News Wrap: Trump threatens tariffs for countries not supporting his Greenland takeover

Geoff Bennett:

In the day's other headlines: President Trump stepped up his threats about taking over Greenland today, suggesting that he may place tariffs on countries that don't support U.S. control of the territory.

Mr. Trump made the comments during an event at the White House today, where he repeated his claim that the U.S. needs Greenland for national security reasons. It comes as a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers were in Copenhagen today. They met with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland in an effort to, as they put it, lower the temperature.

Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski told reporters the majority of Americans disagree with President Trump.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK):

Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset. When you ask the American people whether or not they think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland, the vast majority, some 75 percent, will say, we do not think that that is a good idea.

Geoff Bennett:

Murkowski also told reporters there are -- quote -- "tools at our disposal" for Congress to rein in President Trump's ambitions towards Greenland, though, he himself has said that anything less than U.S. control is unacceptable.

The U.S. Supreme Court says it will hear an appeal from Bayer to block thousands of state lawsuits claiming its Roundup weed killer causes cancer. That could potentially save the company billions of dollars in damages. Bayer contends that the EPA's approval of the weed killer without a cancer warning should rule out further lawsuits.

Some studies have linked Roundup's key ingredient to cancer, though the EPA says it's unlikely to be carcinogenic when used as directed. The court has not yet said when it will hear the case.

Virginia lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment today that would allow the legislature to redraw voting maps ahead of this year's midterm elections. The vote landed along party lines in the Democratic-led state Senate. If Virginians approved the measure, it could help Democrats gain as many as four seats in Congress.

Before the vote, lawmakers from both sides laid out their cases.

State Sen. Scott Surovell (D-VA):

This isn't about payback. It's about restoring and preserving balance to our system.

State Sen. Mark Peake (R-VA):

And I will grant that we started it. But a number of states have stood up to bad ideas.

Geoff Bennett:

Earlier this week, Virginia's Democratic leaders said that a new map would be made public by the end of the month with a referendum to follow in April. Democrats currently hold six out of Virginia's 11 seats in Congress.

The Trump administration says it will delay involuntary student loan collections, meaning it won't be garnishing people's wages to claw back federal debts. In a statement, the Education Department says the delay allows them to implement major student loan repayment reforms to give borrowers more options to repay their loans.

The department had said it would notify borrowers this month that their wages would be garnished. According to the Congressional Research Service, more than 42 million Americans have student loans totaling more than $1.6 trillion in debt.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney announced today that his country is cutting its 100 percent tariffs on electric vehicles from China.

Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister:

We have started a new era, a new chapter of our partnership.

Geoff Bennett:

Carney made the announcement during a visit to China, the first by a Canadian leader in eight years. In exchange, Canada will get lower tariffs on some farm products.

Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping also pledged to work on building stronger ties between their two nations after years of tensions. Canada has largely followed the U.S. in imposing tariffs on Chinese products. But Carney said today that they are building a new partnership for what he called current realities.

In South Korea, a court has sentenced the country's former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison. In Seoul, Yoon's supporters held banners that read "Make Korea Great Again" as he pulled up to the courthouse in a bus.

It's the first verdict out of eight criminal trials stemming from Yoon's failed declaration of martial law in late 2024. That triggered nationwide protests and led to his ouster. Yoon has argued it was within his powers to declare martial law. He still faces other charges, including that his actions amounted to rebellion, for which he could face the death penalty.

And on Wall Street today, stocks ended a bit lower to round out the week. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped about 80 points on the day. The Nasdaq fell around 14 points, so a small loss there. The S&P 500 also ended just barely in negative territory.