Tuesday morning news: May 6, 2025

Trump to meet with Canada PM » President Trump is hosting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney today at the White House. Trump told reporters on Monday …

TRUMP:  I guess he wants to make a deal. Everybody does. They all wanna make a deal because we have something that they all want.

That something … the president referred to there is open access to the US market.

The meeting is expected to center on trade and tariffs.

This will be their first meeting since the election victory last week of Carney’s Liberal Party of Canada. For his part, the prime minister told reporters:

CARNEY:  It's important to get engaged, uh, immediately, uh, which was al has always been my intention, has always been his intention. I go there with, uh, with the expectation of constructive, uh, difficult.

The two leaders spoke by phone last week after Canada’s election. In the call, the prime minister seemed to set aside the more fiery rhetoric of the campaign season. Trump said of Carney that he “could not have been nicer.”

Trump order on gain of function research » Monday was a busy day for the president. He signed several executive orders … including one aimed at so-called gain of function research. That’s a term many people heard for the first time after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The president remarked as he held the executive order …

TRUMP:  It is a big deal. It could have been that we wouldn't have had the problem we had …

SCHARF: A lot of people say that, sir.

TRUMP: … if we had this done earlier. Thank you.

Gain-of-function research is when scientists change a virus to make it stronger or more infectious … so they can study how to fight it.

But many experts argue that the risk of a lab-engineered super-virus escaping is too high to justify potential benefits.

White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf:

SCHARF:  Many people believe that gain of function research was one of the key causes of the Covid pandemic.

Monday’s order, among other things … bans federal funding for gain-of-function research in countries with weak oversight—like China.

It also pauses that kind of high-risk research here in the U.S. until new safety rules are developed.

Trump movie tariffs » President Trump on Monday also said he’s looking at slapping a 100% tariff on all foreign-made movies … in an effort to bring more film production back to the U.S.

TRUMP:  Other countries, a lot of them have stolen our movie industry. If they're not willing to make a movie inside the United States, we should have a tariff on movies that come in.

American studios have been filming a growing number of movies overseas to take advantage of lower costs and tax incentives.

And the top Democrat in the House, Hakeem Jefferies says … that’s a good thing.

JEFFERIES:  Using the tax code in that way, uh, is actually a positive way to incentivize as much production as possible in the United States of America.

Trump said he planned to meet with studio executives to get their feedback.. The White House says no final decisions have been made regarding movie tariffs.

Self-deportation payout » The Department of Homeland Security is offering to pay illegal immigrants to leave of their free will.

DHS is offering those migrants financial travel assistance, and as soon as they get back to their home countries … a payout of a thousand dollars.

Officials say that leaving voluntarily also leaves the door open for migrants to return legally in the future. But border Czar Tom Homan says by contrast …

HOMAN:  If we have to form to deport you, that puts, that puts mandatory bars against you. Yeah. Even if you, in in other opportunities, you can come back on a student visa, visitor visa and come back the right way.

The Trump administration says this will save taxpayer dollars … explaining that it costs roughly $17,000 to forcibly deport someone … including arrest, detention, and removal.

Israeli strikes Houthis » Israel struck back yesterday in retaliation for a weekend missile attack on an Israeli airport … by the Yemen-based Houthi rebels.

SOUND: [Yemen flames]

Crews heard there battling massive flames pouring from a cement factory in the port city of Hodeida. That after Israeli forces carried out at least six airstrikes in the city.

Those retaliatory strikes came just hours after a leader with the Iran-backed Houthi terror group … vowed more attacks on Israeli airports.

Israeli airstrike against Houthis / Israel-Gaza latest » Israel is also gearing up for a new major offensive in Gaza.

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer:

MENCER: This week, Israel is issuing tens of thousands of call-up orders to reservists in order to strengthen and expand our operations in Gaza. Not to occupy, but to expand the military operation.

NETANYAHU: [Speaking Hebrew]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the operation will be aimed at crushing Hamas … and rescuing the remaining Israeli hostages.

Israel plans to leave a security force in the Gaza Strip indefinitely.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: judges in trouble for interfering with immigration enforcement. Plus, when doctors face hard choices when following their consciences.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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