US ready to arm Israel with bunker-busting bombs if Iran goes nuclear
The Bunker Buster Act would allow President Trump to 'take actions to ensure Israel is prepared for all contingencies if Iran seeks to develop a nuclear weapon,' according to Reps. Josh Gottheimer, (D-NJ), and Mike Lawler, (R-NY), who proposed the legislation.
'Iran, the leading state sponsor of terror, and one of America's top enemies, can never have a nuclear weapon. That's why I strongly supported our military actions earlier this month,' Gottheimer said in a statement.
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'Iran has killed scores of Americans, including our service members, and repeatedly attacked our key democratic ally, Israel. Israel must be able to defend herself against Iran, and ensure that Iran cannot rebuild its nuclear capabilities,' he added.
6 The US is ready to supply Israel with B-2 bombers if Iran restarts its nuclear program.
US Air Force
'This bill gives the President the authority to equip Israel with the tools and training they need to deter Tehran and make the world a safer place,' Lawler said.
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B-2 bomber pilots were deployed last month in a historic attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, launching 14 GBU 57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, better known as bunker-buster bombs, onto three separate sites in the country.
The US 'totally obliterated' the Iranian regime's nuclear program, President Trump claimed, after the bombs penetrated up to 200 feet below the surface into the underground facilities.
6 Rep. Josh Gottheimer is one of two proponents of the bipartisan bill.
Getty Images
6 Rep. Mike Lawler also proposed the Bunker Buster Act.
REUTERS
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Israel also took part in the strikes on Iranian nuclear and military facilities.
The US had 19 B-2s in operation as of last year, and has not allowed any of its allies to use the stealth bombers. It's the only plane capable of delivering the massive payload.
6 US strikes targeted three nuclear sites in Iran last month.
Rob Jejenich / NY Post Design
Centrifuges at Iran's underground nuclear site at Fordow are 'no longer operational' following last month's US strikes, the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Chair Rafael Grossi told Radio France Internationale this week.
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However, there are rumors Iran may have moved its stock of enriched uranium away from the targeted sites ahead of the bombing, which administration officials have vehemently denied.
6 Bunker-busting bombs travel up to 200 feet below the ground.
Department of Defense
6 Iran's main uranium enrichment site in Fordow was attacked.
via REUTERS
Iran may begin enriching uranium again within a 'matter of months,' Grossi told CBS last week.
'The capacities they have are there. They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that. But as I said, frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there,' Grossi said.
'It is clear that there has been severe damage, but it's not total damage. Iran has the capacities there; industrial and technological capacities. So if they so wish, they will be able to start doing this again,' he added.
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Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump tariffs live updates: Trump announces Vietnam deal as US-China trade tensions ease
The US has eased export restrictions on China for chip design software and ethane, a sign that trade tensions are calming between the two countries. Software firms like Synopsys (SNPS), Cadence (CDNS) and Siemans (SIEGY) said they will now sell their chip design tools to Chinese customers again. The US also removed limits on ethane exports to China that it had set just weeks ago. President Trump on Wednesday said he had reached a trade deal with Vietnam, one week ahead of a July 9 deadline for tariffs to snap back to higher levels for US partners. Trump said Vietnam's goods imported to the US would face a 20% tariff, lower than the 46% tariff he had levied as part of his "Liberation Day" plans but higher than the blanket 10% tariff currently in effect. He also said Vietnamese goods would face a higher 40% tariff "on any transshipping" — when goods shipped from Vietnam originate from another country, like China. Trump said that US goods exported to Vietnam would not face a tariff. "In other words, they will 'OPEN THEIR MARKET TO THE UNITED STATES,'" Trump wrote on Truth Social. The deal would be the second the US has struck with a trade partner since Trump paused those sky-high "Liberation Day" duties, in addition to a pact with the United Kingdom. The US has also agreed with China on a framework to move toward a larger trade deal. Trump's July 9 deadline has come back in focus in recent weeks as more countries struggle to get over the hump. Trump earlier this week said negotiations with Japan had soured, saying he would force Japan to accept higher tariffs of "30%, 35%, or whatever the number is that we determine." Notably, that proposal is higher than the 24% "Liberation Day" level. 'I'm not sure we're going to make a deal," Trump said. "I doubt it with Japan. They're very tough. You have to understand, they're very spoiled." With Japan as his jumping-off point, Trump renewed threats that he may stick to his self-imposed July 9 deadline for making trade deals and issue new tariff levels to trading partners, forgoing another pause to "Liberation Day" duties. "I'll be writing letters to a lot of countries," he said. Meanwhile, the European Union has signaled it was willing to accept a 10% universal tariff on many of its exports but is seeking exemptions for pharmaceuticals, alcohol, semiconductors, and commercial aircraft as part of a trade deal. On the North American front, Canada has scrapped its digital services tax that was set to affect large US technology companies. The White House said trade talks between the two countries had resumed after Trump threatened to cut off trade talks. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet Here are the latest updates as the policy reverberates around the world. The US has removed export restrictions on chip design software and ethane shipments to China, easing trade tensions between the two countries. China recently made concessions over its rare earth export controls. Software companies Synopsys (SNPS), Cadence (CDNS) and Siemens (SIEGY) said they will now restore access for their Chinese customers. These firms develop important electronic design automation tools used in chipmaking. The US also lifted licensing rules for ethane producers. Earlier restrictions were part of Trump's response to China blocking rare earth exports, which had disrupted supply chains for cars, aerospace and defence industries. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump had targeted Vietnam with some of the highest tariffs of any country on his April "Liberation Day." That's at least partly because he and top advisers have made Vietnam an example of a country that is allegedly "ripping off" the US. Vietnam has become the US's 10th-largest trade partner, according to US Census data. And it is the seventh-largest source of imports, sending goods worth over $130 billion. It contains factories for some of the biggest US-based apparel makers, including Nike (NKE) and Lululemon (LULU). Vietnam became a destination for companies looking to diversify manufacturing as US-China tensions escalated over the past decade. Vietnam's trade surplus with the US ballooned to over $123 billion last year. This year's US trade deficit with Vietnam stood over $50 billion through just April as companies raced to move more operations out of China. President Trump followed up his previous announcement of a trade deal with Vietnam with some additional details on social media. "It is my Great Honor to announce that I have just made a Trade Deal with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam after speaking with To Lam, the Highly Respected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam," Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump wrote that the two sides agreed to a 20% tariff rate on all goods sent from Vietnam to the US and a 40% tariff rate on transshipment — essentially, when goods from China or other countries are routed through Vietnam. Tariffs on goods from the country were previously set to return to 46% on July 9. Vietnam also lowered tariffs on US goods to zero, Trump said, and is lowering trade barriers. The president suggested US automakers could introduce more SUVs to the Southeast Asian country. "In return, Vietnam will do something that they have never done before, give the United States of America TOTAL ACCESS to their Markets for Trade," Trump wrote. "In other words, they will 'OPEN THEIR MARKET TO THE UNITED STATES,' meaning that, we will be able to sell our product into Vietnam at ZERO Tariff." The US and Vietnam are said to be very close to a establishing a trade framework that will see goods given a scaled range of tariffs depending on the percentage of foreign content, according to people familiar with the talks. Reuters reports: Read more here. Tariffs have hit electric vehicle maker, Rivian (RIVN) who reported a sharp fall in second-quarter deliveries on Wednesday as demand for its EVs took a hit from competition and tariff-driven economic uncertainty. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump said that his administration has struck a preliminary trade agreement with Vietnam a week before the self-imposed deadline of July 9. "I just made a Trade Deal with Vietnam. Details to follow!" Trump posted on Truth Social. While we don't yet know the details of the deal, Vietnam had been seeking to secure tariffs in the range of 20% to 25%, below Trump's "Liberation Day" rate of 46% for goods from the country, according to a Bloomberg report. The US had been looking to stop the flow of goods from China that had been rerouted through Vietnam to circumvent tariffs. Vietnam had offered to remove all tariffs on US goods and step up trade enforcement, according to people familiar with the talks. When President Trump imposed his 25% tariffs on imported Japanese cars, the expectation had been higher sticker prices for US consumers and a drop in sales. It was expected that the added costs to exporters would be passed on to the consumer. However, the policy has been in place for months and the outcomes has proven far less intense. Bloomberg News reports: Japanese automakers' US sales have shown surprising resilience. Toyota (TM), for example, hit a global sales record in May, with North America sales up more than a tenth. Part of that is thanks to their local US production. Read more here. A key group of US employers would face direct costs of $82.3 billion from President Donald Trump's current tariff plans. These costs could lead companies to hike prices, layoff staff, lead to hiring freezes and lower profit margins, according to analysis by the JP Morgan Institute. AP reports: Read more here. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has blasted American cars, saying they are a tough sell in Japan. Ishiba added that his government needs to discuss with the US how to boost car imports from America. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. As the US gets ready to celebrate its Independence Day on July 4, the day it was liberated and rebelled against British rule, there is still one area that it may still be dependent on and thats China. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. For many companies, the process from manufacture to sales has always started in China. When Plufl co-founders, Yuki Kinsohita and Noah Sliverman, began making dog beds for humans and pitched their prototype to Shark Tank in 2022, they envisioned making their plush, memory foam beds in China and selling them at retail in the US for $299. Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner both invested $200,000 for a 20% share in the business, which went on to make over $1 million in sales in 2023, via Amazon and on their company website. However, this dream changed overnight when President Trump slapped a 145% tariff on items imported from China in April. The business leaders sprang into action and started to look at retailers and whether they would be interested in selling a US-made version of the human dog beds. Reuters reports: Read more here. The risk that tariffs pose to the global economy have never been more real and now for Italy the macroeconomic pressures that President Trump's tariffs bring are very concerning, with the head of the main Italian lobby saying on Wednesday that Italy risks losing around $23.6 billion in exports and 118,000 jobs if the US imposes tariffs of 10%. Reuters reports: Read more here. If investors are expecting a seasonal lift for Asian equities this summer, they may have to think again. Tariff pressures and macroeconomic concerns have started to dampen sentiment. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. For several months, the back and forth between the US and Japan has been an ongoing concern as the two parties attempt to reach a trade deal and avoid skyrocketing tariffs. Now Trump has threatened Japan with tariffs of up to 35%. This is a worst-case scenario for Japan and has started to raise doubts over Tokyo's tactics in trade talks. "Japan should be forced to pay 30% or 35% or whatever number we determine, because we have a very big trade deficit with Japan," Trump said on Tuesday, calling the country "spoiled." Experts have warned about taking Trump's comments at face value and believe that a deal will get done. However, they have also said that now is perhaps the time for Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to take a less friendly stance when it comes to trade negotiations. 'There is some risk of a US tantrum that results in higher punitive actions by Washington this month,' said Kurt Tong, a former senior US diplomat in Asia who's now a managing partner at the Asia Group. 'If that happens, Japan may have no choice but to hit back with its own specific countermeasures.' Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. President Trump on Tuesday, amid days of renewed whiplash on the tariff front, suggested he wouldn't extend a July 9 deadline for higher tariffs to resume on trade partners. He also threatened a tariff level on goods from Japan that would be higher than those he levied on the country in April. From Bloomberg: Notably, that 30% or 35% would be a higher level than the 24% he had laid out as part of his "Liberation Day" duties. Bloomberg added that Trump "sounded more optimistic" about an agreement with India. Read more here. US manufacturing remained weak in June. New orders were low and input costs went up slightly. This shows Trump's tariffs on imports are still making it hard for businesses to plan. Reuters reports: Read more here. The European Union has hardened its stance in trade trade talks with US President Donald Trump and are insisting the US drops its tariffs on the EU immediately as part of any framework deal ahead of the July 9 deadline. Trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has been told he must take a tougher line on his trip to Washington this week as Brussels attempts to remove or at least cut Trump's levies in the long term. The FT reports: Read more here. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that tariffs are causing the central bank to take its time before cutting interest rates. Powell is speaking today about the Fed's policy stance at an ECB forum in Sintra, Portugal. When asked if the Fed would have cut interest rates by more by now if it weren't for higher tariffs, Powell stated, "I think that's right." "In effect, we went on hold when we saw the size of the tariffs," Powell continued. "Essentially, all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence of the tariffs." Powell noted that the US economy remains healthy overall but that he expects to see the effects of tariffs if they filter through the economic data in the coming months. In recent days, Powell has faced increased pressure from President Trump to lower interest rates, including in the form of handwritten notes. "Ignore the tariffs for a second," Powell said of the economy. "Inflation is behaving pretty much exactly as we have expected and hoped that it would. We haven't seen effects much yet from tariffs, and we didn't expect to by now." Watch Powell speak live below: Perhaps the moral of this story really is — as Amex likes to say — "Don't leave home without it." Nowhere was this more true than for CEO Robert Keeley, who when faced with an $11,000 tariff bill decided to cash in 1.83 million American Express reward points to pay it. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. The US has removed export restrictions on chip design software and ethane shipments to China, easing trade tensions between the two countries. China recently made concessions over its rare earth export controls. Software companies Synopsys (SNPS), Cadence (CDNS) and Siemens (SIEGY) said they will now restore access for their Chinese customers. These firms develop important electronic design automation tools used in chipmaking. The US also lifted licensing rules for ethane producers. Earlier restrictions were part of Trump's response to China blocking rare earth exports, which had disrupted supply chains for cars, aerospace and defence industries. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump had targeted Vietnam with some of the highest tariffs of any country on his April "Liberation Day." That's at least partly because he and top advisers have made Vietnam an example of a country that is allegedly "ripping off" the US. Vietnam has become the US's 10th-largest trade partner, according to US Census data. And it is the seventh-largest source of imports, sending goods worth over $130 billion. It contains factories for some of the biggest US-based apparel makers, including Nike (NKE) and Lululemon (LULU). Vietnam became a destination for companies looking to diversify manufacturing as US-China tensions escalated over the past decade. Vietnam's trade surplus with the US ballooned to over $123 billion last year. This year's US trade deficit with Vietnam stood over $50 billion through just April as companies raced to move more operations out of China. President Trump followed up his previous announcement of a trade deal with Vietnam with some additional details on social media. "It is my Great Honor to announce that I have just made a Trade Deal with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam after speaking with To Lam, the Highly Respected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam," Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump wrote that the two sides agreed to a 20% tariff rate on all goods sent from Vietnam to the US and a 40% tariff rate on transshipment — essentially, when goods from China or other countries are routed through Vietnam. Tariffs on goods from the country were previously set to return to 46% on July 9. Vietnam also lowered tariffs on US goods to zero, Trump said, and is lowering trade barriers. The president suggested US automakers could introduce more SUVs to the Southeast Asian country. "In return, Vietnam will do something that they have never done before, give the United States of America TOTAL ACCESS to their Markets for Trade," Trump wrote. "In other words, they will 'OPEN THEIR MARKET TO THE UNITED STATES,' meaning that, we will be able to sell our product into Vietnam at ZERO Tariff." The US and Vietnam are said to be very close to a establishing a trade framework that will see goods given a scaled range of tariffs depending on the percentage of foreign content, according to people familiar with the talks. Reuters reports: Read more here. Tariffs have hit electric vehicle maker, Rivian (RIVN) who reported a sharp fall in second-quarter deliveries on Wednesday as demand for its EVs took a hit from competition and tariff-driven economic uncertainty. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump said that his administration has struck a preliminary trade agreement with Vietnam a week before the self-imposed deadline of July 9. "I just made a Trade Deal with Vietnam. Details to follow!" Trump posted on Truth Social. While we don't yet know the details of the deal, Vietnam had been seeking to secure tariffs in the range of 20% to 25%, below Trump's "Liberation Day" rate of 46% for goods from the country, according to a Bloomberg report. The US had been looking to stop the flow of goods from China that had been rerouted through Vietnam to circumvent tariffs. Vietnam had offered to remove all tariffs on US goods and step up trade enforcement, according to people familiar with the talks. When President Trump imposed his 25% tariffs on imported Japanese cars, the expectation had been higher sticker prices for US consumers and a drop in sales. It was expected that the added costs to exporters would be passed on to the consumer. However, the policy has been in place for months and the outcomes has proven far less intense. Bloomberg News reports: Japanese automakers' US sales have shown surprising resilience. Toyota (TM), for example, hit a global sales record in May, with North America sales up more than a tenth. Part of that is thanks to their local US production. Read more here. A key group of US employers would face direct costs of $82.3 billion from President Donald Trump's current tariff plans. These costs could lead companies to hike prices, layoff staff, lead to hiring freezes and lower profit margins, according to analysis by the JP Morgan Institute. AP reports: Read more here. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has blasted American cars, saying they are a tough sell in Japan. Ishiba added that his government needs to discuss with the US how to boost car imports from America. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. As the US gets ready to celebrate its Independence Day on July 4, the day it was liberated and rebelled against British rule, there is still one area that it may still be dependent on and thats China. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. For many companies, the process from manufacture to sales has always started in China. When Plufl co-founders, Yuki Kinsohita and Noah Sliverman, began making dog beds for humans and pitched their prototype to Shark Tank in 2022, they envisioned making their plush, memory foam beds in China and selling them at retail in the US for $299. Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner both invested $200,000 for a 20% share in the business, which went on to make over $1 million in sales in 2023, via Amazon and on their company website. However, this dream changed overnight when President Trump slapped a 145% tariff on items imported from China in April. The business leaders sprang into action and started to look at retailers and whether they would be interested in selling a US-made version of the human dog beds. Reuters reports: Read more here. The risk that tariffs pose to the global economy have never been more real and now for Italy the macroeconomic pressures that President Trump's tariffs bring are very concerning, with the head of the main Italian lobby saying on Wednesday that Italy risks losing around $23.6 billion in exports and 118,000 jobs if the US imposes tariffs of 10%. Reuters reports: Read more here. If investors are expecting a seasonal lift for Asian equities this summer, they may have to think again. Tariff pressures and macroeconomic concerns have started to dampen sentiment. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. For several months, the back and forth between the US and Japan has been an ongoing concern as the two parties attempt to reach a trade deal and avoid skyrocketing tariffs. Now Trump has threatened Japan with tariffs of up to 35%. This is a worst-case scenario for Japan and has started to raise doubts over Tokyo's tactics in trade talks. "Japan should be forced to pay 30% or 35% or whatever number we determine, because we have a very big trade deficit with Japan," Trump said on Tuesday, calling the country "spoiled." Experts have warned about taking Trump's comments at face value and believe that a deal will get done. However, they have also said that now is perhaps the time for Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to take a less friendly stance when it comes to trade negotiations. 'There is some risk of a US tantrum that results in higher punitive actions by Washington this month,' said Kurt Tong, a former senior US diplomat in Asia who's now a managing partner at the Asia Group. 'If that happens, Japan may have no choice but to hit back with its own specific countermeasures.' Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. President Trump on Tuesday, amid days of renewed whiplash on the tariff front, suggested he wouldn't extend a July 9 deadline for higher tariffs to resume on trade partners. He also threatened a tariff level on goods from Japan that would be higher than those he levied on the country in April. From Bloomberg: Notably, that 30% or 35% would be a higher level than the 24% he had laid out as part of his "Liberation Day" duties. Bloomberg added that Trump "sounded more optimistic" about an agreement with India. Read more here. US manufacturing remained weak in June. New orders were low and input costs went up slightly. This shows Trump's tariffs on imports are still making it hard for businesses to plan. Reuters reports: Read more here. The European Union has hardened its stance in trade trade talks with US President Donald Trump and are insisting the US drops its tariffs on the EU immediately as part of any framework deal ahead of the July 9 deadline. Trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has been told he must take a tougher line on his trip to Washington this week as Brussels attempts to remove or at least cut Trump's levies in the long term. The FT reports: Read more here. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that tariffs are causing the central bank to take its time before cutting interest rates. Powell is speaking today about the Fed's policy stance at an ECB forum in Sintra, Portugal. When asked if the Fed would have cut interest rates by more by now if it weren't for higher tariffs, Powell stated, "I think that's right." "In effect, we went on hold when we saw the size of the tariffs," Powell continued. "Essentially, all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence of the tariffs." Powell noted that the US economy remains healthy overall but that he expects to see the effects of tariffs if they filter through the economic data in the coming months. In recent days, Powell has faced increased pressure from President Trump to lower interest rates, including in the form of handwritten notes. "Ignore the tariffs for a second," Powell said of the economy. "Inflation is behaving pretty much exactly as we have expected and hoped that it would. We haven't seen effects much yet from tariffs, and we didn't expect to by now." Watch Powell speak live below: Perhaps the moral of this story really is — as Amex likes to say — "Don't leave home without it." Nowhere was this more true than for CEO Robert Keeley, who when faced with an $11,000 tariff bill decided to cash in 1.83 million American Express reward points to pay it. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. 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
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Paramount's shameful CBS settlement with Trump deserves congressional scrutiny
Shari Redstone and anyone at Paramount Global who backed this $16 million settlement should be ashamed – and pay for that cowardice. The Columbia Broadcasting System, known as CBS, has long been one of America's most admired media brands, from Edward R. Murrow's radio reports during World War II while bombs fell around him in England to the investigative invention of the televised news magazine "60 Minutes." Now, with American media under constant attack from a presidency eager to tip toward tyranny, there's good reason a recent Broadway revival of a show named after Murrow's famous sign-off line – "Good night, and good luck" – was greeted with such acclaim. The people in charge at Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, have no inspirational words to offer Americans these days. If they had a sign-off line, it would be more like "Give in, and pay up." That's just what Paramount did on July 2, Wednesday, agreeing to pay $16 million to settle a meritless lawsuit from President Donald Trump, who had first demanded $10 billion and then upped that to $20 billion while siccing federal regulators on CBS. Opinion: Trump and Musk renew their feud. Will Elon drop an Epstein 'bomb' again? Trump's CBS lawsuit was an affront to the First Amendment Trump's beef: CBS News twice aired an interview during the 2024 presidential campaign with Kamala Harris, then the vice president and Democratic nominee, that had been edited for two shows, "60 Minutes" and "Face the Nation." His real problem was the constant state of victimhood his seething narcissism forces him to seek. The lawsuit was derided as a blatant assault on the First Amendment protections for free speech in America. Don't take my word for it on that. Consider what CBS News reported Wednesday while announcing the settlement. "First Amendment scholars and constitutional experts largely view the lawsuit as a frivolous misapplication of the law," the network reported, while noting that Trump's lawyers had specifically filed the case in a federal court district in Texas with one judge, who was appointed by Trump in 2019. Trump would have lost this case, either at trial or on appeal. But Paramount has something to lose, too. The company is seeking the Federal Communications Commission's approval for an $8.4 billion merger with Skydance Media. Trump, who appointed Brendan Carr to head the FCC after winning a second term, has used social media posts to demand punishment for CBS News for the terrible crime of … journalism that didn't say exactly what he wanted to hear. So this settlement is not about the journalism or ethics at CBS News. It's a payoff from Paramount Chair Shari Redstone so she and a band of very wealthy executives at the top of their corporation can get even richer. Paramount made some feeble attempts, in announcing the settlement, to dodge the shame of that cash-driven capitulation, noting that Trump will not receive an apology and that the $16 million will go to his future presidential library, not to him directly. Pathetic stuff. And certainly not the end of this scandal for Paramount, for two reasons. Trump will always be a bully, but Congress could turn over First, Trump is now and always has been a bully willing to use bogus lawsuits to harass his perceived enemies. And second, control of Congress could well tip to the Democratic Party in the 2026 midterm elections, which means Paramount's merger could be the subject of well-deserved legislative oversight. Opinion: Trump's policies on immigration, economy and trade are unpopular with Americans On the bullying, Paramount was so driven by the merger that it missed the lesson from Trump's assault on the journalists at ABC News. That network's parent company, Walt Disney Co., tried to mollify Trump with a $15 million settlement in December for a tantrum-based lawsuit he filed in March 2024. Carr, over at the FCC, launched a federal investigation of Disney and ABC several months after the settlement to see if their efforts at employing a diverse workforce broke the law. Giving in to a bully guarantees more bullying in the future. Over in Congress, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, took to social media to accuse Paramount of bribing Trump, vowing to press for federal charges if his party takes control of his chamber after the 2026 elections. Wyden and two Senate colleagues, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, in May wrote to Redstone to announce their intentions to investigate "potentially illegal conduct" as talk of a settlement circulated. Redstone and anyone at Paramount who backed this settlement should be ashamed, though I expect they're more focused on profits from the merger than the lasting damage they did to their reputations and the legacy of a once-proud institution of journalism. They should pay for that cowardice. Trump, the voracious bully, will want more. Democrats, if they win back Congress, should use their powers of oversight to expose every angle of this embarrassing fiasco. Follow USA TODAY columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Translating Politics, here.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump tariffs live updates: Trump announces Vietnam deal as US-China trade tensions ease
The US has eased export restrictions on China for chip design software and ethane, a sign that trade tensions are calming between the two countries. Software firms like Synopsys (SNPS), Cadence (CDNS) and Siemans (SIEGY) said they will now sell their chip design tools to Chinese customers again. The US also removed limits on ethane exports to China that it had set just weeks ago. President Trump on Wednesday said he had reached a trade deal with Vietnam, one week ahead of a July 9 deadline for tariffs to snap back to higher levels for US partners. Trump said Vietnam's goods imported to the US would face a 20% tariff, lower than the 46% tariff he had levied as part of his "Liberation Day" plans but higher than the blanket 10% tariff currently in effect. He also said Vietnamese goods would face a higher 40% tariff "on any transshipping" — when goods shipped from Vietnam originate from another country, like China. Trump said that US goods exported to Vietnam would not face a tariff. "In other words, they will 'OPEN THEIR MARKET TO THE UNITED STATES,'" Trump wrote on Truth Social. The deal would be the second the US has struck with a trade partner since Trump paused those sky-high "Liberation Day" duties, in addition to a pact with the United Kingdom. The US has also agreed with China on a framework to move toward a larger trade deal. Trump's July 9 deadline has come back in focus in recent weeks as more countries struggle to get over the hump. Trump earlier this week said negotiations with Japan had soured, saying he would force Japan to accept higher tariffs of "30%, 35%, or whatever the number is that we determine." Notably, that proposal is higher than the 24% "Liberation Day" level. 'I'm not sure we're going to make a deal," Trump said. "I doubt it with Japan. They're very tough. You have to understand, they're very spoiled." With Japan as his jumping-off point, Trump renewed threats that he may stick to his self-imposed July 9 deadline for making trade deals and issue new tariff levels to trading partners, forgoing another pause to "Liberation Day" duties. "I'll be writing letters to a lot of countries," he said. Meanwhile, the European Union has signaled it was willing to accept a 10% universal tariff on many of its exports but is seeking exemptions for pharmaceuticals, alcohol, semiconductors, and commercial aircraft as part of a trade deal. On the North American front, Canada has scrapped its digital services tax that was set to affect large US technology companies. The White House said trade talks between the two countries had resumed after Trump threatened to cut off trade talks. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet Here are the latest updates as the policy reverberates around the world. President Trump followed up his previous announcement of a trade deal with Vietnam with some additional details on social media. "It is my Great Honor to announce that I have just made a Trade Deal with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam after speaking with To Lam, the Highly Respected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam," Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump wrote that the two sides agreed to a 20% tariff rate on all goods sent from Vietnam to the US and a 40% tariff rate on transshipment — essentially, when goods from China or other countries are routed through Vietnam. Tariffs on goods from the country were previously set to return to 46% on July 9. Vietnam also lowered tariffs on US goods to zero, Trump said, and is lowering trade barriers. The president suggested US automakers could introduce more SUVs to the Southeast Asian country. "In return, Vietnam will do something that they have never done before, give the United States of America TOTAL ACCESS to their Markets for Trade," Trump wrote. "In other words, they will 'OPEN THEIR MARKET TO THE UNITED STATES,' meaning that, we will be able to sell our product into Vietnam at ZERO Tariff." President Trump had targeted Vietnam with some of the highest tariffs of any country on his April "Liberation Day." That's at least partly because he and top advisers have made Vietnam an example of a country that is allegedly "ripping off" the US. Vietnam has become the US's 10th-largest trade partner, according to US Census data. And it is the seventh-largest source of imports, sending goods worth over $130 billion. It contains factories for some of the biggest US-based apparel makers, including Nike (NKE) and Lululemon (LULU). Vietnam became a destination for companies looking to diversify manufacturing as US-China tensions escalated over the past decade. Vietnam's trade surplus with the US ballooned to over $123 billion last year. This year's US trade deficit with Vietnam stood over $50 billion through just April as companies raced to move more operations out of China. The US and Vietnam are said to be very close to a establishing a trade framework that will see goods given a scaled range of tariffs depending on the percentage of foreign content, according to people familiar with the talks. Reuters reports: Read more here. Tariffs have hit electric vehicle maker, Rivian (RIVN) who reported a sharp fall in second-quarter deliveries on Wednesday as demand for its EVs took a hit from competition and tariff-driven economic uncertainty. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump said that his administration has struck a preliminary trade agreement with Vietnam a week before the self-imposed deadline of July 9. "I just made a Trade Deal with Vietnam. Details to follow!" Trump posted on Truth Social. While we don't yet know the details of the deal, Vietnam had been seeking to secure tariffs in the range of 20% to 25%, below Trump's "Liberation Day" rate of 46% for goods from the country, according to a Bloomberg report. The US had been looking to stop the flow of goods from China that had been rerouted through Vietnam to circumvent tariffs. Vietnam had offered to remove all tariffs on US goods and step up trade enforcement, according to people familiar with the talks. When President Trump imposed his 25% tariffs on imported Japanese cars, the expectation had been higher sticker prices for US consumers and a drop in sales. It was expected that the added costs to exporters would be passed on to the consumer. However, the policy has been in place for months and the outcomes has proven far less intense. Bloomberg News reports: Japanese automakers' US sales have shown surprising resilience. Toyota (TM), for example, hit a global sales record in May, with North America sales up more than a tenth. Part of that is thanks to their local US production. Read more here. A key group of US employers would face direct costs of $82.3 billion from President Donald Trump's current tariff plans. These costs could lead companies to hike prices, layoff staff, lead to hiring freezes and lower profit margins, according to analysis by the JP Morgan Institute. AP reports: Read more here. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has blasted American cars, saying they are a tough sell in Japan. Ishiba added that his government needs to discuss with the US how to boost car imports from America. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. As the US gets ready to celebrate its Independence Day on July 4, the day it was liberated and rebelled against British rule, there is still one area that it may still be dependent on and thats China. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. For many companies, the process from manufacture to sales has always started in China. When Plufl co-founders, Yuki Kinsohita and Noah Sliverman, began making dog beds for humans and pitched their prototype to Shark Tank in 2022, they envisioned making their plush, memory foam beds in China and selling them at retail in the US for $299. Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner both invested $200,000 for a 20% share in the business, which went on to make over $1 million in sales in 2023, via Amazon and on their company website. However, this dream changed overnight when President Trump slapped a 145% tariff on items imported from China in April. The business leaders sprang into action and started to look at retailers and whether they would be interested in selling a US-made version of the human dog beds. Reuters reports: Read more here. The risk that tariffs pose to the global economy have never been more real and now for Italy the macroeconomic pressures that President Trump's tariffs bring are very concerning, with the head of the main Italian lobby saying on Wednesday that Italy risks losing around $23.6 billion in exports and 118,000 jobs if the US imposes tariffs of 10%. Reuters reports: Read more here. If investors are expecting a seasonal lift for Asian equities this summer, they may have to think again. Tariff pressures and macroeconomic concerns have started to dampen sentiment. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. For several months, the back and forth between the US and Japan has been an ongoing concern as the two parties attempt to reach a trade deal and avoid skyrocketing tariffs. Now Trump has threatened Japan with tariffs of up to 35%. This is a worst-case scenario for Japan and has started to raise doubts over Tokyo's tactics in trade talks. "Japan should be forced to pay 30% or 35% or whatever number we determine, because we have a very big trade deficit with Japan," Trump said on Tuesday, calling the country "spoiled." Experts have warned about taking Trump's comments at face value and believe that a deal will get done. However, they have also said that now is perhaps the time for Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to take a less friendly stance when it comes to trade negotiations. 'There is some risk of a US tantrum that results in higher punitive actions by Washington this month,' said Kurt Tong, a former senior US diplomat in Asia who's now a managing partner at the Asia Group. 'If that happens, Japan may have no choice but to hit back with its own specific countermeasures.' Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. President Trump on Tuesday, amid days of renewed whiplash on the tariff front, suggested he wouldn't extend a July 9 deadline for higher tariffs to resume on trade partners. He also threatened a tariff level on goods from Japan that would be higher than those he levied on the country in April. From Bloomberg: Notably, that 30% or 35% would be a higher level than the 24% he had laid out as part of his "Liberation Day" duties. Bloomberg added that Trump "sounded more optimistic" about an agreement with India. Read more here. US manufacturing remained weak in June. New orders were low and input costs went up slightly. This shows Trump's tariffs on imports are still making it hard for businesses to plan. Reuters reports: Read more here. The European Union has hardened its stance in trade trade talks with US President Donald Trump and are insisting the US drops its tariffs on the EU immediately as part of any framework deal ahead of the July 9 deadline. Trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has been told he must take a tougher line on his trip to Washington this week as Brussels attempts to remove or at least cut Trump's levies in the long term. The FT reports: Read more here. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that tariffs are causing the central bank to take its time before cutting interest rates. Powell is speaking today about the Fed's policy stance at an ECB forum in Sintra, Portugal. When asked if the Fed would have cut interest rates by more by now if it weren't for higher tariffs, Powell stated, "I think that's right." "In effect, we went on hold when we saw the size of the tariffs," Powell continued. "Essentially, all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence of the tariffs." Powell noted that the US economy remains healthy overall but that he expects to see the effects of tariffs if they filter through the economic data in the coming months. In recent days, Powell has faced increased pressure from President Trump to lower interest rates, including in the form of handwritten notes. "Ignore the tariffs for a second," Powell said of the economy. "Inflation is behaving pretty much exactly as we have expected and hoped that it would. We haven't seen effects much yet from tariffs, and we didn't expect to by now." Watch Powell speak live below: Perhaps the moral of this story really is — as Amex likes to say — "Don't leave home without it." Nowhere was this more true than for CEO Robert Keeley, who when faced with an $11,000 tariff bill decided to cash in 1.83 million American Express reward points to pay it. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. From President Trump's tariffs to the Federal Reserve rate cut saga, the US stock market has just completed a roller-coaster first half of the year. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is up 5% year to date, rebounding from its April slump after Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs were announced. But what should investors watch for in the second half of 2025? Here's a look at six key questions facing US stock investors at the start of the second half. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump followed up his previous announcement of a trade deal with Vietnam with some additional details on social media. "It is my Great Honor to announce that I have just made a Trade Deal with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam after speaking with To Lam, the Highly Respected General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam," Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump wrote that the two sides agreed to a 20% tariff rate on all goods sent from Vietnam to the US and a 40% tariff rate on transshipment — essentially, when goods from China or other countries are routed through Vietnam. Tariffs on goods from the country were previously set to return to 46% on July 9. Vietnam also lowered tariffs on US goods to zero, Trump said, and is lowering trade barriers. The president suggested US automakers could introduce more SUVs to the Southeast Asian country. "In return, Vietnam will do something that they have never done before, give the United States of America TOTAL ACCESS to their Markets for Trade," Trump wrote. "In other words, they will 'OPEN THEIR MARKET TO THE UNITED STATES,' meaning that, we will be able to sell our product into Vietnam at ZERO Tariff." President Trump had targeted Vietnam with some of the highest tariffs of any country on his April "Liberation Day." That's at least partly because he and top advisers have made Vietnam an example of a country that is allegedly "ripping off" the US. Vietnam has become the US's 10th-largest trade partner, according to US Census data. And it is the seventh-largest source of imports, sending goods worth over $130 billion. It contains factories for some of the biggest US-based apparel makers, including Nike (NKE) and Lululemon (LULU). Vietnam became a destination for companies looking to diversify manufacturing as US-China tensions escalated over the past decade. Vietnam's trade surplus with the US ballooned to over $123 billion last year. This year's US trade deficit with Vietnam stood over $50 billion through just April as companies raced to move more operations out of China. The US and Vietnam are said to be very close to a establishing a trade framework that will see goods given a scaled range of tariffs depending on the percentage of foreign content, according to people familiar with the talks. Reuters reports: Read more here. Tariffs have hit electric vehicle maker, Rivian (RIVN) who reported a sharp fall in second-quarter deliveries on Wednesday as demand for its EVs took a hit from competition and tariff-driven economic uncertainty. Reuters reports: Read more here. President Trump said that his administration has struck a preliminary trade agreement with Vietnam a week before the self-imposed deadline of July 9. "I just made a Trade Deal with Vietnam. Details to follow!" Trump posted on Truth Social. While we don't yet know the details of the deal, Vietnam had been seeking to secure tariffs in the range of 20% to 25%, below Trump's "Liberation Day" rate of 46% for goods from the country, according to a Bloomberg report. The US had been looking to stop the flow of goods from China that had been rerouted through Vietnam to circumvent tariffs. Vietnam had offered to remove all tariffs on US goods and step up trade enforcement, according to people familiar with the talks. When President Trump imposed his 25% tariffs on imported Japanese cars, the expectation had been higher sticker prices for US consumers and a drop in sales. It was expected that the added costs to exporters would be passed on to the consumer. However, the policy has been in place for months and the outcomes has proven far less intense. Bloomberg News reports: Japanese automakers' US sales have shown surprising resilience. Toyota (TM), for example, hit a global sales record in May, with North America sales up more than a tenth. Part of that is thanks to their local US production. Read more here. A key group of US employers would face direct costs of $82.3 billion from President Donald Trump's current tariff plans. These costs could lead companies to hike prices, layoff staff, lead to hiring freezes and lower profit margins, according to analysis by the JP Morgan Institute. AP reports: Read more here. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has blasted American cars, saying they are a tough sell in Japan. Ishiba added that his government needs to discuss with the US how to boost car imports from America. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. As the US gets ready to celebrate its Independence Day on July 4, the day it was liberated and rebelled against British rule, there is still one area that it may still be dependent on and thats China. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. For many companies, the process from manufacture to sales has always started in China. When Plufl co-founders, Yuki Kinsohita and Noah Sliverman, began making dog beds for humans and pitched their prototype to Shark Tank in 2022, they envisioned making their plush, memory foam beds in China and selling them at retail in the US for $299. Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner both invested $200,000 for a 20% share in the business, which went on to make over $1 million in sales in 2023, via Amazon and on their company website. However, this dream changed overnight when President Trump slapped a 145% tariff on items imported from China in April. The business leaders sprang into action and started to look at retailers and whether they would be interested in selling a US-made version of the human dog beds. Reuters reports: Read more here. The risk that tariffs pose to the global economy have never been more real and now for Italy the macroeconomic pressures that President Trump's tariffs bring are very concerning, with the head of the main Italian lobby saying on Wednesday that Italy risks losing around $23.6 billion in exports and 118,000 jobs if the US imposes tariffs of 10%. Reuters reports: Read more here. If investors are expecting a seasonal lift for Asian equities this summer, they may have to think again. Tariff pressures and macroeconomic concerns have started to dampen sentiment. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. For several months, the back and forth between the US and Japan has been an ongoing concern as the two parties attempt to reach a trade deal and avoid skyrocketing tariffs. Now Trump has threatened Japan with tariffs of up to 35%. This is a worst-case scenario for Japan and has started to raise doubts over Tokyo's tactics in trade talks. "Japan should be forced to pay 30% or 35% or whatever number we determine, because we have a very big trade deficit with Japan," Trump said on Tuesday, calling the country "spoiled." Experts have warned about taking Trump's comments at face value and believe that a deal will get done. However, they have also said that now is perhaps the time for Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to take a less friendly stance when it comes to trade negotiations. 'There is some risk of a US tantrum that results in higher punitive actions by Washington this month,' said Kurt Tong, a former senior US diplomat in Asia who's now a managing partner at the Asia Group. 'If that happens, Japan may have no choice but to hit back with its own specific countermeasures.' Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. President Trump on Tuesday, amid days of renewed whiplash on the tariff front, suggested he wouldn't extend a July 9 deadline for higher tariffs to resume on trade partners. He also threatened a tariff level on goods from Japan that would be higher than those he levied on the country in April. From Bloomberg: Notably, that 30% or 35% would be a higher level than the 24% he had laid out as part of his "Liberation Day" duties. Bloomberg added that Trump "sounded more optimistic" about an agreement with India. Read more here. US manufacturing remained weak in June. New orders were low and input costs went up slightly. This shows Trump's tariffs on imports are still making it hard for businesses to plan. Reuters reports: Read more here. The European Union has hardened its stance in trade trade talks with US President Donald Trump and are insisting the US drops its tariffs on the EU immediately as part of any framework deal ahead of the July 9 deadline. Trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič has been told he must take a tougher line on his trip to Washington this week as Brussels attempts to remove or at least cut Trump's levies in the long term. The FT reports: Read more here. Bloomberg reports: Read more here. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that tariffs are causing the central bank to take its time before cutting interest rates. Powell is speaking today about the Fed's policy stance at an ECB forum in Sintra, Portugal. When asked if the Fed would have cut interest rates by more by now if it weren't for higher tariffs, Powell stated, "I think that's right." "In effect, we went on hold when we saw the size of the tariffs," Powell continued. "Essentially, all inflation forecasts for the United States went up materially as a consequence of the tariffs." Powell noted that the US economy remains healthy overall but that he expects to see the effects of tariffs if they filter through the economic data in the coming months. In recent days, Powell has faced increased pressure from President Trump to lower interest rates, including in the form of handwritten notes. "Ignore the tariffs for a second," Powell said of the economy. "Inflation is behaving pretty much exactly as we have expected and hoped that it would. We haven't seen effects much yet from tariffs, and we didn't expect to by now." Watch Powell speak live below: Perhaps the moral of this story really is — as Amex likes to say — "Don't leave home without it." Nowhere was this more true than for CEO Robert Keeley, who when faced with an $11,000 tariff bill decided to cash in 1.83 million American Express reward points to pay it. Bloomberg News reports: Read more here. From President Trump's tariffs to the Federal Reserve rate cut saga, the US stock market has just completed a roller-coaster first half of the year. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) is up 5% year to date, rebounding from its April slump after Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs were announced. But what should investors watch for in the second half of 2025? Here's a look at six key questions facing US stock investors at the start of the second half. Reuters reports: Read more here.
