Business Daily Trump's tariffs: The price of spice
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For thousands of years people have traded spices across continents, sharing recipes and wealth.
But what could happen to the modern spice industry if costly barriers to free trade are imposed?
As US President Donald Trump reaches 100 days in office, it is arguably his 'reciprocal tariffs' that have caused the most upheaval in the US and global economies.
We speak to three people working in the North American spice import and processing sector to see how it's impacting them.
Presenter: Ed Butler
Producer: Hannah Bewley
(Image: Imported spices and seasoning at Phuoc Loc Tho Super Oriental Market in Florida. Credit: Getty Images)
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Trump-Musk feud live updates: Elon deletes tweet claiming the president is in the Epstein files amid public break-up
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Mass deportations from Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill could cost U.S. over $1.4 trillion White House has been fending off attacks from Elon Musk that bill adds too much to deficit Graig Graziosi7 June 2025 14:30 Trump says he's still considering cutting Musk's government subsidies, but "only if its fair" Reporters asked President Donald Trump if he was still considering cutting Elon Musk's government contracts and subsidies after he threatened to do so on Thursday. Trump said that Musk 'gets a lot of subsidy,' and that he was going to 'look at' what he's getting and consider cutting them, but 'only if it's fair for him and for the country.' On Thursday, Trump and Musk were embroiled in a public spat that saw the Tesla CEO agree with a call for the president's impeachment and insinuate that he was on notorious rapist and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein's client list. 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That changed as Musk posted criticism of the bill online and culminating with the meltdown on social media between the two. Read more here about their history together: A timeline of Donald Trump and Elon Musk's tumultuous relationship Though the tech billionaire quickly rose to the (self-titled) position of 'first buddy,' it ended in a flash, writes Mike Bedigan and Isabel Keane Rebecca Whittaker7 June 2025 13:40 Trumps Tesla spotted parked outside the WhiteHouse President Donald Trump is thinking of getting rid of the red Tesla that he bought from Elon Musk earlier this year. He is considering either selling theModel S electric vehicle, priced at around $80,000, or giving it away, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a senior White House official. The car was pictured Friday parked outside the West Wing between the White House and the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. 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Wales Online
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Musk was Trump's tweeter-in-chief. Now he's using X against him
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The first 50 days of the Trump administration arguably marked Musk's most fervent display of support for the president, both in terms of tweet content and frequency. On February 7, he mused that, 'I love @realDonaldTrump as much as a straight man can love another man.' Take President's Day, February 17, his most prolific 24-hour posting spell to date. Musk posted 262 times, according to The Independent 's analysis, with messages ranging from single emojis to lengthy missives attacking Democrats. All told, the posting spree equated to one message every five-and-a-half minutes, with no breaks. Musk had a busy Q1 — between January 20 and March 10, he posted 6,778 times – averaging more than 135 X posts per day. And he stayed on message, tweeting about his government-slashing force DOGE more than any other topic in that period, quickly followed by 'Trump' and 'president.' Social media analytics firms like Social Blade were forced to stop tracking tweets after X said these businesses had to pay for an Enterprise subscription, at $42,000 to $210,000 a month. The resulting gap has made transparency on X murkier than ever; and is also why The Independent could only analyze Musk's posts until mid-March. In early spring, Musk's public pledges of MAGA allegiance and trollish squibs began to slow down, and the subjects of his posts moved from Trump administration duties to his own commercial interests. Buyers of his electric vehicles protested against his shift to right-wing politics and efforts to dismantle federal departments, with Tesla's stock price plummeting, and a Rome dealership set ablaze. In April, Musk announced plans to significantly reduce his involvement with DOGE, opting to work remotely and allocate more time to Tesla. A month later, Musk's X daily posts at points reached single figures. In hindsight, it might be considered the calm before the storm. By the end of May, Musk came off the platform to deliver a gut punch to the Trump administration. He told NBC News that Trump's showpiece tax bill 'undermines' the work done by DOGE, without directly mentioning the president. Musk landed a heavy blow on Tuesday, blasting the president's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' as an 'outrageous, pork-filled, disgusting abomination.' But it was after a press conference with the German Chancellor where Trump said he was 'disappointed' with Musk's comments, that Musk went on his most destructive X rampage yet — calling Trump ungrateful, calling for his impeachment and saying he's linked to Jeffrey Epstein. And these claims get read and spread by a wide audience: his Thursday post declaring 'Trump would have lost the election' if it weren't for his support garnered nearly 15 million views in a single day. This is more than just a playground spat between the two rich powerful men, because Musk's ownership of X allows him to reach a vast audience, some of whom are skeptical of mainstream media, and control a narrative — and his posts have been known to set off market reactions, media cycles, and political waves. Those who have stuck with X, whether they are one of Musk's 220 million followers or not, have been inundated with his musings and attacks morning, noon, and night. Musk is believed to selectively issue suspensions and use algorithms to throttle foes that are critical of both him and his ventures. According to the tech news site Platformer, the self-styled 'free speech absolutist' directed a team of 80 engineers to amplify his own tweets over others, ensuring they reach vast audiences (he allegedly did the same for Trump in November). Musk has subsequently blurred the line between platform owner, political provocateur and propagandist. How will he next use X to punish the social media-reliant, legacy media-averse president?
