Trump administration slashed federal funding for gun violence prevention
Of the 145 community violence intervention (CVI) grants totaling more than $300 million awarded through the U.S. Department of Justice, 69 grants were abruptly terminated in April, according to government data.
The elimination of CVI programs is part of a broader rollback at the department's grant-issuing Office of Justice Programs, which terminated 365 grants valued at $811 million in April, impacting a range of public safety and victim services programs.
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The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
It's Trump's economy now. The latest financial numbers offer some warning signs
WASHINGTON (AP) -- For all of President Donald Trump's promises of an economic "golden age," a spate of weak indicators this week told a potentially worrisome story as the impacts of his policies are coming into focus. Job gains are dwindling. Inflation is ticking upward. Growth has slowed compared with last year. More than six months into his term, Trump's blitz of tariff hikes and his new tax and spending bill have remodeled America's trading, manufacturing, energy and tax systems to his own liking. He's eager to take credit for any wins that might occur and is hunting for someone else to blame if the financial situation starts to totter. But as of now, this is not the boom the Republican president promised, and his ability to blame his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for any economic challenges has faded as the world economy hangs on his every word and social media post. When Friday's jobs report turned out to be decidedly bleak, Trump ignored the warnings in the data and fired the head of the agency that produces the monthly jobs figures. "Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes," Trump said on Truth Social, without offering evidence for his claim. "The Economy is BOOMING." It's possible that the disappointing numbers are growing pains from the rapid transformation caused by Trump and that stronger growth will return -- or they may be a preview of even more disruption to come. Trump's economic plans are a political gamble Trump's aggressive use of tariffs, executive actions, spending cuts and tax code changes carries significant political risk if he is unable to deliver middle-class prosperity. The effects of his new tariffs are still several months away from rippling through the economy, right as many Trump allies in Congress will be campaigning in the midterm elections. "Considering how early we are in his term, Trump's had an unusually big impact on the economy already," said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist at Firehouse Strategies. "The full inflationary impact of the tariffs won't be felt until 2026. Unfortunately for Republicans, that's also an election year." The White House portrayed the blitz of trade frameworks leading up to Thursday's tariff announcement as proof of his negotiating prowess. The European Union, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and other nations that the White House declined to name agreed that the U.S. could increase its tariffs on their goods without doing the same to American products. Trump simply set rates on other countries that lacked settlements. The costs of those tariffs -- taxes paid on imports to the U.S. -- will be most felt by many Americans in the form of higher prices, but to what extent remains uncertain. "For the White House and their allies, a key part of managing the expectations and politics of the Trump economy is maintaining vigilance when it comes to public perceptions," said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist. Just 38% of adults approve of Trump's handling of the economy, according to a July poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs. That's down from the end of Trump's first term when half of adults approved of his economic leadership. The White House paints a rosier image, seeing the economy emerging from a period of uncertainty after Trump's restructuring and repeating the economic gains seen in his first term before the pandemic struck. "President Trump is implementing the very same policy mix of deregulation, fairer trade, and pro-growth tax cuts at an even bigger scale -- as these policies take effect, the best is yet to come," White House spokesman Kush Desai said. Recent economic reports suggest trouble ahead The economic numbers over the past week show the difficulties that Trump might face if the numbers continue on their current path: -- Friday's jobs report showed that U.S. employers have shed 37,000 manufacturing jobs since Trump's tariff launch in April, undermining prior White House claims of a factory revival. -- Net hiring has plummeted over the past three months with job gains of just 73,000 in July, 14,000 in June and 19,000 in May -- a combined 258,000 jobs lower than previously indicated. On average last year, the economy added 168,000 jobs a month. -- A Thursday inflation report showed that prices have risen 2.6% over the year that ended in June, an increase in the personal consumption expenditures price index from 2.2% in April. Prices of heavily imported items, such as appliances, furniture, and toys and games, jumped from May to June. -- On Wednesday, a report on gross domestic product -- the broadest measure of the U.S. economy -- showed that it grew at an annual rate of less than 1.3% during the first half of the year, down sharply from 2.8% growth last year. "The economy's just kind of slogging forward," said Guy Berger, senior fellow at the Burning Glass Institute, which studies employment trends. "Yes, the unemployment rate's not going up, but we're adding very few jobs. The economy's been growing very slowly. It just looks like a 'meh' economy is continuing." Trump's Fed attacks could unleash more inflation Trump has sought to pin the blame for any economic troubles on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, saying the Fed should cut its benchmark interest rates even though doing so could generate more inflation. Trump has publicly backed two Fed governors, Christoper Waller and Michelle Bowman, for voting for rate cuts at Wednesday's meeting. But their logic is not what the president wants to hear: They were worried, in part, about a slowing job market. But this is a major economic gamble being undertaken by Trump and those pushing for lower rates under the belief that mortgages will also become more affordable as a result and boost homebuying activity. His tariff policy has changed repeatedly over the last six months, with the latest import tax numbers serving as a substitute for what the president announced in April, which provoked a stock market sell-off. It might not be a simple one-time adjustment as some Fed board members and Trump administration officials argue. Trump didn't listen to the warnings on 'universal' tariffs Of course, Trump can't say no one warned him about the possible consequences of his economic policies. Biden, then the outgoing president, did just that in a speech last December at the Brookings Institution, saying the cost of the tariffs would eventually hit American workers and businesses. "He seems determined to impose steep, universal tariffs on all imported goods brought into this country on the mistaken belief that foreign countries will bear the cost of those tariffs rather than the American consumer," Biden said. "I believe this approach is a major mistake."
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan to Start Producing Gallium in Australia, Looking to Ensure Stable Supply
The government, in cooperation with Japanese and U.S. companies, will set up a facility in Australia for producing gallium, as it looks to reduce dependence on China and establish its own system for producing the rare metal. Gallium is an important mineral essential for making semiconductors. It is used in a wide range of products, including power semiconductors for electric vehicles, LEDs and radar systems. However, China controls 96% of the metal's global production, excluding recycling, and it has tightened its export controls, making it difficult for Japan to ensure a stable supply. The government hopes its plan will strengthen Japan's economic security. The plan could be officially announced as soon as Aug. 4. The Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC), which is under the jurisdiction of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry, will establish a joint venture in Australia with major trading company Sojitz Corp. and U.S. aluminum giant Alcoa Corp., with production set to begin in 2026. Alcoa already owns an aluminum smelter in Australia. Gallium can be extracted during the aluminum smelting process. Once the joint venture establishes a production facility, it will seek to turn out more than 55 tons of the metal in 2028, equal to the amount Japan imports from China. In 2021, Japan used 167 tons of gallium, of which 97 tons were imported. The country has been working to diversify its procurement sources, but 55 tons, or about 60% of imports, still come from China. Since China tightened its export controls on gallium in August 2023, exports to Japan have fallen by 80% to 90%, to around 10 tons. Parts manufacturers that use gallium are managing to keep production going by recycling the metal and using inventory. China has explained that its export controls are not targeted at specific countries or regions, but they are viewed as retaliation against Japan, the United States and Europe, which have restricted exports to China in the advanced semiconductor sector. Uncertainty about the future is also growing due to U.S.-China trade friction. In April, China took measures to restrict exports of rare earths as part of its response to reciprocal tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. The governments of the United States and China agreed at a ministerial-level meeting in late July to seek an extension of their pause in tariffs and related measures, but the dispute seems liable to escalate at any time. China controls a large part of the market for important minerals, as well as the smelting and refining processes, posing economic security risks for Japan. Given the circumstances, the government plans to hasten the building of a procurement network that is not reliant on certain countries and to support related industries.
Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
New Reciprocal Tariffs Set: United States' Inward-Looking Stance Causes Concern
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has decided on new tariff rates for its 'reciprocal tariffs.' How should Tokyo deal with Washington's increasingly inward-looking stance? Japan must strengthen its cooperation with other countries and regions. Trump signed an executive order setting new reciprocal tariff rates last Thursday. The order imposes tariffs ranging from 10% to 41% on about 70 countries and regions with whom the United States has trade deficits, which it views as problematic. Japan and the European Union will be subject to a 15% tariff, while Syria will face the highest rate of 41%. Other countries not included in the executive order will be subject to a 10% tariff. The tariffs will take effect on Thursday. After World War II, the global economy developed with the United States playing a leading role to promote a free trade system. The United States had one of the most open markets in the world before the second Trump administration began, with an average tariff rate of just over 3%. The world's largest economy has now unilaterally built high tariff barriers. Although the tariff rates have been reduced from the levels initially announced in April, the measures are certain to have a negative impact on the global economy, and this is a cause for serious concern. In negotiations between the United States and other countries and regions aiming at reducing tariff rates, the United States has been conspicuously overbearing. While imposing high tariffs of 20% on Vietnam and 19% on Indonesia, despite their relatively small economic sizes, the United States has insisted on the principle of eliminating tariffs on its own exports. It must be said that trust in the United States, which openly embraces an 'America First' policy, has been severely damaged. The Trump administration's agenda has not progressed entirely as planned. Negotiations with China, the largest source of the U.S. trade deficit, have been rough going. This may indicate the limitations of the high tariff policy. If the costs of high tariffs are passed on to consumers and prices rise again in the United States, public dissatisfaction in the country will inevitably grow. With China in mind, Japan plans to establish manufacturing bases of important products for its economic security in the Unites States in order to build a mutually beneficial relationship. It is necessary to repeatedly explain to the United States that promoting such cooperation between Japan and the United States is the path the two countries should pursue. The new tariff measures will take effect on Thursday, but concern remains that Trump will continue to brandish high tariffs in the future. It is important for Japan and other countries to work together to prevent the collapse of the free trade system. Reducing dependence on the United States while mutually expanding markets could be an effective countermeasure. Automobile tariffs, which are Japan's top matter of interest, are not included in the executive order. The lack of a timeline for reducing them to 15% is a cause for concern. The Japanese government should repeatedly urge the early implementation of the reduction. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 3, 2025)
