A general view of a Mosque in Mogadishu on March 4, 2025. (Photo by Hassan Ali Elmi/ AFP via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — The U.S. embassy in Somalia has warned Americans that they are tracking “credible information” regarding potentially imminent terror attacks “against multiple locations in Somalia including Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport,” officials said.
The U.S. embassy in Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu said that all movements of embassy personnel have been canceled until further notice in a statement released on Tuesday.
“The U.S. Department of State level four travel advisory (“do not travel”) for Somalia remains in effect due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health issues, kidnapping, and piracy,” U.S. officials said.
“The U.S. Embassy in Somalia reminds U.S. citizens that terrorists continue to plot kidnappings, bombings, and other attacks in Somalia,” the statement continued. “They may conduct attacks with little or no warning, targeting airports and seaports, checkpoints, government buildings, hotels, restaurants, shopping areas, and other areas where large crowds gather and Westerners frequent, as well as government, military, and Western convoys.”
Shortly after Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the United States used manned fighter jets to conduct an airstrike against Islamic State targets in Somalia in early February.
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the airstrike, claiming no civilians were harmed in the attack. No details were released about the targets aside from the president labeling the target as a “Senior ISIS Attack Planner.”
Hegseth said the airstrikes were carried out “at President Trump’s direction and in coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia.”
The embassy warned that potential methods of attack include, but are not limited to, car bombs, suicide bombers, individual attackers and mortar fire.
“The U.S. government has extremely limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Somalia due to the lack of a permanent consular presence in Somalia,” officials said.
The embassy warned Americans who are still in Somalia to continue to exercise vigilance, review your personal security plans, notify a trusted person of your travel and movement plans and to avoid all large crowds, gatherings and demonstrations.
(WASHINGTON) — Delivering the Democrat response to President Trump’s joint address to Congress, Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan accused him of having no credible plan to deal with high grocery and home prices.
But she opened her remarks with an emphasis on unity.
“My dad was a lifelong Republican, my mom a lifelong Democrat. But it was never a big deal because we had shared values that were bigger than any one party,” Slotkin said.
Speaking from Wyandotte, Michigan, Slotkin began by focusing on kitchen table issues, such as the rising costs of consumer goods that helped her to win her competitive Senate race in Michigan even as Trump carried her state.
“Americans made it clear that prices are too high, and that the government needs to be more responsive to their needs,” Slotkin said. “America wants change, but there’s a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy.”
“Grocery and home prices are going up, not down. And he hasn’t laid out a credible plan to deal with either of those.” she said. “His tariffs on allies like Canada will raise prices on energy, lumber and cars and start a trade war that will hurt manufacturing and farmers. Your premiums and prescriptions will cost more, because the math on his proposals doesn’t work without going after your health care. Meanwhile, for those keeping score, the national debt is going up, not down,” she said.
“And if he’s not careful, he could walk us right into a recession,’ she added.
“In order to pay for his plan, he could very well come after your retirement. The Social Security, Medicare and VA benefits you worked your whole life to earn,” she said.
She warned about Elon Musk’s power in the government, criticizing the Department of Government Efficiency and Trump for what she called the “mindless” mass firings of federal workers, only to hire some of them back days later.
“The president claims he won’t. But Elon Musk just called Social Security the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time. While we’re on the subject of Elon Musk, is there anyone in America who is comfortable with him and his gang of 20 year olds using their own computer servers to poke through your tax returns, your health information, and your bank accounts?” she asked.
Slotkin also commented on Trump’s heated exchange with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last week, saying former President Ronald Reagan “must be rolling in his grave” after the near-screaming match. She also argued that Trump’s approach that day speaks to his “whole approach to the world.”
“In closing, we all know that our country is going through something right now. We’re not sure what the next day is going to hold. Let alone the next decade,” she said.” But this isn’t the first time we’ve experienced significant and tumultuous change as a country. I’m a student of history, and we’ve gone through periods of political instability before, and ultimately we’ve chosen to keep changing this country for the better.”
America gets through such moments thanks to “engaged citizens and principled leaders,” she said.
“Hold your elected officials, including me, accountable,” she said. “Watch how they’re voting. Go to town halls and demand they take action. That’s as American as apple pie.”
Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — In a dramatic scene only a few minutes into President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday, a longtime Democratic congressman interrupted the speech in an outburst that eventually caused him to be ejected from the House chamber.
Trump had just referenced the Nov. 5 election, calling his victory a “mandate,” when Rep. Al Green, an 11-term Democrat representing the Houston area, stood up, pointing his cane at the dais and shouted, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid.”
Trump sought to continue with his speech, referencing his popular vote victory and then a poll he said shows Americans think the country is headed in the right direction, but Green continued to interrupt, drawing boos and then chants of “USA! USA!” from the Republican side of the chamber.
Finally, House Speaker Mike Johnson jumped in, banging his gavel: “Members are directed to uphold and maintain decorum in the House, and to cease any further disruptions. That’s your warning.”
When Green’s protest continued, Johnson called the sergeant at arms to escort Green from the House chamber.
Green later told ABC News he’d welcome any consequences from his disruption, saying he was “following the wishes of conscience.”
“There are times when it it better to stand alone than not stand at all,” he added.
Following the speech, Johnson said Green should be censured for his disruption.
“It’s a spectacle that was not necessary. He’s made history in a terrible way. And I hope he enjoys it,” the House speaker told reporters after the address. “If they want to make a 77-year-old heckling congressman the face their resistance, the Democrat party. So be it. We will not tolerate it on the House floor.”
A censure is a formal reprimand by the House for violations of the House code of conduct and serves as a public condemnation of their behavior.
Johnson said he’s “quite certain” there will be several Republicans who will bring forward a censure resolution against Green and he would put the resolution up for a vote on the House floor.
Other Democrats in the audience sought to display their displeasure with Trump in slightly less disruptive ways. Several of them held up black signs reading “False,” “Save Medicaid,” “Protect Veterans,” and “Musk Steals.” Other staged walkouts throughout the speech.
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump, six weeks into his historic return to the White House, delivered the longest joint address to Congress in history on Tuesday night.
Trump triumphantly took the dais to thundering applause from Republican majorities in the House and Senate, but the mood changed within minutes as he faced heckles from some raucous Democrats.
The president, though, signaled he is forging full steam ahead with his agenda (however divisive) as he claimed a “mandate” from American voters.
Here are the key takeaways:
‘America is back’
Trump opened his address by declaring to Congress and the nation: “America is back.”
A chant of “USA” immediately broke out among lawmakers as Republicans rose to their feet.
Trump quickly turned to touting the lightning speed with which he’s sought to enact his agenda, arguing his administration’s “accomplished more in 43 days than most administrations accomplished in four years or eight years — and we are just getting started.”
Democrats interrupt, and one gets removed
But as Trump turned to talking about the 2024 election, claiming a wide “mandate” though data shows the victory isn’t the total landslide he’s often portrayed.
When Trump said he won the popular vote by “large numbers,” Democrats began audibly pushing back. Rep. Al Green of Texas was seen out of his seat and shaking his cane at Trump as he shouted, “There’s no mandate.”
Speaker Mike Johnson was slamming his gavel to restore order to the joint session and issued a warning to members to maintain decorum. Johnson shortly after instructed Green be removed from the chamber by the sergeant at arms after telling him to take his seat several times.
The back-and-forth between Trump and Democrats continued throughout the speech. At one point, Trump lashed out at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, bringing back his 2018 taunt of calling her “Pocahontas.”
Democrats held up signs that said “false” and “Musk steals.” Several walked out of the chamber as he was speaking.
Trump continues to take aim at Biden
Trump repeatedly went after former President Joseph Biden, continuing to criticize him for issues at the border or with the economy.
“The worst president in American history,” Trump said of Biden.
Trump is only six weeks into his second term, but already Americans are expressing dissatisfaction with many of his policies. A 538 analysis of public opinion polls found his approval rating on actions related to health care, foreign policy, government funding, trade and more to be underwater.
Trump praises Elon Musk and DOGE
Elon Musk, a controversial but highly influential adviser in Trump’s orbit, was in the chamber for Trump’s remarks. He left the White House for the speech moments before Trump and, like the president, received applause upon his arrival though it was more muted.
Trump spent a considerable amount of time early in his remarks praising Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency’s work slashing government spending and the federal workforce.
“The brand-new Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. Perhaps. Which is headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight. Thank you Elon. He’s working very hard. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need this. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Everybody here, even this side appreciates it, I believe,” Trump said.
The president read a laundry list of the alleged “waste, fraud and abuse” he claims DOGE has identified. He made several misleading claims about Social Security in the process, including that millions of Americans over the age of 100 were receiving benefits, which has been debunked.
Trump claimed DOGE’s work will help the economy overall.
“By slashing all of the fraud, waste and theft we can find, we will defeat inflation, bring down mortgage rates, lower car payments and grocery prices, protect our seniors, and put more money in the pockets of American families,” he said.
Pocket-book issues get little attention as Trump defends tariffs After hammering Biden on the economy during the 2024 campaign and pledging to voters to bring down prices on Day 1, Trump didn’t spend much time discussing how exactly he’d lower prices as he continued to lay blame on Biden.
“As president, I’m fighting every day to reverse this damage and make America affordable again,” Trump said in one of his only mentions of grocery prices. “Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control. The egg price is out of control, and we’re working hard to get it back down.”
The comment again sparked pushback from Democrats. The price of eggs has skyrocketed under Trump amid an avian flu outbreak.
Trump said the focus on how to defeat inflation will be on reducing the cost of energy and taxpayer savings through DOGE.
Trump, meanwhile, offered a defense of his tariffs against Canada, China and Mexico — which sent markets roiling on Tuesday. He said more “reciprocal” tariffs were in store.
“Tariffs are not just about protecting American jobs they’re about protecting the soul of our country. Tariffs are about making America rich again,” he said.
Trump saved foreign policy for the end of his address. He again said his administration would “reclaim” the Panama Canal for national security reasons, and said they were trying to get Greenland for similar reasons.
After an explosive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last week, Trump said he received from Zelenskyy earlier Tuesday and read part of it aloud.
“I appreciate that he sent this letter, just got it a little while ago,” Trump said, appearing to signal tensions have cooled a bit.
“Simultaneously, we’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?” he said.
Trump also briefly touched on the Middle East, saying his administration is working to bring back hostages held in Gaza and that he wants to build on his 2019 Abraham Accords to bring stability to the region.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump signaled another twist in the back-and-forth over his effort to force a negotiated end to the Ukraine-Russia war during his speech Tuesday night.
As he first mentioned Ukraine 90 minutes into his address, Trump provided an update following last week’s blowup in the Oval Office between him and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy left the White House after the shouting match and did not sign an anticipated deal that would have given the U.S. rare minerals from Ukraine.
Trump claimed during his speech Zelenskyy sent him a letter just before his speech indicating that he was ready to come back to the negotiating table and was willing to sign the agreement to give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare materials.
“Nobody wants peace more than the Ukrainians, he said. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts. We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine,” Trump claimed the letter said.
Zelenskyy and Ukrainian officials didn’t immediately comment, The letter hasn’t been released by the White House or Ukrainian officials.
Trump indicated to top advisers he wanted to get the deal done before the speech, sources told ABC News.
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump turned the nation’s attention to Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old who aspired to become a police officer but was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2018, and made him an honorary member of the U.S. Secret Service.
“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police,” Trump said after praising America’s law enforcement officers.
“The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago,” the president continued. “Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true.”
“And tonight, DJ, we’re going to do you the biggest honor of them all. I am asking our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States.”
DJ has been sworn in as an honorary law enforcement officer at police agencies around the country.
DJ reacted with a face of pure shock before his father hoisted him for the crowd to see. DJ proudly raised his new certificate and was met with claps, chants, and cheers.
In a rare moment that a Democrat expressed support for the president’s remarks, Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., rose from her seat and applauded for DJ.
Following this heartwarming moment, Trump proceeded to discuss childhood cancer rates, calling upon newly minted Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “get toxins out of our environment, poisons out of our food supply and keep our children healthy and strong.”
(TUKWILA, WA) — A postal employee was shot and killed at the United States Postal Service Processing and Distribution Center in Tukwila, Washington, on Tuesday, according to reports from the Tukwila Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service of Seattle.
Officers responded to the scene shortly after 4 p.m. local time and found an adult male with a gunshot wound and “immediately began rendering aid until fire and medic personnel arrived and took over life saving efforts,” according to Tukwila police.
However, the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. His identity has not been released.
The shooter fled the scene and has not been located as of 7 p.m. local time, according to police.
Tukwila police said they have reason to believe the victim and suspect were acquainted, but the motive for the shooting remains unknown.
The Tukwila Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit is actively investigating the incident.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Six weeks into his presidency, Donald Trump addressed Congress and the nation Tuesday evening, laying out his goals for the next four years.
ABC News, along with PolitiFact, live fact-checked Trump’s speech statements that were exaggerated, needed more context or were false.
TRUMP CLAIM: Joe Biden especially let the price of eggs get out of control—and we are working hard to get it back down.
FACT-CHECK: Lacking context.
Though egg prices did increase under President Joe Biden, they have recently surged under Trump too — and that’s because of bird flu, which has led to the deaths of 136 million birds since 2022, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation.
While the price of eggs was consistently rising due to inflation under Biden’s administration, the first significant price hike occurred in 2022, when bird flu began infecting flocks of birds in the U.S. Egg prices rose from $1.93 per dozen to $4.82 per dozen over the course of just that one year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The prices moderated again, back down to the $2-$3 range during the rest of Biden’s presidency — but have shot back up to a record-high $4.95 this January, again due to bird flu.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
TRUMP CLAIM: Trump won a mandate in the election
FACT-CHECK: This is in the eye of the beholder.
Trump’s victory was clear, but by historical standards, it was no landslide.
Trump has reason to celebrate winning both the Electoral College and the popular vote. In fact, he became only the second Republican to win the popular vote since 1988, after George W. Bush in his 2004 reelection win. Trump won each of the seven battleground states that political analysts said would decide the election.
In addition, the vast majority of U.S. counties saw their margins shift in Trump’s direction, both in places where Republicans historically do well and places where Democrats generally have an edge.On the other hand, Trump’s margins of victory — both in raw votes and in percentages — were small by historical standards, even for the past quarter century, when close elections have been the rule, including the 2000 Florida recount election and Trump’s previous two races in 2016 and 2020.
Trump’s victory also came without a big boost for down-ballot Republicans. Republicans lost a little ground in the House, which was already narrowly divided, and while Republicans flipped the Senate, Democrats won four Senate races in key battleground states even as former Vice President Kamala Harris was losing those states to Trump.
-PolitiFact’s Aaron Sharockman
TRUMP CLAIM: “We ended the last administration’s insane electric vehicle mandate, saving our auto workers and companies from economic destruction.”
FACT-CHECK: Needs context.
There was no electric vehicle mandate put in place by the Biden administration. The Biden Environmental Protection Agency implemented tailpipe emissions standards last March that established an average of allowed emissions across a vehicle manufacturer’s entire fleet of offered vehicles.
The standards would have only impacted cars from model years 2027 to 2032. The standards allowed for a range of useable technologies, including fully electric cars, hybrids and improved internal combustion engines. Trump did sign an executive order on his first day in office to revoke these new standards.
-ABC News’ Kelly Livingston
TRUMP CLAIM: The Paris Climate Accord was costing the U.S. “trillions”
FACT-CHECK: False.
Trump defended his decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement, saying the pact was costing the U.S. “trillions of dollars.”
That’s untrue.
The Trump administration defended the decision to withdraw from the climate agreement, in part, based on projections by consultant NERA Economic Consulting. It concluded that restrictions on fossil fuel emissions would result in a higher cost of production, and a higher cost of production would translate into the closure of uncompetitive manufacturing businesses. Those closures, in turn, would mean fewer manufacturing jobs.
The consultant estimated that these losses and their knock-on effects beyond the manufacturing sector would amount to 1.1 million jobs lost by 2025 and 6.5 million by 2040. The loss of jobs results in a corresponding decline in gross domestic product, with a loss of $250 billion by 2025 that accelerates to $3 trillion by 2040.
So the climate agreement wasn’t costing the U.S. trillions of dollars. It hypothetically could.
But even if it did, the study says that the long-term projections did not factor in all of the offsetting job gains and GDP growth associated with a clean tech transition.
-PolitiFact’s Aaron Sharockman
TRUMP CLAIM: Elon Musk found people in the Social Security system as old as 369
FACT-CHECK: This is misleading.
Elon Musk shared a chart on X and said he found millions of people in a Social Security database over the age of 110, including 1 who was in the 360-369 age bracket.
The acting Social Security commissioner said that people older than 100 who do not have a date of death associated with their Social Security record “are not necessarily receiving benefits.” Recent Social Security Administration data shows that about 89,000 people aged 99 and older receive Social Security payments.
Government databases may classify someone as 150 years old for reasons peculiar to the complex Social Security database or because of missing data, but that doesn’t mean that millions of payments are delivered fraudulently to people with implausible ages.
-PolitiFact’s Aaron Sharockman
TRUMP CLAIM: “Gold cards” don’t need congressional approval
FACT-CHECK: Misleading.
Immigration experts say Trump can neither create a new green card program nor shut down an existing one without congressional action.
Trump announced a plan to give people legal permanent residency in the U.S. if they pay $5 million. The so-called “gold card” would be similar to a green card in that it would let people live and work in the U.S. permanently and provide a pathway to citizenship.
Trump has described the program as a way to cut the U.S. deficit and has said it would replace the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program. But he hasn’t provided an official document creating the program.
-PolitiFact’s Aaron Sharockman
TRUMP CLAIM: “Hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud” found by DOGE
FACT-CHECK: This is unverifiable.
This claim is unverifiable because DOGE has yet to release the entirety of its work or specify which cuts have been “fraud” as opposed to “waste.” DOGE has claimed to have saved $106 billion in total savings, not “hundreds of billions” in fraud, and even Elon Musk himself has said they have mostly found “waste” and “mostly not fraud.”
DOGE has claimed it has saved a total of $106 billion in federal money from a “combination of asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings, and workforce reductions.” The figure remains unverifiable and DOGE’s website claims to have posted only 30% of the receipts supporting this total.
Even Musk himself said on Joe Rogan’s podcast last week that most of what DOGE is finding is “waste,” rather than outright fraud. “Only the federal government could get away with this level of waste. It’s mostly waste. It’s mostly not fraud, it’s mostly waste. It’s mostly just ridiculous things happening,” Musk said.
-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim and Will Steakin
TRUMP CLAIM: There will be a little disturbance for Americans because of tariffs
FACT-CHECK: Lacking context.
The Yale Budget Lab estimates that the tariffs could cost the average household up to $2,000 annually. Cars and car parts are big exports from Canada and Mexico, and tariffs could increase the cost of a new car by over $3,000 per vehicle on top of last year’s average new car price of $44,811, according to JP Morgan Research. Most economists predict that prices, and therefore, inflation will go up, with consumers seeing higher prices for food, gasoline, clothes, shoes, toys and other household items.
-ABC News’ Soo Youn
TRUMP CLAIM: “Not long ago … 1 in 10,000 children had autism. Now it’s 1 in 36. There’s something wrong”
FACT-CHECK: Partially true but lacking context.
It’s unclear where Trump — and Kennedy, who repeats the same stat often — got the 1 in 10,000 number, though he is correct about the current number, which is 1 in 36, and he is correct that autism cases are rising.
In 2000, approximately 1 in 150 children in the U.S. born in 1992 were diagnosed with autism compared with 2020, during which one in 36 children born in 2012 were diagnosed, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Some psychiatrists and autism experts told ABC News it’s important to highlight the rising rates of autism, and that at least Trump and Kennedy are putting a spotlight on it.
“On the bright side, I think it is really important to place an emphasis on these very high rates,” Dr. Karen Pierce, a professor in the department of neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego and co-director of the UCSD Autism Center of Excellence, told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Mary Kekatos
TRUMP CLAIM: Mexican authorities handed over 29 of the biggest cartel leaders because of tariffs imposed on them, “They want to make us happy”
FACT-CHECK: True
Last week, while the Mexican security cabinet and the Mexican economy secretary were in D.C. for bilateral meetings with their U.S. counterparts to negotiate ahead of the possible imposition of U.S. tariffs on Mexico, Mexico announced they were handing over 29 criminals to the U.S.
One of these criminals had been requested by the U.S. for decades, Rafael Caro Quintero. He was wanted for the murder of DEA’s agent Kiki Camarena back in 1985.
While some of these criminals had their extradition suspended by Mexican judges, others had been detained for less than a week without the option to fight back their extradition in Mexico before they were sent to the US.
Although the Mexican government definitely bent some Mexican laws and were highly questioned, they defended the move by saying this was a matter of national security and that they acted within hours after receiving a request from the U.S. government.
Many in Mexico saw the move as a way to please President Trump and convince him to suspend or cancel the U.S. tariffs against Mexico.
-ABC News’ Anne Laurent
TRUMP CLAIM: India charges US auto tariffs higher than 100%, China’s average tariffs on our products is twice what we charge them, and South Korea’s average tariff is four times higher.
FACT-CHECK: False
India has historically imposed high tariffs on imported vehicles with rates as high as 125% but in a bid to improve trade relations with the U.S. they have reduced the highest rates on luxury cars from 150% to 70%. With other surcharges the tariffs still stands above 100% but the Indian government are actively reviewing their import tariffs.
China’s tariffs are actively changing due in part to the tit-for-tat trade war with the Trump Administration.
South Korea’s average tariff rate is around 13.4%. However, the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement signed in 2007 (effective 2012) reduced or eliminated most of the tariffs between the two countries. South Korea claims that as of 2024, the average tariff rate on imports from the U.S. is approximately 0.79% based on the effective tariff rate before duty refunds.
-ABC News’ Karson Yiu
TRUMP CLAIM: The U.S. has “spent perhaps $350 billion” on supporting Ukraine’s defense
FACT-CHECK: False
According to the special inspector general responsible for overseeing the spending related to the war in Ukraine, Congress has appropriated or otherwise made available $182.75 billion for the overall U.S. response to the war since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Of that money, about $119 billion has been for the direct benefit of Ukraine, including approximately $65.9 billion in military assistance.
White House officials have offered various explanations for how the Trump administration has arrived at the significantly higher figure of $350 billion, but most of the arguments rely on dubious logic–such as factoring in inflation–which has no bearing on the actual dollar amount appropriated by Congress.
Trump also said Europe has spent “$100 billion” on supporting Ukraine’s war effort; according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, European countries have spent around $140 billion to back Kyiv, and pledged another roughly $120 billion to the cause.
The owner of Texas Cafe in Rio Grande City, Texas, Becky Garza, speaks with ABC News’ Mireya Villareal in December 2024. (Mireya Villareal)
(RIO GRANDE CITY, TEXAS) — Emily Williams Knight, president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association, represents 58,000 restaurants that employ 1.5 million Texans. That breaks down to 11% of the state’s workforce that could potentially be impacted by the 25% tariffs on Mexican imports that just went into effect.
All Tuesday morning she was on calls and in meetings, calming fears because people believe Texas will feel the brunt of this first — And, after that, the domino effect will be fast.
“Exhausted and afraid: Those are the words I keep hearing from people,” Williams Knight said. “They’re running out of levers to pull here, and they’re afraid. If this is a sustained tariff policy — what that will mean to their business long term? The unpredictability comes with a tremendous cost.”
One of those concerned businesses is Texas Cafe in Rio Grande City, which has been serving South Texas for more than 85 years and was recently certified as a historical landmark by the State of Texas. People travel from all over the country to try their signature dish, Envueltos: A special chile-con-carne filling rolled up in a tortilla. But don’t call it an enchilada or the owner, Becky Garza, will scold you profusely.
“These are my grandfather’s recipes that he invented back in 1939,” she said. “And when you change something, people notice. Especially Hispanic people.”
Garza is getting ready for Cuaresma, or 40 days of Lent. It is essential that she gets very specific ingredients from Mexico for this time of year or her customers will know something isn’t right. Plain and simple: Her business, livelihood and family legacy depend on imports from Mexico that play an essential role in the food she serves. And now, she said, all of that is going to cost more because of the new tariffs.
“I can buy stuff from Mexico cheap and use it in my home. But I can’t use any of those products from Mexico in my business unless I buy them from a store that follows FDA guidelines. I buy Mexican cokes. I get cinnamon sticks. These are a very high-price now and sometimes hard to find. I get pilonsios. Chile guajillo for menudo. And avocados from Mexico are better — the real avocados from Mexico that you can only find in small stores. But boy, they are expensive, and it’s only going to get worse,” Garza explained, adding: “I will not stop getting these items from Mexico, because I don’t want to change the consistency or the quality.”
Garza has seen prices steadily increasing over the last few years. In 2024, she spent around $1,000 for her specialty Cuaresma items. But in 2025, she spent $1,200 — a 20% increase that may not seem like a lot to big retail chains, but is huge for small business owners like Garza.
Knight wholeheartedly agrees, saying, “In the last four years we’ve seen a 35% increase in the cost of food needed in these restaurants and a 36% increase in labor. That’s not even including the big swipe fees businesses are paying, plus the increases to rent and utilities.”
Over the last 30 days, TRA has worked closely with the National Restaurant Association on a strategy to help mitigate the uncertainty. They’ve suggested restaurants review their menus and supply chain, looking for ways to source things closer to their businesses. They’ve also encouraged businesses to keep pushing the value of their service and products. And, before these tariffs went into effect, they reached out to lawmakers to educate them on the impact and push for exemptions.
“It feels like we are in this very unknown space again,” Williams Knight said.
Small, independent businesses make up 70% of the restaurants in Texas.
So, while both big and small establishments will be impacted, Williams Knight said she worries that this will create a ripple effect that could drive some families to close up shop.
She said that some of their restaurants are already starting to get emails from suppliers about costs going up, and she compared the feeling to a few days after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown was announced, explaining: “You’re going to see a very large number of closures and then a large number of people unemployed.”
For years, as prices have gone up, Garza has found a way to cut back and save so she doesn’t have to charge customers more. In fact, she’s been working a second, primary job that sustains her own day-to-day needs, opting not to take a real paycheck from Texas Cafe. But she’s retiring in June and having to think about her future. And for the first time since she’s taken over the restaurant, Garza made the tough decision on Tuesday to raise prices.
“I had a meeting with my waitress and we’re going up on the breakfast menu due to the high price of eggs,” Garza explained. “I save money and I am frugal. But right now it’s been getting difficult.”
Not wanting to manifest any other difficulties the restaurant may face in the future, she said that’s all she’s willing to do and talk about for now.
However, there are indicators that the tariff policies that went into effect Tuesday may not affect small businesses as extremely as some are predicting, or their customers, for too long.
President Donald Trump’s administration could announce a pathway for tariff relief on Mexican and Canadian goods covered by the North America Free Trade Agreement as soon as Wednesday, according to an interview with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Fox Business on Tuesday.
ABC News’ Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared likely to block a historic $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. gun makers as both conservative and liberal justices raised concerns about allowing the government of Mexico to hold firearm manufacturers liable for cartel violence south of the border.
Federal law grants broad immunity to the gun industry, in part to protect companies from costly litigation that could drive them out of business. Mexico alleges the law creates an exception for “aiding and abetting” the illicit sale and trafficking of guns, which the companies deny.
Mexico has only one gun store but is awash in millions of American-made weapons, most funneled into the country by straw purchasers in the United States. The country claims the companies, including Smith & Wesson, Glock, Beretta and Colt, knowingly distribute and market their guns to be trafficked.
By one estimate, at least 200,000 guns flow south of the border each year. The country is seeking $10 billion in damages and court-mandated safety requirements around the marketing and distribution of guns.
“The laws broken here are designed to keep guns out of criminals’ hands. Those violations put guns in criminals’ hands and those criminals harmed Mexico,” Cate Stetson, Mexico’s attorney, told the Supreme Court.
“These acts were foreseeable,” she added. “This court need not vouch for Mexico’s allegations, but it must assume they are true. … Mexico should be given a chance to prove its case.”
Many of the justices seemed unconvinced by Mexico’s case should be allowed to move forward.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor suggested the alleged harms from cartel violence roiling Mexico are too far removed from the manufacturers’ decisions to distribute their products.
“We have repeatedly said mere knowledge is not enough [for liability],” Sotomayor said. “You have to aid and abet in some way. You have to intend and take affirmative action to … participate in what they’re doing.”
Justice Elena Kagan questioned what she perceived as a lack of specificity in Mexico’s allegations.
“There are lots of [gun] dealers. And you’re just saying [the gunmakers] know that some of them [engage in trafficking]. But which some of them? I mean, who are they aiding and abetting in this complaint?” Kagan said.
After Stetson alleged deliberate marketing of guns to cartels, Chief Justice John Roberts voiced skepticism of the claim.
“I mean, there are some people who want the experience of shooting a particular type of gun because they find it more enjoyable than using a BB gun,” he said. “And I just wonder exactly what the defendant, the manufacturer, is supposed to do in that situation. You say no, he shouldn’t be marketing a particular legal firearm because they’re going to go into Mexico at a higher percentage than others?”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh raised concern about the broader implications of a decision allowing Mexico’s suit to go forward.
“What do you do with the suggestion on the other side … that your theory of aiding and abetting liability would have destructive effects on the American economy in the sense that … lots of sellers and manufacturers of ordinary products know that they’re going to be misused by some subset of people?” he asked. “They know that to a certainty, that it’s going to be pharmaceuticals, cars, what — you can name lots of products. So that’s a real concern, I think.”
Stetson replied, “If you have a product manufacturer of a dangerous product that is alleged to have done all of the things knowing who they’re selling to and what is being done with that product, then and only then, I think, that product manufacturer … has a problem.”
More than 160,000 people in Mexico were killed by guns between 2015 and 2022, according to an analysis by Everytown for Gun Safety.
A large majority of guns involved in the shootings came from U.S. border states. More than 40% of illegal guns seized in Mexico over a five-year period came from Texas, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report.
In 2023 alone, more than 2,600 firearms were seized going south into Mexico, up 65% from the year before, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and 115,000 rounds of ammunition were captured headed the same direction, up 19% from 2022.
A federal district court dismissed Mexico’s case in 2022 citing immunity under federal law. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision in early 2024, saying Mexico had made a plausible case for liability under the law’s exception.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide by the end of June whether or not a liability case can move forward.
