It’s Monday. This is a big week in Washington with President Trump’s Tuesday evening joint address to Congress. Reminder: It’s not called the State of the Union address right after an election year. In this edition: |
Canada, Mexico tariff midnight deadline RFK Jr. touts measles vaccine in new op-ed Inside Trump’s federal worker firings Protesters crash Vance’s Vermont ski trip Most talked-about Oscars moments
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I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, feedback & cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Someone forward this to you? Sign up. |
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President Trump’s 25 percent tariffs against Canadian and Mexican goods are set to go into effect on Tuesday unless there is any last-minute negotiation today. Why Trump is threatening tariffs on the neighbors: Trump wants to curb the flow of migrants and fentanyl into the United States. The tariffs were originally set to take effect on Feb. 1 but were punted by a month by Trump.
Hmm: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Features” that he sees the tariffs as a “fluid situation.” Keep an eye on China, too: Trump is also planning to increase Chinese tariffs by an additional 10 percent. |
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You’ll notice a few themes in who Trump has fired:
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President Trump and his top adviser, tech billionaire Elon Musk, have taken an axe to the federal government, purging many federal employees. Critics have argued that Trump’s selection for nixed roles has not been random. In fact, they argue the fired workers were very much chosen to stifle his political opponents.
Who has been nixed: ❌ People who provide oversight of Trump’s actions (like inspectors general and top FBI officials) ❌ Targeted retribution against agencies and institutions Trump has feuded with (like Democratic leaders of boards)
The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch has looked into the mass firings and has divvied them up into several categories: oversight, Democratic boards, retaliatory firings and roughly 200,000 federal workers at large. It’s worth reading: ‘Inside Trump’s federal worker firings’
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➤ TIDBIT — VANCE’S SKI TRIP HAD PROTESTERS: |
Crowds showed up near Sugarbush Resort in Vermont to protest Vice President Vance, who was visiting for a ski trip. The demonstrations were planned in advance, per AP, but were stronger after the Friday clash with Zelensky. 📹 Protests near Sugarbush
📸 ‘Vance skis in jeans’ sign IYKYK |
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RFK Jr. changes tune on measles outbreak: |
© Alex Brandon, Associated Press |
The measles outbreak in Texas has grown to nearly 150 cases, raising alarm bells at a time when the vaccine skepticism movement is emboldened by President Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, to lead the nation’s health departments. Where is the outbreak happening?: In west Texas. The virus has spread in an area with a large number of Mennonites, many of whom reject conventional medicine like vaccines. (Keep in mind that the church itself does not have an anti-vaccine stance.)
Breaking down the 146 cases: 116 of the people infected with measles are children, according to Kennedy. Seventy-nine patients have not had the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Sixty-two patients’ vaccine statuses are unknown and just five are confirmed to have received the vaccine. Last week, a child even died after contracting measles. Which brings us today:
🚨 RFK Jr. has changed his tune: He published an op-ed where he cited the pros of the MMR vaccines. While he called the vaccine a “personal” decision for Americans, he argued it is “crucial to avoiding potentially deadly disease.”
From Kennedy’s Fox News op-ed: “The decision to vaccinate is a personal one. Vaccines not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.” Read Kennedy’s full op-ed: ‘Measles outbreak is call to action for all of us’
^ This is a very different tone from last week: Last week, Kennedy described the measles outbreak in west Texas as “not unusual” during his meeting with Trump. Public health experts strongly disagreed with his assessment though, telling The New York Times this new outbreak is concerning because of its magnitude.
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➤ IF YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT VITAMIN AS A POSSIBLE TREATMENT:
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mentioned Vitamin A as a possible treatment for measles, but “that has raised some eyebrows among infectious disease experts,” according to NBC News. The gist: It’s used in developing countries to reduce complications, but it’s not an alternative to the vaccine. |
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I’ll quickly catch you up on what you missed: |
The 2025 Academy Awards happening on Sunday. “Anora” won five Oscars, including Best Picture. Adrien Brody won Best Actor for “The Brutalist” and actor Morgan Freeman did a tribute for the late Gene Hackman. Here are more of the most talked-about moments:
It’s incredible how similar the ‘Wicked’ performance was to the movie: ‘Wicked’ stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performed “Defying Gravity” from the movie. The performance was INCREDIBLE. Plus, Grande performed “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” 📹 Watch (“Defying Gravity” begins around the 4-minute 20-second mark.)
📸 Best red carpet looks
Kieran Culkin wins for best acceptance speech: Actor Kieran Culkin won best supporting actor in “A Real Pain.” During his speech, he mentioned that his wife jokingly told him she’d give him more children if he won an Oscar. 📹 Watch
Adam Sandler’s wardrobe is refreshing: Host Conan O’Brien gave a shoutout to actor Adam Sandler, who is 📸 wearing athletic shorts and a hoodie.
‘Dear star/seat filler’ kills me: Oscars attendees were given a box of snacks under their seats. It included a note from Conan O’Brien that starts, “Dear star/seat filler.” If you’re nosy like me: guests were given a pretzel, mustard (which is bold with the black tie outfits), water and candy. 📸 The snack box
📹 Conan O’Brien’s opening monologue |
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🥪 Celebrate: Today is National Mulled Wine Day and National Cold Cuts Day!
⛸️ What a beautiful and heartbreaking tribute: The figure skating community held a tribute performance at Capital One Arena on Sunday to honor the 67 victims who died in the January plane crash. The midair collision near DCA Airport took the lives of 28 skaters, coaches and parents of skaters. 15,000 people attended, per WUSA9. Nancy Kerrigan and Johnny Weir attended. If you missed it, the event will broadcast on NBC Sunday, March 30 at 1 p.m. (I’ll remind you closer to then.)
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The House and Senate are in. President Trump is in Washington, D.C. (all times Eastern) |
1:30 p.m.: Trump makes an investment announcement. 💻 Livestream
2:30 p.m.: First lady Melania Trump holds a roundtable on deepfake videos and revenge porn. 💻 Livestream
4:15 p.m.: Senate Democrats hold a news conference to discuss Elon Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 💻 Livestream
5:30 p.m.: Two Senate votes, including a confirmation vote for Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon. 📆 Today’s agenda
6:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today’s agenda March 14: Government funding expires. 😅
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