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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US Vice President JD Vance on Friday at the Munich Security Conference, where they are set to discuss Washington’s push for an end to the three-year war with Russia.US President Donald Trump will also despatch his special envoy Keith Kellogg, who is tasked with drawing up a proposal to halt the fighting, to Ukraine a week later, a source in the Ukrainian presidency told AFP.Trump is pushing for a swift end to the nearly three-year war, while Zelensky is calling for tough security guarantees from Washington as part of any deal with Russia.Kyiv fears that any settlement that does not include hard military commitments — such as NATO membership or the deployment of peacekeeping troops — will just allow the Kremlin time to regroup and rearm for a fresh attack.Zelensky’s spokesman Sergiy Nikiforov told AFP the meeting with Vance would take place Friday on the sidelines of the Munich conference.Meanwhile a source in the Ukrainian president’s office said Kellogg would arrive in Ukraine on February 20.They did not say where in the country Kellogg would visit.His trip would come just days before the three-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion on February 24.Zelensky called Monday for “real peace and effective security guarantees” for Ukraine.”Security of people, security of our state, security of economic relations and, of course, our resource sustainability: not only for Ukraine, but for the entire free world,” he said in an evening video address published on social media.”All of this is being decided now.”- Trump meetings -Trump has said he wants to broker an end to the war but has not outlined a detailed proposal to bring the two sides to the negotiating table.Both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin have previously ruled out direct talks with each other, and there appears to be little ground where the two could strike a deal.Putin is demanding that Ukraine withdraw from swathes of its south and east that Kyiv still has control over, and considers closer ties between Ukraine and NATO inadmissable.Zelensky has meanwhile rejected any territorial concessions to Moscow, though he has acknowledged that Ukraine might have to rely on diplomatic means to secure the return of some territory.Russia says it has annexed five regions of Ukraine — Crimea in 2014 and then Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia in 2022 — though it does not have full control over them.Zelensky said Monday that a meeting with Trump was also being arranged, but that a date had not yet been fixed.Trump said last week that he would “probably” meet Zelensky in the coming days, but ruled out personally travelling to Kyiv.The New York Post reported Saturday that Trump told the publication he had spoken on the phone to Putin to discuss bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine, saying that Putin had told him he “wants to see people stop dying”.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm or deny the call.Organisers of the closely followed Munich Security Conference had confirmed earlier Monday that Zelensky would attend the Feb 14-16 summit.The US delegation is set to include Secretary of State Marco Rubio as well as Kellogg and Vance, MSC chair Christoph Heusgen told a Berlin press conference.There will be no representatives of the Russian government present, Heusgen said.The meeting comes with Russia advancing across Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where it has captured several settlements — mostly completely flattened by months of Russian bombardments — over the past year.burs-vl-jc/js

Kendrick Lamar commanded one of the world’s most high-profile stages Sunday as the Super Bowl’s halftime headliner, yet another feather in the cap of the rap laureate who has ascended to new heights of pop stardom.Lamar performed a string of his classics while toying with his audience who had one major question: would he perform “Not Like Us,” the searing diss track that served as the knockout blow in his eyebrow-raising rap battle with Drake?In a word? Yes.The wildly infectious hit released in May 2024 hears the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lamar — the first solo rap artist to helm a halftime show at the Super Bowl, which this year saw the Philadelphia Eagles pummel the Kansas City Chiefs — use his punchlines to accuse Drake of pedophilia.”I wanna perform their favorite song,” he said at one point during the 13-minute set — the Grammy-winning track’s ubiquitous, instantly recognizable bass line resounding — “but you know they love to sue.”He offered his classics like “Humble” and “DNA” as well as tracks from his most recent album “GNX” — he began the set atop the Buick Grand National it’s named for — including “Squabble Up” before sending fans into a frenzy in delivering the goods, a knife-twisting rendition of “Not Like Us.”Lamar cut the profanity and the word “pedophile” but didn’t stop short of the money line, rapping “tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A-minoooooor” on live television in front of tens of thousands of spectators and an estimated 100 million viewers.In delivering the lyric “say, Drake, I hear you like ’em young,” Lamar stared right into the camera, dancing on the Canadian rapper’s rap-battle grave while sporting a chain with a massive pendant — a lower-case a.The performance is all but sure to kick off more legal wrangling: Drake, the reigning highest-grossing rapper, recently filed a bombshell defamation suit against his own record label Universal Music Group, which also represents Lamar.Drake is notably suing UMG and not Lamar himself, but questions abounded leading into the Super Bowl set over whether performing the song on one of the top global stages could open the door to further litigation.- Uncle Sam, surprise protestor -“Not Like Us” dominated the set but it was also a performance that paid homage to the 37-year-old rapper’s expansive oeuvre.Born in Compton, California, the artist is renowned as one of contemporary music’s most impactful writers, with his verses offering personal insights that take on systemic issues such as race relations and structural poverty.His poignant lyricism soundtracked the Black Lives Matter movement and compelled many to call him the voice of a generation.Lamar brought some of that energy to the Super Bowl stage, which included set narrator, the actor Samuel L. Jackson, dressed as Uncle Sam, a character emblematic of American patriotism that has frequently appeared in military propaganda.Lamar didn’t make any direct references to Donald Trump — who several weeks into his second go at the presidency attended the game — but rather used the platform to offer a more symbolic critique of the marginalized treatment of both hip hop and Black Americans at large.”No, no, no, no, noooo. Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto. Mr Lamar, do you really know how to play the game? Then tighten up,” the costumed Jackson jeered at one point.Troupes of dancers dressed in red, white and blue at one point coalesced into an American flag formation.Before his climactic delivery of “Not Like Us” — which just one week ago scored Lamar five Grammys — the artist brought SZA, who he’s due to tour with, onstage.Their duet included a performance of “All the Stars,” their hit off the “Black Panther” soundtrack.Another notable cameo came from Serena Williams, the tennis legend who also hails from Compton — and who is thought to have briefly dated Drake.The set was also punctuated by a protestor who unfurled a flag in support of Gaza and Sudan during the performance, a moment production company Roc Nation told AFP was not rehearsed.”The individual hid the item on his person and unveiled it late in the show,” said the NFL, who added the protestor was part of the 400-member field cast.The protestor was seen in AFP photos standing atop Lamar’s centerpiece car, wielding the flag emblazoned with images of heart and a fist as well as the words “Gaza” and “Sudan.”The person was later tackled and escorted out by security.

The Philadelphia Eagles soared to a crushing 40-22 Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, shattering their opponents’ bid for a historic hat-trick of NFL titles in a rout watched by President Donald Trump.Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another as the Eagles avenged their agonizing Super Bowl defeat to the Chiefs two years ago in emphatic style at New Orleans’ Superdome.”I’ve been able to use every experience and learn from it — the good, the bad, all of it — to pursue my own greatness,” Hurts said.”But I couldn’t do any of these things without the guys around me. We had a special group this year — we were able to learn from the past, get some nice new pieces and get over that hump.”The Chiefs had been bidding to become the first team in history to win three consecutive Vince Lombardi trophies following Super Bowl victories in 2023 and 2024.But Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — who was sacked six times and threw two interceptions — never looked like leading his team to glory as the Eagles’ iron defense and clinical offense dominated throughout.”Credit to the Eagles, they played better than us from start to finish,” Mahomes said. “Obviously the turnovers hurt, and I take all the blame for that. I just didn’t play to my standard and I have to be better next time.”The Eagles effectively had the game won by half-time, powering into a 24-0 lead at the break after three unanswered touchdowns from Hurts, Cooper DeJean and A.J. Brown.They extended the lead to 34-0 late in the third quarter before Kansas City finally grabbed three late consolation touchdowns. Eagles kicker Jake Elliott bagged four field goals.- Trump applause, Gaza protest -Sunday’s extravaganza was watched by a star-studded 65,719 crowd bristling with celebrities and VIPs headed by Trump, who became the first sitting US President to attend the Super Bowl after jetting into New Orleans from Florida on Air Force One earlier in the day following a round of golf with Tiger Woods.Trump has had an uneasy relationship with the NFL over the years, triggering uproar in 2017 after attacking players for kneeling in protest against racial injustice during renditions of the US national anthem.But the US leader was given a broadly positive reception at the Superdome after arriving at the venue shortly before kick-off.Soon after arriving, Trump met with first responders and family members of victims of the January 1 attack in New Orleans that left 14 people dead and dozens wounded. Later, loud cheering could be heard among the crowd when the Superdome’s giant screen showed Trump saluting during the national anthem.That warm applause was in stark contrast to the booing that rang around the venue early in the first quarter when the same screen showed pop icon Taylor Swift sitting in the VIP seats.Swift, watching boyfriend and Chiefs ace Travis Kelce, was among a galaxy of stars crowded into the venue, with the likes of Beatles legend Paul McCartney rubbing shoulders with Hollywood actors Kevin Costner, Paul Rudd and Anne Hathaway and soccer star Lionel Messi.The catcalls for Swift — who backed Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris in last year’s election — were not lost on the US President. Trump later shared a post on his TruthSocial network which read: “Trump gets massive cheers at the Super Bowl while Taylor Swift gets booed – the world is healing!”The star wattage meanwhile was ramped up before kick-off with singer Lady Gaga making a surprise performance in New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street in a segment paying tribute to victims of recent tragedies around the US. Trump meanwhile expressed hope the  nation could come together for the Super Bowl, which is by far the biggest annual event on the American sporting calendar.”Football is America’s most popular sport — for good reason — it fosters a sense of national unity, bringing families, friends, and fans together and strengthening communities,” Trump said in a statement released by the White House.”This annual tradition transcends our differences and personifies our shared patriotic values of family, faith, and freedom,” he added.Trump left the stadium early in the third quarter after a half-time concert headlined by rapper Kendrick Lamar that included a cameo appearance from singer-songwriter SZA while tennis legend Serena Williams was also seen bopping along with dancers on a makeshift stage.Security intervened swiftly during Lamar’s half-time show, tackling a protester who ran onto the field waving a Palestinian flag with “Gaza” and “Sudan” written on it.

Kanye West’s account on X has been deactivated after a days-long rant on the platform that included vitriolic, anti-Semitic outbursts.It was not immediately clear if the artist and entrepreneur, who legally changed his name to Ye, deactivated the account himself or if X took it down.”I’m logging out of Twitter. I appreciate Elon for allowing me to vent. It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board,” he wrote in his final post, referring to the owner of X, Elon Musk.It’s a familiar pattern for Ye, 47, who is now in the headlines as often for his provocative, often hate-filled rants as he is for his music.The rapper has been locked out of social media platforms in the past, notably when he was banned from X for nearly eight months for violating rules barring incitement to violence.Ye’s most recent missives included comments in support of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is imprisoned on sex trafficking charges. He repeatedly referred to himself as a “Nazi.”He also referred to the stunt he pulled at the Grammys last week with wife Bianca Censori, who appeared virtually nude on the red carpet ahead of the awards gala.X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.For years, Ye has spoken openly about struggles with bipolar disorder. He recently said on “The Download” podcast that he in fact has an autism diagnosis.

US federal workers face another deadline Monday to accept a mass buyout from their government jobs as a judge holds a key hearing on whether the offer is legal.The proposal to two million federal workers is part of an effort by President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk to drastically cut back on spending that they say will transform the government.In his first three weeks in office, the president has unleashed a flurry of executive orders aimed at slashing federal spending, appointing SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk to lead the efforts under the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).Trump’s sweeping plans have now opened legal battles on several fronts, with lawsuits filed across the country aimed at stopping the Trump initiatives that critics say amount to an illegal power grab.The Democrats are trying to build momentum against the Trump onslaught on government, and on Monday announced a new portal for whistleblowers to report potential law-breaking by Musk and his associates.The legal battles intensified Saturday when a US judge blocked Musk’s team from accessing Treasury Department data on millions of Americans.The Trump administration has appealed, calling the order “impermissible” and “unconstitutional.”Musk’s team has moved aggressively through federal agencies, freezing aid programs and pushing workforce reductions through legally unclear buyouts or threats of termination.The Trump administration has effectively shuttered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency long criticized by Republicans as overreaching.Questions are rife over the buyout, including whether Trump has the legal right to make the offer and whether his administration will honor it.The plan was first announced on January 28 in an email to much of the vast federal government and titled “Fork in the road” — the same phrasing as the note Musk sent to employees at Twitter when he bought the social media platform in 2022 and renamed it X.The original deadline was Thursday, but unions representing more than 800,000 civil servants filed a lawsuit against the offer.Federal Judge George O’Toole last week said he accepted the case and will hold a first hearing in a Boston courtroom at 2:00 pm (1900 GMT) Monday.In response, the US Office of Personnel Management, which is run by Musk associates, extended the decision deadline until 11:59 pm.- ‘Not canceled’ -In a post on X, OPM maintain that the program was “NOT blocked or canceled” and the White House urged workers to keep considering “this very generous, once-in-a-lifetime offer.”Last week, US media reported that at least 65,000 federal workers had opted into the so-called deferred resignation program.This represents some three percent of the roughly two million federal employees who received the offer. The White House has said its target is for between five and 10 percent of employees.Unions warn that without Congress signing off on the use of federally budgeted money, the agreements may be worthless, especially since current government spending is only agreed until mid-March.”OPM’s Fork Directive is a sweeping and stunningly arbitrary action to solicit blanket resignations of federal workers,” wrote lawyers for the unions.”Defendants have not even argued — nor could they — that the Fork Directive was the product of rational or considered decision-making.”

President Donald Trump said Palestinians would have no right of return to Gaza under his US takeover plan, describing his proposal in excerpts of an interview released Monday as a “real estate development for the future.”Trump told Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier that “I would own it” and that there could be as many as six different sites for Palestinians to live outside Gaza under the plan, which the Arab world and others in the international community have rejected.”No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing,” Trump said when Baier asked if the Palestinians would have the right to return to the enclave, most of which has been reduced to rubble by Israel’s military since October 2023.”In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them because if they have to return now, it’ll be years before you could ever — it’s not habitable.”Trump first revealed the shock Gaza plan during a joint news conference with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, drawing outrage from Palestinians.The US president pressed his case for Palestinians to be moved out of Gaza, devastated by the Israel-Hamas war, and for Egypt and Jordan to take them.Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty flew to Washington in the wake of Trump’s remarks. He met at the State Department on Monday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with neither speaking to the media.Jordan’s King Abdullah II was set to hold talks with Trump on Tuesday.In the Fox interview — which will be broadcast Monday after the first half was screened a day earlier — Trump said he would build “beautiful communities” for the more than two million Palestinians who live in Gaza.”Could be five, six, could be two. But we’ll build safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is,” added Trump.”In the meantime, I would own this. Think of it as a real estate development for the future. It would be a beautiful piece of land. No big money spent.”- ‘Unacceptable’ -Trump stunned the world when he announced out of the blue last week that the United States would “take over the Gaza Strip,” remove rubble and unexploded bombs and turn it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”But while he initially said that Palestinians could be among the “world people” allowed to live there, he has since appeared to harden his position to suggest that they could not.Netanyahu on Sunday praised Trump’s proposal as “revolutionary”, striking a triumphant tone in a statement to his cabinet following his return from Washington.”President Trump came with a completely different, much better vision for Israel,” said Netanyahu, who was reportedly only briefed on the plan shortly before Trump’s announcement.The reaction from much of the rest of the world has been one of outrage, with Egypt, Jordan, other Arab nations and the Palestinians all rejecting it out of hand.The criticism was not limited to the Arab world, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday labeling the plan “a scandal,” adding that the forced relocation of Palestinians would be “unacceptable and against international law.”Trump’s plan has also threatened to disrupt the fragile six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and the chances of it progressing to a second, more permanent phase.Trump, however, repeated his insistence that he could persuade Egypt and Jordan, both major recipients of US military aid, to come around.”I think I could make a deal with Jordan. I think I could make a deal with Egypt. You know, we give them billions and billions of dollars a year,” he told Fox. Last year, Trump described Gaza as being “like Monaco,” while his son-in-law Jared Kushner suggested that Israel could clear Gaza of civilians to unlock “waterfront property.”

Prosecutors in the trial of the man accused of attacking Salman Rushdie described to jurors Monday how the “Satanic Verses” author was stabbed repeatedly in a frenzied assault that left him blind in one eye.Hadi Matar, a 27-year-old Lebanese-American who said “free Palestine” as he was led into court, is charged with attempted murder and assault over the August 12, 2022 attack at an arts event in the west of New York state.Matar is accused of stabbing Rushdie about 10 times, leaving him in grave condition and without sight in his right eye.Prosecutor District Attorney Jason Schmidt told how Rushdie had just taken his seat in the amphitheater in front of about 1,000 people.”A young medium build man wearing dark colored facemask… appeared from the rear of the theater,” Schmidt said. “Once on the stage he rapidly, accelerated into a full-out run.”(Matar) forcefully and efficiently and with speed plunged the knife into Mr Rushdie over and over and over again… swinging, slashing into Mr Rushdie’s head, neck, abdomen, upper thigh.”Schmidt said Rushdie raised his hands to defend himself but remained seated after several blows had been landed.The celebrated Indian-born writer, a naturalized American based in New York, has faced death threats since his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” was declared blasphemous by Iran’s supreme leader.Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict, in 1989 calling on Muslims anywhere in the world to kill Rushdie.Hezbollah endorsed the fatwa, the FBI has said, and Matar faces a separate prosecution in federal court on terrorism charges.Matar, who wore a blue shirt and frequently conferred with his five-strong legal team in the ornate courtroom, previously told the New York Post that he had only read two pages of Rushdie’s novel but believed the author had “attacked Islam.”Rushdie, now 77, suffered multiple stab wounds before attendees and guards could subdue the attacker, later identified by police as Matar.- Life under fatwa -A large media presence has gathered in the small lakefront resort town of Mayville near the Canadian border to follow the trial.Matar’s defense team sought a delay in the case as his primary lawyer has been hospitalized, but judge David Foley denied that.Matar’s side had previously sought to have the trial moved from Mayville, near where Rushdie was attacked, arguing a fair trial from the 12 jurors and four alternates recruited from the local area was impossible.Rushdie lived in seclusion in London for the first decade after the fatwa was issued, but for the past 20 years — until the attack — he lived a relatively normal life in New York.He was not in court Monday.Last year, he published a memoir called “Knife” in which he recounted the near-death experience.”Why didn’t I fight? Why didn’t I run? I just stood there like a pinata and let him smash me,” Rushdie wrote. “It didn’t feel dramatic, or particularly awful. It just felt probable… matter-of-fact.”Iran has denied any link to the attacker — but said only Rushdie was to blame for the incident.Rushdie explained in “Knife” that the attack has not changed his view on his most famous work. “I am proud of the work I’ve done, and that very much includes ‘The Satanic Verses.’ If anyone’s looking for remorse, you can stop reading right here,” he said.Rushdie has said that he did not want to attend the fateful talk, and two days before the incident he had a dream of being attacked by a gladiator with a spear in a Roman amphitheater.”And then I thought, ‘Don’t be silly. It’s a dream,'” he told CBS.

Democrats announced a new platform for US whistleblowers Monday as they launched the latest front in their rearguard against efforts by President Donald Trump’s “efficiency czar” Elon Musk to gut federal spending.Announcing an online portal to report potential law-breaking, they said whistleblowers would be “invaluable” to the mission of holding to account those undermining democracy.”In the first three weeks of his administration, President Trump has shown a blatant disregard for the rule of law and a callousness for the American people,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement with a lieutenant, Gary Peters.”From the DOGE takeover of the Treasury Department to the federal funding freeze, this administration has wreaked havoc on programs that American families, seniors, students, veterans, and others have come to depend upon.”Musk, with Trump’s blessing, has been working his way through the federal government — from the Treasury to the US Agency for International Development — accessing computer systems to identify fraud and waste while laying off workers.Critics say much of the action is unlawful, flouting the oversight role given to Congress by the US Constitution, and have launched lawsuits across the country to halt Musk’s self-styled “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE).They point out that Musk has massive conflicts of interest as the largest government contractor and is not elected or Senate-confirmed, despite his deputies being granted access to the sensitive personal data of millions of federal employees. USAID was investigating its relationship with Musk’s communications company Starlink just months before he attempted to shut the agency down, according to US media reports.

US President Donald Trump plans to impose 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Monday, prompting the threat of retaliation from Europe and a warning from China that there were no winners in a trade war.Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday that the tariffs — which he will announce later Monday — will apply to “any steel coming into the United States,” adding this will also affect aluminum. Trump imposed similar tariffs during his 2017-2021 presidency to protect US industries, which he believed faced unfair competition from Asian and European countries.While the European Commission said Monday it had not received any official notification of the tariffs, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the European Union will counter in kind and “replicate” any imposed.”There is no hesitation when it comes to defending our interests,” he said during an interview with broadcaster TF1.”We will react to protect the interests of European businesses, workers and consumers from unjustified measures,” the European Commission said in a statement.Canada — which Trump has already threatened with tariffs — is the largest source of steel and aluminum imports to the United States, according to US trade data. Brazil, Mexico and South Korea are also major steel providers.- Only losers -But around 25 percent of European steel exports go to the US, according to consultants Roland Berger, who warned in a recent note that “any tax from the United States would hurt the European sector”.German economy minister Robert Habeck, also vice chancellor of Europe’s biggest economy, said a tariff conflict “only has losers”.”But it is also clear that Europe must and can only react to unilateral trade restrictions in a united and determined manner,” he said in a statement.”And we are prepared for that.”On Sunday, Trump also said he would announce “reciprocal tariffs” to match his government’s levies to the rates charged by other countries on US products. “Every country will be reciprocal,” Trump said, adding that he would make a detailed announcement on the tariffs on Tuesday or Wednesday.Trump has already shown his fondness for weaponizing the United States’ financial power, ordering tariffs on key trade partners China, Mexico and Canada soon after he took office.He paused 25-percent levies against Canada and Mexico for a month after both countries vowed to step up measures to counter flows of the drug fentanyl and the crossing of undocumented migrants into the United States.The tariffs against China went ahead, however, with products entering the United States facing additional levies of 10 percent since Tuesday. Beijing responded with targeted tariffs on certain US products such as coal and liquefied natural gas, which will come into play on Monday. The new Chinese tariffs cover $14 billion worth of US goods, while the tariffs announced by Trump cover $525 billion worth of Chinese goods, according to Goldman Sachs.On Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reiterated “there is no winner in a trade war and tariff war”.- ‘Golden age’ -Trump has also pledged tariffs on the EU and said that he would soon announce unspecified “reciprocal tariffs.” French President Emmanuel Macron vowed in an interview aired Sunday to go head-to-head with Trump over his financial threats to Europe, though he said that the United States should focus its efforts on China rather than the EU.Macron also warned on CNN that Americans would feel the effects of any tariffs on Europe, saying they “will increase the costs and create inflation in the US.”And in an otherwise friendly meeting Friday with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Trump warned Tokyo could still face tariffs on exported goods if it fails to cut the US trade deficit with Japan to zero.The trade deficit of the United States — the world’s largest economy — widened last year to nearly $920 billion.Trump, who has promised a “new golden age” for the United States, has insisted that the impact of any tariffs would be borne by foreign exporters without being passed on to US consumers, despite most experts saying the contrary.But he did acknowledge after announcing tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China earlier this month that Americans might feel economic “pain.”Trump has wielded tariffs as a threat to achieve his wider policy goals, most recently when he said he would slap them on Colombia when it turned back US military planes carrying deported migrants.After a day-long showdown with Trump, the Colombian government backed down.

Philadelphia’s 40-22 Super Bowl victory on Sunday was marked by the presence of President Donald Trump, crowds booing Taylor Swift, and Kansas City’s crushing loss.Here are some highlights from the 59th Super Bowl. – Donald Trump in the houseThe first sitting president to attend the Super Bowl took a small lap of the field before settling into his box to watch the game. Although First Lady Melania was absent, he was accompanied by other members of the Trump clan — including his daughter Ivanka and son Eric.His appearance on the giant screens during the national anthem was met with applause, but he left before the end of the game.- Boo Taylor SwiftThe queen of pop was booed when she appeared on the Caesars Superdome screens during a break in play. The singer turned her head to face the camera with a slightly embarrassed smile.Swift, who is from Pennsylvania, home of the Eagles, had come to support her partner Travis Kelce, playing for Kansas City.- Hip-hop touchdownKendrick Lamar becomes the first hip-hop artist to solo the halftime concert. Basking in the 15 minutes of glory, he performed his classic hits “Humble” and “DNA”, as well as tracks from his latest album “GNX”, such as “Peekaboo” or “Squabble Up”. Some were expecting a rant against Trump. He may have touched upon the topic when he said: “The revolution will be televised, you chose the right time, but not the right guy”.- A Palestinian flagDuring Lamar’s performance an individual dressed like one of the show’s dancers climbed onto the rapper’s car and waved a banner with intertwined Sudanese and Palestinian flags. He ran across the field for a few seconds before being caught. In a statement, the NFL said the activist was hired as an extra for the show and hid the flag on him until the choreography began.- Adverts steal the showThe Super Bowl adverts were once again teaming with stars, from Meg Ryan — who re-enacted the famous restaurant scene in “When Harry Met Sally” for a mayonnaise brand — to Matt Damon, who pretended to be David Beckham’s brother in a beer commercial. Companies shelled out $8 million for 30 seconds of air time on Fox, which is owned by the Murdoch family.The message of unity was a noticeable theme in adverts featuring rap legend Snoop Dogg and football star Tom Brady — as well as Harrison Ford, who explained “our differences can be our strength” in an commercial for Jeep.- Artificial Intelligence AI start-up star OpenAI also purchased a spot during the broadcast. The minimalist clip was focused on aesthetic rather than content, attracting a lot of comments on social media, not all positive. Google on the other hand tugged on people’s heartstrings, showing a stay-at-home dad preparing for a job interview with the help of the AI assistant Gemini.