The Latest: Trump calls finalized UK-US trade agreement ‘fair' for both nations

Toronto Star

10 hours ago

President Donald Trump on Monday said he finalized a trade agreement with the United Kingdom, first announced in May, that is expected to slash tariffs on goods from both countries, as Trump continues to wage a trade war with America's longstanding allies.
Trump said the deal was 'fair' for both nations and will 'produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.'
The final deal does not include tariffs on steel, as was previously planned in the provisional agreement, but talks on the subject are ongoing.
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The agreement was announced as the president meets with world leaders on the first day of the G7, or Group of Seven, summit in Canada, a country he has previously suggested should be annexed.
Here's the latest:
Some details in the US-UK trade deal are still being worked on
Trump and Starmer say they are still talking about how the agreement will affect steel, a major import.
Trump told reporters at the G7 that the deal is 'a fair deal for both' and would 'produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.'
Starmer said the agreement meant 'a very good day for both our countries.' He said the deal covered cars and aerospace.
After the two leaders spoke, the White House released a statement saying that with respect to steel and aluminum, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick will 'determine a quota of products that can enter the United States without being subject' to previous tariffs.
Trump dismisses criticism from his conservative ally Tucker Carlson about Israel-Iran conflict
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The former Fox News host pundit last week called Trump 'complicit in the act of war' in his subscriber newsletter.
'I don't know what Tucker Carlson is saying,' Trump told reporters with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer by his side. 'Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.'
Carlson, who for years hosted a popular prime-time show for Fox News, was ousted in 2023 amid a cascade of bad legal news for the network.
There has been some debate among Trump's supporters about how far the president should go in backing Israel.
Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and other prominent Trump allies have argued voters backed Trump because he would not entangle the nation in foreign clashes and should be wary of expanding U.S. involvement in the conflict.
US and UK say they've cemented a trade agreement
President Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer say the deal will slash tariffs on goods from both countries.
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The deal does not include tariffs on steel, an especially important piece of bilateral trade. Instead, talks are still going on about whether steel tariffs will be cut to zero as planned in the provisional agreement.
Trump and Starmer announced in May they'd struck an agreement that would slash U.S. import taxes on British cars, steel and aluminum in return for greater access to the British market for U.S. products including beef and ethanol.
But it did not immediately take effect, leaving British businesses uncertain about whether the U.K. could be exposed to any surprise hikes from Trump.
Trump says he's giving time for a peace deal before the US sanctions Russia over Ukraine
Defending his decision to wait, Trump said 'sanctions are not that easy. It's not just a one-way street.'
Answering questions after meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the margins of the G7 summit in Canada, Trump said sanctions cost the U.S. 'a lot of money.'
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He said he'd like to see the European Union impose sanctions on Russia before the United States does.
Trump at G7 meets with EU counterpart
President Trump is having an impromptu sit down at the Group of Seven with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The meeting occurred at von der Leyen's request, according to the White House.
Trump threatened tariffs of as much as 50% on European goods, unless the 27-member block engaged more to the Trump administration's liking in trade talks. The U.S. president held off on his threat and kept the import taxes at a baseline 10% for a negotiating period currently slated to end before July 9.
The meeting has delayed a separate meeting that Trump was scheduled to have with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Head of Catholic Bishops Conference says it's time to speak out against harm caused by immigration crackdown
The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a strong statement Monday urging Americans to speak out against hurtful aspects of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
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'No one can turn a deaf ear to the palpable cries of anxiety and fear heard in communities throughout the country in the wake of a surge in immigration enforcement actions,' Archbishop Thomas Broglio said.
'Law enforcement actions aimed at preserving order and ensuring community security are necessary for the common good. However, the current efforts go well beyond those with criminal histories.
'In the context of a gravely deficient immigration system, the mass arrest and removal of our neighbors, friends and family members on the basis of immigration status alone, particularly in ways that are arbitrary or without due process, represent a profound social crisis before which no person of good will can remain silent.'
Trump fires Democratic commissioner of independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Trump has fired a Democratic commissioner for the federal agency that oversees nuclear safety.
Christopher Hanson, a former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said in a statement Monday that Trump terminated his position as NRC commissioner without cause, 'contrary to existing law and longstanding precedent regarding removal of independent agency appointees.'
The firing comes as Trump seeks to assert more control over independent regulatory agencies and take authority away from the independent safety agency that has regulated the U.S. nuclear industry for five decades.
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White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in an emailed statement that 'all organizations are more effective when leaders are rowing in the same direction' and that the Republican president reserves the right to 'remove employees within his own executive branch.'
Democratic members of Congress say Trump overstepped his authority.
Canada's ambassador to Washington says Canada is 'not there yet' on reaching a trade deal with Trump
Ambassador Kirsten Hillman says they are dealing with a president who is very convinced of the policy that he has around tariffs in order to achieve his policy goals.
Hillman says it is actually detrimental to his overall goals and they are trying to get Trump and his team to understand Canada's perspective. She says it takes time, data and time and says Canada's goal is no tariffs.
Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, says he would not talk about the 'private details of the conversations' when asked if Trump brought up the 51st state during the bilateral meetings Monday. Trump's talk of annexing Canada has infuriated Canadians.
Dismissed members of CDC vaccine committee call Kennedy's actions 'destabilizing'
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The 17 experts recently dismissed from a government vaccine advisory panel say Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making 'destabilizing decisions' that could lead to more preventable disease spread.
Kennedy last week announced he would 'retire' the influential panel that guides U.S. vaccine policy the panel. Two days later, he named eight new people to it.
The former panelists all signed onto a commentary published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Kennedy, a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before becoming the U.S. government's top health official, has accused the committee of being too closely aligned with vaccine manufacturers and of rubber-stamping vaccines.
NAACP says it's not inviting Trump to national convention
The decision not to invite Trump to its convention next month in Charlotte, North Carolina, would be the first time the prominent civil rights group has opted to exclude a sitting president in its 116-year history.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson announced the move at an afternoon press conference, accusing Trump of working against its mission.
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In a text message from the NAACP to The Associated Press, Johnson says, 'This has nothing to do with political party. Our mission is to advance civil rights, and the current president has made clear that his mission is to eliminate civil rights.'
A message to the White House seeking comment was not immediately returned. In recent months, the NAACP has filed multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration, including to block its effort to curb diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Macron met with Trump ahead of G7 welcome ceremony
French President Emmanuel Macron held extended talks with U.S. President Donald Trump before the G7 summit's official welcome ceremony, Macron's top international spokesperson said Monday.
Jean-Noël Ladois said the two leaders discussed 'tariffs, the situation in the Near and Middle East, and the situation in Ukraine.' There's no briefing yet on what came out of the meeting.
UN chief heads to G7 meeting in Canada
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is heading to Canada to take part in a session on energy security.
U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Guterres will participate in Tuesday's session for G7 and invited leaders on 'diversification, technology and investment to ensure access and affordability in a changing world.'
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The secretary-general will meet Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney on the margins of the meeting, Haq said.
He said other meetings would be announced later when asked if the U.N. chief would meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
European G7 leaders held an informal meeting about Middle East
The four European G7 leaders held an informal meeting over glasses of Canadian wine on the eve of the summit Sunday night, without President Donald Trump, who had yet to arrive at the venue in the Canadian Rockies.
It started when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer bumped into German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a restaurant-bar area of the venue in the resort of Kananaskis. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni dropped by and it became an hourlong informal meeting during which the conflict between Israel and Iran was discussed.
Efforts to de-escalate that conflict are a main focus of the two-day summit that officially started Monday.
Trump sports US-Canada lapel pin that wasn't a gift from G7 host
Emily Williams, a spokesperson for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the G7 host, said the lapel pin 'was not provided in any welcome gift from us.'
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'That's all him,' Williams said, meaning Trump.
The lapel pin features the flags of the United States and Canada. Lapel pins featuring the American flag and the host country's flag are often worn by members of the U.S. delegation when the president is traveling abroad.
Trump is also wearing a separate American flag lapel pin.
Anti-domestic violence coalitions sue over anti-DEI requirements to get federal money
Seventeen statewide anti-domestic coalitions against domestic and sexual violence are suing President Donald Trump's administration over requirements in grant applications that they don't promote 'gender ideology' or run diversity, equity and inclusion programs or prioritize people in the country illegally.
In the filing made in Rhode Island on Monday, the groups say the requirements put them in 'an impossible position.'
If they don't apply for federal money allocated under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, they might not be able to provide rape crisis centers, battered women's shelters and other programs to support victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
But if the groups do apply, they said they would have to make statements they called 'antithetical to their core values' — and take on legal risk.
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Canadian prime minister formally opens G7 summit at 'turning point in history'
Canada's leader, Mark Carney, has formally opened the Group of Seven summit by telling fellow leaders they're meeting at 'one of those turning points in history.'
Carney said the world is 'more divided and dangerous' than during past summits and other 'hinge moments,' citing G7 gatherings after the fall of the Berlin Wall or the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States.
With the leaders of the U.S., Germany, France, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy seated before him, Carney said, 'the world looks to this table for leadership.'
He predicted they'd have 'frank discussions' over the two-day summit and not always agree, but he said that where they do agree it will make a difference for their citizens.
G7 leaders take part in welcoming ceremony
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the host of this year's leaders meeting, has greeted the leaders at an official welcome ceremony in front of a picturesque pine tree backdrop.
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Carney and his wife, Diana Fox Carney, engaged each of the leaders in small talk before posing for photos.
Trump told Carney the setting he chose was 'beautiful.'
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during his turn asked Carney about how his one-on-one with Trump went. The prime minister responded, 'fantastic.'
Canadian tribal leader says he was 'filled with rage' while speaking with Trump
A Canadian tribal leader tasked with greeting world heads of state arriving for G7 says he considered leaving before Donald Trump arrived, appalled by the U.S. president's having 'caused much pain and suffering in the world.'
Instead, Steven Crowchild, said he prayed to his creator, consulted with his people's leadership and opted to stay on the tarmac in Calgary, where he spoke at length on Sunday with Trump.
'It was really intense to say the least,' Crowchild told The Associated Press on Monday.
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Crowchild wore feathered headgear, spoke in his traditional language and showed Trump tribal medals that he told the president were older than the nation of Canada.
Trump wore a white 'Make America Great Again' cap.
'I almost didn't stay. I was filled with rage,' Crowchild said, adding that he decided to remain 'considering that visibility is key and diplomacy is important and there was no indigenous representation there at the time.'
US Air Force moves refueling tanker aircraft to Middle East in response to tensions, strikes
The U.S. is moving tanker aircraft to the Middle East to provide President Donald Trump additional options to defend U.S. bases and personnel in the region in wake of the ongoing ballistic missile attacks by Iran and Israel's continued air operations against Tehran, two U.S. officials told the Associated Press.
The refueling tankers are vital to supporting any major U.S. air operation, whether it would be evacuations or a potential strike by U.S. fighter jets.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details not announced publicly.
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Trump says of immigration crackdown, 'I want to focus on the cities'
He was talking about his pledge to launch an immigration crackdown targeting Democrat-run areas.
'That's where the people are,' Trump said in remarks with Canada's prime minister.
On Sunday night, Trump directed federal officials to prioritize deportations from Democratic-run cities.
Trump on Monday singled out New York and Chicago while pointing to demonstrations in Los Angeles against his administration policies and adding many of 'those people weren't from LA, they we're from California.'
He blamed Biden administration policies for allowing large numbers of people to cross into the U.S. illegally and said 'most of those people are in cities — all blue cities, all Democrat-run cities.'
Trump again claimed non-citizens might be able to vote in U.S. elections, something that's already illegal, vowing, 'It's not going to happen.'
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Trump says he's focusing on trade at G7 summit
Trump said a trade deal between the US and Canada is achievable, but he and Prime Minister Mark Carney approach it differently.
Trump said, 'I have a tariff concept' because 'I am a tariff person.'
He said Carney has a 'more complex idea but very good.'
Trump demurs on US involvement in Iran
The U.S. president declined to answer what it would take for U.S. to be directly involved in the growing conflict between Israel and Iran, saying he didn't want to talk about the issue.
Instead, he continued to press Iran on negotiations on its nuclear program.
'They should talk, and they should talk immediately,' Trump said during a bilateral meeting with Carney, the Canadian prime minister.
Trump added: 'I'd say Iran is not winning this war.'
Trump complains once again about throwing Russia out of what was once the G8
Russia was once included in the exclusive club of major economies but was kicked out following its 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
'The G7 used to be the G8. Barack Obama and a person named Trudeau didn't want to have Russia in,' Trump said referring to former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 'And I would say that was a mistake, because I think you wouldn't have a war right now if you had Russia in and you wouldn't have a war right now if Trump were president four years ago.'
Trudeau wasn't elected to be Canada's prime minister until the year after Russia was booted from the G8. Stephen Harper held that position at the time.
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Carney says G7 is 'nothing' without U.S. leadership
Carney offered opening remarks by wishing Trump 'happy birthday' while noting he was 'a few days short' since Trump turned 79 over the weekend.
'I didn't have chance to see you on the day,' Carney said. He also noted that the G7 'is nothing without U.S. leadership' and also told Trump, 'Thank you for your personal leadership.'
Trump to have 'pull aside' meeting with Germany's Merz on sidelines of G7
The U.S. president is expected to meet briefly today with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to U.S. officials who requested anonymity to discuss the scheduling plans that haven't been announced by the White House.
Trump is currently holding talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and the two will also hold a formal meeting alongside their aides.
The president is also expected to have a brief meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer later Monday.
— Aamer Madhani
Trump begins summit by meeting with Canada's prime minister
Trump has kicked off the G7 summit by meeting with Canada's prime minister.
A White House aide posted a picture of the president and Canada's Carney seated and talking without media present as the summit kicked off in the Canadian Rockies.
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In an unusual twist, the picture showed Trump seated in a chair in front of the Canadian flag, while Carney was seated in front of a U.S. flag.
Trump ready to meet with Canadian prime minister
President Trump is set to kick off his time at the Group of Seven summit in the Canadian Rockies with talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants to make Canada the 51st state.
The two met last month in the Oval Office for the first time since Carney's election victory. Carney made clear Canada 'is not for sale' after Trump called the border between the U.S. and Canada 'artificial.'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer due to talk trade with Trump at G7
Starmer says he'll hold a one-on-one meeting with President Trump on Monday about finalizing the U.K.-U.S. trade deal agreed by the two leaders last month.
Starmer said he'll meet Trump on the margins of a G7 summit in Canada, 'and I'm going to discuss with him our trade deal.'
The British leader said the agreement is 'in the final stages now of implementation, and I expect that to be completed very soon.'
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The deal agreed in May would slash import taxes on British cars, steel and aluminum in return for greater access to the British market for U.S. products including beef and ethanol. But it has yet to take effect, leaving British businesses uncertain about whether the U.K. could be exposed to any surprise hikes from Trump.
Wisconsin dairy farmer sues Trump administration claiming discrimination against white farmers
The federal lawsuit filed Monday claims the administration is illegally denying financial assistance to white farmers by continuing programs that favor minorities.
The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture in federal court in Wisconsin on behalf of a white dairy farmer, Adam Faust.
Faust was among several farmers who successfully sued the Biden administration in 2021 for race discrimination in the USDA's Farmer Loan Forgiveness Plan.
The new lawsuit alleges the government has continued to implement diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were instituted under former President Joe Biden. The Wisconsin Institute wrote to the USDA in April warning of legal action, and six Republican Wisconsin congressmen called on the USDA to investigate and end the programs.
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▶ Read more about the lawsuit against the administration
The Trump family's next venture, a mobile phone company
The Trump family says it's licensing its name to a new mobile phone service, the latest in a string of ventures that have been announced while Trump is in the White House despite ethical concerns that the U.S. president could mold public policy for personal gain.
Eric Trump, one of President Trump's sons running The Trump Organization, says the new venture called, Trump Mobile, will sell phones that will be built in the U.S., and the phone service will maintain a call center in the country as well.
The announcement of the new mobile phone and service, called T1 Mobile, follows several real estate deals for towers and resorts in the Middle East, including a golf development in Qatar announced in April.
▶ Read more about the Trump family's mobile phone company
Sen. Kaine says he'll force a vote to give Congress more of a say over military force against Iran
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is filing a resolution that would require that Congress authorize a declaration of war or any specific use of military force against Iran. Congress passed a similar resolution in 2020 during Trump's first term.
'It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States. I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict,' Kaine said.
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The resolution requires that any hostilities with Iran must be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force, but would not prevent the United States from defending itself from imminent attack.
Who's attending the G7 summit?
The Group of Seven comprises Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Germany and Britain. Leaders of each nation will be in attendance.
The European Union also attends, as well as other heads of state who are not part of the G7 but have been invited by Carney. These include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who is expected to have her first in-person meeting with Trump, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, was invited but will not attend.
▶ Read more about the G7 summit
ICE is using no-bid contracts, boosting big firms, to get more detention beds
Leavenworth, Kansas, occupies a mythic space in American crime, its name alone evoking a short hand for serving hard time. The federal penitentiary housed gangsters Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly — in a building so storied that it inspired the term 'the big house.'
Now Kansas' oldest city could soon be detaining far less famous people, migrants swept up in President Trump's promise of mass deportations of those living in the U.S. illegally.
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The federal government has signed a deal with the private prison firm CoreCivic Corp. to reopen a 1,033-bed prison in Leavenworth as part of a surge of contracts U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued without seeking competitive bids.
ICE has cited a 'compelling urgency' for thousands more detention beds, and its efforts have sent profit estimates soaring for politically connected private companies, including CoreCivic, based in the Nashville, Tennessee, area and another giant firm, The Geo Group Inc., headquartered in southern Florida.
▶ Read more about new immigration detention centers
Trump's schedule Monday, according to the White House
Trump is expected to have a busy schedule on the first day of the G7 conference.
9 a.m. — Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
10 a.m. — Trump will attend the event's official welcome
10:30 a.m. — Session one
12:30 p.m. — Session two
2:45 p.m. — Session three
5:45 p.m. — Time for a group photo
6:15 p.m. — Session four
9 p.m. — Trump will attend a 'cultural event'