House Democrats handed the president one of his biggest legislative victories, unveiling an updated North American trade deal just an hour after announcing two articles of impeachment against the president.
Democrats and the White House finalized a deal after a year of going back and forth to create a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new legislation strengthens worker protections and includes provisions on the environment, big pharma, and enforcement. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed more than a year ago and now the changes will be voted on in the House and the Senate. The revisions then need the signature of the U.S. president and the expected approval from Mexico and Canada.
"This is a day we've all been working to, and working for, on the path to yes," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
"We were in range for a while but until we could cross a certain threshold of enforcement for our workers' rights, for the environment, and for the prescription drug issue, as you know, they were three of the areas that we had put out there," Pelosi explained.
She said the new trade agreement is "much better" than NAFTA and "infinitely better than what was initially proposed by the administration."
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass. 1st District) said it is rare to participate in a "never happen moment and we are witnessing that today." Neal led talks with the administration and said the new deal was a "triumph" for U.S. workers. Democrats negotiated policy changes particularly on prescription drug pricing, protection for workers, and the environment.
The President weighed in on Twitter and said: "America's great USMCA Trade Bill is looking good."
To applause, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill. 9th District) said the "new and improved" deal "prevents big pharma from raising the price of prescription drugs across the United States, Mexico, and Canada… we eliminated provisions that undermine Congress' ability to change domestic policy that lead to high drug prices."
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
