Tuesday morning news: March 4, 2025

Ukraine: Trump pauses military aid » President Trump has paused all military aid to Ukraine.

That comes in the wake of a disastrous Oval Office meeting on Friday, but also just hours after remarks that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made yesterday.

ZELENSKYY: [SPEAKING UKRAINIAN]

Speaking in London, Zelenskyy said “An agreement to end the war is still very, very far away, and no one has started all these steps yet.”

That further drew the Ire of President Trump, who told reporters at the White House:

TRUMP:  It should not be that hard a deal to make. It could be made very fast. Now, maybe somebody doesn't want to make a deal.

Zelenskyy does not see a realistic path right now to—in his words, a “just” and “sustainable” peace with Russia.

But Trump believes Zelenskyy still hopes to bring Russia to its knees on the battlefield before seriously engaging in talks. And that is something President Trump does not see as realistic. Pausing military support is meant to apply pressure to the Ukrainian president.

Ukraine: Moving forward, economic deal » With regard to Friday’s Oval Office argument, Vice President JD Vance said last night:

VANCE:  We can look past all that stuff, but the president has set a very clear goal for his administration. He wants the killing to stop. And I think that it's very important that President Zelensky and, of course, President Putin to they've both got to come to the negotiating table, and that's ultimately where things broke apart.

Zelenskyy Monday said he thinks the relationship with the Trump administration can be repaired. He also said he remains ready to sign an economic deal that the two presidents were set to sign last week before their meeting went off the rails.

Trump said on Monday that he still believes that deal over mineral rights, among other things, can still move forward. It’s unclear if the pausing of military aid will change the equation.

Mexico, Canada tariffs » Twenty-five percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico took effect this morning.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Monday her country was ready to respond in kind.

JOLY: We are ready with 155 billion worth of tariffs, and we're ready with the first tranche of tariffs, which is 30 billion, which is already known.

After delaying the tariffs for one month, President Trump said the neighboring nations had not done enough to stop the flow of fentanyl into the country.

But the tariffs aren’t merely punitive. Trump says the tariffs will bring more manufacturing back to the U.S.

TRUMP:  I would just say this to people in Canada or Mexico, if they're going to build car plants, the people that are doing them are much better off building here because we have the market. We're the market where they sell the most.

Democrats in Washington say American consumers will pay the price for the tariffs, literally. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer:

SCHUMER:  When Donald Trump starts a trade war for Canada and Mexico, it means rising costs for produce, for groceries, for cars.

President Trump maintains that his trade and other economic policies will ultimately bring inflation down, while creating millions of jobs.

Trump Taiwan TSMC deal announcement » And at the White House on Tuesday, Trump announced a new deal with the world’s biggest chip-maker, designed to bring more manufacturing to the U.S.

TRUMP:  Today, Taiwan Semiconductor is announcing that they will be investing at least 100 billion in new capital in the United States over the next short period of time to build state of the art semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

That’s on top of an already-announced $65 billion investment in the U.S., including three plants in Arizona.

The company produces chips for tech giants like Apple, Intel and Nvidia.

Trump said semiconductors are “The backbone of the 21st century economy” powering all kinds of technologies.

TRUMP:  We must be able to build the chips and semiconductors that we need right here and American factories with American skill and American labor.  

He called that a matter of both economic and national security.

Trump address to joint session » Trade tariffs and the war in Ukraine are sure to be two major topics in Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress tonight. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he hopes Democratic lawmakers will be respectful of the president.

JOHNSON: Everyone should stand and give him an ovation for what he’s been able to accomplish in the first few weeks. It's incredible.

Democrats say he’s done an incredible amount of damage. And party leaders are encouraging Democratic lawmakers to each bring with them one person who they say has been hurt by Trump’s policies.

Tonight’s speech won’t be called a State of the Union address, as tradition dictates that presidents don’t deliver official State of the Union updates, until their second year in office.

Israel latest » Israel is renewing its warning to Hamas, after the expiration of a ceasefire deal over the weekend. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more:

NETANYAHU: [SPEAKING HEBREW]

KRISTEN FLAVIN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that there will be unimaginable consequences if the terror group does not release the remaining Israeli hostages.

His remarks came after he said Hamas rejected a new ceasefire plan proposed by the U.S. It would require the release of half of the remaining Israeli hostages. And in return, Israel would extend the initial ceasefire for an additional 42 days.

That would halt the war through both Ramadan and Passover.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: processing special immigration claims for Afghan allies. Plus, self-sufficient living on the small family farm.

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