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Trump news at a glance: Surprise doubling of steel tariffs risks global market turmoil

Trump news at a glance: Surprise doubling of steel tariffs risks global market turmoil

The Guardiana day ago

Donald Trump said he was doubling tariffs on imported steel to 50% at a rally celebrating a 'partnership' deal between US Steel and Japan-based Nippon Steel on Friday.
Speaking in front of an audience of steelworkers, the US president said: 'We are going to be imposing a 25% increase. We're going to bring it from 25% to 50%, the tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will even further secure the steel industry in the United States.'
The surprise announcement, which contained no further detail, was cheered by the crowd at a US Steel plant in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. Trump added: 'Nobody is going to get around that.'
He spoke after US markets closed for the weekend. But the increase, set to take effect next week, is likely to create fresh economic turmoil.
Here are the key stories of the day:
The US president announced he was doubling foreign tariffs on steel imports to 50%, as he celebrated a 'blockbuster' agreement for Japan-based Nippon Steel's to invest in US Steel during a rally in Pennsylvania.
Surrounded by men in orange hardhats, Donald Trump unveiled the tariff rate increase as he spoke at a US Steel plant in West Mifflin, declaring that the dramatic hike would 'even further secure' the US steel industry.
It was not immediately clear how the announcement would affect the trade deal with the UK, negotiated earlier this month, that saw tariffs on steel and aluminium from the UK reduced to zero.
Read the full story
The president saw Elon Musk off from the White House on Friday, as the Tesla chief concluded his more than four months leading the so-called department of government efficiency's disruptive foray into federal departments that achieved far fewer cost savings than expected.
Standing alongside Trump in the Oval Office, Musk – who faced a 130-day limit in his tenure as a special government employee that had ended two days prior – vowed that his departure 'is not the end' of Doge.
Read the full story
Elon Musk engaged in extensive drug consumption while serving as one of Trump's closest advisers, taking ketamine so frequently it caused bladder problems and travelling with a daily supply of about 20 pills, according to claims made to the New York Times.
Read the full story
The president's so-called Golden Dome missile defence program – which will feature space-based weapons to intercept strikes against the US – is not expected to be ready before the end of his term, despite his prediction that it would be completed within the next three years.
Read the full story
Donald Trump says he is firing the first female director of the National Portrait Gallery, which contained a caption that referenced the attack on the US Capitol that his supporters carried out in early 2021.
Read the full story
The Trump administration has ordered US consulates worldwide to conduct mandatory social media screening of every visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University, with officials instructed to view private accounts as potential signs of 'evasiveness'.
Read the full story
The US supreme court on Friday announced it would allow the Trump administration to revoke the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants living in the US, bolstering the Republican president's drive to step up deportations.
Read the full story
The state department is seeking to create an 'Office of Remigration' as
part of a restructuring of the US diplomatic service to facilitate Trump's rightwing anti-immigration policies.
The FBI is investigating an apparent impersonator who pretended to be the White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, in texts and calls to her contacts, including prominent Republicans.
Catching up? Here's what happened on 29 May 2025.

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EXCLUSIVE From hanging with 'Jeff Bezos' to hitting rock bottom: Inside the secret life of alleged Aussie fraudster who hit up American high society - and then skipped town
EXCLUSIVE From hanging with 'Jeff Bezos' to hitting rock bottom: Inside the secret life of alleged Aussie fraudster who hit up American high society - and then skipped town

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EXCLUSIVE From hanging with 'Jeff Bezos' to hitting rock bottom: Inside the secret life of alleged Aussie fraudster who hit up American high society - and then skipped town

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AB Hernandez: 16-year-old transgender athlete wins two golds and a silver as participation sparks controversy
AB Hernandez: 16-year-old transgender athlete wins two golds and a silver as participation sparks controversy

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AB Hernandez: 16-year-old transgender athlete wins two golds and a silver as participation sparks controversy

A 16-year-old transgender athlete who is the focus of a US sports row has won two golds and a silver at the California high school track and field championship. AB Hernandez was born a boy but has transitioned and now competes against girls. And the teenager's inclusion in the girls category in the high jump, long jump and triple jump became a national conversation. Critics, including parents, conservative activists and President Trump, had called for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Who is AB Hernandez? In the city of Clovis on Saturday, she took part under a new rule change brought in by the state's interscholastic federation, under which an extra student was allowed to compete and win a medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. And it meant there were two winners when she finished first. Hernandez shared first place in the high jump with Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle. All three cleared a height of 5ft 7in (1.7m), but Hernandez had no failed attempts, while the other two had each logged one failure. Hernandez also had a first-place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher, who trailed her by more than half a metre. Also, Hernandez came second in the long jump with Brooke White. "Sharing the podium was nothing but an honour," White said. "As a part of the queer community I want AB Hernandez to know we all have her back." Plane protest During Hernandez's qualifying events on Friday, a plane flew over the stadium trailing a banner, which read: "No boys in girls' sports." It was organised and paid for by two women's advocacy groups. A small protest also took place on the road outside. "Save girls' sports," one poster read. "XX does not equal XY," read another. Transgender inclusion is a thorny issue but a vote winner for Donald Trump, who campaigned last year with a promise to "kick out men from women's sport". He signed an executive order seeking to ban transgender women from female sports. And Mr Trump has threatened to withdraw federal funding from California over Hernandez's participation in this weekend's athletics event. 'Pilot entry process' The California Interscholastic Federation had earlier said it was launching a "pilot entry process" to allow more girls to participate in the championship. It only applied to the three events in which Hernandez competed. The rule change may be the first attempt nationally by a high school sports governing body to expand competition when trans athletes are participating. If a transgender athlete wins a medal, their ranking would not displace a "biological female" student from also medalling, the federation confirmed, and it will be reflected in the records. The federation said the rule opens the field to more "biological female" athletes. The organisation did not specify how it defines "biological female" or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.

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