Trump Threatens Higher Tariffs on Japan, South Korea
Trump also announced 25% rates on Malaysia and Kazakhstan, while South Africa would see a 30% tariff and Laos and Myanmar would face a 40% levy. The nations were the first in what the president promised would be a flurry of unilateral warnings and trade deals announced Monday, two days before agreements are due from trading partners facing his April 2 so-called reciprocal levies. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said around a dozen countries would receive notifications on Monday, and that additional letters will come shortly.
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Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump defends Bondi amid backlash over Epstein files
(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump defended Attorney General Pam Bondi on Saturday amid backlash against her from some of Trump's supporters over how the Justice Department handled the investigation into the death of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged clientele. Trump said "nobody cares about" Epstein, and that more time or energy must not be wasted on his case, as he tried to unite his base of supporters in a nearly 400-word post on Truth Social. "What's going on with my "boys" and, in some cases, "gals?" They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening," Trump said. In a joint memo released on Monday, the FBI and Justice Department said there was no evidence to support a number of long-held conspiracy theories about Epstein's death in federal custody in 2019 and his alleged clientele. Conservative influencers from Laura Loomer to Elon Musk have criticized Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel for their findings, which came months after Bondi pledged to reveal major revelations about Epstein, including "a lot of names" and "a lot of flight logs." U.S. media, including Fox News and NBC News, have reported that FBI deputy director Dan Bongino has clashed with Bondi over the issue and is considering stepping down. Patel and Bongino, a former conservative podcaster, both previously made statements before working at the FBI about a so-called client list and often suggested that the government was hiding information about Epstein from the American public. Monday's memo on Epstein concluded that after reviewing more than 300 gigabytes of data, there was "no incriminating client list" nor was there any evidence that Epstein may have blackmailed prominent people. The memo also confirmed prior findings by the FBI which concluded that Epstein died by suicide in his jail cell while awaiting trial, and not as a result of a criminal act such as murder. Epstein's death while imprisoned in New York's Metropolitan Correctional Center has ignited controversy for years. Expectations for key revelations in his case grew when, in February, Fox News asked Bondi whether the Justice Department would be releasing Epstein's client list, and she said, "It's sitting on my desk right now to review." On Tuesday at the White House, Bondi walked that comment back, telling reporters that she was referring to the entire Epstein "file" along with other files pertaining to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. "That's what I meant by that," she said.
New York Times
9 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Pleads With Followers to Back Bondi in Dispute Over Epstein Inquiry
President Trump on Saturday threw a political lifeline to Pam Bondi, his embattled attorney general, appearing to side with her over Dan Bongino, the F.B.I.'s deputy director, who has threatened to quit over Ms. Bondi's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. 'They're all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!' Mr. Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social, his social media site. 'We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening.' He went on to plead with his followers to 'not waste Time and Energy' on Mr. Epstein, the disgraced financier and registered sex offender he once socialized with and described in the post as 'a guy who never dies.' The post — which Ms. Bondi welcomed, according to officials — came a day after a bruising battle between her and Mr. Bongino burst into public view. Mr. Bongino has not shown up for work since Ms. Bondi accused him of planting negative news stories about her during a testy face-to-face encounter in the West Wing office of Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff and an ally of Ms. Bondi's. Mr. Bongino, who has groused about his workload and spoken wistfully of his lucrative old gig as a podcaster, where he promoted conspiracy theories, has told friends he might ditch his job. Even with the president's support, Ms. Bondi remains the target of withering criticism from the hard-right wing of Mr. Trump's coalition, which blames her for overhyping a modest tranche of new Epstein files as a bombshell revelation soon after she took office in February. Laura Loomer, the flame-throwing activist who wields significant influence with the president, has joined a growing chorus calling for Ms. Bondi's resignation. Mr. Bongino's boosters had hoped that Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, who has privately criticized Ms. Bondi's Epstein stunt, would also consider quitting in protest. It has not happened. A few hours before Mr. Trump posted his support for Ms. Bondi, Mr. Patel offered up his own statement on social media, calling it 'an honor to serve the President of the United States.' 'I'll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me,' Mr. Patel wrote. That would appear to leave Mr. Bongino in the lurch. Ms. Bondi's allies in the administration believe he has burned his bridges and needs to leave, according to two people familiar with her thinking. Justice Department and F.B.I. spokesmen declined to comment.
Bloomberg
12 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Mexico Sure It Will Strike Deal With US to Skirt Tariffs
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