Latest news with #HowardLutnick
Japan Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Japan says progress made in U.S. tariff talks
Japan's chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said progress was made toward reaching a deal during his fourth round of tariff talks with his American counterparts, but declined to provide specifics. He met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for over two hours Friday morning. It follows his U.S. trip last week , when Bessent was unable to attend. 'We confirmed that both sides have gained a solid understanding of each other's positions, and that discussions toward reaching an agreement are making progress,' Akazawa told reporters in Washington after Friday's meeting. He declined to comment in further detail. The two sides are eyeing the Group of Seven leaders' summit in June as a possible setting to announce a trade deal. Akazawa confirmed on Friday that there will be another round of talks before the summit. 'In preparation for a Japan-U.S. leaders' meeting during the June summit — we agreed to further accelerate coordination between our two countries and to hold another round of consultations before then,' he said. The pace of high-level exchanges between the two sides have increased since mid-May, with Akazawa traveling to Washington for two weeks in a row, and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump talking over the phone every time Akazawa is in the air. However, difficulties remain over reaching a deal as uncertainty looms . On Wednesday, the Court of International Trade in Manhattan ruled Trump's 'reciprocal' tariffs to be unlawful , arguing the president had exceeded his authority in invoking an emergency law to justify his tariff moves. However, a federal appellate court granted a temporary stay to the Trump administration on Thursday, allowing the tariffs to remain in place during the appeals process. Later on Friday, Trump announced during a visit to a United States Steel plant in Pittsburgh that he will raise tariffs on steel to 50% from the current 25% . Japan remains firm on its stance toward U.S. tariffs. Akazawa said Japan will continue to call on the U.S. to reverse the duties, including a 10% baseline tariff and 25% levies on autos, auto parts, steel and aluminum. It is not interested in partial concessions from the U.S. side at this time, he said. 'There are companies in Japan's auto industry that are losing ¥100 million per hour. Some are losing ¥1 billion per day, others as much as ¥2 billion per day. That is the situation the Japanese auto industry is facing,' Akazawa said. 'We do not, at this point of time, believe partial concessions are acceptable.'
Bloomberg
21 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump Says He'll Increase US Steel Import Tariffs to 50%
00:00 So soon after initially taking office, I imposed powerful 25% tariffs at all foreign steel and ended each and every one of the Biden exceptions and exclusions. And today I have a major announcement. And are you ready to hear this? This is on behalf of Scott. Secretary of Treasury Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, and all of the great geniuses and people we have working. And they are smart, but I don't think you'd be a good steelworker. Scott, I'm sorry. We're going to have to put a little more muscle to that guy. But he's great. He's great on what he does. We are going to be imposing a 25% increase. We're going to bring it from 25% to 50%. The tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will even further secure the steel industry in the United States. Nobody's going to get around that. So we're bringing it up from 25%. We're doubling it to 50%. And that's a loophole. And by the way, I have to tell you, I believe that this group of people that just made these investments right now are very happy because that means that nobody's going to be able to steal your industry. It's at 25%. They can sort of get over that fence at 50%. They can no longer get over the fence. So congratulations to everybody and to you for making a great deal. You just made a better deal, right?
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Japan says no easy concession on US tariffs, seeks another round in June
May 30 (Reuters) - Japan and the U.S. on Friday agreed to hold another round of trade talks ahead of the G7 summit next month, Japan's top tariff negotiator said, stressing that no deal would be without concessions on all Washington's tariffs, including on autos. Japan's Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington for 130 minutes in a fourth round of the trade negotiations. "We agreed to accelerate the talks and hold another round ahead of the G7 summit in June, where the leaders from Japan and the United States are set to meet," Akazawa told Japanese media gathered at the Japanese embassy in Washington. Japan faces a 24% tariff rate starting in July unless it can negotiate a deal with the U.S. It is also scrambling to find ways to get Washington to exempt its automakers from 25% tariffs on automobiles, Japan's biggest industry. Akazawa said Japan's position has not changed that the tariffs are not acceptable and he is "strongly urging" the U.S. to immediately reconsider and drop all the tariffs, including those levied on automobiles, auto parts, aluminum and steel. "If our requests to do that are met, we may be able to come to an agreement," Akazawa told Japanese media gathered at the Japanese embassy in Washington. "But if that is not possible, then it will be difficult for us to agree to a deal." Japanese government sources said before the latest meeting that an immediate deal was unlikely, as they would never hastily seal a deal that would not benefit Japan, particularly the automobile sector. Akazawa declined to give details of the latest discussions, but said trade expansion, non-tariff barriers and cooperation in economic security have been on the agenda at every meeting. Semiconductor supply chains and rare earths are among economic security topics, he added. He also said, while he was closely monitoring Nippon Steel's (5401.T), opens new tab possible deal for U.S. Steel (X.N), opens new tab, he could not yet comment on it due to a lack of any official announcement from the U.S. government.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
California Democrats call for reinstatement of National Weather Service staff
California House Democrats on Friday demanded that the National Weather Service restore some terminated workers and begin hiring new forecasters after it halted around-the-clock operations at its Sacramento and Hanford weather forecasting offices, among others. In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Laura Grimm, the acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 23 congressional Democrats decried recent cuts to the weather service, saying they represented the 'beginning of a public safety crisis with potentially catastrophic consequences.' The weather service is a division of NOAA, which is overseen by the Commerce Department. 'We demand that you immediately reinstate all terminated workers at these offices, lift the federal hiring freeze for NWS, and ensure that the Sacramento and Hanford weather forecast offices are adequately staffed to maintain 24/7 operations,' the congressional members wrote. More than 500 weather service staffers have left the agency since January, after the Trump administration fired probationary workers en masse and offered early retirements to an aging workforce of forecasters. The cuts left about 43% of the nation's 122 weather forecasting offices with staffing vacancies above 20%. Independent meteorologists have said cuts could lead to less effective forecasting and slower severe weather warnings. The public safety concerns have become a political pressure point for the administration. The California members of Congress wrote that the weather forecasting offices in Hanford and Sacramento were particularly hit hard, leaving them no longer able to provide 24/7 staffing. 'The Sacramento office currently has seven vacancies for meteorologists, out of 16 positions, while the Hanford office has eight vacancies out of 13 positions — leaving both offices operating at half strength as we approach the peak of wildfire season,' the letter says. 'If the NWS weather forecast offices in Sacramento and Hanford, together covering the entire Central Valley, cannot monitor overnight conditions, that puts our constituents in danger.' The weather service often supplies meteorologists to support fire crews during wildfire season, the letter notes. 'This is a reckless and unnecessary risk that offers no benefit to the American public,' the letter says. 'Slashing staffing in half at the offices responsible for predicting wildfires, atmospheric rivers, and natural disasters is unacceptable, puts thousands of lives at risk, and does nothing to increase government efficiency.' NOAA, the weather service and the Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The weather service's Hanford office is located in the San Joaquin Valley, and is not far from where the long-dormant Tulare Lake re-formed in 2023, after a historic series of atmospheric river storms flooded the southern portion of California's Central Valley. The Central Valley produces about 40% of the nation's fruits and nuts, according to the United States Geological Survey. Central Valley farmers rely on forecasts to make decisions about planting, irrigation and harvest. Meanwhile, forecasters in Sacramento are predicting triple-digit heat and elevated wildfire risk this weekend, as the region faces an early start to the wildfire season. Rep. Jim Costa, who represents part of the San Joaquin Valley that receives forecasting from the Hanford office, organized the letter to NOAA. Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Eric Swalwell and Zoe Lofgren are among 22 other signatories. Pressure has been intensifying on the administration over cuts to the weather service for several months. Outside meteorologists decried cuts to weather balloon releases at about a dozen short-staffed offices and, in one instance, said a missed balloon launch could have helped forecasters better understand the risk of tornadoes in a thunderstorm event near Omaha, Nebraska. After the incident, Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., took steps to intervene with the administration and got additional forecasters temporarily assigned to the office near Omaha. Earlier this month, five former directors of the weather service warned that additional cuts to the agency's staffing could lead to unnecessary deaths. 'Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life,' wrote the former directors, who served between 1988 and 2022. NOAA has temporarily reassigned some staffers to plug holes in its workforce and also attempted to ease shortages by advertising permanent reassignments within the agency. About two weeks ago, NOAA asked for 76 meteorologists and a total of 155 staffers to consider transferring to fill critical roles. This article was originally published on
NBC News
a day ago
- Business
- NBC News
California Democrats call for reinstatement of National Weather Service staff
California House Democrats on Friday demanded that the National Weather Service restore some terminated workers and begin hiring new forecasters after it halted around-the-clock operations at its Sacramento and Hanford weather forecasting offices, among others. In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Laura Grimm, the acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 23 congressional Democrats decried recent cuts to the weather service, saying they represented the 'beginning of a public safety crisis with potentially catastrophic consequences.' The weather service is a division of NOAA, which is overseen by the Commerce Department. 'We demand that you immediately reinstate all terminated workers at these offices, lift the federal hiring freeze for NWS, and ensure that the Sacramento and Hanford weather forecast offices are adequately staffed to maintain 24/7 operations,' the congressional members wrote. More than 500 weather service staffers have left the agency since January, after the Trump administration fired probationary workers en masse and offered early retirements to an aging workforce of forecasters. The cuts left about 43% of the nation's 122 weather forecasting offices with staffing vacancies above 20%. Independent meteorologists have said cuts could lead to less effective forecasting and slower severe weather warnings. The public safety concerns have become a political pressure point for the administration. The California members of Congress wrote that the weather forecasting offices in Hanford and Sacramento were particularly hit hard, leaving them no longer able to provide 24/7 staffing. 'The Sacramento office currently has seven vacancies for meteorologists, out of 16 positions, while the Hanford office has eight vacancies out of 13 positions — leaving both offices operating at half strength as we approach the peak of wildfire season,' the letter says. 'If the NWS weather forecast offices in Sacramento and Hanford, together covering the entire Central Valley, cannot monitor overnight conditions, that puts our constituents in danger.' The weather service often supplies meteorologists to support fire crews during wildfire season, the letter notes. 'This is a reckless and unnecessary risk that offers no benefit to the American public,' the letter says. 'Slashing staffing in half at the offices responsible for predicting wildfires, atmospheric rivers, and natural disasters is unacceptable, puts thousands of lives at risk, and does nothing to increase government efficiency.' NOAA, the weather service and the Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The weather service's Hanford office is located in the San Joaquin Valley, and is not far from where the long-dormant Tulare Lake re-formed in 2023, after a historic series of atmospheric river storms flooded the southern portion of California's Central Valley. The Central Valley produces about 40% of the nation's fruits and nuts, according to the United States Geological Survey. Central Valley farmers rely on forecasts to make decisions about planting, irrigation and harvest. Meanwhile, forecasters in Sacramento are predicting triple-digit heat and elevated wildfire risk this weekend, as the region faces an early start to the wildfire season. Rep. Jim Costa, who represents part of the San Joaquin Valley that receives forecasting from the Hanford office, organized the letter to NOAA. Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Eric Swalwell and Zoe Lofgren are among 22 other signatories. Pressure has been intensifying on the administration over cuts to the weather service for several months. Outside meteorologists decried cuts to weather balloon releases at about a dozen short-staffed offices and, in one instance, said a missed balloon launch could have helped forecasters better understand the risk of tornadoes in a thunderstorm event near Omaha, Nebraska. After the incident, Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., took steps to intervene with the administration and got additional forecasters temporarily assigned to the office near Omaha. Earlier this month, five former directors of the weather service warned that additional cuts to the agency's staffing could lead to unnecessary deaths. 'Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life,' wrote the former directors, who served between 1988 and 2022. NOAA has temporarily reassigned some staffers to plug holes in its workforce and also attempted to ease shortages by advertising permanent reassignments within the agency.
