AP PHOTOS: South Koreans brace for a pivotal snap presidential election
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
9 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
US and Europe trade negotiators discuss tariffs in Paris
The European Union's top trade negotiator, Maros Sefcovic, met on Wednesday with his American counterpart, US trade representative Jamieson Greer, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. 'We're advancing in the right direction at pace,' Mr Sefcovic said at a news conference. He said ongoing technical meetings between EU and US negotiators in Washington would be soon followed by a video conference between himself and Mr Greer to then 'assess the progress and charter the way forward'. Brussels and Washington are unlikely to reach a substantive trade agreement in Paris. The issues dividing them are too difficult to resolve quickly. US President Donald Trump regularly criticises America's persistent trade deficit with the European Union, which was a record 161 billion dollars (£119 billion)last year, according to the US Commerce Department. Mr Trump blames the gap between what the US sells and what it buys from Europe on unfair trade practices and often singles out for criticism the EU's 10% tax on imported cars. America's was 2.5% until Mr Trump raised it to 25% in April. The EU has argued its purchases of US services, especially in the technology sector, all but overcome the deficit. After the Trump administration's surprise tariffs last week on steel rattled global markets and complicated the ongoing, wider tariff negotiations between Brussels and Washington, the EU on Monday said it is preparing 'countermeasures' against the US. The EU has offered the US a 'zero for zero' deal in which both sides end tariffs on industrial goods, including cars. Mr Trump has rejected that idea, but EU officials say it is still on the table. US trade representative Jamieson Greer (Mark Schiefelbein/AP) The EU could buy more liquefied natural gas and defence items from the US, and lower duties on cars, but it is not likely to budge on calls to scrap the value added tax, which is akin to a sales tax, or open up the EU to American beef. 'We still have a few weeks to have this discussion and negotiation,' French trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said in Paris on Wednesday ahead of the OECD meeting. 'If the discussion and negotiation do not succeed, Europe is capable of having countermeasures on American products and services as well.' Greta Peisch, who was general counsel for the US trade representative in the Biden administration, said the zero-for-zero proposal could provide a way to make progress if the Trump administration 'is looking for a reason not to impose tariffs on the EU'. But Ms Peisch, now a partner at the Wiley Rein law firm, added: 'How motivated is the US to come to a deal with the EU?' Mr Trump, after all, has longstanding grievances and complaints about EU trade practices. One target of his ire is the value-added tax. Mr Trump and his advisers consider VATs unfair protectionism because they are levied on US products. But VATs are set at a national level, not by the EU, and apply to domestic and imported products alike, so they have not traditionally been considered a trade barrier. There is little chance governments will overhaul their tax systems to appease Mr Trump. Likewise, the Europeans are likely to balk at US demands to scrap food and safety regulations that Washington views as trade barriers. These include bans on hormone-raised beef, chlorinated chicken and genetically modified foods. 'When you start talking about chickens or GMOs or automobile safety standards, you're talking about the ways countries choose to regulate their economies,' Ms Peisch said. 'We think that's protectionist. They think it's keeping their citizens healthy … It's been a sore point for 60 years.'
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Family of teen arrested on his way to volleyball practice asks immigration officials to release him
The family of an 18-year-old Massachusetts high school student arrested on his way to volleyball practice pleaded with immigration officials to release him Wednesday. 'I love my son. We need Marcelo back home. It's no family without him,' João Paulo Gomes Pereira said in a video released by his son's attorney. 'We love America. Please, bring my son back.' Marcelo Gomes da Silva, who came to the U.S. from Brazil at age 7, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday. Authorities have said the agents were looking for the teenager's father, who owns the car Gomes da Silva was driving at the time. 'Like any local law enforcement officer, if you encounter someone that has a warrant or … he's here illegally, we will take action on it,' Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told reporters Monday. Gomes da Silva initially entered the country on a visitor visa and was later issued a student visa that has since lapsed, said his attorney, Robin Nice. She described him as deeply rooted in his community and a dedicated member of both the Milford High School marching band and a band at his church. 'The actions by ICE do not make the community safer,' she said in a statement. 'They just sow fear through the immigrant community.' A federal judge considering Gomes da Silva's request to be released while the immigration case proceeds has given the government until June 16 to respond and has ordered that Gomes da Silva not be moved out of Massachusetts without 48 hours' notice given to the court. A hearing in immigration court is scheduled for Thursday. U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said ICE officers were targeting a 'known public safety threat' and that Gomes da Silva's father 'has a habit of reckless driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour through residential areas.' 'While ICE officers never intended to apprehend Gomes da Silva, he was found to be in the United States illegally and subject to removal proceedings, so officers made the arrest,' she said in a statement. The video released Wednesday shows Gomes da Silva's parents and younger siblings in the teen's bedroom. His sister describes watching movies with her brother and enjoying food he cooks for her, including 'chicken nuggets in the air fryer.' 'I miss everything about him,' she said. 'When he gets back, I will give him a really big hug,' Gomes da Silva's younger brother says. 'But ICE, please get him out. Please.' The arrest has sparked outrage among Democratic officials, including Gov. Maura Healey, who demanded information about his location and whether he is being afforded due process. 'They need to let him go,' Healey said in a video posted Tuesday on the social platform X. 'Marcelo belongs in school, not in a detention center.' Other supporters wore white and packed the stands of the high school gymnasium Tuesday night, when the volleyball team dedicated a match to their missing teammate. "We will continue to pray and fight for our brother,' the team said in an Instagram post ahead of the match.
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
ICE operation calls for 5,000 federal agents and 21,000 National Guard troops to make deportation arrests
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has launched the Trump administration's largest deportation crackdown yet, calling for more than 5,000 federal agents and 21,000 National Guard troops to join the arrest effort, according to a report. 'Operation at Large' calls for 3,000 ICE agents, 2,000 Justice Department employees, including from the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency, 500 Customs and Border Protection staff, and 250 from the IRS, NBC News reports. It follows a 'tense' meeting with White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller last month, where he reportedly 'berated' staff and threatened to fire ICE field office leaders who are in the lowest 10 percent of monthly arrest numbers, according to the outlet. The 21,000 National Guard members the administration wants to support ICE have not yet been approved by the Defense Department, NBC reports. Deploying those officials has been 'a source of tension' among some, according to the outlet, who 'feel they have been taken off other core national security missions.' At a meeting in mid-May, Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded immigration agents significantly increase daily arrests to 3,000. Miller, President Donald Trump 's top adviser and architect of the administration's aggressive immigration policies, and Noem told agents they needed to up daily arrests and deportations during the meeting at ICE's headquarters in Washington, D.C. on May 21, according to Axios. The figure is approximately triple the number of daily arrests that ICE agents were making at the beginning of the Trump administration, the outlet noted. While Noem took a 'milder approach' during the meeting, Miller adopted a 'harsh' tone with agents and 'had people leaving the meeting feeling their jobs could be in jeopardy if the new targets aren't reached,' Axios previously reported. Responding to the latest claims about Miller's threats, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told The Independen t: 'Keeping President Trump's promise to deport illegal aliens is something the Administration takes seriously.' 'We are committed to aggressively and efficiently removing illegal aliens from the United States, and ensuring our law enforcement officers have the resources necessary to do so,' she added.
