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A Nigerian man has been extradited to the United States to face charges in connection with the sextortion of a teenage boy who subsequently committed suicide.Hassanbunhussein Abolore Lawal, 24, of Osun State, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of child exploitation resulting in death, distribution of child sexual abuse material, cyberstalking and other charges.Gavin Guffey, 17, the son of a state lawmaker from Rock Hill, South Carolina, killed himself in July 2022 after being victimized by Lawal, the US Justice Department said in a statement.”Lawal allegedly posed as a young woman on social media and coerced the teen into sending compromising photos,” it said. “He then extorted and sent harassing messages to the teen threatening to leak the photos and ruin his reputation unless the teen sent him money.”Lawal was indicted by a federal grand jury in South Carolina in October 2023 and flown to the United States on Friday, the Justice Department said.”We will not allow predators who target our children to hide behind a keyboard or across the ocean,” US Attorney Adair Ford Boroughs said. “Today we honor Gavin’s life and continue our fight against sextortion by holding this defendant accountable.”The South Carolina legislature passed a bill following Guffey’s death known as “Gavin’s Law” that makes sexual extortion a felony offense and an aggravated felony if the victim is a minor or suffers bodily injury or death directly related to the crime.

Fears of upheaval in the AI gold rush rocked Wall Street on Monday following the emergence of a popular ChatGPT-like model from China, triggering predictions of turmoil for Silicon Valley and accusations of cheating.Last week’s release of the latest DeepSeek model initially received limited attention, overshadowed by the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on the same day.However, over the weekend, the Chinese artificial intelligence startup’s chatbot surged to become the most downloaded free app on Apple’s US App Store, displacing OpenAI’s ChatGPT.What truly rattled the industry was DeepSeek’s claim that it developed its latest model, the R1, at a fraction of the cost that major companies are currently investing in AI development, primarily on expensive Nvidia chips and software.This development is particularly significant given that the AI boom, ignited by ChatGPT’s release in late 2022, has propelled Nvidia to become one of the world’s most valuable companies.The news sent shockwaves through the US tech sector, exposing a critical concern: should tech giants continue to pour hundreds of billions of dollars into AI investment when a Chinese company can apparently produce a comparable model so economically?DeepSeek was a poke in the eye to Washington and its priority of thwarting China by maintaining American technological dominance. The development also comes against a background of a US government push to ban Chinese-owned TikTok in the United States or force its sale.David Sacks, Trump’s AI advisor and prominent tech investor, said DeepSeek’s success justified the White House’s decision to reverse Biden-era executive orders that had established safety standards for AI development.These regulations “would have hamstrung American AI companies without any guarantee that China would follow suit” which they obviously wouldn’t, Sacks wrote on X.Adam Kovacevich, CEO of the tech industry trade group Chamber of Progress, echoed this sentiment: “Now the top AI concern has to be ensuring (the United States) wins.”Tech investor and Trump ally Marc Andreessen declared “Deepseek R1 is AI’s Sputnik moment,” referencing the 1957 launch of Earth’s first artificial satellite by the Soviet Union that stunned the Western world. The situation is particularly remarkable since, as a Chinese company, DeepSeek lacks access to Nvidia’s state-of-the-art chips used to train AI models powering chatbots like ChatGPT.Exports of Nvidia’s most powerful technology are blocked by order of the US government, given the strategic importance of developing AI.”If China is catching up quickly to the US in the AI race, then the economics of AI will be turned on its head,” warned Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, in a note to clients.Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took to social media hours before markets opened to dismiss concerns about cheaply-produced AI, saying less expensive AI was good for everyone.But last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Nadella warned: “We should take the developments out of China very, very seriously.”Microsoft, an eager adopter of generative AI, plans to invest $80 billion in AI this year, while Meta announced at least $60 billion in investments on Friday.- ‘Outplayed’ -Much of that investment goes into the coffers of Nvidia, whose shares plunged a staggering 17 percent on Monday. Adding to the turmoil, the esteemed Stratechery tech newsletter and others suggested that DeepSeek’s innovations stemmed from necessity, as lacking access to powerful Nvidia-designed chips forced them to develop novel methods.The export controls are “driving startups like DeepSeek to innovate in ways that prioritize efficiency, resource-pooling, and collaboration,” wrote the MIT Technology Review.Elon Musk, who has invested heavily in Nvidia chips for his company xAI, suspects DeepSeek of secretly accessing banned H100 chips –- an accusation also made by the CEO of ScaleAI, a prominent Silicon Valley startup backed by Amazon and Meta.But such accusations “sound like a rich kids team got outplayed by a poor kids team,” wrote Hong Kong-based investor Jen Zhu Scott on X.In a statement, Nvidia said DeepSeek’s technology was “fully export control compliant.” 

Colombia said Monday it had sent aircraft to repatriate migrants deported from the United States after apparently bowing to President Donald Trump’s threats of painful tariffs for defying his plans for mass expulsions.After a day-long showdown with Trump, which culminated with Washington and Bogota threatening each other with a full-blown trade war, the White House claimed Sunday evening that Colombia had backed down.Washington said that Bogota, which turned back two US military planeloads of migrants on Sunday, had agreed to “unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States.”But it was unclear whether Colombia’s left-wing President Gustavo Petro had relinquished all of his demands, with Bogota saying Monday it had sent its own planes to bring home deportees.Colombia’s ambassador to Washington, Daniel Garcia Pena, told Blu Radio that the planes were “on their way to pick up our compatriots in the United States” and would be “landing today, or at the latest early tomorrow.”Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo on Sunday night confirmed that the government had “overcome the impasse” with Washington but did not give details, saying only that Colombia would “continue to receive Colombians who return as deportees” in “dignified conditions.”Trump’s plan for mass deportations of migrants has put him on a potential collision course with governments in Latin America, the original home of most of the United States’ estimated 11 million undocumented migrants.Since he took office a week ago, thousands of migrants have been deported to Central and South America — but in most cases the deportations stemmed from agreements predating his return to power.Colombia, traditionally one of the United States’ closest allies in Latin America, was the only country to announce that it had turned back deportation flights.- Sent home in chains -The decision appeared linked to the treatment of dozens of Brazilian migrants who were sent home in chains on a US plane on Friday, in what Brazil called “flagrant disregard” for their basic rights.Colombia’s president had made clear however he would allow in civilian deportation flights, as long as the migrants were not treated “like criminals.”But Trump responded furiously nonetheless, announcing stiff tariffs on Colombian imports despite the two countries having a free-trade agreement and suspending the issuing of visas at the US embassy in Bogota among other measures.Petro initially sought to hit back and impose his own tariffs on US products, but later backed down following an outcry in Colombia over what many saw as his reckless handling of the dispute.Trump later said he would suspend implementation of the tariffs but that the visa measures would stay in place until the first planeload of deportees returned.While previous US administrations also routinely carried out deportations, the Trump administration has begun using military aircraft, with at least one landing in Guatemala this week.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her country received around 4,000 deported migrants during Trump’s first week back in office, which was “not a substantial increase” on the usual rate.Just over 190,000 people were deported to Mexico from January to November 2024, according to government figures, that is about 17,200 per month.Sheinbaum is also trying to avert a trade war with Washington, after Trump renewed his threat to impose 25% tariffs on imports from both Mexico and Canada unless they halted the flow of migrants and drugs into the United States.The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, has called for an urgent meeting of leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to take place Thursday in Tegucigalpa to discuss migration following the latest US moves.

The US Senate is widely expected to confirm billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary Monday, putting him at the forefront of implementing Donald Trump’s economic agenda — which is already sparking global jitters.Bessent, a Wall Street veteran who was born and raised in South Carolina, has defended the Republican president’s tax cutting and tariff proposals while urging efforts to secure supply chains and the dollar’s global status.On Saturday, he cleared a procedural Senate vote by 67-23, winning support from a number of Democrats.If confirmed late Monday, Bessent, 62, has said he would back tougher sanctions on Russian oil majors as a way to end the war in Ukraine, while signaling a hawkish approach on China.During his confirmation hearing, Bessent stressed that Washington should ensure its lead in areas like chips and artificial intelligence, while adding he would push Beijing to boost US agriculture purchases.Trump returned to the White House this month on promises to help the world’s biggest economy avert “calamity,” vowing lower taxes to aid Americans squeezed by high costs of living and tariffs to pressure other countries to align on US concerns.As Trump warns of tariffs on allies and adversaries — including major trading partners Mexico and Canada on February 1 — all eyes are on how his Treasury chief walks the line between supporting these efforts and avoiding tensions that may roil the world economy.At his hearing, Bessent disagreed that Trump’s proposed duties on imports would be paid for domestically, and also took aim at government spending.The Treasury Department has oversight across areas from federal finances to bank supervision. It also oversees US sanctions.- Family friend -Bessent’s confirmation would make him one of the first openly gay cabinet officials.He has been based in Charleston, South Carolina, with his husband and their two children.Bessent has known the Trump family for three decades, and was friends with the president’s brother, he previously said on Trump ally Roger Stone’s radio show.”I was all-in for President Trump,” he told Stone.He added at the time that being in Trump’s cabinet means “your job is to do what Donald Trump wants you to do” and to find an effective way to implement his policies.Bessent attended Yale University and served as chief investment officer of Soros Fund Management, the macroeconomic investment firm of billionaire George Soros.In 2015, he raised capital, including $2 billion from Soros, to start his own hedge fund.Bessent is chief executive at Key Square Group, but he has committed to resigning from the position at the hedge fund and divesting his partnership share upon confirmation.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday the military will keep assisting President Donald Trump’s “mass” migrant deportations, as he arrived for his first formal day of work at the Pentagon.Hegseth — confirmed by Republicans despite concerns over his inexperience, and alleged record of heavy drinking and domestic violence — is one of Trump’s most contested cabinet picks.After barely squeaking through his confirmation vote, the former Fox News host made clear that he will work to carry out the president’s hard-right agenda, including using the military in deportations.”Support of mass deportations in support of the president’s objective — that is something the Defense Department absolutely will continue to do,” Hegseth told reporters on the steps of the Pentagon.Colombia turned back two US military aircraft with its citizens aboard over the weekend, prompting Trump to threaten economic tariffs that ultimately pushed the US ally to back down and agree to accept the repatriation flights.Hegseth also said more executive orders are coming on removing diversity, equity and inclusion programs from the Pentagon and reinstating troops who were pushed out because they failed to comply with the since-rescinded Covid-19 vaccine mandate.”Our job is lethality and readiness and war fighting and (to) hold people accountable,” he said. “The lawful orders of the president of United States will be executed inside this Defense Department — swiftly and without excuse.”On Friday, three Republican senators voted against confirming Hegseth, resulting in a 50-50 tie that required Vice President JD Vance to cast the deciding ballot — only the second time in history a tie-breaker has been needed to save a cabinet nominee.In confirming Hegseth, Republicans brushed aside his lack of experience leading an organization anywhere near the size of the Defense Department — the country’s largest employer with some three million personnel.They also approved Hegseth despite allegations of financial mismanagement at veterans’ nonprofits where he previously worked, reports of excessive drinking, and allegations of spousal abuse and that he sexually assaulted a woman in California.The 44-year-old is a former Army National Guard officer who until recently worked as a co-host for Fox News — one of Trump’s favored television channels.Hegseth has a combative media personality, fierce loyalty and telegenic looks, all common hallmarks in Trump’s entourage.Supporters say Hegseth’s deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq give him the insight to run the Defense Department better than more experienced officials who would normally be considered for the job.Asked during his confirmation hearing last week about criticism he has faced, Hegseth said there was a “coordinated smear campaign” against him, and that he is “not a perfect person, but redemption is real.”

Donald Trump’s border czar on Sunday defended raiding churches and schools as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration, while six federal agencies launched a sweep aimed at “potentially dangerous criminal aliens” in Chicago. Trump began his second term last Monday with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling US immigration.His administration quickly moved to ramp up deportations, including by relaxing rules governing enforcement actions at “sensitive” locations such as schools, churches and workplaces.Asked about the rule change, Tom Homan, who was tapped to oversee Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda, said Sunday it sends a clear message.”There’s consequences of entering the country illegally. If we don’t show there’s consequences, you’re never going to fix the border problem,” Homan, who is also the former head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told ABC News’s “This Week” program.But Trump has been unhappy with the number of arrests so far and has directed federal immigration officials to meet higher detention quotas, the Washington Post reported Sunday.It said he was ordering ICE to raise the arrest numbers from a few hundred a day to at least 1,200 to 1,500, citing people with knowledge of internal briefings.ICE later reported making 956 arrests on Sunday, the largest single-day number since Trump’s inauguration. There were no details on where the arrests were made.It had reported 593 arrests on Friday and 286 on Saturday. It averaged around 310 per day in the 2024 federal fiscal year, according to agency data.- ‘Enhanced targeted operations’ -Homan was speaking from Chicago, a Democratic stronghold and a “sanctuary city” for migrants that Homan has viewed as “ground zero” of the deportation push.ICE announced Sunday on X that it had joined five other federal agencies in “enhanced targeted operations” in Chicago “to enforce U.S. immigration law and preserve public safety and national security by keeping potentially dangerous criminal aliens out of our communities”.Joining ICE were the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection and the US Marshals Service.Fear of being swept up in the raids kept many Latinos in the region at home, the Chicago Tribune reported.Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, a Democrat, told CNN that state officials would assist federal law enforcement agencies in apprehending anyone accused or convicted of violent crimes but would defend “law-abiding” citizens. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats representing Illinois, rebuked Trump’s deportation raids in a joint statement Sunday, saying the efforts “go far beyond” targeting “dangerous individuals” and risk indiscriminately detaining migrants.”We stand with the immigrant community in Chicago and across the country, and our offices and caseworkers are ready to help those who are improperly caught up in these raids,” the statement said.On Thursday, leaders of three Catholic organizations blasted the rule change that allows raids on churches and schools, saying in a joint statement that “turning places of care, healing and solace into places of fear and uncertainty… will not make our communities safer.”When pressed on the Catholic opposition, Homan stood firm.”We’re enforcing laws Congress enacted and the president signed. If they don’t like it, change the law.”Vice President JD Vance, who was also asked about the Catholic pushback in an interview broadcast Sunday, accused one group of being worried about losing funds in the immigration crackdown.”I think that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops needs to actually look in the mirror a little bit and recognize that when they receive over $100 million to help resettle illegal immigrants, are they worried about humanitarian concerns? Or are they actually worried about their bottom line?” he told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”All eyes during Trump’s first week in office have been on immigration enforcement and deportations, though it was unclear to what extent actions have increased from predecessor Joe Biden.Homan called on Congress to pass additional funding for dealing with those arrested.”We’re gonna need more ICE beds, a minimum of 100,000,” he told ABC News.”We’re going to try to be efficient. But with more money we have, the more we can accomplish.”

Jennifer Lopez brought a heady blend of 1950s Hollywood musical and gritty prison drama to Sundance with her new film “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” which earned a standing ovation from the indie movie festival on Sunday.The musical film, about two mismatched cellmates who form an unlikely intimate bond during Argentina’s 1970s military dictatorship, was the hottest ticket at this year’s Sundance gathering, which typically focuses on smaller arthouse and documentary fare.”It’s about how love can cure any divide. These two people who couldn’t be more different in this cell together — doesn’t matter their sexuality, their political beliefs. None of it,” Lopez told AFP, on the red carpet.”It’s exactly the kind of story that we need to see right now,” she said.Based on the Broadway adaptation of Argentine author Manuel Puig’s novel, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” is directed by Bill Condon.Condon is best-known for blockbusters like “Dreamgirls,” “Chicago” and the final “Twilight” films, but earned his big break at Sundance with 1998’s Oscar-winning “Gods and Monsters.”He told AFP that Lopez’s involvement undoubtedly helped the film procure financing, but that he also “knew she was the only person who could play this part.””Because it’s a diva. We don’t have that many divas in our lives. I don’t know whether it’s gone out of fashion,” he said.Diego Luna plays Valentin, a tough and idealistic political prisoner who is experiencing horrific torture by the regime, but refuses to give up his revolutionary secrets.He finds himself forced to bunk up with Molina (Tonatiuh), an LGBTQ convict who has secretly been sent to coax information from him.Molina starts regaling Valentin with the plot of his favorite Hollywood musical — shown in extensive flashbacks, starring Lopez as the glamorous diva Ingrid Luna, which begin to interweave with the prison narrative.”When I read it, I thought to myself, ‘This role was made for me, this is the role I was born to, this is the one.’ And I had to wait, but it was worth it,” said Lopez.”It was challenging in the way that indie films are challenging… limited time, limited money.”Like most films at Sundance, the movie is up for sale, with producers hoping to spark a bidding war between Hollywood studios and streamers.- Wildfires -Elsewhere at Sundance, Josh O’Connor attended the premiere of “Rebuilding,” a drama about wildfire victims that has become tragically timely in the wake of the Los Angeles blazes.The British star of “The Crown” and “Challengers” plays a quiet, forlorn cowboy who loses his Colorado ranch and all his possessions in a wildfire.His character finds himself living in a trailer at a federal emergency camp, where he must discover a new purpose and build connections with his unfamiliar community.O’Connor told AFP that the recent Los Angeles, which killed more than two dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes, made the film more poignant — but that there were positive parallels to draw.”One of the things that I’ve heard a lot coming out of LA is this feeling of unity in the city,” he said.”I think that’s what this movie is about — community coming together to support each other, that we can’t do it alone, and that isolation isn’t good for us.”That’s what I think the relevance is.”Earlier at the Utah-based festival, Benedict Cumberbatch had unveiled “The Thing With Feathers,” a surreal meditation on grief and bereavement.The “Sherlock” and “Doctor Strange” actor stars as a widower struggling to raise his two young sons alone, in a movie based on Max Porter’s experimental and poetic novel.As hinted at by the title, Cumberbatch’s character is visited an eight-foot-tall crow — an unexpectedly literal manifestation of his unprocessed grief.Sundance runs until next Sunday.

Colombia on Sunday backed down and agreed to accept deported citizens sent on US military aircraft, hours after President Donald Trump threatened painful tariffs to punish the defiance to his mass deportation plans.Colombia’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro, had earlier said he would only take back citizens “with dignity,” such as on civilian planes, and had turned back two US military aircraft with repatriated Colombians.Trump, less than a week back in office, responded furiously and threatened sanctions of 25 percent that would quickly scale up to 50 percent against Latin America’s fourth largest economy.Petro initially sought to hit back and impose his own tariffs on US products, but by the end of the volatile Sunday he had backed down.Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo told a late-night news conference that his country had “overcome the impasse” and would accept returned citizens.A White House statement said that Colombia has agreed to “unrestricted acceptance of all illegal aliens from Colombia returned from the United States, including on US military aircraft, without limitation or delay.””Today’s events make clear to the world that America is respected again,” it said.”President Trump will continue to fiercely protect our nation’s sovereignty, and he expects all other nations of the world to fully cooperate in accepting the deportation of their citizens illegally present in the United States.”Trump said he would suspend implementation of the tariffs. It had been unclear even earlier how quickly Trump could impose tariffs on Colombia, historically one of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America, which enjoys a free-trade agreement with the United States.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose wife is Colombian-American, suspended issuance of visas at the US embassy in Bogota and said visas would be revoked to Colombian government officials and their immediate family members.The White House said the visa measures would stay in place until the first planeload of deportees returns.Trump also vowed to subject Colombians to greater scrutiny at US airports.- Concerns over treatment -Trump — who during his campaign said that immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of the United States — took office with promises to round up and swiftly deport undocumented people.While some countries including Guatemala have accepted military deportation flights, Trump had faced resistance from Petro, a former guerrilla elected in 2022 as Colombia’s first left-wing leader.”The United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I forbid entry to our territory to US planes carrying Colombian migrants,” Petro wrote earlier on X.The Colombian government earlier said it was instead ready to send its presidential plane to the United States to transport the migrants “with dignity.”Petro also said there were 15,600 undocumented Americans living in his country and asked them to “regularize their situation,” while ruling out raids to arrest and deport them.Petro’s initial hard-ball tactics infuriated his many critics in the historic US ally.Former right-wing president Ivan Duque accused Petro of “an act of tremendous irresponsibility” for refusing what he called Colombia’s “moral duty” to take back illegal migrants and warned US sanctions would take an “enormous” toll.- ‘Tied hands and feet’ -Trump’s deportation threats have put him on a potential collision course with governments in Latin America, the original home of most of the United States’ estimated 11 million undocumented migrants.Brazil, which is also led by a left-wing president, voiced outrage over treatment by the Trump administration of dozens of Brazilian migrants deported back to their country on Friday. The migrants, who were deported under a bilateral agreement predating Trump’s return, were handcuffed on the flight, in what Brazil called “flagrant disregard” for their basic rights.Edgar Da Silva Moura, a 31-year-old computer technician who was among the 88 deported migrants, told AFP: “On the plane they didn’t give us water, we were tied hands and feet, they wouldn’t even let us go to the bathroom.””It was very hot, some people fainted.”The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, called for an urgent meeting of leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to take place Thursday in Tegucigalpa to discuss migration following the latest US moves.While previous US administrations also routinely carried out deportations, the Trump administration has begun using military aircraft, with at least one landing in Guatemala this week.

Since being sworn in as president of the world’s most powerful nation, Donald Trump has been sure to lavish the standard bearer of the conservative right Fox News with scoops, favors and an exclusive interview.Everything might appear to be rosy in the post-inaugural honeymoon period, but the relationship — a political marriage of convenience — between the two sides has not always been so smooth.”We’re back to work. We’re not collecting checks in our pajamas anymore,” said one of the channel’s star anchors Jesse Watters, host of “The Five” talk-show, taking aim at the Biden administration.”It’s fun to watch the Democrats and the media completely broken and just getting ruled over. Thank God. Look at what this government is capable of. I’m just, I’m invigorated.”Since Trump’s return to the White House Monday, the most popular news channel has been the big winner on the broadcast battlefield.Owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Fox News scored the first TV interview with the 47th president in the Oval Office.The task was entrusted to network stalwart Sean Hannity who was seen as so close to Trump during his first term that he was dubbed his “shadow chief-of-staff.”The White House press corps are being reminded of the privileged status enjoyed by their competitor, being brushed off by spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt when journalists asked about Elon Musk’s apparent criticism of an investment announced by Trump.Leavitt told them she had already addressed the spat on Fox News, while it was one of the channel’s journalists who revealed the contents of the letter left by Biden for Trump.During the day, the channel focuses on news, with its journalists reporting from the field. But in the evening, the channel is transformed and its stars fete the president between ads for his $110 “Save America” coffee table book and a Trump wine to honor his stints as the 45th and 47th president.- ‘Extreme tendencies’ -“The Trump administration wants an outlet to reach their constituency, and the ‘MAGA’ (Make America Great Again) crowd — and that’s where they happen to look at a lot of their news,” said Jeffrey McCall, a communication professor at DePauw University, explaining the enduring influence of Fox News.The White House is also “probably looking for the most sympathetic interviewers”.The channel points to its blockbuster ratings, pulling 71 percent of primetime news channel viewers — having extended its lead over closest competitors CNN and MSNBC since the election.It even claims first place among Democrats and Independents who watched the inauguration on a cable news channel.While podcasts, social media and viral digital content have eroded the influence of legacy media, 78-year-old Trump remains a loyal consumer of traditional news.”Fox News, in contrast to the podcasting world, has a lot of clout with congressional elites,” said Reece Peck, author of “Fox Populism.”Speculation abounds in media circles about just how long the honeymoon between Trump and Fox News can last.”Trump has not had the best relationship with Fox News,” said McCall, reflecting the sometimes turbulent ties between Murdoch and Trump.The Republican has frequently condemned the channel like on the evening of the 2020 presidential election when it called the key swing state of Arizona for Biden, and when he subsequently attacked the channel for being too soft on Kamala Harris.Some Fox News commentators also distanced themselves from Trump after the violent attack on the Capitol by his supporters in 2021, almost all of whom were pardoned or had sentences commuted by the new president this week.”I don’t think anyone can really predict how the relationship between Trump and the media is going to play out said Mark Lukasiewicz of Hofstra University’s communications school. The only given is that “the second Trump administration is much more empowered and emboldened than the first… to the extent there were traditional guardrails, whether it was in the media or in Congress who were resisting some of Donald Trump’s more extreme tendencies — those seem to have largely disappeared.””The line has moved,” he said. “It remains to be seen how far it moves.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday ordered sweeping tariffs and sanctions against Colombia in retaliation for its refusal to accept military deportation flights, seeking to punish one of his most defiant critics in Latin America.Colombia’s left-leaning President Gustavo Petro did not back down, announcing his own tariffs against US products, as he vowed that returning migrants be treated with dignity.Trump, back in office for less than a week, promised to impose 25 percent tariffs on products from Colombia — the source of one-fifth of coffee in the United States — and to raise them to 50 percent in a week.It was unclear how quickly the tariffs would come as Colombia, historically one of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America, enjoys a free-trade agreement with the United States.”These measures are just the beginning. We will not allow the Colombian Government to violate its legal obligations with regard to the acceptance and return of the criminals they forced into the United States!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.Not to be outdone, Petro, a former leftist guerrilla, said he had instructed his minister for external trade “to raise tariffs on imports from the US to 25%.”In a long broadside on X addressed to Trump he declared: “You will never dominate us.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio, days away from a trip to Latin America aimed at pushing Trump’s agenda, said that the US embassy in Bogota was suspending all issuance of visas.He also said he was imposing visa restrictions on Colombian officials and their immediate family members, with Trump vowing to subject Colombians to greater scrutiny at US airports.- ‘I forbid entry’ -Trump — who during his campaign said that immigrants were “poisoning the blood” of the United States — took office with promises to round up and swiftly deport undocumented people.While some countries including Guatemala have accepted military deportation flights, Trump has faced resistance from Petro, elected in 2022 as the first left-wing leader of Latin America’s fourth-largest economy.”The United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals. I forbid entry to our territory to US planes carrying Colombian migrants,” Petro wrote earlier on X.Petro said he had “turned back US military planes.” Trump said two US planes were not allowed to land.The Colombian government said it was instead ready to send its presidential plane to the United States to transport the migrants “with dignity.”Petro said he was also ready to allow civilian US flights carrying deported migrants to land, as long as those aboard were not treated “like criminals.”He additionally urged what he said were the more than 15,600 undocumented Americans living in his country to “regularize their situation,” while ruling out raids to arrest and deport them.Petro’s Colombian critics reacted furiously to what they saw as his reckless rumble with Trump.Former right-wing president Ivan Duque accused Petro of “an act of tremendous irresponsibility” for refusing what he called Colombia’s “moral duty” to take back illegal migrants and warned US sanctions would take an “enormous” toll.- ‘Tied hands and feet’ -Trump’s deportation threats have put him on a potential collision course with governments in Latin America, the original home of most of the United States’ estimated 11 million undocumented migrants.Brazil, which is also led by a left-wing president, voiced outrage over treatment by the Trump administration of dozens of Brazilian migrants deported back to their country on Friday. The migrants, who were deported under a bilateral agreement predating Trump’s return, were handcuffed on the flight, in what Brazil called “flagrant disregard” for their basic rights.Edgar Da Silva Moura, a 31-year-old computer technician who was among the 88 deported migrants, told AFP: “On the plane they didn’t give us water, we were tied hands and feet, they wouldn’t even let us go to the bathroom.””It was very hot, some people fainted.”The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, called for an urgent meeting of leaders from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to take place Thursday in Tegucigalpa to discuss migration following the latest US moves.While previous US administrations also routinely carried out deportations, the Trump administration has begun using military aircraft, with at least one landing in Guatemala this week.