How U.S. cuts in Somalia could imperil the fight against al-Shabab
As President Donald Trump overhauls U.S. policy in Africa — slashing foreign aid programs and paring back assistance for allied forces in the region — al-Shabab militants are on the march in Somalia.
One of al-Qaeda's best-funded and most lethal global affiliates, al-Shabab has retaken important towns from Somali forces over the past three months. Its fighters previously launched an assault on a U.S. airfield in Kenya and plotted attacks on the U.S. mainland.
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Newsweek
18 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump's Net Approval Positive on Only One Key Issue
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. President Donald Trump's net approval rating is negative on a range of issues except immigration, a new poll shows. According to political analyst and statistician Nate Silver, writing in his Silver Bulletin Substack, Trump has a net negative approval rating on trade, the economy and inflation but a slightly positive rating on immigration. Why It Matters Taking the temperature of the nation, approval ratings are good measures of the public's response to Trump's policies and his actions as president. In the first few months of his second term, Trump's popularity has fluctuated, with some polls more favorable than others. Sustained backlash to his policies could persuade the president to change his approach. Trump, who made immigration a central part of his campaign, has vowed to crack down on border security, carry out mass deportations and end federal benefits for people residing in the country illegally. President Donald Trump speaking with reporters in the rain after arriving on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on May 30. President Donald Trump speaking with reporters in the rain after arriving on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on May 30. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson What To Know Silver aggregated dozens of recent polls and found that Trump's approval rating on immigration was +2.5 percent. The president did not fare as well on other issues, with a -9.5 percent approval rating on trade, -11.3 percent on the economy and -17.5 percent on inflation. May polling conducted by Verasight U.S. for Strength in Numbers found similar results, with Americans disapproving of the president's handling of all the policy areas they were asked about except border security. That poll also found that 49 percent disapproved of his immigration policy, while 47 percent approved. Overall, Silver found that when analyzing the polls, Trump had a -5.4 net approval rating. An RMG Research/Napolitan News poll, conducted between May 14 and 21 among 3,000 registered voters, showed Trump's approval rating at 48 percent, with 50 percent disapproving. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. Other polls have found a more positive response to the president. According to a recent Rasmussen survey, 53 percent of respondents said they approved of Trump, while 46 percent said they disapproved. What People Are Saying Scott Lucas, a professor in international politics at University College Dublin, previously cautioned against reading too much into any one poll, telling Newsweek: "Opinion polls have their own biases." President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on April 20: "We are, together, going to make America bigger, better, stronger, wealthier, healthier, and more religious, than it has ever been before!!!" What Happens Next The midterm elections, scheduled for November 2026, may offer a clearer indication of voters' attitudes toward the president's policies.
News24
23 minutes ago
- News24
Market fall-out as Trump doubles steel, aluminium tariffs
• For more financial news, go to the News24 Business front page. Shares in South Korean and Vietnamese steelmakers, major Asian exporters of the metal to the United States, dropped on Monday after US President Donald Trump said he would double tariffs on imported steel and aluminium to 50%. Trump announced on Friday the new steel and aluminium levies, which take effect on June 4, intensifying a global trade war just hours after he accused China of violating an agreement with the US to mutually roll back tariffs and trade restrictions for critical minerals. Steel industry experts said while the increased tariff would cause significant disruption for major exporters to the US, the rates could go down in light of some of Trump's trade policy reversals. "Frequent shifts in the Trump administration's tariff policies introduce considerable uncertainty regarding the actual impact ... I think the final result will be far lower than initially projected, especially concerning its duration," said Chelsea Ye, senior analyst at metals research firm McCloskey. South Korea's Industry Ministry said on Monday it will respond to the 50% tariff on steel products as part of its trade discussions with Washington in order to minimise the impact on industry. South Korea was the fourth-biggest exporter of steel to the United States last year, behind Canada, Mexico and Brazil, according to American Iron and Steel Institute data. South Korea's Industry Ministry said in a statement that it had held an emergency meeting with officials from the country's major steelmakers, including POSCO and Hyundai Steel . Shares of South Korean steelmakers lost ground on Monday, with POSCO and Hyundai Steel falling 3% and SeAH Steel Corp down 6.3% in morning trade. In Vietnam, major steelmakers Hoa Sen Group and Nam Kim Steel fell 2.8% and 3.4% respectively. Vietnam Steel Corp also fell 2.7%. Vietnam's exports of steel and steel products to the U.S. fell 27% in the first four months of this year, government data showed. The 50% tariffs will add to the challenges facing Korean steel exporters, which have refrained from sharply boosting exports to the US to avoid Washington's scrutiny, despite rising US steel prices, an industry executive told Reuters. "It will be a burden to exporting companies, if there are no additional steel price increases in the U.S," he told Reuters, asking not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue. Despite tariffs, South Korea's steel shipments to the United States rose 12% in April from a year earlier, according to trade data. Steel and aluminium tariffs were among the earliest Trump imposed when he returned to office in January. The tariffs of 25% on most steel and aluminium imported to the US went into effect on March 12. Industry officials said the tariffs have increased US steel prices, affecting several sectors, including home appliances, cars, and construction. Trade talks South Korea, a major US ally, has called for an exemption from tariffs on steel, autos and others items, during talks with the United States. Seoul agreed in late April to craft a trade package by the end of the 90-day pause on Trump's reciprocal tariffs in July, but it has been difficult for negotiators to make big decisions due to a political leadership vacuum ahead of elections on Tuesday. In late March, Hyundai Steel announced a plan to build a $5.8 billion factory in Louisiana in response to US tariffs, but the factory will not open until 2029. In April, Hyundai Steel's bigger rival POSCO signed a preliminary deal to make an equity investment in the factory project. In India, which relies heavily on the US for aluminium exports, industry experts also warned of a major hit. "This is going to have a detrimental impact," B.K. Bhatia, director-general at the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, the country's leading mining body, told Reuters. "The US is the biggest market for Indian aluminium. Government has been negotiating so we are hopeful that with talks, the tariffs will come down." The US is the world's largest steel importer, excluding the European Union, with a total of 26.2 million tons of imported steel in 2024, according to the Department of Commerce. As a result, the new tariffs will likely increase steel prices across the board, hitting industry and consumers alike. "The latest hike will prompt these sellers to renegotiate with their US buyers on how to and who will shoulder the extra 25% cost," said Thaiseer Jaffar, founder of Dubai-based steel industry event organiser Global Steel Summit.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump-backed Populist conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland's presidential election
June 2 (UPI) -- Karol Nawrocki, a populist conservative backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, has won Poland's presidential runoff election, according to official results released Monday. Eyes across the country, Europe and even North America were watching the race in Poland, where the presidency is a somewhat symbolic position -- especially compared to the prime minister and their executive powers -- but one that does come with veto authority. The election of Nawrocki also suggests a political shift in the deeply divided nation. Warsaw Mayor Rafal Kazimierz Trzaskowski -- of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's Civic Platform party -- had narrowly beaten Nawrocki, a conservative historian who ran as an independent, in the first round of voting on May 18, but failed to gain a majority of the votes to win the presidency outright. In Sunday's runoff, the roles were reversed, and it was Nawrocki who secured the narrow victory. According to official results, Nawrocki, 42, won 50.89% of the vote. Trzaskowski, 53, received 49.11%. Of the 20.8 million cast votes -- representing 71.6% of Poland's population -- nearly 37,000 votes separated the two candidates. Nawrocki was backed by the nationalist opposition Law and Justice party. This is a developing story.
