Texas Republicans want a month dedicated to God published

Texas Republicans' efforts to devote an entire month toward God's "Promise" are receiving pushback from constitutional advocates endorsing the separation of church and state.

Multiple states have brought forward religious-based legislation, including the forced display of the Ten Commandments, and using the bureaucratic pulpit to exclaim that "Christ is King."

House Concurrent Resolution 59 in Texas would, if passed, designate April as "Promise Month" for a 10-year period beginning with the legislation's adoption year.

Read in full from Nick Mordowanec on Newsweek.

Trump officials tell World Cup visitors 'come spend a lot of America, but don't stay too long'

Trump officials have urged World Cup visitors to come to the U.S. and "spend a lot of money in America," but warned them "don't stay too long."

During a task force meeting for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in North America, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy added that visitors should "see America" but not to "overstay their visa."

"Of course, everybody is welcome to come and see this incredible event. I know we'll have visitors, probably from close to 100 countries. We want them to come. We want them to celebrate. We want them to watch the game. But when the time is up, they'll have to go home. Otherwise, they'll have to talk to Secretary Noem," Vice President JD Vance added, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who is leading the administration's crackdown on immigration.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce reacts after Carney-Trump meeting

Canada's Chamber of Commerce praised the meeting between President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in a statement provided to Newsweek on Tuesday.

The relationship between the United States and Canada has grown tumultuous since Trump's return to office over his tariff threats and talk of making Canada the 51st state. Carney ran a campaign that criticized Trump, with his liberal party emerging victorious against conservatives.

The U.S. and Canada have long held close ties and have been key diplomatic and economic partners, despite recent strains. The meeting between Trump and Carney comes as countries worldwide are working to secure new trade deals with the administration to avoid steep tariffs on their exports to the U.S.

Candace Laing, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, reacted to the meeting in a statement provided to Newsweek Tuesday afternoon.

"Today's chance for a relationship reset was much needed. We are impressed with the tone of the meeting and the momentum toward a reliable, close economic and security relationship," she wrote. "Our two countries working and making things together will be mutually beneficial for decades to come, if we are able to keep discussions like today's going."

Read in full from Andrew Stanton on Newsweek.

Trump announces Rudy Giuliani's son Andrew as executive director of FIFA task force

President Trump has announced Andrew Giuliani, the son of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, will serve as executive director of a presidential task force on 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The task force was set up two months ago to help prepare for the 2026 World Cup in North America.

It will also coordinate another FIFA tournament, the Club World Cup, which will see professional clubs arrive in the U.S. this summer.

The FIFA cups will be held in the U.S. despite rising reports of foreign tourists being refused entry into the country at airports amid Trump's crackdown on immigration.

US and UK close in on trade deal: Report

The United States and the United Kingdom are closing in on a trade deal that would spare British steel and car exports from the 25 per cent tariffs, the Financial Times reports.

In exchange, the U.K. would give cut tariffs on American auto exports and agricultural products, as well as reducing the digital services tax on international tech companies, officials told the newspaper.

However, the U.K. still would not accept American food standards on meat products like hormone-treated beef and chlorine-washed chicken which would make it impossible for the U.K. to join the E.U.'s "veterinary agreement," which sets a minimum standard for animal health.

The Trump administration is close to signing deals with 17 countries, including the U.K.

Treasury secretary Scott Bessent told a congressional hearing on Tuesday that some of those deals could be announced as early as this week.

Carney says he asked Trump directly to stop calling Canada the 51st state

Mark Carney told reporters, after his meeting with Donald Trump, that he asked the president directly to stop referring to Canada as America's 51st state.

Trump's repeated comments about annexing America's northern neighbor has infuriated many Canadians who view it as a threat to their sovereignty.

Carney told a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon that he had directly asked Trump to stop referring to Canada as its 51st state, but it doesn't appear Trump agreed.

When asked what Trump had said, Carney responded. "He's the president, he's his own person."

'I'm glad that you couldn't tell what was going through my mind,' says Carney of meeting

Mark Carney joked that he was "glad that you couldn't tell what was going through my mind" when President Trump began talking in their meeting, about making Canada the 51st state.

The Canadian prime minister had looked uncomfortable at time during the Oval Office meeting where he had often struggled to get a word in.

When asked what he felt about the annexation threats, he said, "I've been careful always to distinguish between wish and reality.

"I was clear there in the Oval Office.. that was never going to happen."

Carney sees signs of 'healthier relationship' between US and Canada after meeting

Mark Carney says he feels more confident about U.S.-Canada relations after the meeting with Donald Trump.

"It was a very constructive meeting," he said. "I feel better about the relations in... many respects."

The Canadian prime minister said he took confidence in the "posture or the positioning the president took towards us," after Trump took a decidedly friendly tone with him.

He added that the "breadth of discussion and the how concrete the discussions were... are discussions you have when you're looking to find solutions, rather than laying down terms."

Carney also said that he and the U.S. president discussed a number of global issues and found they had "common concerns" on many of them, "which is a sign of a healthier relationship."

"We have a lot more work to do ... we can't have one meeting and everything's changed but we are engaged. We are fully engaged," he added.

Carney added that he and Trump were having "a very complex negotiation about a wide range of issues."

Carney says focus is 'build at home' after Trump said he doesn't want Canadian cars, energy

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said it was important to focus on building "at home" following his discussion with Donald Trump who implied that the U.S. was not interested in buying Canadian goods.

"We are masters in our own home and we can give ourselves far more than any foreign government can ever take away," Carney said.

"So now is the time to build, based on the discussion today, to build at home and build with our partners abroad, including the United States."

President Trump said, during their Oval Office meeting, that he was not interested in Canadian cars or having American cars built in Canada any longer.

He also appeared to reject Canadian energy, saying that the U.S. had surpluses it could never use.

Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada is addressing the press after Trump meeting

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is speaking to the media after his Oval Office meeting with President Trump.

Carney conceded that there "will be zig zags" in Canada and the United States' relationship going forward but he was optimistic that a trade deal could be secured.

Who is Vinay Prasad? RFK Jr. taps pharma critic to lead FDA vaccine program

Dr. Vinay Prasad, a well-known critic of both the pharmaceutical industry and the Food and Drug Administration, has been appointed to lead the FDA's program overseeing vaccines and biotechnology drugs.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announced the decision in a message to staff on Tuesday, lauding Prasad's "long and distinguished history in medicine." The FDA falls under the guidance of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Prasad's appointment marks the latest addition of a medical skeptic and vocal critic of COVID-19 policies to the federal health leadership under President Donald Trump.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford goes off script about Trump

Ontario Premier Doug Ford was caught going off script about President Trump ahead of the meeting between him and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"This guy drives me nuts," said Ford of Trump, who he has clashed with previously over tariffs and trade,.

Ford also told reporters, on Tuesday morning, that he was looking forward to midterms after news that Trump's popularity had fallen in the polls.

"I can't wait for the midterms. Then we'll fix his little red wagon."

Second judge rules Trump's use of 18th century Alien Enemies Act was improper

A second judge has ruled that Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport Venezuelan migrants was improper.

Trump used the wartime act to declare that a Venezuelan drugs gang had invaded the United States and so could be deported without regular legal process.

Last week, Texas judge, who was appointed by Trump, blocked the use of the act.

On Tuesday, District Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein in New York agreed, writing that the gang "may well be engaged in narcotics trafficking, but that is a criminal matter, not an invasion or predatory incursion."

GOP's chances of beating Jon Ossoff in Georgia without Brian Kemp on ticket

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp's decision not to challenge Senator Jon Ossoff in the state's 2026 Senate race could be a boon to Democrats' chances of holding the seat in the battleground state, according to recent polls.

The decision by Kemp, a Republican, left national Republicans recalibrating in a race Democrats need to hold to win back control of the Senate in the midterms.

Seen as a top-tier contender capable of uniting moderate and conservative voters, Kemp's absence opens the door to a wide primary field—and new questions about whether Republicans can topple Ossoff without him.

"Over the last few weeks, I have had many conversations with friends, supporters, and leaders across the country who encouraged me to run for the US Senate in 2026. I greatly appreciate their support and prayers for our family," Kemp wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "After those discussions, I have decided that being on the ballot next year is not the right decision for me and my family."

Read in full from Andrew Stanton on Newsweek.

Trump references Zelensky blow up as he and Carney clash on trade

President Donald Trump referenced his now infamous Oval Office blow up with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he clashed with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Trump and Carney were discussing trade, when the Canadian leader sought to emphasize how much trade their respective countries did with each other.

"We are the largest client of the United States," he said, adding that they were not going to agree on tariffs overnight, but those discussions were ongoing.

"See the conflict is, and this is very friendly, this is not going to be like, we had another little blowup with somebody else, that was much different," Trump said, referring to his meeting Zelensky, which encouraged laughter from some of his officials.

"This a very friendly conversation. We want to make our own cars, we don't really want cars from Canada. We put tariffs on cars from Canada and at a certain point, it won't make economic sense for Canada to build those cars.

"We don't want steel from Canada, we are making our own steel."

Trump says US 'doesn't do much business with Canada'

President Trump shrugged off the idea that Canada may not want to shop at America's "luxury store."

"We don't do much business with Canada from our point of view," Trump said. "They do a lot of business with us.

"We're got great things great products we sell, nobody else can sell. We make the best military equipment in the world. And Canada buys our military equipment which we appreciate."

Trump says US doesn't 'need' to sign trade deals

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the United States did not have to sign any deals on trade.

The president, who appeared frustrated with reporters asking him when the first tariff deal would finally be announced, snapped that it was incumbent on other countries to agree on a deal with the U.S., not the other way round.

"Everybody says, 'when, when are you going to sign deals?' We don't have to sign deals. I can sign 25 deals right now... if I wanted.

"They have to sign deals with us. They want a piece of our market, we don't want a piece of their market. We don't care about their market."

Trump added that, within the next two weeks, he would sit down with his secretaries of commerce and treasury, among others, to decide on the figures for countries.

"We'll sit down and we'll put very fair numbers down and say, 'here's what this country, what we want' and 'congratulations we have a deal.' And they'll either say 'great' and they'll start shopping, or they'll say 'not good and we're not going to do it.' And I'll say, 'that's ok you don't have to shop,'" Trump said, adding that the administration may adjust some of the figures if they can't agree with the country.

"We're not looking to hurt countries, we want to help countries, we want to be friends with countries.

"They are going to pay for the privilege of being able to shop in the United states if America. Think of us as a super luxury store. A store that has the goods."

Trump praises Canada for 'stepping up military participation'

President Trump praised Canada for "stepping up their military participation" after Mark Carney emphasized his government's focus in improving Canadian security - an issue that Trump has attacked in the past.

"My government is committed to a step change in our investment in Canadian security," Carney said in the Oval Office, before praising Trump for revitalizing national security and NATO.

"I must say Canada is stepping up their military participation... and that's a very important thing," Trump responded.

Trump refuses to back down on making Canada the 51st state

President Trump is refusing to back down on his suggestions that Canada should become the 51st state.

Despite Mark Carney telling Trump that Canada was "not for sale... ever," Trump said that he was happy to wait for Canadians to come round.

"Time will tell. It's only time. But I say never say never," Trump said.

"I've had many many things that were not doable and they've ended up being doable. Only doable in a very friendly way," he added.

"We'll see, overtime but we'll see what happens."

Mark Carney shoots down Trump's suggestion of Canada as 51st state: 'Not for sale, ever'

Mark Carney has rejected Trump's suggestion that Canada could become America's 51st state during their Oval Office meeting.

Trump, who was asked if he still stood by his comments on annexing Canada, said that he did but said, "it takes two to tango."

He added that there would be "a lot of advantages" for Canadians including a "massive tax cut."

"It would really be a wonderful marriage," he added.

However, Carney, who was elected in part on the back of his promises to stand up to Trump, told the U.S. president, that Canada is "not for sale, it won't be for sale, ever."

"But the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together."

Trump and Carney keeping things friendly during Oval Office meeting so far

President Trump kicked off the Oval Office meeting with Mark Carney by congratulating him on a "really great race" and adding that he'd watched the Canadian presidential debates and been impressed.

Carney returned the compliments, calling Trump a "transformational president" and emphasizing their shared goals on the economy and securing borders.

"With the history of Canada and the us we're stronger when we work together," Carney added.

Trump announces US will cease bombing Houthis after they called for peace

President Donald Trump announced during his Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney an end to the conflict with the Houthis in Yemen.

"The Houthis announced last night they don't want to fight any more," Trump said during the meeting.

"They said they will not be blowing up ships any more.

"I will accept their and we will stop the bombing on the Houthis immediately."

Carney and Trump have a friendly greeting at the White House

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has arrived at the White House.

President Trump appeared to offer Carney a warm welcome, shaking his hand, and both men were seen smiling and laughing before he entered the White House.

The friendly greeting could be seen as a positive sign ahead of their sit down in the Oval Office.

But the president had a similarly warm greeting when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to the White House, which did not end on such a friendly note.

Who will be in the Carney-Trump Oval Office meeting?

The White House has released the list of officials who will be attending the Oval Office meeting between Canadian PM Mark Carney and President Trump.

Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff Policy & Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra will all be in attendance at the meeting.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is currently testifying at a committee on Capitol Hill.

Meanwhile on the Canadian side, several ministers will join the lunch at the White House including; International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, Amb. Kirsten Hillman, Privy Council Clerk John Hannaford ,Chief of staff Marco Mendicino and Senior advisor Lisa Jorgensen.

Trump nominee's bid for US attorney for DC derailed by GOP Senator Tillis

Senator Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, said Tuesday he will not support Ed Martin, who is President Donald Trump's nomination to lead the U.S. attorney's office for the District of Columbia.

Tillis told reporters, in a video shared on X, formerly Twitter, by CBS News' Alan He, "I've indicated to the White House I wouldn't support his nomination. If Mr. Martin were being put forth as a U.S. attorney for any district except the district where Jan. 6 happened, the protest happened, I'd probably support him. But not in this district."

Trump appointed Martin, the former chair of the Missouri Republican Party, to become the top prosecutor in Washington. Martin is a Trump loyalist who previously provided legal representation to defendants charged with crimes related to the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol building.

The Republican senator's decision derails Martin's nomination for now, as Tillis is on the Judiciary Committee and his vote is needed to advance Martin to a full Senate floor vote.

Trump shares the 'one question of consequence' he has for Carney

President Donald Trump warned on Tuesday that he has just one "question of consequence" for new Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney.

"I very much want to work with him, but cannot understand one simple TRUTH — Why is America subsidizing Canada by $200 Billion Dollars a year, in addition to giving them FREE Military Protection, and many other things?" Trump asked on Truth Social, ahead of their meeting on Tuesday.

Trump repeat his claim that America did not need any Canadian goods. Currently Canada is a major source of U.S. crude oil, natural gas, and electricity. It is also a big supplier of cars and vehicle parts, wood products and more.

"We don't need their Cars, we don't need their Energy, we don't need their Lumber, we don't need ANYTHING they have, other than their friendship, which hopefully we will always maintain," Trump added.

"They, on the other hand, need EVERYTHING from us! The Prime Minister will be arriving shortly and that will be, most likely, my only question of consequence."

Alberta could hold independence referendum from Canada next year: Premier

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she will hold a referendum on the province's independence from Canada next year if a petition gets the required number of signatures.

"Should Ottawa, for whatever reason, continue to attack our province as they have done over the last decade, ultimately that will be for Albertans to decide," she said during a livestream address on Monday, adding, "I will accept their judgement."

It comes after a stirring of separatist sentiment in the province, especially after the Liberal Party won the Canadian election last week.

Newsweek recently spoke to Albertan politicians who support independence, who painted a general picture of frustration with the direction of the national government.

U.S. trade deficits hit their highest monthly levels on record

U.S. trade deficits rose to their highest monthly levels on record in March as businesses and consumers rushed to get ahead of President Trump's tariffs.

The overall U.S. trade deficit in goods and services rose from $123.2 billion in February to $140.5 billion in March, as deficits with Mexico, Ireland, France, India and Vietnam all hitting record levels.

The Trump administration has said that its tariffs will eliminate bilateral trade deficits, which it claims shows America is being "ripped off" by other countries.

However, economists say it is just reflective of the fact that the United States exported most of its manufacturing overseas several years ago.

Trump says he's 'not looking to hurt' film industry with 100% tariffs

President Donald Trump said that he is "not looking to hurt" Hollywood with his 100 percent tariff on films produced overseas.

Trump, who sparked panic in the film industry with his Truth Social post on Sunday announcing the heavy tariffs, said he was planning to meet with industry leaders to discuss the levies.

"We're going to meet with the industry. I want to make sure they're happy with it because we're all about jobs," he told CNBC on Monday.

"I'm not looking to hurt the industry, I want to help the industry."

Trump also laid blame at the feet of California state governor Gavin Newsom who he claimed had "allowed" the film industry to "be taken away from" the United States.

Canadians fear Carney could face a Zelensky-style grilling at Trump meeting

Some Canadians fear that today's meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Donald Trump could end in a similar disastrous fashion as the one between the U.S. president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In February, Zelensky flew to Washington D.C. to sit down with Trump to discuss the next steps to ending the Ukraine-Russia war and to sign a minerals deal with the U.S.

Instead, their meeting escalated to an unprecedented shouting match after Vice President JD Vance accused Zelensky of not being grateful enough to Trump.

Now Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto, fears Carney could be in for the same humiliation.

"We've seen what he does. We saw what he did with Zelenskyy," Bothwell told the Associated Press. "He would sure as hell try to do the same with Carney. It's not in Carney's interest. It's not in Canada's interest."

Carney said ahead of Tuesday's Oval Office meeting that that he was elected specifically to "stand up" to Trump.

The 1600: Trump's long game against higher ed

Do we have any dentists among us? I made the mistake of going to the dentist the other day for the first time since Covid and left with a laundry list of things I am supposed to go back for to get fixed. Somehow I am supposed to get all this dental work done during the 20 hours a week when the office is open. But my teeth seem fine, nothing hurts. Can't I just continue to ignore until something does? I don't want to be labeled an anti-Dentite, but it's hard not to think the entire dentistry field is kind of a professional racket sometimes.

We haven't addressed the Trump administration's assault on Higher Education in a little while, which is what I wanted to touch on today. The president is waging a multi-front war on institutions like Harvard and the rest of the Ivy League. Harvard, unlike the spineless leaders of Columbia who immediately caved to the White House's demands, has actually sued the White House—basically saying, no, we're not going to allow ourselves to be put into a federal consent decree. Pretty open and shut First Amendment case, it would seem. So Trump is retaliating, as he tends to do when faced with even a modicum of pushback, now marking Harvard as ineligible for new research grants from the federal government.

Read in full from Carlo Versano on Newsweek.

Commerce Secretary Lutnick slams Canada ahead of Carney's meeting with Trump

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick launched a blistering attack on Canada ahead of Tuesday's meeting between President Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

"They have been basically feeding off of us for decades upon decades," Lutnick told to the Wall Street Journal on Monday.

Lutnick added that the meeting between Trump and Carney would be "fascinating," but said "I just don't see how it works out so perfect.

Stock futures slump amid trade war and ahead of Fed decision on rates

Stock futures slumped on Tuesday amid the latest economic fallout over tariffs, and ahead of the Federal Reserve's decision on whether to cut the rates on Wednesday.

S&P 500 futures fell 0.9%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped nearly 0.7% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 futures were down 1.2%.

On Monday, Ford and Mattel became the latest companies to pull their profit forecasts due to the uncertainty over tariffs. In Ford's case, its decision came after a 64 percent profit drop in its first quarter. While Mattel has announced it may raise U.S. toy prices.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration still has not announced a single tariffs deal with another country.

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve is expected to announce that it is keeping rates steady. Chair Jerome Powell has said he wants to see how Trump's tariffs impact the economy before making any cuts.

America's busiest ports issue 'dire' warning over Trump tariffs

America's busiest ports are seeing a drastic decline in shipments as a result of President Donald Trump's tariffs, with significant implications for consumers as well as the U.S. logistics sector.

"We are at a point of inflection. It's kind of dire," Mario Cordero, Port of Long Beach CEO, told NBC on Monday. "What happens here is going to be an indication of what's going to occur in the supply chain. We have less vessel calls, less cargo now."

The impact of Trump's tariffs on transpacific shipments is already expected to result in higher retail prices for foreign made goods, particularly those from China—still subject to a 145 percent import tax—and elicited warnings that shoppers could soon face empty shelves.

In addition, the reduction of goods arriving on U.S. shores has also raised concerns that this could have a serious consequences for global supply chains as well as America's supply chain-dependent industries.

Cordero told NBC that the decline in traffic was reminiscent of the COVID-era disruptions. Similar circumstances are being felt at the neighboring Port of Los Angeles, where scheduled shipments are down 35 percent year-on-year this week, according to the Port Optimizer data platform.

Read in full from Hugh Cameron on Newsweek.

AOC drops bid for top Democrat on House Oversight Committee

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has dropped her bid to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, citing "underlying dynamics" around seniority, The New York Times reports.

"It's actually clear to me that the underlying dynamics in the caucus have not shifted with respect to seniority as much as I think would be necessary," Ocasio-Cortez, 35, told reporters.

Ocasio-Cortez ran for the position in December but was defeated by the more senior member of the committee, Rep. Gerry Connolly, of Virginia.

However, last week Connolly said that he was stepping back from the Oversight panel, and would not seek re-election to Congress, after his esophageal cancer returned.

Donald Trump's legal nemesis makes vow after '60 Minutes' segment

Lawyer Marc Elias, a longtime opponent of President Donald Trump, says he will "not stop fighting" following an appearance on 60 Minutes about the president's executive orders targeting law firms.

"I have no doubt that Trump's hateful words are not behind me," Elias, who has represented Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris' presidential campaigns, wrote in an op-ed for Democracy Docket, which he founded, on Monday.

"I am certain he will escalate his campaign of political retribution. But, for my part, I will not stop fighting. I will never back down. And I will always speak out."

Elias has been contacted for further comment via an email to Democracy Docket. The White House has been contacted for comment via email.

Read in full from Khaleda Rahman on Newsweek.