A general view of U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 20, 2026.
In a massive blow to US President Donald Trump’s trade and foreign policy agenda, the US’s top court ruled that the president overstepped his authority when he used the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs. The decision was 6-3.
Trump was the first US leader to invoke this 1977 law to enact tariffs, even though the law doesn’t specifically mention, “tariffs” nor “taxes.” The US president initially used IEEPA in April to impose duties on about 90 US trading partners, but has since made several trade deals with these countries– the White House had warned that the ruling could nullify those agreements.
The ruling didn’t address whether the US government will have to pay back the billions in revenue it’s already collected, although many companies had already initiated efforts to secure refunds for the tariffs they paid before the ruling – Trump had repeatedly boasted about raising billions of dollars from the tariffs. The US leader’s tariffs that didn’t rely on IEEPA, like his sectoral ones, will remain in place.
The United Nations said on Thursday it has uncovered evidence of “genocidal intent” by the rebel paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces in the Sudanese town of el-Fasher. A fact-finding mission concluded that the 18-month siege and October takeover of the Darfur town by the RSF point to genocide against the non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa and Fur. The RSF is accused of starving the city and blocking aid, as well as carrying out mass killings, rape, torture, and enforced disappearances. This isn’t the first time the RSF has faced accusations like these: last year under the Biden administration, the US said the group had committed genocide and sanctioned its leader. The United Kingdom plans to bring the findings to the UN Security Council to press for accountability and tougher enforcement of an embargo on the arms feeding the conflict that’s killed over 150,000 people. This is not the first time the RSF has been accused of genocide, yet the world’s worst humanitarian crisis continues to receive scant attention – even as outside powers, including the UAE, are accused of aiding the RSF, which they deny.
Trump is weighing an initial military strike on Iran, the US leader confirmed on Friday, one that would be limited enough so as not to prompt a full-scale retaliation from the Islamic Republic, but rather pressure the regime to accept a deal. The strike could reportedly come within days, according to the Wall Street Journal. Trump has been threatening further military action against Iran since the start of the year, but the pressure has mounted this week, with the US expanding its militarypresence in the region and reportedly edging toward a weeks-long campaign. Trump said yesterday that he’ll decide in the next 10-15 days whether to authorize strikes, although the US president has frequently used this period of time as a kind of placeholder for his decision making, without always following through.
The Supreme Court has struck down President Trump’s use of the national emergency clause to impose sweeping tariffs around the world. In this Quick Take, Ian Bremmer explains why this ruling was predictable and why it’s a major setback for Trump’s trade strategy.
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2.5 million: The population of Gabon who can no longer get onto certain social media platforms, like YouTube and TikTok, after the government suspended access on Tuesday.
In this episode of "ask ian," Ian Bremmer breaks down two high-stakes negotiations in Geneva: Russia-Ukraine and indirect US-Iran talks, calling both “underwhelming” with little progress.