Trump to sign bill on Friday at 5 p.m., White House says
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The Guardian
22 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump says US will send letters setting tariff rates to trading partners
Donald Trump has said that the US will start sending out letters to trading partners on Friday setting tariff rates that countries will have to pay from the beginning of next month. The US president told the media that about '10 or 12' letters would be sent out initially, with further letters sent out over the 'next few days'. His administration is expected to write to all of its trading partners without a deal in place before 9 July, the end of a 90-day pause on Trump's 'reciprocal tariffs'. 'I think by the ninth they will be fully covered,' he said, referring to the deadline the US set for countries to reach bilateral trade deals to avoid higher duties. 'They will range in value from maybe 60% or 70% tariffs to 10% and 20% tariffs.' Trump did not provide further details on which countries would get the tariffs, or whether they would be targeted at certain goods and services. The Trump administration has so far announced deals with the UK and Vietnam, and agreed a truce with China after tariffs imposed on the world's second largest economy sparked a trade war. On Thursday, Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, hinted that the US was close to a high-level 'framework' deal with the EU that would avert 50% tariffs on all exports from the bloc next Wednesday. Trump initially revealed his programme of global tariffs on 2 April, 'liberation day', but later announced the 90-day pause to allow countries time to negotiate. Trump put more pressure on those countries still negotiating, saying that while a 'couple' more trade deals were close to completion his 'inclination is to send a letter out and say what tariffs they are going to be paying'. He said: 'It's much easier.' Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Earlier this week Trump said he would not extend the 9 July deadline for deals to be struck. 'We're going to do what the president wants,' Bessent said in an interview on Thursday. 'And he'll be the one to determine whether they're negotiating in good faith.' On Thursday, Trump secured passage of his controversial flagship tax and spending bill, after the House of Representatives approved it.
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Keir Starmer says good relationship with Donald Trump based on shared family values
Keir Starmer has spoken about his good relationship with the US president, Donald Trump, and their shared family values. To mark the first anniversary of the Labour government coming to power on Friday, the UK's prime minister spoke to the BBC podcast Political Thinking and said it was 'in the national interest' for the two men to connect. He said: 'We are different people and we've got different political backgrounds and leanings, but we do have a good relationship and that comes from a number of places. 'I think I do understand what anchors the president, what he really cares about. For both of us, we really care about family and there's a point of connection there.' In the interview, Starmer said he had a 'good personal relationship' with Trump, and revealed that the first time they spoke was after the then-presidential candidate was shot at a campaign rally in July last year. The prime minister said Trump had reciprocated with a personal phone call a few days after Starmer's brother Nick died on Boxing Day. Addressing recent political turmoil, Starmer said he would always 'carry the can' as leader after coming under fire over a climbdown on welfare reforms and that he would 'always take responsibility' when asked questions. 'When things go well … the leader gets the plaudits, but when things don't go well, it is really important that the leader carries the can – and that's what I will always do.' Starmer also backed Rachel Reeves and said she would be chancellor 'for a very long time to come', after she was visibly tearful in the House of Commons. The scenes came after the government U-turned on welfare reform plans that put an almost £5bn hole in the chancellor's plans. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Reeves said it was a 'personal matter' which had upset her ahead of prime minister's questions. Appearing on broadcast media on Friday, one year to the day since the 2024 general election, the home secretary, Yvette Cooper was asked on BBC Breakfast to score the government out of 10. 'I don't think it is for cabinet ministers to mark themselves and mark their own homework,' she said.
Reuters
35 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump says he expects Hamas decision in 24 hours on 'final' peace proposal
WASHINGTON, July 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours whether the Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to accept what he has called a "final proposal" for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. The president also said he had spoken to Saudi Arabia about expanding the Abraham Accords, the deal on normalization of ties that his administration negotiated between Israel and some Gulf countries during his first term. Trump said on Tuesday Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war. He was asked on Friday if Hamas had agreed to the latest ceasefire deal framework, and said: "We'll see what happens, we are going to know over the next 24 hours." A source close to Hamas said on Thursday the Islamist group sought guarantees that the new U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal would lead to the end of Israel's war in Gaza. Two Israeli officials said those details were still being worked out. Dozens of Palestinians were killed on Thursday in Israeli strikes, according to Gaza authorities. The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show. Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. It has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza's entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations. A previous two month ceasefire ended when Israeli strikes killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18. Trump earlier this year proposed a U.S. takeover of Gaza, which was condemned globally by rights experts, the U.N. and Palestinians as a proposal of "ethnic cleansing." Trump made the comments on the Abraham Accords when asked about U.S. media reporting late on Thursday that he had met Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman at the White House. "It's one of the things we talked about," Trump said. "I think a lot of people are going to be joining the Abraham accords," he added, citing the predicted expansion to the damage faced by Iran from recent U.S. and Israeli strikes. Axios reported that after the meeting with Trump, the Saudi official spoke on the phone with Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of Iran's General Staff of the Armed Forces. Trump's meeting with the Saudi official came ahead of a visit to Washington next week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
