Thursday Briefing: A widening trade war

Plus, our favorite spring books.

View in browser|nytimes.com March 13, 2025 By Justin Porter Good morning. We're covering the widening trade war and the Trump administration's attempt to deport an activist. Plus, a new season of books. Steel coils at a factory in Hamilton, Ontario. Carlos Osorio/Reuters E.U. and Canada retaliated after Trump's latest tariffs The trade fight widened yesterday as the E.U. and Canada announced billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports, hours after President Trump's levies on steel and aluminum imports took effect. Europe The E.U. said that tariffs would take effect on April 1, a response to about $26 billion in tariffs applied by the U.S. But bloc officials emphasized that they were ready to strike a deal. Their response will come in two parts. A tariff suspension implemented under President Joe Biden will be allowed to lapse, raising tariffs on billions of euros' worth of products that include boats, bourbon and motorcycles. The second step will be to place tariffs on about 18 billion euros' worth of additional products, a list of which has yet to be finalized. Canada The Canadian government said that it would impose new tariffs on $20 billion worth of U.S. imports. This round is centered on steel and aluminum but also applies to tools, computers, sporting goods and cast iron. Here's a breakdown of all the tariffs so far. Other allies Britain has chosen not to retaliate, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer looks to sign a long-term trade deal with the U.S. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia said his country would not impose reciprocal tariffs because they would hurt domestic consumers. Mahmoud Khalil at a protest in New York City last week. Marco Postigo Storel for The New York Times Activist held by U.S. hasn't spoken privately with lawyers Lawyers for a pro-Palestinian activist and legal U.S. resident who was detained by federal immigration authorities last weekend have been unable to hold private conversations with him, a court hearing revealed yesterday. The Trump administration is trying to deport the activist, Mahmoud Khalil, who has not been charged with a crime. Khalil, who is married to an American citizen, has been a leader of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, from which he recently graduated. The Trump administration has justified his detention with a little-used statute that allows deportation proceedings against people whose presence is deemed "adversarial" to U.S. foreign policy. Trump said this week that Khalil's case was the first of "many to come." Quote: "This is not about free speech," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. "This is about people that don't have a right to be in the United States to begin with. No one has a right to a student visa. No one has a right to a green card." What's next: The judge said that he would order the government to let Khalil's lawyers speak with him. He also told a government lawyer to be prepared to address a 2004 Supreme Court opinion that could allow Khalil's lawyers to keep his case in New York. More on Trump Senate Democrats said they would not help pass a stopgap funding bill, raising the odds of a government shutdown. ICE returned a second group of migrants to the U.S. from Guantánamo Bay, officials said, days before the practice is set to face a court challenge. Ireland's leader made a traditional annual visit to Washington ahead of St. Patrick's Day. Trump plans to close Environmental Protection Agency offices responsible for addressing pollution levels in poor communities, according to a memo. Moderate leaders around the world are getting a boost from voters' alarm over Trump's "shock and awe" policies. Federal judges have been pushing back against Trump's executive orders. Here's a look at where those cases stand. Track Trump's actions since he took office. Fighters for the new Syrian government on the road between Tartus and Latakia last week. Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images Tracking sectarian violence and revenge killings in Syria Armed groups and foreign fighters linked to the Syrian government were behind the sectarian violence in the coastal region over the past week, a war monitoring group based in Britain found. The tensions have threatened efforts to unify the country. The violence "included extrajudicial killings, field executions and systematic mass killings motivated by revenge and sectarianism," the Syrian Network for Human Rights said in a report released on Tuesday. The Times could not confirm the findings. Background: Hundreds of civilians were killed in Latakia and Tartus provinces, areas dominated by the Alawite religious minority. The ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad was an Alawite, and some fellow members enjoyed privileged status under his rule. Conflict: Turkey kept bombing armed Kurdish insurgents in Iraq and Syria, even after the militants' leader urged them to disband and their group declared a cease-fire. MORE TOP NEWS Pool photo by Saul Loeb War in Ukraine Hope for a truce: Secretary of State Marco Rubio of the U.S. said that a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine could take place within days if the Kremlin agreed. Russia: Troops began an assault on Sudzha, a Ukrainian-occupied town in the Kursk region, in an attempt to win back a potential bargaining chip in peace talks. Weapons: Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Europe's largest producer of munitions has moved quickly to meet the continent's growing need for military spending. Elsewhere Japan: A young female influencer was stabbed to death while livestreaming on a Tokyo street by a man whom the police identified as a follower with a grudge. Australia: An unusual deployment of three Chinese naval ships around the country left it feeling "near naked." Serbia: Emboldened by President Trump and roiled by protests, the authorities raided nongovernmental organizations without warrants. Greenland: The Demokraatit party, which has been critical of Trump's annexation rhetoric and moderate on independence from Denmark, won the most votes in this week's elections. Climate: Breakthrough Energy, a group for energy and environmental efforts funded by Bill Gates, announced deep cuts. SPORTS NEWS Basketball: N.B.A. stars have hired social media surrogates to lift their profiles in China. Premier League: Manchester City is having a bad season. Has Pep Guardiola's style become outdated? Golf: Tiger Woods announced that he was recovering from a ruptured Achilles' tendon, likely spelling the end of his season. MORNING READ Erin Schaff/The New York Times A 17-acre expanse in the Bahamas has been acquired by an unlikely developer: the Royal Caribbean cruise line. It's building an exclusive beach club with the world's largest swim-up bar, causing alarm among locals, who say they're being priced out of their homes. Bahamian businesses have been promised lucrative contracts, but islanders are shocked by how the land has been razed for tourism. CONVERSATION STARTERS In the woods: Why race for 30 hours through the wilderness with no course and nothing but a compass? Because it feels great. Five years on: We looked back at the memes of Covid. Meghan Sussex?: In her new Netflix series, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, shared that she uses her royal house as her surname. That has raised some eyebrows. ARTS AND IDEAS The New York Times A sea of new books to read this spring Every season brings its share of books to look forward to, and this one is no different. The Times has picked dozens of its favorite page turners for you. A "Hunger Games" prequel follows Katniss Everdeen's eventual mentor at the 50th Hunger Games. Ocean Vuong's new novel traces the relationship between a Vietnamese man and a widow in a fictional Connecticut town. Read the full list here. In nonfiction, "Notes to John," a posthumous work by Joan Didion, features descriptions of her therapy sessions in journal entries addressed to her husband. And a new biography aims to demystify and defend Yoko Ono. Here are our nonfiction picks. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Cook: Chicken jalfrezi — "jalfrezi" means "hot fry" — is a tangy, spicy stir-fried curry with origins in Bengal. Watch: "Adolescence" is a gripping mini-series about a teenager accused of killing a classmate. Stock: Here's why you should always have peas in your freezer. Read: Fernando A. Flores's marvelous new novel, "Brother Brontë," is a dystopian blast. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. Natasha will be back tomorrow. — Justin Reach Natasha and the team 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: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. 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