On Politics

Wed Mar 12 2025

Rebecca Morin | Newsletter Writer

@RebeccaMorin_

Happy Wednesday! It's Rebecca Morin. Question of the week: How has your grocery bill changed since the start of 2025? You can email me your responses.

As recession fears rise, Trump's tariffs take effect

President Donald Trump 's trade war has gone worldwide. The president's global 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum imports took effect on Wednesday, which has shaken the financial market and fueled fears of rising prices and a recession. Some countries, like neighboring Canada, have said they will issue their own retaliatory tariffs. The tit for tat between the United States and Canada escalated Tuesday, after Trump said he would double the tariffs for Canada, then later took it back after Ontario said it was suspending a 25% electricity surcharge on U.S. energy users. Follow today's updates.

•	Watch: European Union hits back with counter tariffs on US goods
•	Trump's trade war boosts defiant leaders in Mexico and Canada

It's not just tariffs that have been enacted. Get ready to see more federal worker layoffs. Federal agencies face a deadline Thursday to submit plans for large-scale layoffs as part of the administration effort to shrink the federal government. Some agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Education Department have already announced layoffs. What to know about the mass layoff deadline.

•	Trump cuts Education Department in half after laying off 1,300 workers
•	NOAA, which forecasts the nation's weather and protects ocean species, is laying off 1,029 workers

A sign stating that all American products have been removed from the shelves in response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods is placed on the door of LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) in Windsor, Ontario, on March 6, 2025.

Kimberly P. Mitchell, USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A politics pit stop

•	Attorneys fight for Palestinian advocate Mahmoud Khalil's freedom after arrest
•	Most banned books feature people of color and LGBTQ+ characters
•	USDA freezes millions for University of Maine after state's governor clashed with Trump
•	Look at protests for federal employees amid DOGE layoffs
•	Meet the former congresswoman running for California governor

You asked, On Politics answers: What about impeachment?

We're back with another question from a reader. Sharon from Rochester, New York, asks: Why haven't impeachment proceedings been introduced by Democrats?

Since Republicans control both the House and Senate, impeachment of President Donald Trump wouldn't get far. Rep. Al Green , D-Texas, said last week, after he was removed from the president's joint address to Congress, that he was "working on" Articles of Impeachment against Trump. While Trump was impeached twice by the House in his first term, the Senate acquitted him both times. An impeachment resolution requires a majority in the House to trigger a trial. A two-third majority is needed in the Senate for conviction.

Tesla's influencer-in-chief

In front of the White House on Tuesday evening sat five different Teslas. President Donald Trump chose a red one. "Everything's computer," the president quipped to reporters as he and Elon Musk, a special government employee and the billionaire CEO of the company, tested one of the vehicles. The president is standing by Musk, a senior advisor who has grown close to him. As Tesla stock has plummeted and protests against the company have risen, Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he'd consider labeling those committing violence against Tesla owners and dealerships as "domestic terrorists." Why Trump bought a Tesla.

•	Watch Trump test out a Tesla

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Elon Musk, a White House senior advisor, and Tesla and SpaceX CEO, speaks next to a Tesla Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday.

Andrew Harnik, Getty Images

Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@usatoday.com.