The Evening: Trump paused tariffs on Canada and Mexico

Also, aid agency staff members were shut out of their offices.

View in browser|nytimes.com February 3, 2025 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday. Trump's 30-day tariff pause U.S. aid agency targeted for closure Plus, the Grammys' best moments Eric Lee/The New York Times Trump delayed tariffs against Canada and Mexico President Trump and the leaders of Mexico and Canada struck last-minute deals today to postpone hefty tariffs that the U.S. planned to impose tomorrow on goods from the two countries. The agreements temporarily averted a North American trade war. Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, announced this afternoon that Trump had agreed to postpone tariffs against Canada for 30 days as the two countries negotiate a border deal. Hours earlier, President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico announced a similar pause after agreeing to a series of U.S. demands on border security, including a promise to send 10,000 more troops to the border. The U.S. is also expected to prevent the trafficking of high-powered weapons into Mexico. The last-minute maneuvering demonstrated Trump's willingness to use tariffs as leverage against America's most important trading partners. Imports from Mexico, Canada and China, another target of tariffs, account for more than a third of the products brought into the U.S. each year. Trump's levies against China are still set to take effect tomorrow. He said he was planning to soon discuss the tariffs with China's leader, Xi Jinping. However, the president described the 10 percent tariffs on Chinese imports as an "opening salvo." What's next: Trump said he plans to soon turn his tariff threats toward Europe. Demonstrators outside of the U.S.A.I.D. headquarters today. Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times Aid agency staff members were shut out of their offices Elon Musk declared early this morning that he and Trump had agreed to shut down the foreign aid agency known as U.S.A.I.D. Soon after, employees were told not to report to work today. And by midday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that he had taken over as acting administrator of the agency, which had been largely independent for decades. Senior officials have been suspended, and hundreds of civil servants and contractors have been iced out of U.S.A.I.D. systems without warning. Rubio said that many of the agency's programs would continue, but blamed the change on its workers' "insubordination." More than 100 U.S.A.I.D. employees gathered in front of the agency's headquarters in Washington with Democratic lawmakers to protest the moves. Democrats have denounced Musk's planned shutdown as illegal because Congress created and funds the agency as a distinct entity. Here's what U.S.A.I.D. does. In other politics news: The E.P.A. told more than 1,100 employees that they could be fired at any time. The State Department fired about 60 contractors who work for its democracy, human rights and labor bureau. Marines and soldiers are preparing Guantánamo Bay to detain as many as 30,000 deported migrants there. A judge said she would further block the White House's plan to freeze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans. Trump said he wanted Ukraine to supply the U.S. with its rare earth minerals in exchange for American aid. In Panama, Rubio demanded "immediate changes" to thwart China's "control" of the canal. A mural in Tehran depicting Iran's first hypersonic ballistic missile. Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times U.S. believes Iran is considering a faster, cruder nuclear weapon Iran's engineers are exploring how to rapidly turn their stockpiles of nuclear fuel into a workable, but perhaps crude, atomic weapon, according to U.S. officials. Iran's leaders have not yet decided whether to pursue such a weapon, officials said, but as their proxy forces have suffered major losses, Iran has explored new ways to defend against an attack. The findings, based on intelligence collected near the end of the Biden administration, will almost certainly be discussed tomorrow, when the Israeli prime minister is set to meet with Trump. The question of whether to strike Iran's facilities or negotiate with Tehran appears to be under debate. In other news from the Middle East, four models for Gaza's postwar future are beginning to take shape. The wreckage on the Potomac River today. Al Drago for The New York Times Crews began clearing wreckage from D.C. plane crash Salvage crews lifted the first wreckage of American Airlines Flight 5342 from the Potomac River today. Officials hope that the effort will help investigators search for clues and give divers room to recover the remaining bodies of the 67 people who died in the midair crash between the jet and a U.S. Army helicopter near Washington. Investigators are focused, in part, on whether the military helicopter pilots were wearing night-vision goggles. More top news Weather: An atmospheric river could bring scattered flooding and snow to Northern California and an increased risk of mudslides to Southern California." New York: The attorney general warned hospitals that complying with Trump's executive order to end gender-affirming care for transgender youth could violate state law. Police: A court-appointed monitor said that N.Y.P.D. anti-crime units had stopped, frisked and searched too many people unlawfully. Russia: The Ukrainian founder of a separatist battalion was killed in an explosion inside an upscale, gated community in Moscow. Spain: The country's former top soccer official went on trial for forcibly kissing a star player on the lips after her team's victory at the Women's World Cup in 2023. Los Angeles: Crews must clean toxic debris from the wildfires before residents can rebuild. Some lots may be ready in days, but the whole process could take up to 18 months. New Orleans: A trove of emails shows how the leadership of the New Orleans Saints used its influence to aid the local archdiocese during a sexual abuse scandal. France: The director Christophe Ruggia was convicted of sexually assaulting the actress Adèle Haenel when she was a minor. U.S.: An impostor stole a man's identity — then got the victim imprisoned for trying to get it back. TIME TO UNWIND Kevin Winter/Getty Images For Beyoncé, the fifth time's a charm Beyoncé was always an awkward underdog at the Grammys, having won more awards than any other artist in history but never securing one crucial victory. Last night, she finally erased that status once and for all, earning for the first time the top Grammy — album of the year. Earlier in the night, Kendrick Lamar won both of the top song prizes for "Not Like Us," his Drake diss track. Chappell Roan capped a breakout year with a best new artist win. Odes to Los Angeles were woven throughout the show. For more: Here are the best and worst moments, and our favorite looks from the Grammys. Claire Tabouret in her Los Angeles studio. Tag Christof for The New York Times An L.A. artist was chosen to help rebuild Notre-Dame Officials in France have asked the artist Claire Tabouret to create several stained glass windows for the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. Her designs, which she has laid out on paper and on plexiglass, will introduce a contemporary touch to the almost 1,000-year-old cathedral. The restoration project, which began after a devastating fire in 2019, now has parallels in Tabouret's adopted hometown. She's a native Frenchwoman who for a decade has lived in Los Angeles, not far from where wildfires broke out last month. Dinner table topics 10-minute challenge: Spend some time with Bruegel's "Hunters in the Snow" and let us know what you think. N.B.A. surprise: The basketball world is still in shock from the Luka Doncic trade. We took an inside look at the negotiations. More than just a beanie: The Arc'teryx toque has become a fashion signifier. Isn't that special?: Here are 50 things we now say, thanks to "S.N.L." WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Linda Xiao for The New York Times Cook: Try this baked pasta inspired by spanakopita. Watch: "Abruptio" is one of the best horror movies to stream right now. Read: Sophia Rosenfeld's new book questions whether the freedom of choice is even worth it. Improve: To build a habit, try a streak. Style: These are the best retro sneakers, no matter your price point. Exercise: Anyone can do Pilates. Here are tips for beginners. Compete: Take this week's Flashback history quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Fine Art Images/Heritage Images, via Getty Images Want a million dollars? Try an ancient world puzzle. An Indian state leader recently announced that he would award $1 million to anyone who could decipher the script of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. Understanding the writings could help unlock the history of its creators, who lived about 5,000 years ago across modern-day India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. But don't start counting your earnings just yet. The script has confounded archaeologists and linguists for over a century. Have a scholarly evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Sean Kawasaki-Culligan was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. 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