First: Trump’s vow to impose tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China attacked as a ‘sales tax’ on Americans | Donald Trump

Good morning

Donald Trump has announced that he will immediately sign an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada, as well as an additional 10% tariff on China.

Trump said the tariffs would remain in effect until the U.S.’s two neighbors crack down on drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal border crossings.

During his campaign in October, Trump called the word “tariff” “the most beautiful word in the dictionary” and made clear that he intended to reduce the use of foreign goods and parts by U.S. companies by increasing costs.

The plans have been attacked as a regressive move that will hit the poorest hardest. “A tariff is essentially a sales tax that raises the price of almost everything you buy,” said Robert Reich, Bill Clinton’s labor secretary.

• How much trading will that be? influence? According to official statistics, Canada, Mexico and China account for about 40% of the goods the United States imports each year. Beijing said “no one will win in a trade war.”

• What’s behind Trump’s preference for tariffs? Bill Ackman, chief executive of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, said Trump would use tariffs as a foreign policy “weapon” to “achieve economic and political results.”

Prosecutors drop election interference and document cases against Trump

Special counsel dismissed the two federal criminal cases against Donald Trump in separate court filings on Monday, bowing to the fact that they would not be completed or tried before Trump becomes president again next year.

Trump’s victory ended criminal cases against him – over his withholding of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election – under a Justice Department policy that prohibits taking criminal action against a sitting president.

The Israeli cabinet wants to decide on a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon

After more than a year of fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, Israel’s security cabinet is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to decide on a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon.

Under the deal under consideration, the Israel Defense Forces would reportedly withdraw from southern Lebanon, Hezbollah would withdraw its heavy weapons north of the Litani River, about 16 miles (25 km) north of the Israeli border, and the Lebanese army would withdraw Moving in supplies During an initial 60-day transition phase, security in the border zone is to be guaranteed together with an existing UN peacekeeping force.

Hezbollah was not directly involved in the talks, in which the Lebanese government assured that the militia would respect the terms of the agreement.

Meanwhile, Israel carried out intensive airstrikes on Monday. The IDF said it attacked 25 command centers in Lebanon linked to Hezbollah’s Executive Council, including in southern Beirut.

• Why might Netanyahu agree to a ceasefire? His government is under domestic pressure to agree to a deal that would allow about 60,000 Israelis from the border region to return home after spending a year in refugee camps.

• This is how the war has increased recently: In October, Israel launched a ground invasion and increased bombardment across Lebanon. The campaign has killed about 3,500 Lebanese, hit the heart of Beirut and killed much of Hezbollah’s leadership.

In other news…

Stat of the day: Samoa has faced a deadly measles outbreak that has killed at least 83 people and hospitalized patientssing 1,867 after RFK Jr’s visit

A few months before a deadly measles outbreak in 2019, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Samoa and met anti-vaxxers there, contributing to a “significant disinformation campaign,” health experts claim. Samoa has fewer than 200,000 residents, but many have died and thousands have been hospitalized because vaccination rates have been low.

Don’t miss: How an Indigenous man was made the public face of an atrocity

In 2004, 29 people were killed by members of the Cinta Larga tribe in the Brazilian Amazon basin. The story shocked the country – but the truth is still being debated. Alex Cuadros spent years of intensive reporting to understand what happened.

Climate check: Britain braces for more flooding after Storm Bert inundates towns

More flooding is expected in Britain this week after Storm Bert caused torrential rain over the weekend, the Environment Secretary said. Extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent and intense in most parts of the world, especially Europe, due to human-caused climate change, as warmer air can hold more water vapor.

Last Thing: Mystery after a humbug vandal destroys Ebenezer Scrooge’s fake gravestone

A vandal has smashed a gravestone for the fictional character Ebenezer in Shropshire, England Scrooge, used in a 1984 film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novella. According to police, the identity and motive of the fraudulent perpetrator are unknown.

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