Latest news with #WalMart
Miami Herald
18-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Trump administration eyes regional tariffs as global deal deadline looms
May 18 (UPI) -- The United States may impose regional tariffs rather than issue blanket ones as a deadline approaches for racing a global plan, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday. The Trump administration originally said it would impose 90 deals in 90 days, but has backed down recently, acknowledging the complexities of negotiating trade pacts with dozens of countries on a compressed timeline, despite stepped-up efforts, President Donald Trump said during his recent trip to the Middle East. "But it's not possible to meet the number of people that want to see us," Trump explained. Trump said while in the Middle East that he and Commerce Secretary Scott Lutnick would begin advising some countries on U.S. plans for tariffs in the next two to three weeks. During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," Bessent said the United States will focus on a short list of countries in its initial round of tariffs. "My other sense is that we will do a lot of regional deals," Bessent said. "This is the rate for Central America, this is the rate for this part of Africa, but what we are focused on right now is the 18 important trading relationships." Following a move by Moody's Ratings last week to downgrade the United States' credit rating, Bessent called the service a "lagging indicator" during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I think that's what everyone thinks of credit agencies," he said, and asserted that the credit downgrade was in response to Biden fiscal policies. In response to concerns about tariff costs being passed on to consumers, Trump has said large merchants like WalMart, which imports a significant amount of its merchandise from China, should instead absorb the price increases. Bessent said Sunday that WalMart CEO Doug McMillion told him that the retail giant would "eat some of the tariffs" as it had done in previous years. Bessent did not offer a specific date for the tariff imposition. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration eyes regional tariffs as global deal deadline looms
May 18 (UPI) -- The United States may impose regional tariffs rather than issue blanket ones as a deadline approaches for racing a global plan, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday. The Trump administration originally said it would impose 90 deals in 90 days, but has backed down recently, acknowledging the complexities of negotiating trade pacts with dozens of countries on a compressed timeline, despite stepped-up efforts, President Donald Trump said during his recent trip to the Middle East. "But it's not possible to meet the number of people that want to see us," Trump explained. Trump said while in the Middle East that he and Commerce Secretary Scott Lutnick would begin advising some countries on U.S. plans for tariffs in the next two to three weeks. During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," Bessent said the United States will focus on a short list of countries in its initial round of tariffs. "My other sense is that we will do a lot of regional deals," Bessent said. "This is the rate for Central America, this is the rate for this part of Africa, but what we are focused on right now is the 18 important trading relationships." Following a move by Moody's Ratings last week to downgrade the United States' credit rating, Bessent called the service a "lagging indicator" during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I think that's what everyone thinks of credit agencies," he said, and asserted that the credit downgrade was in response to Biden fiscal policies. In response to concerns about tariff costs being passed on to consumers, Trump has said large merchants like WalMart, which imports a significant amount of its merchandise from China, should instead absorb the price increases. Bessent said Sunday that WalMart CEO Doug McMillion told him that the retail giant would "eat some of the tariffs" as it had done in previous years. Bessent did not offer a specific date for the tariff imposition.
UPI
18-05-2025
- Business
- UPI
Trump administration eyes regional tariffs as global deal deadline looms
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, pictured speaking last month during a Congressional hearing, on Sunday called the Moody's downgrading of the United States' credit rating a "lagging indicator." File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo May 18 (UPI) -- The United States may impose regional tariffs rather than issue blanket ones as a deadline approaches for racing a global plan, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday. The Trump administration originally said it would impose 90 deals in 90 days, but has backed down recently, acknowledging the complexities of negotiating trade pacts with dozens of countries on a compressed timeline, despite stepped-up efforts, President Donald Trump said during his recent trip to the Middle East. "But it's not possible to meet the number of people that want to see us," Trump explained. Trump said while in the Middle East that he and Commerce Secretary Scott Lutnick would begin advising some countries on U.S. plans for tariffs in the next two to three weeks. During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," Bessent said the United States will focus on a short list of countries in its initial round of tariffs. "My other sense is that we will do a lot of regional deals," Bessent said. "This is the rate for Central America, this is the rate for this part of Africa, but what we are focused on right now is the 18 important trading relationships." Following a move by Moody's Ratings last week to downgrade the United States' credit rating, Bessent called the service a "lagging indicator" during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I think that's what everyone thinks of credit agencies," he said, and asserted that the credit downgrade was in response to Biden fiscal policies. In response to concerns about tariff costs being passed on to consumers, Trump has said large merchants like WalMart, which imports a significant amount of its merchandise from China, should instead absorb the price increases. Bessent said Sunday that WalMart CEO Doug McMillion told him that the retail giant would "eat some of the tariffs" as it had done in previous years. Bessent did not offer a specific date for the tariff imposition.
Forbes
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
This Track Athlete Used To Work The Deli Counter At Walmart. Now He's One Of USA's Best Hurdlers
USA's Dylan Beard celebrates after winning of the men's 110 hurdles event during the Grand Slam ... More Track competition at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, on April 5, 2025. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images) When Dylan Beard's final season of college eligibility was up and his professional track and field dream was still alive, he called on an Angel. His Aunt Angel, to be specific. It was right around a year ago, when the Maryland native had found a coach in North Carolina but was without a steady place to stay, that Beard turned to his aunt in Wake Forest, who decades earlier had lived just two blocks from his house as a child in Maryland. Over a year later, he says, that lifeline may have been the difference between a regular life and one as a professional athlete. 'She took me in with open arms, even though she didn't understand it,' said Beard, who will compete at the Seiko Golden Grand Prix on Sunday in Japan. 'That was the big thing. She asked, 'OK, what are we trying to do? I'm here. Let's get after it.' 'If I hadn't been able to stay with her,' he continued, 'we wouldn't be talking right now.' Beard's story of perseverance is well known. The two-time Millrose Games indoor 60 meter hurdles champion worked the deli counter at Wal-Mart – during his stay in North Carolina – before his big break. But maybe even that is selling him short. He's currently ranked eighth in the world at the 110 meter hurdle distance with a time of 13.21, and in April he finished second in the men's short hurdles category during the inaugural Grand Slam Track meet in Kingston, Jamaica, winning $50,000 for his efforts. While the 26-year-old Beard hasn't yet qualified for a U.S. Olympic or World Championship team, the former HBCU hurdler from Howard University has transformed into one of the nation's best. And he's done so in near anonymity. His time may be coming soon. 'Little old me, coming into the meet,' said Beard, who now lives in Atlanta, Georgia and trains under Nat Page, 'I used to just be happy to be here. Now I feel like I have a place and my foot in the ground next to these guys.' Beard is no household name yet, but to be fair, his start to professional track and field began later than most. After finding his way to Howard University – which included a gap year in 2021 – following stops at Wagner and Hampton, he finished his college eligibility with the Bison in 2023. Training under Olympic medalist and former World Champion hurdler David Oliver certainly had its advantages, but almost no one knew who Beard was when he stepped to the line of the Millrose Games in February of 2024 and broke a facility record. For almost a year starting out on the professional circuit, Beard lived with his aunt in Wake Forest, commuting to Raleigh on a daily basis to train. With limited financial support, he often found himself working at Walmart, and then navigating logistical hurdles. 'My first meet, I drove four hours to Blacksburg, Virginia,' Beard said of the Hokie Invitational last year. 'It was in a near snow storm.' Beard quickly learned what kind of barriers exist for athletes operating on the fringes of a professional contract. Finding a coach was difficult at first. Then, 'I allowed some wear and tear on my body,' he said. 'I also did not realize how difficult it was to travel.' Fortunately, his persistence paid off. Qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in June, Beard ran a time of 13.19 seconds in the 110 meter hurdles – which was his second-best effort on the year and among two performances under 13.20, which put him at No. 12 in the world by season's end – and moved to the semifinals of the event. Unfortunately, his 2024 dreams would end there, as he bowed out in the semifinals. Still, Beard's moment in the sun had a shelf life. Behind a small sponsorship from Walmart, he traveled to Paris and Hungary in July, competing internationally for the first time. Those luxuries weren't lost on him. 'For me personally, the idea was never to be sponsored by Wal-Mart,' he said. 'I just had to make ends meet.' MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 28: Dylan Beard of United States of America reacts after winning in the ... More Men's 60m Hurdles Semifinal during the World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold Madrid 25 at Polideportivo Gallur on February 28, 2025, in Madrid, Spain. (Photo By Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press via Getty Images) Beard's ambitions furthered this fall when a larger sponsorship was finalized by Sam's Club – the company is owned by Walmart but operates independently – allowing the 26-year-old to train full-time and compete throughout the season. While Beard couldn't disclose the financials of his sponsorship deal, he said the company is 'investing in me, partnering with me' and is working with him to realize his hopes. Beard still works in the seasonal department of Walmart part time – in Georgia now – though he says his full focus is on the track. Maybe one day, he says, he could 'work on the corporate side of Walmart. I'm open-minded to that.' At the first Grand Slam Track meet, on a line that saw his competitors littered with Nike and Adidas jerseys, Beard beamed in bright blue, the Sam's Club logo etched in the top right corner of his top. 'I like the idea of my kit being a 1-of-1,' Beard said. Beard hasn't thought much deeper on the non-traditional path he's clearing ahead for athletes in the future. But there's no doubt the partnership with a non-linear sponsor could be the way of the future for track and field athletes. 'My story is a little different from everyone else,' Beard said, 'But I'm still on the line and competing against these guys.' In the meantime, he has his nose to the ground. 'Right now, I'm just really grinding on the track,' Beard said. 'I started my pro career at 25 years old. I'm trying to get my best years out of this. Hopefully I can get another seven to eight years out of this.' That first Grand Slam Track meet was, in many ways, Beard's breakout. Running nearly flawlessly through the line in that 110 meter hurdle race in Kingston, he stopped the clock at 13.29 seconds, winning by five-hundredths of a second. When he followed a day later with a time of 10.67 at 100 meters, earning a third-place performance and securing his second-place finish in the category, it was a nice little bow on his two-day efforts. His $50,000 prize winnings was the most he had ever won in a competition – and $46,000 more than his biggest haul previously at the Millrose Games in 2025. But importantly, Beard said, he did not run the flat distance outside his comfort zone, knowing any adjustments could throw off his 110 meter timing. 'I wasn't really focused on the 100,' Beard said. 'My coach and I talked about it and I was going to keep the same stride frequency. We didn't want to open up or anything.' After three days, another important matter beckoned. Would he be back for round two in Miami? Within the Grand Slam Track ecosystem, only 'racers' were afforded guaranteed spots on the line over all four events in Kingston, Miami, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Knowing an excellent effort went a long way in securing a future lane, Beard tapped his agent Keith Rucker on the shoulder. 'I said, 'Hey, we're here,'' Beard said. ''Ask them if we can come back.'' Beard ultimately didn't know that he'd be back on the line until receiving a phone call weeks later – in Miami, he finished sixth, winning another $15,000. In total, Beard has secured $73,250 in prize money over the 2025 season. That being said, the hurdler has made his own path this season, too. Since December, he's competed across four states and five countries, including World Athletics Indoor Tour events in Poland, Kazakhstan and Spain.. He has raced 22 times in 2025 alone. His next meet in Japan on Sunday will be his sixth stop in another country. 'I've gone over it with my coach many times,' Beard said. 'And he's just like, 'Hey, if you want to run, we're going to run.' I'm all about running. I'm all about competing.' Progress has taken the form of success. Beard reached his first U.S. final in February, finishing sixth in the men's 60 meter hurdles. But in time, to realize his hopes of competing against the best in the world, he'll have to chase after a performance under 13 seconds for the 110 meter hurdles. A total of 16 Americans have gone under that threshold all-time, while 26 have done it globally. Beard's personal best time of 13.10 seconds ranks 29th all-time in the U.S. 'Right now, I'm in the space of getting my foot in the door,' Beard said. 'I haven't made any teams. I haven't won any medals. I'm still building up. I'm still learning within the sport. The goal is to be competitive, to beat these guys. But there's still a lot to process ahead.' Building a reputation, Beard says, will take time. But once that happens, things might start to fall in place. 'I'm a guy who's like, if they see me in a race, I want them to think, 'If I don't lock in real quick, he might whoop my ass on the track,'' Beard said. 'That's where I'm trying to build. That's one of those things that's not given. I have to earn it for myself.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
CT teen with history of vehicle thefts accused of stealing credit cards, making fraudulent purchases
A teenager suspected in several vehicle thefts around Connecticut was arrested Tuesday and accused of stealing debit and credit cards from a vehicle in Washington in March before using them to allegedly make a number of fraudulent purchases. Jacek Gwiazda, 18, faces one count each of second-degree larceny and second-degree identity theft and four counts each of illegal use of a credit card and theft of a credit card, according to Connecticut State Police. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, an officer with the Washington Police Department, under the jurisdiction of state police, responded to a home on March 21 around 8 a.m. where a woman alleged that she was housesitting when someone in the overnight hours stole her purse from a locked vehicle. Inside the purse was about $70 and multiple debit and credit cards. The woman told police she had parked her vehicle in the driveway around 3 a.m. She did not notice the theft until she went for her morning walk and found her purse and some items that were inside scattered along Wheaton Road, she told police. The cash and the credit cards were missing. While speaking to the officer, the woman was receiving fraud alerts about her cards, the warrant affidavit said. They paused the interview to allow her to cancel them, which were reportedly being used in multiple towns. The stolen cards were reportedly used at multiple gas stations as well as WalMart, Target, Walgreens and Dollar Tree stores in Shelton, Derby, Ansonia and Seymour, the warrant affidavit said. More than $3,191 in fraudulent charges were racked up. Police found that there were no other thefts reported in the area, though multiple people near the New Milford town line reported seeing individuals wearing hoods trying to get into parked cars, according to the warrant affidavit. The individuals were seen on a doorbell camera arriving in an Audi SUV before checking the vehicles. The same individuals were believed to be involved in a stolen vehicle case in New Milford the previous night, the warrant affidavit said. Investigators were able to obtain video surveillance footage from multiple merchants where the stolen cards were used. They found a man in dark clothing with a hood, wearing a pink surgical mask, buying multiple Visa gift cards, the warrant affidavit said. Police found that the same individual was tied to other thefts reported in Newtown, Wilton, Monroe, Seymour, New Milford and Washington, according to the warrant affidavit. On March 31, state troopers responded to a home in Washington where a resident alleged that their Mazda had been stolen in the overnight hours, the warrant affidavit said. Three days later, the vehicle was recovered in Ansonia. It was towed and processed for evidence by investigators. One of the DNA swabs taken from inside the vehicle was turned over to the Waterbury Police Department, which uses a system that processes suspected single-source samples and generates a DNA profile in 90 minutes, according to the warrant affidavit. The DNA was compared against offenders in Connecticut whose DNA sample had been collected from previous felony convictions, though it did not produce a hit, the warrant affidavit said. It did, however, match DNA samples taken during criminal investigations in North Haven and West Haven, police wrote. In one of those cases, police found that Gwiazda had been charged, the warrant affidavit said. A sergeant from the West Haven Police Department informed the Washington officer that Gwiazda is a known vehicle thief who was allegedly tied to a stolen Mazda, according to the warrant affidavit. He was also allegedly involved in a in a run-in with law enforcement on March 26, the warrant affidavit said. In that case, members of the New Haven Police Department Criminal Intelligence Unit, Shooting Task Force and Regional Auto Theft Task Force tried stopping an Alfa Romeo that had been stolen in Southbury. The driver intentionally struck two unmarked cruisers during the getaway, the warrant affidavit said. During the incident, an investigator reported having a 'clear, unobstructed' view of the driver and identified him as Gwiazda, according to the warrant affidavit. Days after the incident, law enforcement officials conducted surveillance at a residence where Gwiazda was believed to be living. They allegedly spotted him multiple times trying to remove a license plate from a blue Mazda SUV that was parked in the driveway and had been reported stolen in Litchfield, the warrant affidavit said. He was also allegedly seen driving not far away to a stolen Volkswagen Atlas that was parked on Meadow Street, according to the warrant affidavit. Investigators allegedly witnessed Gwiazda take a license plate from the Atlas before leaving the area, the warrant affidavit said. Authorities later obtained a warrant charging Gwiazda with having the stolen Mazda and the Alfa Romeo, the latter of which was recovered in New Haven, according to the warrant affidavit. On April 2, investigators went to the home where Gwiazda had been residing and used a battering ram to get inside, the warrant affidavit said. They used a search and seizure warrant to search the residence, allegedly finding six different key fobs, two handguns and ammunition, according to the warrant affidavit. Gwiazda was arrested on a number of firearm charges. According to the warrant affidavit, his juvenile criminal history includes 'upwards of 10 arrests' for stolen vehicles. The officer investigating the credit card thefts in Washington was able to obtain video surveillance from the merchants where the stolen cards were used. A West Haven police sergeant involved in the stolen motor vehicle investigation was able to identify Gwiazda as the individual using the stolen cards, the warrant affidavit said. Gwiazda is being held on bonds totaling $190,000, according to the Connecticut Department of Correction. He is scheduled to face a judge in Derby Superior Court on June 26 in connection with the stolen credit card allegations. According to Judicial Branch records, Gwiazda has five pending cases in which he faces stolen vehicle, firearm, violation of probation and other charges.
