☕ Diddy trial begins

Good morning!

It’s a big day in DC - Canadian and European leaders will meet with their American counterparts to begin a round of trade negotiations.

It will be the first face-to-face meeting between President Trump and new Canadian PM Mark Carney, after Carney won last week’s national election.

Asked what he thought Carney hoped to achieve from the visit, President Trump told CBS News: “He's coming to see me. I'm not sure what he wants to see me about, but I guess he wants to make a deal. Everybody does.”

I’ve got 30 seconds

Some headlines from this morning:

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering financial and travel assistance to undocumented migrants living in the US who are willing to “self-deport”. Undocumented migrants will also be paid $1000 if they prove they have self-deported and are in their home country. DHS Secretary Kristy Noem said self-deportation was “the best, safest, and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest,” highlighting that the cost of a forced deportation is $17,121. Undocumented migrants willing to self-deport must register on the CBP Home app, which the Trump administration has repurposed to assist with deportations.  

• OpenAI will remain a not-for-profit, ending month-long plans to transition into a for-profit company. OpenAI’s not-for-profit board currently oversees its for-profit arm, which will convert into a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), allowing greater investment while maintaining its mission. CEO Sam Altman shared the change in a letter to employees, noting the PBC structure balances attracting capital with public benefit goals. This move appears to resolve an aspect of OpenAI’s long-running feud with Elon Musk, who sued the company in 2024, accusing it of straying from its founding mission to benefit humanity over profit.

• Republican and Democratic Senators Josh Hawley (D) and Peter Welch (R) have joined forces to push through legislation prohibiting the sale of medicines for more than the international average. The White House confirmed the bill only targets medication covered by Medicaid. The bill echoes a failed attempt by President Trump’s first administration to peg individual medication prices to their lowest global price. Halwey said the bill “would continue that work to end a drug market that favors Big Pharma,” later highlighting that Americans pay the most internationally for pharmaceuticals.

• Russian officials claim Ukrainian airstrikes have forced the closure of all major airports in the country’s capital, Moscow. Following a second night of bombardment, the city’s mayor said at least 19 Ukrainian drones had been destroyed before they were able to reach Moscow. Four major airports in the city were shut down for several hours as a precaution, but have since been reopened. Meanwhile, officials in Ukraine's Odesa region said Russian strikes in the Kyiv area overnight killed at least one person. Speaking in the Czech Republic this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of refusing to take “real practical steps to end the war”. 

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U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a 100% tariff on all films produced overseas to stop the U.S. film industry from “dying a very fast death.”

Trump said the tariff will also counter the economic impact of American filmmakers and studios accepting “incentives” offered by other countries.

He added the decision also aims to address what he described as a “national security threat” posed by the “messaging and propaganda” in foreign films.

Tariffs

Trump said he had authorised relevant government agencies, including the Departments of Commerce and Trade, to implement the move.

In a post to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said the decision comes as Hollywood is “being devastated.”

In a response post on social media, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said: “We’re on it”.

Neither expanded on how the tariff will be imposed.

Hollywood

Hollywood has been slowly recovering from COVID-19-related shutdowns and the 2023 strikes by actors and writers.

In January, Trump appointed actors Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone, and Jon Voight as “Special Envoys” to help revive what he called “the Golden Age of Hollywood.”

The trio were tasked with making America’s film industry “bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial began this week in a New York court.

The 55-year-old rapper and producer was arrested and charged in September last year.

He was denied bail and has been in custody ever since.

Combs maintains his innocence and has rejected a plea deal.

If found guilty on all charges, he faces a possible life sentence.

Diddy

Combs founded music label Bad Boy Records in 1993 before rising to prominence as a rapper and producer.

Bad Boy has represented some of the world’s most famous rappers, including the Notorious B.I.G.

Combs has also acted in multiple films, including ‘Get him to the Greek’ and ‘Monster’s Ball’.

The charges

The trial began this week in Manhattan, with opening statements heard from both the prosecution and defence.

A jury of twelve New York residents will consider the evidence before delivering a verdict.

The trial is expected to run for the next eight weeks.