, adding that the building had never been inspected for structural soundness.The Dominican Republic has no law requiring privately-owned buildings to undergo safety inspections.After the disaster President Luis Abinader said the government was drafting a bill making inspections mandatory.The families of at least three victims of the disaster have filed a criminal complaint against Espaillat accusing him of manslaughter.The relatives of at least one of the victims, Virgilio Cruz, have also said they will sue the state and Santo Domingo city hall for failing to ensure that a venue open to the public met safety standards.