The European Union on Thursday pushed back hard against allegations by U.S. President Donald Trump that the 27-nation bloc was out to get the United States, and warned that it would vigorously fight any wholesale tariff of 25% on all EU products.

The tit-for-tat dispute following the comments of Trump, which were aimed at an age-old ally and its main postwar economic partner, further deepened the trans-Atlantic rift that was already widened by Trump’s warnings that Washington would drop security guarantees for its European allies.

Thursday’s EU pushback came after Trump told reporters that “the European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That’s the purpose of it, and they’ve done a good job of it,” adding that it would stop immediately under his presidency.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, went on a counteroffensive.

“The EU wasn’t formed to screw anyone,” Tusk said in an X post. “Quite the opposite. It was formed to maintain peace, to build respect among our nations, to create free and fair trade, and to strengthen our transatlantic friendship. As simple as that.”

And Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez added fiery fuel to the debate.

“We will stand up to those who attack us with unfair tariffs and veiled threats to our sovereignty. We are committed and prepared to do so,” he said in northern Spain.

“Spain and the EU have been together working for months, and we will adopt measures to respond firmly. We will do so as a bloc,” Sánchez said.

European Commission trade spokesman Olof Gill also said that the EU would stand up to the Trump administration if tariffs are announced.

“The EU will react firmly and immediately against unjustified barriers to free and fair trade,” Gill said in a statement. “We will also protect our consumers and businesses at every turn. They expect no less from us.”

Trump said in comments late Wednesday that the United States stood ready.

“We are the pot of gold. We’re the one that everybody wants. And they can retaliate. But it cannot be a successful retaliation, because we just go cold turkey. We don’t buy any more. And if that happens, we win.”

Gill also countered Trump’s caustic comments on the inception of the EU and its development as an economic powerhouse.

“The European Union is the world’s largest free market. And it has been a boon for the United States,” he said, adding that the EU has “facilitated trade, reduced costs for U.S. exporters, and harmonized standards and regulations,” which makes it easier for U.S. exporters.

The EU estimates that the trade volume between both sides stands at about $1.5 trillion, representing around 30% of global trade. Trump has complained about a trade deficit, but while the bloc has a substantial export surplus in goods, the EU says that is partly offset by the U.S. surplus in the trade of services.

The EU says that trade in goods reached 851 billion euros ($878 billion) in 2023, with a trade surplus of 156 billion euros ($161 billion) for the EU. Trade in services was worth 688 billion euros ($710 billion) with a trade deficit of 104 billion euros ($107 billion) for the EU.

The figures are so big that it remained essential to avoid a trade war, the EU has said.

“We should work together to preserve these opportunities for our people and businesses. Not against each other,” Gill said. “Europe stands for dialogue, openness and reciprocity. We’re ready to partner if you play by the rules.”

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Republished with permission from The Associated Press.

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Sen. Danny Burgess wants to see if keeping cellphones out of schools is helping students learn.

The Zephyrhills Republican has filed legislation (SB 1296) that would, if enacted, create a pilot program in six Florida school districts that currently have, or will have, policies in place prohibiting the use of cellphones by students throughout the school day.

“Florida became a model for the rest of the nation when we first passed legislation in 2023 to remove cell phones from classrooms,” Burgess said of HB 379 that year, which was the House companion to his SB 52.

“I was proud to help spearhead that policy change, which has helped to remove distractions, improve focus during class time and increase student interaction. Now, I believe there is more we can do to further promote ideal learning environments to increase student achievement. By establishing phone-free school campuses, we can encourage students to connect more personally with each other and their teachers and better support their academic efforts.”

The 2023 legislation bans cellphone use during instructional time. The pilot program that would be established under Burgess’ measure this year would expand that restriction further to include the entire school day, school activities on-campus regardless of the time, and off-campus school activities during the school day.

The Foundation for Florida’s Future is supporting the measure.

“Schools should be places where students and teachers are free to focus on learning,” said Nathan Hoffman, senior legislative director for the Foundation for Florida’s Future.

“Data continue to show that eliminating the cell phone distraction, not only in the classroom as Florida has in place now, but throughout the entire school day produces better outcomes — both from a school climate perspective as well as academic. This is important legislation that will keep the Sunshine State moving forward.”

Burgess’ bill would require the Florida Commissioner of Education to coordinate with six school districts selected by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) that represent two small, two medium, and two large counties that currently, or will in the 2025-26 school year, implement the more robust cellphone restrictions.

FDOE would be tasked with providing a report to the Senate President and the House Speaker before Dec. 1, 2026. The report would summarize the effect of each district policy on student achievement and behavior. The report would also include a model policy that school districts and charter schools may adopt. It would also outline exceptions for health emergencies, disasters, students with disabilities and English Language Learners.

Exemptions would also be in place on school buses, or during activities outside of the school day. Additionally, the report would include student code of conduct provisions for violations of the policy that facilitate bullying or cheating, constitute illegal behavior, or capture pictures or video of another student during a medical episode.

Burgess filed the legislation Wednesday. It has not yet been referred to committee and there is no House companion. If approved and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the law would take effect July 1, in time for the 2025-26 school year.

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First-time unemployment claims in Florida have fallen for a second week in a row.

New U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) figures show there were 5,698 new jobless claims for the week ending Feb. 22 in the Sunshine State. It’s a modest drop from the week ending Feb. 15, when there were 5,791 filings. That’s a drop of 99 claims before seasonal adjustments.

Even with only a slight decline, the latest numbers show a fairly strong trend for the state in 2025 thus far. There have been few weeks where the number of jobless filings went up.

Florida’s latest report was in line with the trend on the national level. There was a modest drop in claims across the country, with a total of 220,541 filings. That’s down by 2,997 from the last week, or a 1.3% decrease.

National unemployment claims are up year over year, however. There were 195,774 initial claims for the comparable week in 2024.

The weekly figures in Florida are reflective of a fairly upbeat unemployment picture in the past year.

The latest general unemployment rate is 3.4%, just a small uptick from the 3.3% rate seen in Florida through the Spring and Summer months, according to FloridaCommerce.

Florida’s general unemployment rate has remained below the national jobless figure for 50 straight months. As of January, the national jobless rate was 4%.

January’s unemployment figure for Florida is expected to be released within days by FloridaCommerce.

Florida, meanwhile, continues to add jobs to the workforce, according to FloridaCommerce. December saw 17,900 private-sector jobs added. The number of private-sector jobs compared to a year ago has increased by 122,800. That increase outpaced the national private-sector job growth rate of 1.3% in the same time span.

A Florida TaxWatch economic forecast released this month also projected continued job growth in the state for the next half decade.

According to the projection, the number of new jobs created in the state will definitely go up each year. But the pace of job growth could waffle. The TaxWatch study found there were 178,600 new jobs created in 2024. That figure will drop to about 121,900 in 2025. The forecast shows a steady decline in that figure, falling to 77,900 in Florida in 2027. But that fall-off will see a turnaround in 2028, with 80,900 new jobs created, and will escalate to 128,700 created in Florida in 2030.

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