Trump refuses to rule out recession as chaotic trade war with Canada, Mexico and China escalates: Live updates

The president did not rule out the possibility of a government shutdown occurring this week should the Republican majority House of Representatives fail to get enough votes to pass a temporary funding bill and avoid an impasse.

The president admitted on Sunday that a shutdown “could happen” when asked by a reporter if the government would run out of funding without a measure in place by March 14. However, he expressed optimism that his party would find enough votes to keep the federal bureaucracy running.

“It could happen,” Trump said of the looming shutdown.

“It shouldn’t have happened, and it probably won’t. I think the [continuing resolution] is going to get passed. We’ll see.”

The House has until Friday to pass a temporary funding bill, called a continuing resolution or CR, that would keep the government running through September.

Without a CR, the federal government would effectively close without funding.

Essential personnel and services would remain but many would be out of work and offices shuttered until funding could be agreed.

Ariana Baio has the latest.

Speaking of Musk’s cost-cutting outfit, its staff are currently searching for ways to promote the department’ accomplishments, all too aware that it has suffered weeks of negative media coverage over its very public mistakes.

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)’s haphazard takeover of the Social Security Administration risked data of millions of Americans “leaking into the wrong hands,” the department’s ousted acting chief of staff has warned.

Tiffany Flick, a civil servant of 30 years standing who was forced out last month, says she is “seriously concerned” that Social Security programs might not be able to run amid such disruption and did not rule out the possibility that benefits could be delayed or not paid out at all as a result of DOGE’s takeover.

Ontario is going ahead with its plan to introduce a 25 percent charge on electricity supplied to 1.5 million Americans today in response to Trump’s tariff hike, as first announced by its premier Doug Ford last week.

The province provides power to Minnesota, New York and Michigan.

“You touch the stove once, you get burned, you don’t touch that stove again,” Ford explained.

“We’re going to make sure that we follow through with what we said we were going to do.”

Headded that he felt bad about slapping on the surcharge, commenting: “I feel terrible for the three governors, I have a phenomenal relationship [with them].”

The president’ daughter-in-law, now a Fox News host, interviewed White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Sunday where the duo discussed their lack of time off, agreeing that they liked to follow Trump’s “workaholic” example.

But, in point of fact, the commander-in-chief has played golf on six out of the seven weekends that have passed since he returned to the Oval Office, not exactly straining himself.

Rhian Lubin and Oliver O’Connell have more.

The president reportedly reached out to Steve Bannon last month and urged his former chief strategist to stop attacking Musk and arrange a private sitdown with the “first buddy.”

The request came as Bannon, who uses his War Room podcast to promote his far-right populist agenda, has pushed for a “MAGA civil war” against Musk – especially now that the DOGE leader’s slash-and-burn approach to cutting government spending has become increasingly unpopular.

Justin Baragona has this one.

The secretary of state has threatened to deport green card holders involved in pro-Palestine protests, marking a stark escalation of Donald Trump’s crackdown on student activists.

Rubio shared an Associated Press article about Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and lead negotiator for the Gaza solidarity encampment who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in New York on Saturday evening.

He was detained by cops despite holding a green card, making him a lawful U.S. resident.

“We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported,” Rubio tweeted alongside a link to the article.

Critics have condemned Rubio’s comments – and Khalil’s arrest – as a violation of the First Amendment which protects the freedom of speech and assembly.

More than 832,000 people had signed an online petition calling for Khalil’s release by Monday morning.

You cannot be on both sides of a debate about right and wrong, writes Lord Michael Heseltine.

Now is not the time to turn a blind eye. Justin Trudeau has made a brave start – now it’s for others to follow suit.

As Canadian patriotism swells in response to Trump 2.0, here’s Maira Butt on one brewer’s efforts to satirize the whole tariff war mess.

Worries about the economy and the president’s tariffs are sending U.S. stocks further from their record set just last month.

The S&P 500 was down 1.5 percent in early trading on Monday, coming off its worst week since September.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 415 points, or 1 percent and the Nasdaq composite was 2.2 percent lower.

Stocks are on track for another bumpy day following a scary stretch dominated by worries that Trump’s on-and-off-again tariffs will either hurt the economy directly or create enough uncertainty to drive U.S. companies and consumers into an economy-harming paralysis.