The Wall Street Journal.

What's News:  "Canada and Mexico want America to share the pain from tariffs."

Views expressed in this World and U.S. News update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 02 February 2025, 2131 UTC.

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Russ Roberts (https://trendsingeopolitics.blogspot.com).

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Good afternoon. Here’s what you should know today, Feb. 2.

Some Biden commutations upset his Justice Department. AI is sparking a modern-day gold rush on Wall Street. The battle for the pool chair is on. Thanks for reading What’s News! Look for the  to enjoy a free article on us—and share the link with a friend (or forward the whole newsletter!). PHOTO: GEOFF ROBINS/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

1. Trump goes through with U.S. tariffs.

The U.S. will impose a 25% levy on imports from Canada and Mexico, a 10% tariff on energy products from Canada, and an additional 10% tariff on China. America's neighbors will suffer severe economic blows, but their strategy is to make sure Americans feel the pain too. Both Mexico and Canada are likely to focus on precision strikes against U.S. exports from Republican strongholds. (read for free). Tariffs Are Here. The Price Hikes Coming for These Items May Surprise You. (Read)

2. Biden's commutations caused dismay.

Then-President Joe Biden and his advisers wanted to undo what they saw as an injustice by cutting short the prison sentences of thousands of people behind bars for drug offenses. The zeal to achieve that goal resulted in a haphazard White House process that prompted anger inside the Justice Department, where officials believed he granted mercy to many offenders with violent histories who didn’t deserve it.

3. Big financial bets are being placed in the new digital economy.

Artificial-intelligence evangelists such as Sam Altman want to reshape the world, but they need mountains of money to do it. Tech and power companies are raising cash every which way, but the trick for financiers is avoiding the losers in a new industry that can turn treacherous on a dime, as it did last week when China's DeepSeek triggered a selloff in AI stocks.

4. Prisoners who are heroes to Palestinians, but killers to Israelis, go free.

More than 1,700 Palestinians are expected to be freed over the 42-day cease-fire in return for 33 hostages held by Hamas and its allies. The release of prisoners, some charged with notorious crimes, is invigorating the Palestinian public after a 15-month war in Gaza. Israelis across the political spectrum have been stung by the price of freeing the hostages. CONTENT FROM: AlixPartners You say you want a revolution? New technologies are reshaping how we live and work, while geopolitical shifts are remaking the world order. In its 6th year, the AlixPartners Disruption Index surveys 3,200 executives around the globe and identifies the opportunities and challenges facing their businesses, as well as how companies can thrive in this disrupted world. The winners are those who push hardest today. Learn more.

The Number

13 seconds The time it took for a Chick-fil-A in Rockford, Ill., to serve cars in its drive-through at its peak during a recent rush of customers lured by a chicken sandwich deal. The booming chicken chain aims to reinvent the drive-through process and make it even faster.

Spotlight

Scott Jennings says his segments are about more than viral showmanship. PHOTO: JON CHERRY FOR WSJ

Meet the conservative pundit explaining Red America to CNN viewers.

Scott Jennings likens his segments at the roundtable on “NewsNight,” CNN’s 10 p.m. show, to a fun bout of roller derby. A conservative pundit who built his career working for old-guard Republicans including George W. Bush and Mitt Romney, he wouldn’t seem the ideal candidate to bring the new right’s message to the masses. But few TV commentators have transformed themselves more completely, or more successfully, to be in tune with the political vibrations of President Trump’s movement. Read More

Catch Up

RFK Jr.’s Financial Ties to Vaccine Lawsuits Hang Over Nomination (Read) The Most Stunning Trade in NBA History Just Went Down in the Dead of Night (Read​)  The Anti-AI Investment: Why This Investor Is Betting Big on Sports (Listen​)

Weekend Reads

The Pork King’s Plan to Get America to Eat More Bacon. (Read) Moscow Has $2 Billion Stuck at JPMorgan. The U.S. Isn’t Sure What to Do With It. (Read)  How You Can Join the Ranks of the Part-Time Sober (Read)

Take a Break

PHOTO: MARK TOLER Inside the cutthroat game of snagging a pool chair on vacation. Read More

Beyond the Newsroom

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