
Trump administration targets Harvard's foreign student programme in latest investigation
Trump launched an investigation into Harvard's visa sponsorship programme. Photo / Getty Images
US President Donald Trump's administration has launched an investigation into Harvard University's ability to sponsor visiting students and academics, part of a continuing crackdown on the elite institution.
Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly accused Harvard and other top US universities of having a 'liberal' bias, accusing some of 'antisemitism' to cut federal funding and demand greater oversight.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the latest investigation would examine whether the university was complying with regulations in the Exchange Visitor Programme.
That included probing whether the university was 'conducting their programmes in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States'.
'The American people have the right to expect their universities to uphold national security, comply with the law, and provide safe environments for all students,' he said in a statement.
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Newsroom
27 minutes ago
- Newsroom
Will NZ move with the tide over Gaza?
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RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Trump's higher tariffs hit major US trading partners, sparking defiance and concern
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The new rates will test Trump's strategy for shrinking US trade deficits without causing massive disruptions to global supply chains or provoking higher inflation and stiff retaliation from trading partners. After unveiling his "Liberation Day" tariffs in April, Trump has frequently modified his plans, slapping much higher rates on imports from some countries, including 50 percent for goods from Brazil, 39 percent from Switzerland, 35 percent from Canada and 25 percent from India. He announced on Wednesday a separate 25 percent tariff on Indian goods, to be imposed in 21 days, over India's purchases of Russian oil. "BILLIONS OF DOLLARS, LARGELY FROM COUNTRIES THAT HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE UNITED STATES FOR MANY YEARS, LAUGHING ALL THE WAY, WILL START FLOWING INTO THE USA," Trump said on Truth Social just ahead of the tariff deadline. Tariffs are ultimately paid by companies importing the goods, and passed on in full or in part to consumers of end products. Trump's top trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer, said the US was working to reverse decades of policies that had weakened US manufacturing capacity and workforce, and that many other countries shared concerns about macroeconomic imbalances. "The rules of international trade cannot be a suicide pact," he wrote in a column published by the New York Times. "By imposing tariffs to rebalance the trade deficit and negotiating significant reforms that form the basis of a new international system, the United States has shown bold leadership," Greer said. Eight major trading partners accounting for about 40 percent of US trade flows have reached framework deals for trade and investment concessions to Trump, including the European Union, Japan and South Korea, reducing their base tariff rates to 15 percent. Britain won a 10 percent rate, while Vietnam, Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines secured rate reductions to 19 percent or 20 percent. "There'll be some supply chain rearrangement. There'll be a new equilibrium. Prices here will go up, but it'll take a while for that to show up in a major way," said William Reinsch, a senior fellow and trade expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Countries with punishingly high duties, such as India and Canada, "will continue to scramble around trying to fix this", he added. Switzerland's government was to hold an emergency meeting after President Karin Keller-Sutter returned home empty-handed from an 11th-hour trip to Washington aimed at averting the crippling US import tariff on Swiss goods. A last-minute attempt by South Africa to improve its offer in exchange for a lower tariff rate also failed. The two countries' trade negotiating teams will have more talks, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office said. Vietnam said it will continue talks with the US as it seeks to lower tariffs further still after negotiating a reduction to 20 percent from the 46 percent duty Trump slapped on the Southeast Asian country in April. Meanwhile, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told Reuters on Wednesday he wouldn't humiliate himself by seeking a phone call with Trump even as he said his government would continue cabinet-level talks to lower a 50 percent tariff rate. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was similarly defiant, saying he would not compromise the interests of the country's farmers. There were also signs that some countries were rallying together to confront Trump, with Brazil's Lula saying he would call the leaders of India and China to discuss a joint BRICS response to tariffs. India said on Wednesday that Modi will visit China for the first time in seven years. US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrive to hold a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on 13 February, 2025. Photo: AFP Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the White House in February. US import taxes are one part of a multilayered tariff strategy that includes national security-based sectoral tariffs on semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, autos, steel, aluminum, copper, lumber and other goods. Trump said on Wednesday the microchip duties could reach 100 percent. China is on a separate tariff track and will face a potential tariff increase on 12 August unless Trump approves an extension of a prior truce. He has said he may impose additional tariffs over China's purchases of Russian oil as he seeks to pressure Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine. Trump has touted a vast increase in federal revenues from his import tax collections, with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick saying on Fox Business Network on Thursday that he expected revenue from tariffs to reach $50 billion (NZ$84b) a month. The move will drive average US tariff rates to around 20 percent, the highest in a century and up from 2.5 percent when Trump took office in January, the Atlantic Institute estimates. Commerce Department data released last week showed more evidence that tariffs were driving up US prices, including for recreational goods and motor vehicles, while costs are mounting for companies, including bellwethers Caterpillar, Marriott, Molson Coors and Yum Brands. Toyota on Thursday said it expected a hit of nearly $10 billion (NZ$16.9b) from tariffs on cars imported into the US as it cut its full-year profit forecast by 16 percent. But other Japanese companies such as Sony and Honda said they now expected a smaller impact on profits after Japan agreed a bilateral deal with Washington to lower tariffs. - Reuters

RNZ News
7 hours ago
- RNZ News
Higher US tariffs kick in for dozens of trading partners
By Beiyi Seow Donald Trump holds a signed executive order after delivering remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington, DC, on 2 April, 2025. Photo: AFP The United States has begun charging higher tariffs on goods from dozens of trading partners, in a major escalation of President Donald Trump's drive to reshape global commerce in America's favour. Shortly before the new levies kicked in, Washington separately announced it would double Indian tariffs to 50 percent and hit many semiconductor imports from around the world with a 100-percent levy. As an executive order signed last week by Trump took effect, US import duties rose from 10 percent to levels between 15 percent and 41 percent for a list of trading partners. Many imports from economies including the European Union, Japan and South Korea now face a 15-percent tariff, even with deals struck with Washington to avert steeper threatened levies. But others like India face a 25 percent duty - to be doubled in three weeks to 50 percent - while Syria, Myanmar and Laos face staggering levels at either 40 percent or 41 percent. Switzerland's government, which failed to convince Trump not to impose a stinging 39 percent tariff, was set to hold an extraordinary meeting later on Thursday (local time). Taking to his Truth Social platform just after midnight, Trump posted: "IT'S MIDNIGHT!!! BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TARIFFS ARE NOW FLOWING INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!" The latest wave of "reciprocal" duties, aimed at addressing trade practices Washington deems unfair, broadens the measures Trump has imposed since returning to the presidency. On the eve of his latest salvo, he doubled planned duties on Indian goods to 50 percent, citing New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil. The new levy - up from 25 percent now - would take effect in three weeks. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations called the move a "severe setback for Indian exports, with nearly 55 percent of our shipments to the US market directly affected." For New Delhi, one of the main sticking points has been Washington's demand to access India's vast agricultural and dairy market. "We will not compromise with the interests of our farmers, our dairy sector, our fishermen," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday. Trump's order also threatened penalties on other countries that "directly or indirectly" import Russian oil, a key revenue source for Moscow's war in Ukraine. Washington has already separately stuck tariffs on sector-specific imports such as steel, autos and pharmaceuticals. Trump said Wednesday he also planned an "approximately 100 percent tariff" on semiconductor imports, but with "no charge" for companies investing in the United States or committed to do so. Shares in Taiwanese chip-making giant TSMC surged as Taipei said it would be exempt, but some other Asian manufacturers took a beating. Companies and industry groups warn the new levies will severely hurt smaller American businesses, while economists caution that they could fuel inflation and hit growth. With the dust settling on countries' tariff levels, at least for now, Georgetown University professor Marc Busch expects US businesses to pass along more of the bill to consumers. An earlier 90-day pause in these higher "reciprocal" tariffs gave importers time to stock up, he said. But although the wait-and-see strategy led businesses to absorb more of the tariff burden initially, inventories are depleting and it is unlikely they will do this indefinitely, he told AFP. "With back-to-school shopping just weeks away, this will matter politically," said Busch, an international trade policy expert. The tariffs leave lingering questions for partners that have negotiated deals with Trump recently. Tokyo and Washington, for example, appear at odds over key details of their pact, in particular on when lower levies on Japanese cars will take place. Generally, US auto imports now face a 25-percent duty under a sector-specific order. Toyota has cut its full-year profit forecast by 14 percent because of the tariffs. Japan and the United States also appear to differ on whether the "reciprocal" tolls of 15 percent on other Japanese goods would be on top of existing levies or - like the EU - be capped at that level. China and the United States, meanwhile, currently have a shaky truce in their stand-off but that is due to expire on 12 August. Chinese exports to the United States tumbled 21.7 percent last month, official data showed, while those to the European Union jumped 9.2 percent and to Southeast Asia by 16.6 percent. The EU is seeking a carveout from tariffs for its key wine industry. In a recent industry letter addressed to Trump, the US Wine Trade Alliance and others urged the sector's exclusion from tolls, saying: "Wine sales account for up to 60 percent of gross margins of full-service restaurants." Trump has separately targeted Brazil over the trial of his right-wing ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro , who is accused of planning a coup. US tariffs on various Brazilian goods surged from 10 percent to 50 percent Wednesday, but broad exemptions including for orange juice and civil aircraft are seen as softening the blow. Still, key products like Brazilian coffee, beef and sugar are hit. - AFP