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Toronto Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Sun
U.S. trade advisor says Trump tariff rates unlikely to change
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said tariff rates are 'pretty much set' Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP Washington (AFP) — New US tariff rates are 'pretty much set' with little immediate room for negotiation, Donald Trump's trade advisor said in remarks aired Sunday, also defending the president's politically driven levies against Brazil. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Trump, who has wielded tariffs as a tool of American economic might, has set tariff rates for dozens of economies including the European Union at between 10 and 41 percent come August 7, his new hard deadline for the duties. In a pre-taped interview broadcast Sunday on CBS's 'Face the Nation,' US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said 'the coming days' are not likely to see changes in the tariff rates. 'A lot of these are set rates pursuant to deals. Some of these deals are announced, some are not, others depend on the level of the trade deficit or surplus we may have with the country,' Greer said. 'These tariff rates are pretty much set.' Undoubtedly some trade ministers 'want to talk more and see how they can work in a different way with the United States,' he added. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. But 'we're seeing truly the contours of the president's tariff plan right now with these rates.' Last Thursday, the former real estate developer announced hiked tariff rates on dozens of US trade partners. They will kick in on August 7 instead of August 1, which had previously been touted as a hard deadline. Among the countries facing steep new levies is Brazil. South America's largest economy is being hit with 50 percent tariffs on exports to the United States — albeit with significant exemptions for key products such as aircraft and orange juice. Trump has openly admitted he is punishing Brazil for prosecuting his political ally Jair Bolsonaro, the ex-president accused of plotting a coup in a bid to cling to power. The US president has described the case as a 'witch hunt.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Greer said it was not unusual for Trump to use tariff tools for geopolitical purposes. 'The president has seen in Brazil, like he's seen in other countries, a misuse of law, a misuse of democracy,' Greer told CBS. 'It is normal to use these tools for geopolitical issues.' Trump was 'elected to assess the foreign affairs situation… and take appropriate action,' he added. Meanwhile White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett said that while talks are expected to continue over the next week with some US trade partners, he concurred with Greer's tariffs assessment in that the bulk of the rates 'are more or less locked in.' Asked by the host of NBC's Sunday talk show 'Meet the Press with Kristen Welker' if Trump could change tariff rates should financial markets react negatively, Hassett said: 'I would rule it out, because these are the final deals.' Legal challenges have been filed against some of Trump's tariffs arguing he overstepped his authority. An appeals court panel on Thursday appeared skeptical of the government's arguments, though the case may be ultimately decided at the Supreme Court. Toronto Blue Jays Homes Columnists Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA
Sinar Daily
10-07-2025
- Business
- Sinar Daily
Trump administration sues California over egg prices
The lawsuit states that the State of California has contributed to the historic rise in egg prices by imposing unnecessary red tape on the production of eggs. 10 Jul 2025 04:21pm Photo for illustration purposes only. WASHINGTON - United States (US) President Donald Trump's administration filed a lawsuit against California on Wednesday, saying the state's regulations on egg and poultry production have driven up egg prices nationwide, reported German Press Agency (dpa). "The State of California has contributed to the historic rise in egg prices by imposing unnecessary red tape on the production of eggs," the lawsuit states. According to the US Department of Justice, California's laws - intended to reduce animal cruelty and mitigate the risk of foodborne illness - violate the Egg Products Inspection Act passed in 1970, which mandates national uniformity in egg safety standards. The lawsuit continues, saying that only the federal government has the authority to regulate the quality, inspection, and packaging of eggs. US President Donald Trump speaks during a multilateral lunch with visiting Afrian Leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 9, 2025. - (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) The regulations being challenged prohibit farmers from using "commonly accepted agricultural methods that helped keep eggs affordable," the Justice Department said in a statement. California has passed several laws related to eggs and chicken farms, including initiatives in 2008 and 2018 requiring that hens be kept in enclosures where they can "lie down, stand up, fully extend their limbs, and turn around freely." - BERNAMA
Toronto Sun
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Trump praises Liberian leader on English -- his native tongue
Jim WATSON/AFP Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP Washington — U.S. President Donald Trump complimented the president of Liberia Wednesday on his English-speaking skills — despite English being the official language of the West African nation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Trump was hosting a White House lunch with African leaders Wednesday, and — after brief remarks from President Joseph Boakai — asked the business graduate where he had picked up his linguistic know-how. 'Thank you, and such good English … Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated?' Trump said. Boakai — who, like most Liberians, speaks English as a first language — indicated he had been educated in his native country. He was facing away from the media, making his countenance hard to gauge — but his laconic, mumbled response hinted at awkwardness. Trump, who was surrounded by French-speaking presidents from other West African nations, kept digging. 'It's beautiful English. I have people at this table can't speak nearly as well,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a multilateral lunch with visiting African leaders at the White House. Jim WATSON/AFP Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP US engagement in Liberia began in the 1820s when the Congress- and slaveholder-funded American Colonization Society began sending freed slaves to its shores. Thousands of 'Americo-Liberian' settlers followed, declaring themselves independent in 1847 and setting up a government to rule over a native African majority. The country has a diverse array of indigenous languages and a number of creolized dialects, while Kpelle-speakers are the largest single linguistic group. Boakai himself can read and write in Mendi and Kissi but converses in Liberia's official tongue and lingua franca — English. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Toronto Blue Jays Toronto & GTA Olympics Basketball Columnists
