Hi! 🙋🏼‍♀️ I’m Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Would you pay $19 for a strawberry?
Here’s a glimpse at Wednesday’s news:
Canada reverses energy surcharge after tariff threat
President Donald Trump’s increased tariffs on steel and aluminum imports took effect Wednesday but runup to the tariff deadline came with some drama. On Tuesday, Trump threatened Canada with doubling the duty to 50% on its steel and aluminum exports to the U.S. But Trump backed off those plans after Ontario Premier Doug Ford agreed to suspend his province’s decision to impose a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to Minnesota, Michigan, and New York until earlier U.S. tariffs were removed. The incident whip-sawed U.S. financial markets already jittery over the president’s broad tariff offensive.
Ukraine agrees to temporary ceasefire
“Before you can negotiate, you have to stop shooting at each other. That’s what the president has wanted to see, and that’s the commitment we got today from the Ukrainian side. They’re willing to do that. Obviously now that will be delivered to the Russians.”
~ U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio coming out of talks with Ukraine held in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Kyiv agreed to a temporary ceasefire with Russia, but the Kremlin would need to agree to the proposal for it to take effect as a crucial first step in ending the 3-year-old war.
More news to know now
Waiting at the doctor’s office? Tackle our crossword. Sally’s hint: Page-turner (freestyle).
A spending showdown looms in the Senate
The Republican-controlled House approved a spending bill Tuesday supported by President Donald Trump to fund the government for the next six months. But the vote dares Senate Democrats to oppose GOP priorities and risk a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday, as the nation faces economic uncertainty and stocks markets wobble. Democrats contend the bill would be devastating for healthcare, food assistance and veterans benefits by boosting defense spending $6 billion and reducing non-defense spending by $13 billion. It’s a fight to keep government lights on.
Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest fulfills a Trump promise
The ICE arrest of a pro-Palestinian student protest leader facing deportation shows President Trump putting his vow to target people he calls anti-American into action.
The latest: Mahmoud Khalil, 30, is a former Columbia University graduate student currently detained by federal immigration agents for his pro-Palestinian advocacy.Â
Today’s talkers
Coming soon to a sky near you: 500 million birds
Avian annual spring migration is here. Radar tracking shows birds flying overhead as they flap their way to summer feeding grounds. Cornell University’s bird lab hosts a BirdCast Migration Dashboard that gives daily summaries of radar-based nocturnal bird migration. With it, you can watch the progress of birds as they waft their way across the nation and even track how many flew over your county the night before. The biggest migration peaks are still to come.
Photo of the day:Â Greenland votes
Greenland’s pro-business opposition Demokraatit party, which favours a slow approach to independence from Denmark, won Tuesday’s parliamentary election, but a pro-U.S. party recorded its best result ever in a vote that took place in the shadow of President Donald Trump’s pledge to take control of the island.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at [email protected].