📌 Now It’s Cars, Deportation Views, More

A series of sweeping tariffs on foreign-made cars and auto parts are expected to affect many of the US’ largest trading partners.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump initially said he was imposing a 25% tariff on all cars coming into the US. The White House later clarified that foreign auto parts would also be taxed at the 25% rate, even for cars assembled in the US.

However, the White House said companies that import vehicles under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will receive special consideration until the Commerce Department establishes a process for levying the 25% duties.

Collection of the tariffs will begin on April 3, and Trump said they would be “permanent.” He said the US could collect as much as $100 billion from tariff revenues. “If you build your car in the US, there’s no tariff,” he said.

Jennifer Safavian, president and CEO of Autos Drive America, a trade group that represents international automakers' US operations, said the tariffs will ultimately lead to “higher prices, fewer options for consumers, and fewer manufacturing jobs in the US.”

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said his government was “putting all options on the table.” The German Association of the Automotive Industry said the tariffs sent “a disastrous signal for free, rules-based trade.” Half of all vehicles sold in the US in 2023 were imports, according to Cars.com.

A survey finds most Americans say arrests of immigrants living illegally in the US should be allowed at protests or in homes.

But they told research group Pew that they draw the line at places of worship or schools. 32% say all immigrants living in the country illegally should be deported, 16% say none should be deported, 51% say at least some should be. Nearly all (97%) support deporting those who have committed violent crimes.

When it comes to deporting those who have committed nonviolent crimes, 52% say they should be. By contrast, far fewer say those with family ties in the US should be deported, reports Pew’s survey of US adults conducted Feb. 24 to March 2, 2025.

Concerns about immigration enforcement were evident. 19% say they worry that they, a family member, or a close friend could be deported, 5% say they are very worried they will be asked to prove their US citizenship or immigration status during their day-to-day activities, and 8% say they are somewhat worried.

42% of Hispanic adults say they are worried that they or someone close to them might be deported, 30% of immigrants say they fear that they might be asked for proof of their US citizenship or immigration status, and 4% say they now carry proof of their US citizenship or immigration status.

Stark political divides exist on views of immigration enforcement: 54% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say all immigrants living in the country illegally should be deported, compared with 10% of Democrats and Democratic leaners.

Poland has temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving in Poland via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk (pictured) announced it would be happening after the controversial bill, which will allow Polish authorities to suspend this right for up to 60 days at a time, was signed into law by President Andrzej Duda.

Rights groups have criticized the law, saying the EU should take legal action against Poland if it is implemented. Rights groups estimate over 100 people have died on the borders between Belarus and Poland, Lithuania and Latvia since 2021.

Tusk has dismissed criticism from human rights groups. "Nobody is talking about violating human rights, the right to asylum. We are talking about not granting applications to people who illegally cross the border in groups organized by [Belarus President] Lukashenko,” Tusk said in October.

Polish authorities have sent thousands of troops and border guards to police its border with Belarus and built a 5.5 meter-high (18-feet) steel fence along 186 kilometers (115.58 miles) of the frontier where, at times, several thousand migrants have been left stranded.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting a heavy dose of the big screen’s original X-Men movie.

During Marvel’s lengthy cast reveal for its upcoming tentpole “Avengers: Doomsday,” it was revealed that many actors from Fox’s original run of X-Men movies will be returning to the comic book universe.

Back is Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, and Rebecca Romijn as Mystique. Under the rules of the Marvel multiverse, the actors could play different versions of their characters — or even different characters entirely.

Also, back to the delight of Marvel fans is Channing Tatum as “Gambit.” The actor spent years trying to make a Gambit movie at Fox but it never got off the ground. Fans largely agreed that Tatum’s Gambit was one of the movie's best parts, so his return in “Doomsday” will surely elate some viewers.

Equal Pay Day came and went on March 25. If anything, it was a reminder of the income inequality between men and women.

Women earn just 83 cents for every dollar earned by men, reports the National Women’s Law Center analyzing US Census Bureau data. Based on today’s wage gap, women of all races just starting their careers will lose $462,000 over 40 years, compared with men of all races, the center said.

“Based on current data, it will take 134 years to reach full parity,” the World Economic Forum’s latest global gender gap report said. In North America, the report found that, despite equality in education, there are still wide disparities in earned income and women’s representation in senior leadership positions.

There is no single explanation why progress toward narrowing the pay gap has mostly stalled, a 2023 report by the Pew Research Center said. It found women are still more likely than men to pursue lower-paying careers and take time out or reduce hours worked because of caregiving responsibilities.

Heading into 2025, women contributed $1,825.18 a month, on average, to their savings accounts; men contributed $2,352.34, reported New York Life’s 2025 Wealth Watch survey. Over a year, the report found that women aim to save $9,463.98, on average, compared with $17,963.13 that men aim to put away.

Authorities in South Korea are battling wildfires that have doubled in size in a day in its worst-ever natural fire disaster.

At least 26 people have died and hundreds of buildings destroyed in the south-eastern province of North Gyeongsang, with the country’s disaster chief saying the fires had exposed the “harsh reality” of global heating.

The affected areas have seen only half the average rainfall this season, while the country has experienced more than double the number of fires this year than last.

Over 36,000 hectares (88,960 acres) have been charred or are still burning in the largest fires, which began in central Uiseong county, making it the biggest in South Korea’s history. About 37,000 people have been displaced, the Yonhap news agency said.

As of this morning, authorities were mobilizing over 9,000 people and about 120 helicopters to battle the fires, the government’s disaster response center said.

In Uiseong, about 20 of the 30 structures at the Gounsa temple complex — said to have been built in the 7th century — burned. Among them were two state-designated “treasures” — a pavilion-shaped building erected in 1668, and a Joseon dynasty structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king.

The CIA reportedly sought the Ark of the Covenant through remote viewing, a form of extrasensory perception (ESP).

The Ark of the Covenant is a gold-plated wooden chest that, in Jewish and Christian tradition, houses the two tablets bearing the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God.

In a declassified document, “Remote Viewer #32” described the Ark's location as a secret Middle Eastern site, “protected by entities,” and detailed its appearance and surroundings. The Ark was described as wooden, gold, and silver, similar to a coffin, with seraphim, and located underground in a dark, wet area.

Retired US Army Chief Warrant Joe McMoneagle, aka Remote Viewer #1, and the first to do the psychic phenomena experiments for the CIA, said: “No one attempted to ascertain the ground truth of the material, and everything said was accepted on its unknown and unverified merit.”

McMoneagle earned his Legion of Merit for his last 10 years of service, including five years of work in SIGnals INTelligence and five years in the RV program. McMoneagle said the document was from a CIA exercise in 1988 done “for practice” rather than for real intelligence.

“I would challenge the entire practice session as bogus,” he said. The Ark must be produced “to substantiate the claim.” The CIA didn’t return a request for comment.