Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, March 7, 2025. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some riveting stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s happening both nationally and around the world.
President Donald Trump pauses substantial tariffs on our nation’s two largest trading partners; he also issues a stern warning to the mayor of Washington regarding homeless camps near the White House; and the man who’s leading the federal government’s cost-cutting commission says it’s time to make a significant change to the U.S. Postal Service.
Also, Los Angeles County sues the organization it says is responsible for sparking one of its recent deadly wildfires, and one of our country’s most formidable foreign adversaries announces a substantial increase to its military budget.
Trump Pauses Tariffs on Mexico and Canada
Trump says that he’s delaying his 25 percent tariffs against Mexico and Canada, which went into effect earlier this week, for all goods and services that are currently covered under the trade arrangement known as the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). Those tariffs are now scheduled to take effect on April 2.According to a senior White House official, roughly 50 percent of goods imported from Mexico and nearly 38 percent of goods imported from Canada fall under the USMCA. However, a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy products will remain in place, along with the 20 percent universal tariff on most imports from China.
The president says he agreed to the postponement after personally speaking with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, and that it was made as both an accommodation and out of respect for the Mexican leader.
He went on to say that the pair have a very good relationship and that they’ve been diligently working together to curb the flow of both illegal immigrants and fentanyl, which have been entering our nation through the U.S.–Mexico border.
Meanwhile, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says any further tariff changes will be based on additional progress regarding the issues of both fentanyl and the border, and that if both Mexico and Canada do a “good enough job,” the conversation will turn to reciprocal tariffs.
Those tariffs would mirror the level of tariffs that other countries put on American goods, and right now, they’re due to go into effect on April 2.
Trump Says Washington Mayor Must Clean Up Homeless Encampments
Trump says that his administration has informed Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser that she must clean up all of the homeless encampments in the capital city.He says that Washington must become clean and safe, that the American people want to be proud of our nation’s great capital again, and that if Bowser is not capable of getting the job done, the federal government will be forced to take action.
Additionally, he pointed specifically to the homeless camps located near both the White House and the State Department as a good place to begin.
In case you missed it, the president recently criticized the high rate of crime, graffiti, and homelessness in the nation’s capital city. He has also suggested that the federal government should take over running Washington, which has had a limited form of self-governance since 1973.
In the past, Bowser has rejected the president’s ideas, saying her administration has been tackling homelessness and she believes that the current system of governance remains the best for the city.
Musk Says Amtrak, US Postal Service Should Be Privatized
Musk says that it’s time to privatize both the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and our nation’s passenger rail operator Amtrak. He also thinks that logically, we should privatize anything that can reasonably be privatized.The government-owned USPS has accumulated over $100 billion in losses since 2007, including nearly $10 billion during the last complete fiscal year. Additionally, during the fiscal year ending in 2024, Amtrak, which is also primarily owned by the U.S. government, reported operating losses of more than $700 million.
Meanwhile, a union called the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) says it’s opposed to the suggestion by Musk to privatize the USPS, emphasizing the postal service’s public mission as one reason why.
It says that more than 50 million rural addresses depend on the USPS; that it’s called “universal service,” not “as much as possible” service; and that they’ll “fight like hell” to protect their efforts.
For his part, President Donald Trump says that he’s considering merging USPS with the Commerce Department. He says that the postal service is “a tremendous loser” for the country and that the objective of such a move would be to have a “post office that works well and doesn’t lose massive amounts of money.”
Democrats say that such an action is a violation of federal law. They warn that any changes to USPS operations could disproportionately impact rural communities as well as those individuals who are dependent on postal services for essential goods and medication.
LA County Sues Southern California Utility Over January Fire
The County of Los Angeles is suing Southern California Edison (SCE) and its parent company, Edison International. It alleges that the utility’s equipment caused the deadly Eaton Fire, which began on Jan. 7 of this year and cost the county hundreds of millions of dollars in response efforts and cleanup.According to the lawsuit, that fire became the second-most destructive and the fifth-deadliest wildfire in California history. At least 17 people lost their lives, and the blaze destroyed more than 9,000 structures, including childcare facilities, schools, and churches, while burning over 14,000 acres of land in the Altadena area, which is about 14 miles northeast of downtown L.A.
The complaint says that witnesses, photos, and videos suggest the fire ignited at an SCE transmission line in Eaton Canyon, which is located in the San Gabriel Mountains, before sparking a fire in the surrounding vegetation. It also alleges that the utility company failed to de-energize its electrical circuits to reduce the wildfire risk during what’s known as a Red Flag Warning.
The county is seeking compensation for destroyed infrastructure, parks, road damage, and more. It’s also looking to be compensated for its cleanup and recovery efforts, which it estimates will amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.
A spokesperson for Southern California Edison tells The Epoch Times that their hearts are with the communities affected by the wildfires, that the company will continue with its longstanding commitment to transparency, and that the cause of the Eaton Fire remains under investigation.
China Announces 7 Percent Increase in Military Spending
China’s communist regime says that it plans to boost its military budget by more than 7 percent this year, matching the pace of last year’s expansion, as it looks to advance the state of its armed forces despite significant economic headwinds.China’s steadily increasing military expenditure is now estimated to grow to nearly $250 billion.
One military expert tells The Epoch Times that the increase in military spending—which outpaces the country’s 5 percent economic growth target—shows that China’s efforts to achieve its military objectives remain on track, particularly in its pursuit of maritime domination.
A number of U.S. officials say that China’s official budget likely represents only a fraction of its actual investment in defense, especially if expenditures in military research and development are included.
As an example, the Pentagon’s latest estimates show that last year, China’s defense spending could actually be closer to $450 billion, nearly double Beijing’s official figure.
Meanwhile, Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has instructed his commanders to complete the regime’s military modernization before 2035. Those efforts include equipping the armed forces with advanced missiles and weaponry, expanding the navy, and enhancing its cyber capabilities.
It’s a story that’s garnering a great deal of attention in both Washington and around the world.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Friday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Don’t forget the News Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and we’re always on-demand.
Finally, as we do each day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote and this one comes to us from George Gershwin who said: “Life is a lot like jazz ... it’s best when you improvise.”
Gershwin was a leading American composer and pianist in the early 20th century, known for his work in jazz, classical, and popular genres.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.
Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.
Enjoy the remainder of your day, and we’ll see you right back here next time for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
For now, it’s imperative that we all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
