In our news wrap Monday, a federal judge is permanently blocking the release of a report on President Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left office in 2021, Trump is warning countries to stick with the tariff deals they agreed to and the Supreme Court will hear a bid by oil and gas companies to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for the effects of climate change.
Geoff Bennett:
Also today, a federal judge is permanently blocking the release of a report on President Trump’s handling of classified documents after he left office in 2021. In her decision, Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated by Mr. Trump, said its release would be a manifest injustice because the case never reached a jury.
Special counsel Jack Smith’s findings led to charges that were once considered the most damaging that Trump faced. Cannon dismissed the case in 2024 after concluding that Smith had been unlawfully appointed. But the documents case may not be entirely over, as two watchdog groups have been pressing a higher court for their release.
President Trump is warning countries to stick with the tariff deals they agreed to following last week’s Supreme Court decision striking down many of his measures. Mr. Trump wrote on social media today — quote — “Any country that wants to play games with the ridiculous Supreme Court decision will be met with a much higher tariff and worse than that which they recently agreed to.”
The threat comes as the European Union says it will wait to ratify a major trade deal it struck with the Trump administration last July. E.U. lawmakers said today that the U.S. side of the deal is now unclear.
Bernd Lange:
This means not that we never voted on that. No, we want to have clarity about the situation. We want to have clarity from the United States that they are respecting the deal, because that’s the crucial element, that we want to have stability.
Geoff Bennett:
Also today, President Trump doubled down on his tariff power saying he does not need congressional approval for any new levees. It comes after he announced plans this weekend for a new 15 percent global tariff up from the 10 percent rate he announced Friday just after the Supreme Court decision.
The Supreme Court today agreed to hear a bid by oil and gas companies to block lawsuits seeking to hold the industry liable for the effects of climate change. The case stems from a lawsuit brought by the city of Boulder, Colorado, back in 2018. It’s one of dozens launched by state and local governments seeking billions of dollars in damages.
They allege that the companies deceived the public about the impact of fossil fuels on the environment. ExxonMobil and Canada’s Suncor Energy appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that air pollution crosses state lines and should be heard in federal court. Arguments are expected to take place in the fall.
The U.S. State Department is ordering nonessential diplomats and their family members to leave Lebanon amid heightened concerns over a possible U.S. military strike on Iran and regional retaliation. The action comes as the USS Gerald Ford arrived in the Greek island of Crete, home to a NATO military base. It’s part of a major deployment of U.S. military assets to the region as President Trump ratchets up pressure on Tehran to strike a deal on its nuclear program.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said today that such steps, along with what he called inconsistent positions from the U.S., are only hurting chances for a deal.
Esmaeil Baghaei, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman (through interpreter):
We have no benefit in the continuation of the negotiations. Our people are under pressure and facing difficulties arising from the unjust sanctions that have been imposed against Iran under the pretext of the nuclear issue.
Geoff Bennett:
It’s all unfolding as presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are expected to meet Iranian officials in Geneva for a new round of talks later this week.
British police arrested Peter Mandelson today on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to his dealings with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former U.K. ambassador to the U.S. was seen leaving a London residence alongside plainclothes officers. He was taken to a police station for questioning.
British authorities are investigating whether Mandelson passed on government information to Epstein more than 15 years ago. He has not been charged with a crime.
Separately, longevity influencer Dr. Peter Attia is leaving his role as the CBS News contributor amid a growing fallout over his ties to Epstein. He too has not been accused of any crimes.
On Wall Street today, stocks dropped amid worries over President Trump’s tariff plans. The Dow Jones industrial average sank more than 800 points on the day. The Nasdaq fell more than 250 points. The S&P 500 also ended sharply lower.
Still to come on the “News Hour”: the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll shows Americans are concerned about the direction of the country; Tamara Keith and Jasmine Wright break down the latest political headlines; and we take stock of the Winter Olympics through some of the Games’ most dynamic images.
