THE
ACADIANA
ADVOCATE
T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
F r i d ay, M a r c h 7, 2025
$2.00X
President postpones more tariffs Trump changes course amid fears of economic fallout
BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, JOSH BOAK and ROB GILLIES Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday postponed 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico and some imports from Canada for a month amid widespread fears of the economic fallout from a broader trade war. The White House insists its tar-
iffs are about stopping the smuggling of fentanyl, but the taxes proposed by Trump have caused a gaping wound in the decades-old North American trade partnership. Trump’s tariff plans have also caused the stock market to sink and alarmed U.S. consumers. In addition to his claims about fentanyl, Trump has insisted that the tariffs could be resolved by fixing the trade deficit and he empha-
sized while speaking in the Oval Office that he still plans to impose “reciprocal” tariffs starting on April 2. “Most of the tariffs go on April the second,” Trump said before signing the orders. “Right now, we have some temporary ones and small ones, relatively small, although it’s a lot of money having to do with Mexico and Canada.” Trump said he was not looking to
extend the exemption on the 25% tariff for autos for another month. Imports from Mexico that comply with the 2020 USMCA trade pact would be excluded from the 25% tariffs for a month, according to the orders signed by Trump. Auto-related imports from Canada that comply with the trade deal would also avoid the 25% tariffs for a month, while the potash that U.S. farmers import from Canada would be tariffed at 10%, the same rate at which Trump wants to tariff Canadian energy products.
Plaquemines plant visit highlights LNG expansion
Roughly 62% of imports from Canada would likely still face the new tariffs because they’re not USMCA compliant, according to a White House official who insisted on anonymity to preview the orders on a call with reporters. Half of imports from Mexico that are not USCMA compliant would also be taxed under the orders being signed by Trump, the official said. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum has planned to announce any
ä See TARIFFS, page 5A
‘Kid with a heart and soul full of life’ Lafayette teen ID’d as second victim in Mamou shooting
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By BRETT DUKE
Workers gather as U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Gov. Jeff Landry speak at Venture Global’s Plaquemines liquefied natural gas export facility on Thursday in Plaquemines Parish.
Trump officials say $18B project will make facility largest in North America BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer
Top Trump administration officials visited one of Louisiana’s largest liquefied natural gas terminals Thursday as the company announced an $18 billion expansion it says will make the facility in Plaquemines Parish the largest in North America. The visit from U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, along with Gov. Jeff Landry and other state officials, was intended to show support for U.S. energy production despite concerns over climate change. The Biden administration had paused export permits for LNG plants in part to study the facilities’ impact on global warming,
visit to the Venture Global facility. Standing before a crowd of thousands of workers in hard hats, company CEO Michael Sabel announced the expansion, saying “that’s what we’re here to do — dominate global energy markets in LNG.” While LNG has positioned the United States as a major exporter of natural gas and generated thousands of construction jobs along Louisiana’s coast, there have long been concerns over emissions linked to the plants. Near the end of Biden’s term, the Department of Energy released a critical study of the LNG landscape, stating that U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the fossil fuel transport method poses serious economic and environmental probright, greets workers at Venture Global’s lems, such as increased costs for consumPlaquemines LNG export facility. ers, heightened greenhouse gas emissions and a strain on already-burdened areas. But officials on Thursday presented a while Trump has vowed to move ahead bright future for LNG and rejected the quickly. “Louisiana is going to become a larger concerns of the previous administration. exporter of liquefied natural gas than any ä See PLANT, page 7A nation on earth,” Wright said during the
An Acadiana family has identified a second victim in a mass shooting at a Mardi Gras concert in Mamou. Alaya Christian, a student at Lafayette Renaissance Charter High, was identified by the school on Wednesday as one of two teens fatally shot during the outdoor concert on Mardi Gras day in Mamou. The second victim, Bryson Green, was identified Thursday by his family as the other victim killed during the Mardi Gras festivities. According to Green’s family, a video surfaced on social media showing his body on the ground. The family has asked that the video not be shared and that their privacy be respected as they grieve. “It hurts seeing that video. We are grieving. I always see videos like that but never expected to see one of someone I love,” said Bryson’s oldest sister, Brianna Green. Bryson was a student at Cecilia High and the second-youngest of six siblings. His family described him as someone who loved to laugh and was full of life. In his spare time, he enjoyed making music and was hopeful to get a new job once he turned 18. Brianna said she last spoke with her brother the morning before he was killed, as he headed to the Mamou festivities. “Bryson was one of those kind of people you keep close to your heart because you don’t find kids with the power and potential that can touch the hearts of so many homes with their energy, words or presence,” said his older brother, David Francis. He said Bryson was “a kid with heart and soul that was full of life
ä See VICTIM, page 7A
State plans to use nitrogen gas for executions, protocols show BY ANDREA GALLO and JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writers
Attorneys for the state and for death row inmate Jessie Hoffman Jr. agreed Thursday to unseal a redacted version of Louisiana’s new
WEATHER HIGH 79 LOW 50 PAGE 10C
protocol for using nitrogen gas in executions, shedding public light on how the state plans to put him to death on March 18. The protocol states that Louisiana prison officials will strap the death row inmate to a gurney ahead of his execution and bring
them to the execution chamber. Prison staff will perform a final inspection of the state’s nitrogen hypoxia system. Then they’ll place a mask and a pulse oximeter onto the inmate, and allow a spiritual adviser to meet with him and have him make a final statement.
“The mask is a continuous-flow, full face, supplied air respirator with head straps,” the protocol states. Prison officials will turn on the nitrogen hypoxia system and either allow the gas to flow for 15 minutes or for 5 minutes after
Business ......................6A Commentary ................3B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................7A Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C
the inmate’s heart rate reaches a flatline on an EKG, whichever is longer. Both the execution chamber and the witness room will have oxygen monitors set up in them. The protocol closely mirrors that
ä See EXECUTIONS, page 5A
100TH yEAR, NO. 250