On GPS: The clock is ticking on Putin
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Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
State of play in Trump's tariffs, threats and delays
Dozens of economies including India, Canada and Mexico face threats of higher tariffs Friday if they fail to strike deals with Washington. Here is a summary of duties President Donald Trump has introduced in his second term as he pressures allies and competitors alike to reshape US trade relationships. - Global tariffs - US "reciprocal" tariffs -- imposed under legally contentious emergency powers -- are due to jump from 10 percent to various steeper levels for a list of dozens of economies come August 1, including South Korea, India and Taiwan. The hikes were to take effect July 9 but Trump postponed them days before imposition, marking a second delay since their shock unveiling in April. A 10 percent "baseline" levy on most partners, which Trump imposed in April, remains in place. He has also issued letters dictating tariff rates above 10 percent for individual countries, including Brazil, which has a trade deficit with the United States and was not on the initial list of higher "reciprocal" rates. Several economies -- the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines -- have struck initial tariff deals with Washington, while China managed to temporarily lower tit-for-tat duties. Certain products like pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber are excluded from Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs, but may face separate action under different authorities. This has been the case for steel, aluminum, and soon copper. Gold and silver, alongside energy commodities, are also exempted. Excluded too are Mexico and Canada, hit with a different set of tariffs, and countries like Russia and North Korea as they already face sanctions. - Canada, Mexico - Canadian and Mexican products were hit by 25 percent US tariffs shortly after Trump returned to office, with a lower rate for Canadian energy. Trump targeted both neighbors over illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking, also invoking emergency powers. But trade negotiations have been bumpy. This month, Trump said Canadian goods will face a higher 35 percent duty from August 1, and Mexican goods will see a 30 percent level. Products entering the United States under the USMCA North American free trade pact, covering large swaths of goods, are expected to remain exempt -- with Canadian energy resources and potash, used as fertilizer, to still face lower rates. - China focus - Trump has also taken special aim at China. The world's two biggest economies engaged in an escalating tariffs war this year before their temporary pullback. The countries imposed triple-digit duties on each other at one point, a level described as a trade embargo. After high level talks, Washington lowered its levies on Chinese goods to 30 percent and Beijing slashed its own to 10 percent. This pause is set to expire August 12, and officials will meet for further talks on Monday and Tuesday in the Swedish capital Stockholm. The US level is higher as it includes a 20 percent tariff over China's alleged role in the global fentanyl trade. Beyond expansive tariffs on Chinese products, Trump ordered the closure of a duty-free exemption for low-value parcels from the country. This adds to the cost of importing items like clothing and small electronics. - Autos, metals - Trump has targeted individual business sectors too, under more conventional national security grounds, imposing a 25 percent levy on steel and aluminum imports which he later doubled to 50 percent. The president has unveiled plans for a 50 percent tariff on copper imports starting August 1 as well and rolled out a 25 percent tariff on imported autos, although those entering under the USMCA can qualify for a lower rate. Trump's auto tariffs impact vehicle parts too, but new rules ensure automakers paying vehicle tariffs will not also be charged for certain other duties. He has ongoing investigations into imports of lumber, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals that could trigger further duties. - Legal challenges - Several legal challenges have been filed against the tariffs Trump invoked citing emergencies. The US Court of International Trade ruled in May that the president had overstepped his authority, but a federal appeals court has allowed the duties to remain while it considers the case. If these tariffs are ultimately ruled illegal, companies could possibly seek reimbursements. bys/des/mlm Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Los Angeles Times
12 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rejects outreach by South
SEOUL — The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rebuffed overtures by South Korea's new liberal government, saying Monday that Pyongyang has no interest in talks with Seoul no matter what proposal its rival offers. Kim Yo Jong's comments suggest again that North Korea, now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia, has no intentions of returning to diplomacy with South Korea and the U.S. anytime soon. But experts said North Korea could change course if it thinks it cannot maintain the same close and fruitful ties with Moscow when the Russia-Ukraine war nears an end. 'We clarify once again the official stand that no matter what policy is adopted and whatever proposal is made in Seoul, we have no interest in it and there is neither a reason to meet nor an issue to be discussed' between the Koreas, Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media. It is North Korea's first official statement on the government of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, which took office in early June. In an effort to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, Lee's government has halted anti-Pyongyang frontline loudspeaker broadcasts, taken steps to ban activists from flying balloons with propaganda leaflets across the border and repatriated North Koreans who drifted south in wooden boats months earlier. Kim Yo Jong called such steps 'sincere efforts' by Lee's government to develop ties. But she said the new government in Seoul won't be much different from its predecessors, citing what it calls a 'blind trust' in the military alliance with the U.S. and attempts to 'stand in confrontation' with North Korea. She mentioned the upcoming summertime South Korea-U.S. military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal. North Korea has been shunning talks with South Korea and the U.S. since leader Kim Jong Un's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Trump fell apart in 2019 due to wrangling over international sanctions. North Korea has since focused on building more powerful nuclear weapons. The North now prioritizes cooperation with Russia by sending troops and conventional weapons to support its war against Ukraine, probably in return for economic and military assistance. The South, the U.S. and others say Russia may even give Pyongyang sensitive technologies that can enhance its nuclear and missile programs. Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has repeatedly boasted of his personal ties with Kim Jong Un and expressed intent to resume diplomacy with him. But North Korea hasn't publicly responded to Trump's overture. In early 2024, Kim Jong Un ordered the rewriting of the constitution to remove the long-running state goal of a peaceful Korean unification and to cement South Korea as an 'invariable principal enemy.' That caught many foreign experts by surprise because it was seen as eliminating the idea of shared statehood between the war-divided Koreas and breaking with his predecessors' long-cherished dreams of peacefully achieving a unified Korea on the North's terms. Many experts say Kim Jong Un probably aims to guard against South Korean cultural influence and bolster his family's dynastic rule. Others say he wants legal room to potentially use his nuclear weapons against South Korea by casting it as a foreign enemy state, not a partner for potential unification that shares a sense of national homogeneity. Kim writes for the Associated Press.
Fox News
12 minutes ago
- Fox News
Secret Service thwarts potential threat near Trump's White House grounds with rapid response
The U.S. Secret Service confirmed Sunday evening that a person is in custody following reports that a suspicious package was found near the White House. "At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, 2025, U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division officers immediately apprehend [sic] an individual who climbed a fence on the southeast side of the U.S. Treasury Building," the federal law enforcement agency told Fox News. The suspect allegedly dropped a bag on the sidewalk adjacent to the fence line of the building, which is located adjacent to the White House. That prompted a response from the Metropolitan Police Department's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team, who cleared the item. The suspect was transported to a local hospital for a medical evaluation, and will face charges for unlawful entry, as well as fugitive from justice stemming from a warrant in a different jurisdiction. Twice during his 2024 campaign for the nation's highest office, President Donald Trump was the subject of assassination attempts. July 13 marked one year since a lone gunman on a rooftop at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Pennsylvania fired eight rounds at the president while he hosted a campaign rally. Trump was shot in the ear before his Secret Service detail dove atop him and pulled him to the ground. The gunman was killed by authorities at the scene. Trump emerged with blood dripping down his cheek, and in an iconic moment, raised his fist and chanted, "Fight, fight, fight" while his security detail attempted to whisk him away to safety. Corey Camperatore, a local former fire chief who was attending the rally, was shot and killed while valiantly shielding his family from the volley of gunfire. Just three months later, the Secret Service spotted the barrel of a rifle poking through the bushes while Trump played golf at his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect in that alleged attempt on Trump's life, Ryan Routh, 59, ran away when spotted, only to be taken into custody a short time later. He was charged with assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearms violations, along with the attempted assassination. He is scheduled to represent himself at his upcoming trial.
