Reuters World News - Ukrainians in US, pickup politics, Mexico’s judicial elections and DEI

Episode Date: March 7, 2025

The Trump administration plans to revoke the legal status of some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled to the U.S. during the war - and Washington hits pause on intelligence sharing with Kyiv. The White House threw the Big 3 automakers a lifeline, allowing them to dodge the tariffs for a month - the politics of pickup trucks may explain why. Cartels loom large over Mexico’s new system of electing judges. And some U.S. retailers which have publicly scrapped DEI programs are keeping some of their efforts going behind the scenes.   Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Find the Recommended Read here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Trump's administration plans to revoke temporary legal status for thousands of Ukrainians. Why pickup trucks helped save automakers from Trump's tariffs for now. Fears of political violence hang over a controversial judicial election in Mexico. And how some companies who ditched DEI publicly are still quietly supporting initiatives. It's Thursday, March 6th. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes every weekday. I'm Tara Oaks in Liverpool. And I'm Jonah Green in New York.

The US administration plans to revoke the legal status of 240,000 Ukrainians who fled to the US during the war, potentially putting them on the fast track to deportation. That's according to a senior official and sources familiar with the matter. It could happen as soon as April, and was underway before the Oval Office bust up between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. The move comes as the U.S. has also hit pause

on intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Sources tell Reuters that the Trump administration has been holding secret talks with Hamas in an effort to secure the release of U.S. hostages still held in Gaza. The move breaks a long-standing diplomatic diplomatic, diplomatic taboo against negotiating with groups that the U.S. has designated as terrorist organizations. Trump on Wednesday issued a stark new threat against the militant group,

writing that, quote, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don't do, as I say. Release the hostages now, where there will be hell to pay later. Adidas says it sold its last pair of Yeezy sneakers at the end of 2024. Thus ends the liquidation of the lucrative shoe partnership with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, whose anti-Semitic rants caused the company to part ways. And Australia is bracing for Cyclone Alfred,

with authorities urging residents in flood-prone suburbs of Brisbane to evacuate. A sigh of relief for automakers after a last-minute reprieve on tariffs. The Trump administration saying many North American-built vehicles would be exempt if they already followed the complex rules of the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement. And if you're searching for a reason behind this one-month delay, look no further than America's love for pickup trucks. Nora Eckert is an automotive correspondent based in Detroit. Pickup trucks are really like the quintessential American vehicle, and they do sway more Republican. So we have some survey data from Edmonds that shows that pickup drugs,

are about twice as likely to say they're Republican than Democrat, which is really no surprise to anyone who's familiar with this industry. But yeah, these are extremely important vehicles, not just from the political perspective, but also because they fund most of the profits for these automakers. So if you get in a situation where production of these vehicles is inhibited, or they become pricier for their buyers, it turns into a real snag for the automakers, but also for the White House. Why is this industry so vulnerable to these tariffs? So even if you buy a vehicle in the United States, chances are it's going to have a lot of content from Mexico and Canada. So automakers who sell in the U.S. have become very dependent on these other North American countries over the last

decades, and especially since Trump enacted USMCA in his first term. So it becomes really tough for these automakers to untangle their supply chains if you're adding 25% tariffs on vehicles or even the parts inside of them. What's the view of these tariffs from the big three? So across the board, they've said they definitely want to work with President Trump on hashing this out. But their main sticking point is they want to be rewarded for becoming compliant with USMCA, which is the trade deal that he renegotiated. And because they have spent so much money investing in North America, they don't want to be punished for not having all of that production specifically in the U.S. And the main issue here is they say, hey, our competitors can import products from Asia duty-free or with very small tariffs in some cases.

And you're going to slap a 25% tariff on us for importing from Mexico. It just really doesn't make sense to them. Trump's temporary reprieve for automakers has boosted stocks. But to sell off on bond markets is done. deepening. Kamal Crimmons is here with more. Investors are hoping that one-month delay on auto tariffs is a sign that trade tensions may ease, but geopolitical tensions are roiling bond markets. Investors are worried about the amount of money governments are going to be spending on upgrading their militaries as old alliances fray. Germany announced a massive increase in defence spending this week,

triggering a sell-off in German bonds, and now Asian government bonds are also falling, as investors realize geopolitical tensions there may also cause a surge in defense spending. Some U.S. retailers, including Target and Amazon, are publicly dialing back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. But behind the scenes, they're maintaining some aspects of those initiatives. The retailers have told advocacy groups and individuals that they will still sponsor events like pride parades and will keep making resource groups available. Ariana Maclemore is looking at the fine line companies are walking. A cloud that's kind of hanging over corporate America's head right now is AG Pam Bondi's calling DEI illegal, right?

No one wants the legal implications along with consumer pushback. It's really, really hard to tow that line. And so what we're seeing is corporations, they are either getting right up to that line, or the companies that are rolling back DEI, they want to be way behind it. So they're not even under legal scrutiny. I think the biggest challenge for them is striking that balance. You're either going to piss off the administration or you're going to piss off your customers. And at some point, you have to figure out who's worth it to listen to.

You know, you have examples of like Costco that's doubled down on their DEI initiatives. They've said it's good for business. It's good for the customers. But other companies don't want that potential liability as this develops. More than 6,000 candidates will compete for judge and magistrate positions in Mexico's first judicial election on June 1st. The vote is part of a controversial set of reforms called for by former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to root out corruption. Critics say the reform risks politicizing the judicial law. system, making it more vulnerable to the influence of organized crime. But the more immediate risk,

experts say, are the dangers for the candidates themselves. Reporter Cassandra Garrison has been looking into these security concerns and the government's response. This overhaul of the judicial system obligates judges and magistrates in Mexico to be voted into their positions by popular vote for the first time in history. But elections are very dangerous business. And Mexico. The last elections in 2024 that ushered in President Claudia Scheinbaum were some of the deadliest in Mexico's modern history. There were at least 37 candidates assassinated before voting day, and it's also risky to work in the judicial branch of Mexico. Judges and magistrates are often targeted for extortion, threats, or deadly violence. There have been at least 22 judges or judicial workers killed in Mexico

since about 2012. Is the government indicating that it'll beef up security measures? The government has not said and also declined our questions about whether or not it's going to provide some sort of special stepped-up security for judicial candidates. We spoke to several judicial professionals, judges, retired Supreme Court justices, also lawyers and law professors, and every one of them has questioned how the government can possibly keep candidates in what's considered a pretty high-stakes election in Mexico safe. Judges and magistrates are ruling on important cases that touch organized crime. It's a very sensitive job.

And now, with them being exposed so publicly, it could be extremely dangerous for them, for their families. So many people we spoke to didn't believe that the government is contemplating the seriousness of this, the exposure that they're obligating candidates to. And they also doubted the government's ability to realistically be able to protect those candidates. For today's recommended read, the escalating conflict in Congo. With three neighboring armies already on the ground, the conflict that's been simmering in the east of the DRC is evolving into a wider regional wall. There's a link to the story and an incredible graphic which shows the movement of troops

from Uganda, Rwanda, and Varendi in the pod description. For more on any of the stories from today, check out Reuters.com. or download the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favorite podcast player. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.