Friday, January 31, 2025
It is Friday, January 31, 2025. Here are today’s top stories.
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Trump to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China
The Trump administration said it would implement 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada starting on Saturday. There will also be a 10% tariff on China. The White House said more details will be available on Saturday.
CNBC said the U.S. does about $1.6 trillion in annual business with the three countries and that Trump is seeking to use the tariffs as both bargaining chips and methods to effect foreign policy changes, specifically on immigration and drug trade issues.
A possible negative effect of the tariffs is higher prices for everyday items.
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Trump blames Black Hawk helicopter for crash
President Trump said the Black Hawk helicopter that hit the American Airlines plane near D.C. was flying too high and above the 200 foot limit.
Axios said early evidence shows that the helicopter may have been flying outside of its approved flight path.
A FAA report said there was only one air traffic controller who was doing two jobs at the time of the crash, which was not normal.
Recovery crews working to pull up the debris of the crash said they will need heavy equipment, such as cranes, to retrieve parts of the plane and the helicopter. There are multiple bodies that are still in the debris.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the “black boxes” from the plane have been recovered and are at the NTSB labs for evaluation.
One of the victims in the crash was identified as Kiah Duggins, who was a Harvard Law school graduate, a civil rights attorney and a former Miss Kansas contestant. Her family lived in Wichita, Kansas — where the AA plane took off from — and she was there to visit her family and was on the plane to return to D.C., where she worked at. Duggins’ family said they are going through grief and need privacy.
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/31/trump-helicopter-blame-plane-crash-dc
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Court strikes down ban on handgun sales for ages 18-20
ABC News reported that a federal appeals court struck down a longstanding federal ban that prevented the sale of handguns to people between the ages of 18 and 20. The Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which covers Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, said the federal ban violates the Second Amendment, which gives people the right to bear arms.
ABC News said the case is almost certainly bound for the Supreme Court.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/federal-appeals-court-strikes-ban-handgun-sales-teens/story?id=118292605
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Costco to pay $30/hr for most employees
Costco said it would increase pay for most of its hourly employees to more than $30 an hour.
Reuters explained that the pay hike comes after Costco Teamsters union members were in discussions to start a nationwide strike.
It appears that the strike won’t happen because of the pay increases. Costco said the bottom of the scale employees will earn $20 an hour or more. Costco said it believes that their hourly wages and benefits outpaces others in the retail industry.
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FDA approves new type of pain medicine
The FDA approved a new type of pain medicine that is non-opioid and is said to not carry a risk of causing people to become addicted to it.
The drug is called suzetrigine and it will be sold under the brand name Journavx.
An expert explained to CNN that this medicine works by preventing pain-signaling nerves around the body from going to the brain. This medicine doesn’t create a sensation of euphoria or a high.
Experts said the medicine is not for everyone and it just gives doctors more options on treating patients.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/30/health/fda-approves-painkiller-suzetrigine-journavx/index.html
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That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.