What everyone gets right — and wrong — about nuclear weapons
National leaders on both sides of the aisle seem to agree it is self-evident that Iran must not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. They remind us of the 'death to Americans' calls heard during the hostage crisis following the fall of the shah of Iran in 1979. I question whether that hatred is widely and strongly felt by Iranians today. And let's assume that Iran gets nuclear weapons, as the Russians have had for three-quarters of a century. Would they really hate us enough to use them on U.S. territory or forces, earning massive nuclear retaliation? The Russians haven't. The North Koreans haven't. The Chinese haven't. Pakistan and India have refrained from mutual nuclear slaughter. No, mutually assured destruction is still maintaining some sanity around the world and moderating conventional conflicts. (What if Ukraine had not given up its nuclear arsenal?)
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Washington Post
15 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Trump must not TACO his way out of helping Ukraine
President Donald Trump on Monday finally announced he would send more weapons to Ukraine, a sign of renewed attention to and appreciation of the besieged country's position. He also issued a risky ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning he would apply punishing 'secondary sanctions' on countries that continue to trade with Russia if the Kremlin fails to reach a peace deal with Ukraine within 50 days. If the sanctions kick in, they could hurt Russia — but also the whole world economy. To this point, Putin has calculated that time is his ally; he could wait out the West's patience with a grinding, expensive war of attrition. Trump is trying to change Putin's assumptions, forcing substantive negotiations on a deadline by brandishing an economic weapon — secondary sanctions — the United States has hesitated to use. Yet Moscow might see Trump's latest move as the opening bid in a negotiation or otherwise discount the likelihood that the United States will follow through. 'In another six months or so, the pendulum could swing back the other way,' Sergey Poletaev, an analyst at the Russian analytical platform Vatfor, told NPR. For the sake of Ukraine specifically and American credibility generally, Trump cannot back down. Trump is clearly frustrated with Putin. On Monday, he described having 'pleasant' and 'lovely' telephone conversations with the Russian president, only to find out soon after that Russian missiles and drones were pulverizing yet another Ukrainian city. Whether that frustration manifests in strong, sustained U.S. support for Ukraine, in weapons shipments and other measures, will determine how this conflict finally ends. Trump was typically vague in describing which actual weapons systems would be shipped to Ukraine, other than confirming that Patriot batteries and missiles, key air defense systems, would be among the hardware. This is crucial, as Russia in recent weeks has stepped up its devastating aerial bombardment as part of its much-telegraphed summer offensive, even as ground operations seem mired in a bloody stalemate. Ukraine also needs more offensive weapons to hit targets behind the front line. This is where the previous Biden administration moved too timidly, and too late, always fearing that more direct Ukrainian attacks on Russia might ignite a broader regional conflict against a nuclear power. (They didn't.) The Trump administration should continue to follow the Biden team's belated policy to let the Ukrainians use the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, to fire long-range ballistic missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. Meanwhile, sanctioning Russia's ongoing trading partners would be a powerful tool to help bring Putin to the negotiating table. This is the path being pursued by a bipartisan group in Congress, which is proposing even higher sanctions of up to 500 percent on goods from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas, uranium and other exports. These sanctions would particularly hit China and India, which buy the bulk of Russia's oil. But what if Putin refuses to make peace and sticks with his maximalist demands for a dismembered Ukraine under Russia's thumb? Is Trump ready to ramp up the pressure? Will he sustain the arms shipments once the stockpiles run dry? Will he seize billions of dollars in frozen Russian assets? Will he try to crack down on the shadow tanker fleet that moves Russian oil? And will he follow through on his secondary sanctions threat, with its potentially vast implications for trade with countries such as China and India? The war against Ukraine has already persisted for far too long, with horrific casualty tolls on both sides. It will only end when Putin realizes he has nothing more to gain, and much more to lose, the longer it goes on. The arms shipments to Ukraine might bring that realization closer. More pressure can bring that day closer still. Now that Trump has issued his ultimatum, he needs to make clear to Putin he means what he says.
CBS News
15 minutes ago
- CBS News
Trump administration imposes 17% tariff on fresh Mexican tomatoes
The U.S. government said Monday it is placing a 17% duty on most fresh Mexican tomatoes, after negotiations over alleged unfair trade practices ended without an agreement to avert the tariff. Proponents said the import tax will help rebuild the shrinking U.S. tomato industry and ensure that produce eaten in the United States is also grown there. But opponents, including U.S. companies that grow tomatoes in Mexico, said the tariff will make fresh tomatoes more expensive for U.S. buyers. Mexico currently supplies around 70% of the U.S. tomato market, up from 30% two decades ago, according to the Florida Tomato Exchange. The move comes amid a separate push by President Trump to increase tariffs on dozens of U.S. trading partners, including Mexico, which was told over the weekend to expect 30% tariffs starting in August. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said in a statement Monday that the decision on tomatoes is "in line with President Trump's trade policies and approach with Mexico." "Mexico remains one of our greatest allies, but for far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices that undercut pricing on produce like tomatoes. That ends today," Lutnick said in a statement. The Commerce Department said in late April that it was withdrawing from a deal it first reached with Mexico in 2019 to settle allegations the country was exporting tomatoes to the U.S. at artificially low prices, a practice known as dumping. The decision to withdraw from the Tomato Suspension Agreement was set to take effect in 90 days. As part of the 2019 deal, Mexico had to sell its tomatoes at a minimum price and abide by other rules. Since then, the agreement has been subject to periodic reviews, but the two sides have always reached an agreement that avoided duties. In announcing its withdrawal from the agreement, the Commerce Department said in late April that it had been "flooded with comments" from U.S. tomato growers who wanted better protection from Mexican imports. But others, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Restaurant Association, had called on the Commerce Department to reach an agreement with Mexico. In a letter sent last week to Lutnick, the Chamber of Commerce and 30 other business groups said U.S. companies employ 50,000 workers and generate $8.3 billion in economic benefits moving tomatoes from Mexico into communities across the country. "We are concerned that withdrawing from the agreement — at a time when the business community is already navigating significant trade uncertainty — could lead to retaliatory actions by our trading partners against other commodities and crops that could create further hardship for U.S. businesses and consumers," the letter said. The lead-up to Monday's decision drew criticism from some Democrats. "ARIZONA, BUY YOUR TOMATOES NOW!!" Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, wrote on X last week. "Groceries are already too expensive. [Mr. Trump] needs to reverse this decision now." "Salsa will be pricier, shelves emptier, and groceries more expensive. Tens of thousands of jobs, including 30,000 Texans, will be at risk," Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Texas Democrat, wrote on X.
Bloomberg
17 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on Russia If No Ukraine Ceasefire
By and Dina Katgara Save Good morning. Trump loses patience with Russia. Silver briefly soars to an almost 14-year high. And Saudi Arabia gets ready to find out if its futuristic city dreams are feasible. Listen to the day's top stories. Donald Trump's frustrations over the war in Ukraine have reached a breaking point. The US president threatened 100% tariffs on Russia, which may come in the form of 'secondary' measures, if Vladimir Putin fails to agree to a peace deal by early September. He also pledged to send Ukraine 'top-of-the-line' weapons paid for by NATO allies. Bloomberg Opinion's Andreas Kluth says the moves suggest that the US is finally ready again to up the pressure on Moscow to end the killing.
