US President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price (L) arrives at the US Capitol to meet with the Republican House Conference on March 12, 2017.MANDEL NGAN/AFP / Getty Images
What you missed:
U.S. President Donald Trump had a really bad day Monday, which included the FBI confirming they are looking into connections between Mr. Trump's administration and the Russian government. As well, Mr. Trump's wiretapping claims were essentially disregarded as false, leaving Mr. Trump and his team with extensive damage to deal with in the upcoming days. And what does this mean? As Sarah Kendzior explains, he finally cannot escape the truth. After months of diverting the media and his supporters through press conferences and social media, Mr. Trump will have to accept reality as the star of the show.
What happened today:
Gorsuch says he would have no problem ruling against Trump
Neil Gorsuch, Mr. Trump's U.S. Supreme Court pick, said he would have no problem ruling against the President as he vowed independence amid concerns he would be beholden to the man who nominated him. Republicans have praised Judge Gorsuch as highly qualified for a lifetime appointment as a justice, but Democrats have questioned his suitability. "I have no difficulty ruling against or for any party, other than based on what the law and facts in the particular case require," Judge Gorsuch said. "And I'm heartened by the support I have received from people who recognize that there's no such thing as a Republican judge or a Democratic judge. We just have judges in this country."
"Buy American" policy presses on Canadian businesses
Two Ontario Cabinet ministers, Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid and International Trade Minister Michael Chan, met New York state officials on Tuesday in Albany and say they will focus not on the potential impacts to Canada's economy of the Buy America policy the state plans to introduce, but on New York's "self interest." Ontario trading accounts for about 80 per cent of the goods New York state exports to Canada, or about $10-billion, with $12-billion flowing the other way. With the Ontario Liberal government planning to spend $160-billion on infrastructure over 12 years, Ontario is a market that New York will want to preserve access to, Mr. Duguid said – access he suggested may be jeopardized if Ontario and Canada are shut out with a Buy American policy. Meanwhile, the Canadian federasl government, under pressure from domestic steel firms, is expressing concern that the policy could cause heavy losses for Canadian jobs. Canadian steel firms fear Mr. Trump's plan and policy could badly hurt a highly-integrated North American industry.
Trump warns GOP of political costs of rejecting health bill
President Trump warned House Republicans they would lose their seats in next year's midterm elections if they failed to back a proposed bill to overhaul health care and repeal predecessor Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. Mr. Trump met rank-and-file Republicans behind closed doors while some top House Republicans unveiled revisions to their bill Monday night in hopes of securing the support needed for the bill to pass.
Trump administration to review goal of world without nuclear weapons: aide
The Trump administration is reviewing whether it will reaffirm the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, Christopher Ford, the National Security Council's senior director for weapons of mass destruction and counter-proliferation, said Tuesday, referring to an aim embraced by previous Republican and Democratic presidents and required by a key arms control treaty. Mr. Ford said an examination of whether global nuclear disarmament "is a realistic goal" would be conducted as part of a wider assessment called the Nuclear Policy Review. Mr. Ford said the administration is also reviewing responses to Russia's deployment of nuclear-capable cruise missiles, which Washington denounced as a violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Trump signs bill authorizing NASA funding, Mars exploration
Mr. Trump also signed a bill into law that updates NASA's mission to add the exploration of Mars and authorizes $19.5-billion in spending for the U.S. space agency for the current budget year. It's the first time in sevem years there has been an authorization bill for NASA. Last week, Mr. Trump sent Congress a budget proposal that includes $19.1-billion in agency spending next year. Congress appropriates funding for all government departments and agencies.
Other news:
The dow closed Tuesday down 237 points in the worst day for U.S. stocks since the presidential election. It revealed investor angst about Mr. Trump's ability to push through major reforms, leaving stocks vulnerable to a long-anticipated correction.