U.S. President Donald Trump announces that the United States will impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on imported aluminum during a meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 1, 2018. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)[/caption] The Trump administration announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports against the European Union, Canada and Mexico, triggering retaliatory tariffs on billions of American goods by Canada and Mexico. Trade conflicts also escalated with China as the U.S. announced tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods and a restriction on Chinese investment in the United States. Comedian Roseanne Barr faced public scrutiny and outcry after she tweeted racist references to former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett. The backlash led to ABC canceling her recently revived series, “Roseanne.” President Trump signed the “Right To Try” law, allowing terminally ill patients to access unapproved experimental drugs. And German drug maker Bayer agreed to U.S. demands that it sell off $9 billion in its agribusiness holdings in order to qualify to acquire American agricultural biotech giant Monsanto. Overseas, Irish voters overwhelmingly voted to overturn a long-standing ban on abortions and Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko revealed his much-publicized murder was staged with help from Ukrainian law enforcement in order to protect him from a murder plot. Disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was indicted on charges of rape and criminal sex acts by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, while conservative commentator and avid Trump supporter Dinesh D’Souza received a pardon from Trump for his 2014 conviction for making illegal campaign contributions. Read more about these stories and the other biggest news of the week, as they appeared in The Daily Edition. 1. U.S. hits E.U., Canada and Mexico with steel, aluminum tariffs, sparking trade war – NBC News, Lucy Bayly Top line: “The Trump administration on Thursday slapped tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union, prompting outrage from America’s closest allies and major trading partners and setting off a trade war that could see U.S. consumers pay more for everything from canned soup to cars.” Topic to follow: Free Trade 2. US-China trade battle: Catch up here – CNN Money, Alanna Petroff, Rishi Iyengar and Jethro Mullen Top line: “The Trump administration shocked the world on Tuesday by tearing up a truce with Beijing and announcing it would impose tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods and restrict Chinese investment in the United States. China said Wednesday it was ready to retaliate.” Topic to follow: China [caption id="attachment_38420" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Roseanne Barr arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of “Roseanne” on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Burbank, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)[/caption] 3. After star’s racist tweet, ABC pulls the plug on ‘Roseanne’ – The Washington Post, Steven Zeitchick and Emily Heil Top line: “ABC on Tuesday abruptly canceled top-rated show “Roseanne” after a series of racist tweets by its star, Roseanne Barr, bringing an end to one of Hollywood’s boldest efforts to reach out to red-state viewers in the Donald Trump era. The decision to cancel the sitcom came after Barr sent out a tweet late Monday referring to Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is black. The tweet read: “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”” Topic to follow: Roseanne Barr 4. President Trump signs ‘right to try’ law to get experimental drugs for terminal patients – USA Today, John Fritze Top line: “President Trump signed legislation Wednesday to give terminally ill patients the ability to access experimental drugs that have not won approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The “right to try” measure will let patients who have exhausted other options access drugs in early stages of FDA review. Trump has frequently noted his support for the idea, most recently during his State of the Union address in January.” Topic to follow: Food and Drug Administration 5. US forces Germany’s Bayer to shed $9 billion in ag business in biggest ever antitrust sell-off – CNBC, Dan Mangan Top line: “Drug-maker Bayer, agreeing to the largest divestiture in American antitrust enforcement history, will sell agricultural businesses and assets worth about $9 billion to chemical giant BASF, clearing the way for approval of its $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. The assets include Bayer’s canola, soybean and vegetable seed businesses, as well as its Liberty herbicide business, all of which currently compete with Monsanto products.” Topic to follow: Bayer 6. Irish abortion referendum: Ireland overturns abortion ban – BBC News Top line: “The Republic of Ireland has voted overwhelmingly to overturn the abortion ban by 66.4% to 33.6%. A referendum held on Friday resulted in a landslide win for the repeal side. Currently, abortion is only allowed when a woman’s life is at risk, but not in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality. The Eighth Amendment, which grants an equal right to life to the mother and unborn, will be replaced.” Magazine to follow: Ireland Abortion Referendum [caption id="attachment_38421" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Film producer Harvey Weinstein arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, May 25, 2018.
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton[/caption] 7. Harvey Weinstein indicted on rape, criminal sex act charges – The Associated Press, Jennifer Peltz Top line: “Harvey Weinstein was indicted on rape and criminal sex act charges, furthering the first criminal case to arise from a slate of sexual misconduct allegations against the former movie mogul. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said Wednesday’s indictment brings Weinstein “another step closer to accountability” for alleged attacks on two women in New York. Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said he would “vigorously defend” against the indictment and ask a court to dismiss it. He called the allegations “unsupported” and reiterated that Weinstein strongly denies them.” Topic to follow: Harvey Weinstein 8. Trump Pardons Dinesh D’Souza, Weighs Leniency for Rod Blagojevich and Martha Stewart – The New York Times, Peter Baker Top line: “In a burst of action and words, Mr. Trump demonstrated Thursday that, in some instances, he still has the last word. He pardoned Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative commentator convicted of campaign finance violations, and he said he may extend clemency to former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois and Martha Stewart, the lifestyle mogul. As he has for all of his acts of clemency since taking office, Mr. Trump bypassed the traditional system for granting pardons and disregarded more than 10,000 languishing applications to focus instead on prominent public figures whose cases resonated with him given his own grievances with investigators. Some critics said he may even be signaling associates — like one of his personal lawyers, Michael D. Cohen, who is under investigation for possibly violating federal campaign finance laws — to stay strong and not help prosecutors.” Topic to follow: Donald Trump [caption id="attachment_38422" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko (C), who was reported murdered in the Ukrainian capital on May 29, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko (R) and head of the state security service (SBU) Vasily Gritsak attend a news briefing in Kiev, Ukraine May 30, 2018.
REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko[/caption] 9. Arkady Babchenko tells media he was taken to morgue for staged ‘murder’ – The Guardian, Luke Harding and Christopher Miller Top line: “The Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko has described how his own death was dramatically faked, in an extraordinary operation involving a make-up artist, pig’s blood and a trip by ambulance to the morgue where he cleaned himself up and watched news of his “murder” on live TV. Speaking at a press conference, Babchenko defended the tactics used by Ukraine’s security services, and said the plot to kill him was terrifyingly real. After being told a contract had been taken out on his life Babchenko said he wanted “to collect my belongings and disappear somewhere in the North Pole. But then I realised, where do you hide? [Sergei] Skripal also tried to hide.”” Topic to follow: Russia 10. What Starbucks anti-bias training day was like, according to employees – Fast Company, Karen Valby Top line: “On Tuesday afternoon, over 175,000 Starbucks employees nationwide were asked to do just that—wrestle with the issue over who is made to feel welcome in this country. The coffee giant closed 8,000 stores in an unprecedented shutdown to hold a mandatory four-hour racial-bias training session. It was scheduled in response to a racial-profiling incident in Philadelphia when a white store manager called the police on two black customers who simply wanted to wait for their friend to arrive before ordering. It was a public relations nightmare for a brand that proudly calls itself The Third Place, that safe space next to home and work where everyone belongs.” Topic to follow: Starbucks Check out The Daily Edition throughout the week for your news updates. ~HeatherC is reading about The Future of Everything by The Wall Street Journal