Tuesday Briefing: Trump’s new tariff fight

February 11, 2025

	By Emmett Lindner

Good morning. We’re covering President Trump’s new tariff fight and Hamas’s decision to suspend hostage releases.

Plus, Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl show.

Steel coils at a wholesale market in Shenyang, China.

A wholesale steel market in Shenyang, China. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Trump’s new tariffs would hit metals imports

President Trump was poised to move forward with sweeping 25 percent tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum that are likely to rankle Canada and Mexico, which supply the bulk of U.S. metal imports.

The two countries could also incite retaliation on U.S. exports. Trump said on Sunday that he would make a formal announcement about the tariffs on Monday.

His decision took leaders in Canada and Mexico by surprise. A North American trade war had been averted at the last moment last month when deals were reached with Trump for a 30-day postponement of tariffs.

My colleague Ana Swanson, who covers trade, said the new tariffs “will probably spark new trade fights with American allies.”

“The interesting thing about steel and aluminum tariffs is they do really help domestic metal makers,” she said. “But there’s a big trade-off because they increase costs for other businesses that use steel and aluminum. And there a lot of those — makers of cars, machinery, planes and food packaging come to mind.”

Context: Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on metals in his first term. Studies showed that the move hurt the broader economy as prices went up for so many other industries.

China: Trump’s metal tariffs might primarily be aimed at allies of the U.S., but they’re really intended to hit China, which dominates the global steel and aluminum industry.

More on Trump

A federal judge for the first time said the White House had disobeyed a judicial mandate by failing to release billions of dollars in frozen federal grants.
A third federal judge issued an injunction blocking Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship.
The Department of Homeland Security is asking the Internal Revenue Service to help crack down on immigration, a memo viewed by The Times showed.
A coalition of refugee advocacy organizations sued the Trump administration over the indefinite pause of the refugee system.
Trump’s lawyers argued that the courts can’t block Elon Musk’s team from gaining access to the Treasury Department’s payment and data systems.
Trump once again suggested that he would try to stay in office for a third term, past the constitutional limits.
Legal experts are arguing that the nation is facing a constitutional crisis as Trump tests the boundaries of executive power.
Shortly before Trump said he would have to clear unexploded bombs to redevelop Gaza, he ordered all U.S.-funded demining groups to stop their work.

A crowd carries torch lights and large posters with the faces of Israeli hostages at night.

A demonstration in support of the hostages in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Hamas won’t free hostages ‘until further notice’

Hamas has indefinitely postponed the release of Israeli hostages who were set to be freed this weekend, a spokesman said yesterday. He accused Israel of several violations of the cease-fire agreement.

The move threatens to derail a six-week truce and prospects for a lasting end to the war. The announcement from Hamas came after Fox News published a clip of an interview in which President Trump said Palestinians would not be allowed to return to Gaza under his plan to relocate the entire population.

What’s next: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel planned to hold a meeting of his security cabinet after consulting with his top advisers. Mediators from Qatar and Egypt could work with Israeli and Hamas negotiators to find a resolution.

People gathering in a large conference space with clear dome structures set up.

France is hosting an A.I. summit in Paris this week. Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Europe wants to be a top contender in the A.I. race

Top tech executives, academic experts and government leaders gathered yesterday in Paris for a two-day A.I. summit. Europe wants to keep up with the U.S. and China in the A.I. race, but investors worry that the continent has too much red tape, and that its taxes are too high.

It was a fear that President Emmanuel Macron of France seemed eager to push past. “If we regulate before we innovate, we won’t have any innovation of our own,” he said.

China: Many people in the country see the success of the start-up DeepSeek as a victory for domestic education, proof that it equals or has surpassed that of the U.S.

MORE TOP NEWS

Voting in Tanicuchi, Ecuador, on Sunday. David Diaz Arcos/Reuters

Ecuador: Daniel Noboa, the young president known for aggressive law-and-order policies, is headed to a runoff in his bid for re-election.
Bangladesh: More than 1,300 people were arrested after clashes erupted between supporters and opponents of the ousted former prime minister.
Guatemala: A bus crash in Guatemala City killed at least 53 people and injured several more after the vehicle fell off a bridge and plunged into a ravine.
U.S.: The man accused of stabbing Salman Rushdie in 2022, leaving his victim blind in one eye, went on trial.
Venezuela: After a year of investigation, the Chilean authorities have found evidence indicating that the Maduro government ordered the killing of a dissident in Chile.
France: Dominique Pelicot, jailed for drugging his wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her, is suspected of similar crimes that took place years earlier.
Greece: At least 13,000 of Santorini’s 15,500 residents have left in the past week, unnerved by frequent tremors.
Romania: A woman in the U.S. sued the online influencers Tristan and Andrew Tate, accusing them of luring her to Romania for sex work.
New York: Three men were convicted of murder in the drugging and robbing of patrons of gay bars, two of whom were killed as their bank accounts were emptied.
Entertainment: “Emilia Pérez” was tipped as a Best Picture favorite at the Oscars. Now Netflix is scrambling to contain the fallout from comments by its star.
Science: A new study found that the Earth’s inner core, a big ball of iron and nickel, has noticeably changed shape over the past few decades.

Sports

Hockey: NHL players from Canada, the U.S., Finland and Sweden will compete in the 4 Nations Face-Off, beginning Wednesday.
Football: The Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and his team stayed true to themselves to become Super Bowl champions.
Tennis: Denis Shapovalov’s Dallas Open win can be summed up in a single shot.

MORNING READ

A crowd of people in front of a display of lights that reads “Diaspora Village” in a courtyard.

A cultural center in Batroun, Lebanon, that aims to help Lebanese abroad stay connected with their country. Laura Boushnak for The New York Times

Many Lebanese citizens have emigrated during times of conflict or disaster. But after looking from afar at images of their homeland battered by war with Israel, some in this influential diaspora — estimated at nearly three times the size of the country’s population of 5.7 million — have begun trickling back, hoping to offer support. The challenges are huge.

Lives lived: Gyalo Thondup, the eldest brother of the Dalai Lama and a prominent figure in Tibet, died at 97.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Before and after photos of a diabetes specialist who has lost weight.

Dr. John Buse, a diabetes specialist, has been taking weight loss drugs.

Doctors on Ozempic: At cardiology conferences and diabetes meetings for physicians, it is hard not to notice that there have been some changes.
Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new opera: The premiere of “Festen” in London today looks primed to upset traditionalists.
Look the part: Our fashion critic offers her thoughts on how to dress for success heading into a job interview.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

Kendrick Lamar, in a varsity jacket and jeans, surrounded by dancers in red, white and blue clothing forming the shape of the American flag.

Kendrick Lamar during his Super Bowl halftime performance. Doug Mills/The New York Times

Settling a score at the Super Bowl halftime show

Whether Kendrick Lamar would perform his Grammy-winning Drake diss “Not Like Us” at the Super Bowl halftime show dominated conversations leading up to the event. The song has become Lamar’s signature hit.

During his feud with Drake, Lamar has appeared to take on the dismantling of his rival as necessary homework. But when he finally launched into “Not Like Us” on Sunday, he did so with the grin of a man who was having the time of his life at the expense of an enemy. It was quite a spectacle — perhaps the peak of any rap battle ever, my colleague Jon Caramanica writes.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A shallow gray bowl holds miso leeks with a jammy egg and a slice of toast.

Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Cook: Steady, gentle heat is the key to making these miso leeks with white beans.

Watch: In “Love Hurts,” Ke Huy Quan plays a cheery real estate agent trying hard to forget his past life as an assassin.

Read: A new biography on the Bangles tells the story behind one of the defining bands of the 1980s.

Listen: “Face-Off,” a podcast about changes in U.S.-China relations, is back for a second season.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Emmett

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request.

Subscribe to The Times Get The New York Times app

Connect with us on: