
Donald Trump's tariff letters to hit 12 countries as trade deadline chaos looms
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned 100 smaller nations they'll face April's original tariffs if they don't hurry up. "If you don't move things along, you'll boomerang back," he said Sunday. Only the UK and Vietnam have deals so far, everyone else faces chaos. Businesses worldwide are panicking, unsure if their goods will get taxed .
Vietnam relatively got the best deal: Its exports to America face 20% tariffs (down from 46%), but "transshipped" Chinese goods will get hit with 40%. The UK kept its 10% rate but opened its markets to U.S. cars and aircraft. Meanwhile, Japan was called "spoiled" by Trump and may face 35% tariffs, higher than April's 24%.The EU is sweating over threatened 50% taxes on its cars and cheese. All weekend, EU leaders argued: Germany wants any deal to avoid disaster, while France refuses a 'bad deal'. India might get last-minute mercy, but Trump grumbled, 'Letters are easier than talks'.Canada escaped the letters, at least for now. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra promised a "real deal" by July 21, but warned Canada might still pay some tariffs. Thailand offered a last-minute deal: more U.S. farm sales and Boeing jet buys to avoid 36% tariffs. South Korea begged for extra time, even offering factory partnerships.White House adviser Kevin Hassett hinted some countries could get deadline extensions if they're "close to a deal," but Trump snapped, "Not really" when asked about flexibility. The confusion is crushing businesses. "You can't plan costs when rules change weekly," said trade expert Clark Packard.
The tariffs could make everything from electronics to groceries pricier for Americans. Though Trump claims "foreign countries pay," experts confirm U.S. importers foot the bill and pass costs to consumers. A 10% baseline tariff has already been in place since April, but jumps like Japan's potential 35% would cause bigger price hikes.
Legal battles might save some: A U.S. court already ruled most tariffs illegal, but the decision is on hold. For now, the chaos continues. "We'll see," Bessent teased about Wednesday's deadline, adding deals might pop up "very quickly." But with 200+ trade partners, most will likely face taxes or empty promises.

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Business Standard
17 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Trial starts over Trump admin crackdown on pro-Palestinian campus activists
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration campaign of arresting and deporting faculty and students who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations argued on Monday it was an orchestrated effort that has stifled free speech at universities around the country. The lawsuit, filed by several university associations against President Donald Trump and members of his administration, is one of the first to go to trial. Plaintiffs want US District Judge William Young to rule the policy violates the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure Act, a law that governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations. Not since the McCarthy era have immigrants been the target of such intense repression for lawful political speech, Ramya Krishnan, senior staff attorney at the Knight First Amendment Institute, told the court. The policy creates a cloud of fear over university communities, and it is at war with the First Amendment. The First Amendment forecloses viewpoint discrimination; it forecloses retaliation; and it forecloses government threats meant to coerce silence. In response, lawyers for the government argued that no such policy exists and that the government is enforcing immigration laws legally and is doing so to protect national security. There is no policy to revoke visas on the basis of protected speech, Victoria Santora told the court. The evidence presented at this trial will show that plaintiffs are challenging nothing more than government enforcement of immigration laws. Since Trump took office, the US government has used its immigration enforcement powers to crack down on international students and scholars at several American universities. Trump and other officials have accused protesters and others of being pro-Hamas, referring to the Palestinian militant group that attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Many protesters have said they were speaking out against Israel's actions in the war. Plaintiffs single out several activists by name, including Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was released last month after spending 104 days in federal immigration detention. Khalil has become a symbol of Trump 's clampdown on campus protests. The lawsuit also references Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was released in May from Louisiana immigration detention. She spent six weeks in detention after she was arrested walking on the street of a Boston suburb. She claims she was illegally detained following an op-ed she co-wrote last year that criticized the school's response to Israel's war in Gaza. The plaintiffs also accused the Trump administration of supplying names to universities whom they wanted to target and launching a social media surveillance program. They used Trump's own words in which he said after Khalil's arrest that his was the first arrest of many to come. The first witness in the case, Megan Hyska, a green card holder from Canada who is a philosophy professor at Northwestern University, detailed how the efforts to deport Khalil and Ozturk prompted her to significantly scale back her activism. Before Trump took office, she had supported student encampments at Northwestern, had taken part in scores of protests against police brutality and in support of Palestinians and had been active in the Chicago chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. But after Khalil and Ozturk were detained, Hyska testified, she refrained from publishing an opinion piece critical of the Trump administration, chose not to take part in some anti-Trump protests and has decided against traveling back to Canada. It became apparent to me, after I became aware of a couple of high profile detentions of political activists, that my engaging in public political dissent would potentially endanger my immigration status, Hyska said. A government lawyer tried to undermine her testimony, confirming that she had not been contacted by anyone from the government asking her to stop her activism. The lawyer also referenced two letters Hyska had signed after the arrest of the activists to suggest she continued to be politically active prompting Hyska to say those letters were directed to Northwestern administrators, not the general public. The second witness, Nadje Al-Ali, a green card holder from Germany who is a professor at Brown University, also detailed how the immigration policy had a chilling effect on her work. Following the arrest of Khalil and Ozturk, Al-Ali said she canceled a planned research trip and a fellowship to Iraq and Lebanon over fears stamps from those two countries would raise red flags upon her return to the United States. She also dropped plans to write an article that was to be a feminist critique of Hamas and declined to take part in anti-Trump protests. I felt it was too risky, Al-Ali said of the Hamas article. I felt that would increase my visibility and profile and risk I would be associated with pro-Palestinian speech and be targeted. The trial continues Tuesday with Al-Ali on the stand. Several more witnesses are expected to testify tis week about the impact the immigration campaign has had on their activism.


Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Art of deal: Trump cites conflicts round the globe to back Netanyahu's Nobel push; 'Stopped a lot of fights'
NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reiterated that he played a key role in brokering a peace deal between several countries, including India and Pakistan, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump claimed that his administration stopped "a lot of fights," including India and Pakistan, Serbia and Kosovo, and Rwanda and Congo. "We did a job with India and Pakistan and Serbia, Kosovo, Rwanda and the Congo. And this was all over the last three weeks or so. And we stopped a lot of fights," Trump said. "I think a very big one, frankly, a very, very big one was India and Pakistan, and we stopped that over trade. We're dealing with India, we're dealing with Pakistan, and we said we're not going to be dealing with you at all if you are going to fight. And they were maybe at a nuclear stage. They're both nuclear powers. And I think stopping that was very important," he added. Trump also blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and claimed that he would never have let the war start if he were the president. "We're trying to help out with a Biden-created monster. This whole thing that's happening with Russia and Ukraine, it's horrible, it's a horrible thing. And I'm not happy with President Putin at all. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Gentle Japanese hair growth method for men and women's scalp Hair's Rich Learn More Undo But this is something that would have never happened if I were president. This is a war that was never going to happen." This comes as Netanyahu presented Trump a letter he sent to the Prize Committee, nominating the US President for the Peace Prize. Netanyahu claimed that Trump played an important role in "forging peace in one after another." "I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize Committee. It's nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it," Netanyahu said as Trump hosted him for talks at the White House. Trump has received multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations from supporters and lawmakers over the years. He has openly expressed frustration about not receiving the prestigious award. He has also sought credit for helping maintain peace between Egypt and Ethiopia, and for brokering the Abraham Accords agreements aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and several Arab nations. Trump campaigned as a "peacemaker," promising to use his negotiating skills to quickly end wars in Ukraine and Gaza. However, both conflicts continue to rage even after five months of his presidency.
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First Post
20 minutes ago
- First Post
'Close to making deal with India': Trump announces as US slaps tariffs on 14 nations
US President Donald Trump warned that nations not ready to bow down to US terms will be punished with new tariffs read more US President Donald Trump on Monday (July 7) announced that his administration was 'close to' reaching a trade deal with India, as Washington imposed fresh tariffs on several nations. 'We've made a deal with the United Kingdom. We've made a deal with China. We are close to making a deal with India,' Trump told reporters at the White House during a private dinner with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump warned that nations not ready to bow down to US terms will also be punished with new tariffs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Others we met with, and we don't think we're going to be able to make a deal, so we just send them a letter,' Trump said. 'We're sending out letters to various countries telling them how much tariffs they have to pay.' Deal with India Trump in his statement didn't mention about the nature and scope of the deal with India; however, he signalled his willingness to offer flexibility to countries raising legitimate concerns. 'Some will maybe adjust a little bit depending if they have a cause,' he added. 'We're not going to be unfair about it.' Earlier, media reports emerged that India had made the US aware of its certain red lines, including its concerns in dairy and agricultural sector. The reports said US negotiators have acknowledged India's concerns, and they are mulling offering 'limited relief' on dairy products. India is meanwhile considering offering tariff concessions on certain US-made electronic goods. Trump previously noted that India seems open to reducing trade barriers, which could pave the way for an agreement before the July 9 deadline. 'Right now, India doesn't accept anybody in. I think India is going to do that. If they do, we're going to have a deal for less—much less—tariffs,' Trump remarked, referencing the 26% reciprocal tariffs he announced on April 2, which are currently suspended pending trade negotiations. Trump's recent remarks on trade deal with India come as the US administration on Monday expanded tariffs on imports from Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Laos, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Tunisia, Indonesia, Bosnia, Bangladesh, Serbia, Cambodia, and Thailand. The tariff slabs will come into effect from August 1, according to letters posted by Donald Trump on Truth Social. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD