While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 28, 2025
Mr Carney (left) and Mr Trump recently met at the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Canada and agreed to try to hash out a trade agreement by the middle of July. PHOTO: REUTERS REUTERS
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 28, 2025
Trump ends trade talks with Canada, threatens to set tariff
US President Donald Trump said he was ending all trade discussions with Canada in retaliation for the country's digital services tax, and threatened to impose a fresh tariff rate within the next week.
'Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately. We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period,' Mr Trump posted on June 27, on social media.
Canada and the US have one of the world's largest bilateral trading relationships, exchanging more than US$900 billion (S$1.14 trillion) of goods and services in 2024.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking briefly to a television reporter, said he had not spoken with Mr Trump yet, on June 27. 'We'll continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interests of Canadians,' he said.
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Trump would consider bombing Iran again if necessary
President Donald Trump said on June 27 he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran was enriching uranium to a level that concerned the United States, and he backed inspections of Iran's bombed nuclear sites.
'Sure, without question, absolutely,' Mr Trump said, when asked about the possibility of new bombing of Iranian nuclear sites if deemed necessary at some point.
At a White House news conference, Mr Trump said he plans to respond soon to comments from Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamanei, who said Iran 'slapped America in the face' by launching an attack against a major US base in Qatar following last weekend's US bombing raid.
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'Science refugees': French uni welcomes first US researchers
Eight American researchers have arrived at a university in southern France, as the country pushes to offer 'science asylum' to US academics hit by federal research spending cuts under US President Donald Trump.
The University of Aix-Marseille (AMU) welcomed the scholars on June 27, following the March launch of its 'Safe Place for Science' initiative, the first among 20 set to relocate there in coming months.
The programme has already drawn nearly 300 applicants from top institutions such as Stanford, Nasa, and Berkeley.
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WHO says all Covid-19 origin theories still open
All hypotheses on how the Covid-19 pandemic began remain open, the World Health Organisation said on June 27, following an inconclusive four-year investigation that was hamstrung by crucial information being withheld.
The global catastrophe killed an estimated 20 million people, according to the WHO, while shredding economies, crippling health systems and turning people's lives upside-down.
The first cases were detected in Wuhan in China in late 2019, and understanding where the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 came from is key to preventing future pandemics.
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UK man jailed for 40 years for teenager's murder
A man who killed a 14-year-old boy in London during a rampage with a sword was on Jan 27 jailed for a minimum of 40 years.
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, nearly decapitated schoolboy Daniel Anjorin during a 20-minute series of attacks in Hainault, east London, in April 2024, in which he also assaulted several other people including police officers.
Prosecutors said Monzo killed and skinned his cat before driving his van at a pedestrian and slicing him with the sword, murdering Daniel and then trying to murder a police officer.
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Straits Times
41 minutes ago
- Straits Times
‘A stubborn mule': Trump encourages Powell to resign in latest attack on the Fed chair
US President Donald Trump continued his assault on the chair of the Federal Reserve on June 27, saying he would like Jerome Powell to resign. The president, who has berated Mr Powell for weeks, called the chair a 'stubborn mule' who has 'Trump derangement syndrome' for his refusal to immediately lower borrowing costs. 'I'd love for him to resign if he wanted to,' the president told reporters in the Oval Office. Such attacks have become a mainstay in Mr Trump's second term in the White House. The president, who elevated Mr Powell to Fed chair during his first term, has spent the past few weeks castigating him for not moving quickly enough to cut interest rates. Mr Trump has long been a fan of low interest rates, which make it cheaper for businesses and consumers to borrow and in turn fuel growth. He cajoled Mr Powell during his first term when he thought the Fed chair was taking too long to lower rates. But Mr Trump's interest in lower borrowing costs has taken on more significance this time around. He is pushing Republican lawmakers to approve an expensive tax cut package that would require the United States to sell large sums of debt to finance it. That goal has become harder – and more expensive – given that interest rates remain elevated in a range of 4.25 per cent to 4.5 per cent. Mr Trump has argued that the government would save 'billions' if the Fed lowered interest rates, calling for as much as an immediate 2.5-percentage-point decline. 'We have a guy that's just a stubborn mule and a stupid person that is making a big mistake,' the president said on June 27. The country is paying more to service its debts 'because we have a guy who's suffering from Trump derangement syndrome, if you want to know the truth,' he added. 'He's not good for our country.' The Fed has stuck to a 'wait and see' approach for months, with officials arguing that they can be patient before acting on further rate cuts because the labour market is still solid and inflation is at risk of flaring up again because of Mr Trump's policies. The central bank last lowered borrowing costs in December, after a series of reductions in the latter half of last year. Divisions between Fed officials have started to emerge however, with two Trump appointees recently making the case for interest rate cuts as early as July. Ms Michelle Bowman was recently elevated from her role as governor to head of regulatory issues at the central bank, while another governor, Mr Christopher Waller, is seen as a potential pick to be the next chair. Mr Trump recently said that he was choosing among three or four people to replace Mr Powell, whose term ends in May, and that an announcement would be coming soon. Other contenders include Mr Kevin Warsh, a former Fed governor who was almost picked to be chair during Mr Trump's first term; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent; and Mr Kevin Hassett, a top economic adviser to the president. Asked on June 27 about his interest in the job, Mr Bessent said he would 'do what the president wants, but I think I have the best job in Washington'. The Fed is supposed to operate independently of the White House in order to ensure that officials can make tough choices on interest rates to keep inflation stable and the labor market healthy. Speaking with lawmakers this week, Mr Powell repeatedly stressed that politics did not factor into the Fed's thinking on interest rates. Those decisions are guided by the economic data, he said. Mr Trump has long sought to have a greater say over the direction of interest rates and has repeatedly toyed with removing Mr Powell as chair before his term expires. The Supreme Court recently signalled that the president was not authorised to do that, however. Mr Powell's term as a governor does not expire until 2032, meaning he could technically stay on even after stepping down as chair. Mr Bessent acknowledged that on June 28, saying: 'Chair Powell doesn't have to leave.' The next vacancy is set to open up at the end of January, when Ms Adriana Kugler's term as governor ends. If the administration chose to fill that spot with the next designated chair, Mr Bessent told CNBC, the nomination process could be completed in October or November. That timing is more in line with how it has been done historically. Selecting a replacement as early as the summer would risk muddying the Fed's communications and disrupting financial markets. Mr Trump said on June 27 that he expected whomever he picked to lower interest rates. 'If I think somebody's going to keep the rates where they are, or whatever, I'm not going to put them in,' he said. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
University of Virginia president resigns under pressure from Trump on DEI policies
Mr James Ryan concluded that resisting Trump officials' demands would put the school's students and faculty at risk. PHOTO: KIRSTEN LUCE/NYTIMES University of Virginia president resigns under pressure from Trump on DEI policies The president of the University of Virginia, Mr James Ryan, resigned on June 27 under pressure from President Donald Trump's administration over the school's diversity, equity and inclusion policies. In a letter to the UVA community, Mr Ryan said he had made the 'excruciating decision' to step down after concluding that resisting Trump officials' demands would put the school's students and faculty at risk. 'I cannot make a unilateral decision to fight the federal government in order to save my own job,' he wrote. 'To do so would not only be quixotic but appear selfish and self-centered to the hundreds of employees who would lose their jobs, the researchers who would lose their funding, and the hundreds of students who could lose financial aid or have their visas withheld.' Virginia's Democratic US senators, Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, called the Trump administration's demand 'outrageous' in a joint statement and said Mr Ryan's departure would hurt the university and the state. It was not clear whether Mr Ryan's resignation would take effect immediately. Earlier, the New York Times had reported that the Justice Department had demanded his resignation, and he decided to capitulate. The administration has launched a campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion and targeted colleges and universities that it has claimed are pushing antisemitic, anti-American, Marxist and 'radical left' ideologies. Universities that have been investigated or have had funds frozen have said that Mr Trump's attacks are threats to freedom of speech, freedom of academics and the schools' very existence. In a warning issued to UVA last week, the Justice Department said the government had concluded that the use of race in admissions and other student benefits were 'widespread practices throughout every component and facet of the institution,' according to the Times. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
US Senate rejects bid to curb Trump's Iran war powers
A view shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on a building on Monday, after the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON - The Republican-led U.S. Senate rejected a Democratic-led bid on Friday to block President Donald Trump from using further military force against Iran, hours after the president said he would consider more bombing. The Senate vote was 53 to 47 against a war powers resolution that would have required congressional approval for more hostilities against Iran. The vote was along party lines, except Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman voted no, with Republicans, and Kentucky Republican Rand Paul voted yes, with Democrats. Senator Tim Kaine, chief sponsor of the resolution, has tried for years to wrest back Congress' authority to declare war from both Republican and Democratic presidents. Kaine said his latest effort underscored that the U.S. Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the sole power to declare war and requires that any hostility with Iran be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for the use of military force. "If you think the president should have to come to Congress, whether you are for or against a war in Iran, you'll support Senate Joint Resolution 59, you'll support the Constitution that has stood the test of time," Kaine said in a speech before the vote. Lawmakers have been pushing for more information about weekend U.S. strikes on Iran, and the fate of Iran's stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. Earlier on Friday, Trump sharply criticized Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, dropped plans to lift sanctions on Iran, and said he would consider bombing Iran again if Tehran is enriching uranium to worrisome levels. He was reacting to Khamenei's first remarks after a 12-day conflict with Israel that ended when the United States launched bombing raids against Iranian nuclear sites. 'OBLITERATED' Members of Trump's national security team held classified briefings on the strikes for the Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday and Friday. Many Democratic lawmakers left the briefings saying they had not been convinced that Iran's nuclear facilities had been "obliterated," as Trump announced shortly after the raid. Opponents of the resolution said the strike on Iran was a single, limited operation within Trump's rights as commander-in-chief, not the start of sustained hostilities. Senator Bill Hagerty, a Tennessee Republican who served as ambassador to Japan during Trump's first term, said the measure could prevent any president from acting quickly against a country that has been a long-term adversary. "We must not shackle our president in the middle of a crisis when lives are on the line," Hagerty said before the vote. Trump has rejected any suggestion that damage to Iran's nuclear program was not as profound as he has said. Iran says its nuclear research is for civilian energy production. Under U.S. law, Senate war powers resolutions are privileged, meaning that the chamber had to promptly consider and vote on the measure, which Kaine introduced this month. But to be enacted, the resolution would have had to pass the Senate as well as the House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson, a close Trump ally, said this week he did not think it was the right time for such an effort. During Trump's first term, in 2020, Kaine introduced a similar resolution to rein in the Republican president's ability to wage war against Iran. That measure passed both the Senate and House of Representatives, with some Republican support, but did not garner enough votes to survive the president's veto. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
