Beginning August 1, President Donald Trump will impose 25% tariffs on South Korean and Japanese imports.
Citing ongoing trade deficits with the two important Asian allies of the United States, the president imposed a 25% tariff on products imported from South Korea and Japan on Monday. Trump posted letters to the leaders of both nations on Truth Social, giving notice that the tariffs will start on August 1.
Suggested Videos
The Latest:
The Trump administration is being sued by Planned Parenthood.
A clause in the recently approved Republican tax and spending cut measure that would suspend Medicaid payments to abortion clinics for a year prompted Planned Parenthood to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its member groups in Massachusetts and Utah filed a lawsuit in Boston against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
They contend that letting the clause go into effect will have disastrous effects on the entire country. They claim that a significant number of clinics will close, clinics will lay off employees and reduce services for all patients, and many of Planned Parenthood’s one million Medicaid patients will no longer have access to healthcare at all.
The plaintiffs claim that this will lead to higher incidences of cancer, unintended pregnancies, and abortions, as well as undiagnosed and untreated STDs.
Palestinians who have been displaced believe a peace will result from the Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who are hungry and displaced are hoping that a truce will result from Monday’s meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.
As talks on a proposal for a 60-day truce, the release of some hostages held by Hamas, and an infusion of humanitarian aid continue, the two are scheduled to meet.
Majid Farwana, a resident of a tent camp in central Gaza, stated that displacement means death. As we battle the heat and look for food, water, and tenting, we are in pain every minute.
Mohammed Abu Awda, who was moved from northern Gaza, stated that he would erect a tent on the debris if he returned to see his house demolished.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have died in the 21-month conflict, which was sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack and has forced about 90% of Gaza’s inhabitants to flee their homes. Aid organizations report that Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of law and order have made it difficult for them to bring in food, contributing to the widespread hunger.
At last, the tariff letters are being sent.
Trump has long discussed terminating trade talks and notifying nations of their tariff rates through letters.
The president informed reporters on Friday that I had signed several letters, which will likely be sent out on Monday at twelve. (So far, two have been made available.)
The letters have Trump’s usual capitalization and flourishes and were printed on White House stationery. He addressed the leaders of South Korea and Japan, saying, “We invite you to participate in the extraordinary Economy of the United States, the Number One Market in the World, by far.”
“Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he writes at the end of both letters.
Trump imposes 25% tariffs on South Korean and Japanese products.
On August 1, the additional taxes go into effect.
The president shared copies of the letters he wrote to each nation’s leaders on Truth Social to announce the decision.
After halting his plans earlier this year, Trump has been keen to increase tariffs on U.S. trading partners.
Netanyahu and Speaker Johnson will meet.
While in Washington, Netanyahu is also anticipated to meet with Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House.
Johnson, a Republican, is scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Tuesday after bringing the House GOP lawmakers closer to Israel.
Trump: After planning to overturn his 2022 electoral defeat, the former Brazilian leader should be left alone.
On social media, President Donald Trump said that the Brazilian judiciary should ignore former President Jair Bolsonaro since he is the target of a witch hunt.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump drew on his personal experiences with Bolsonaro, who was accused in February of conspiring to maintain his position of power following his defeat in the 2022 election in a case still pending before the Brazilian Supreme Court.
Trump asserted that his only transgression was fighting for THE PEOPLE. Jair Bolsonaro was a powerful leader who genuinely loved his country, as I have come to know. A fierce negotiator on TRADE as well. He is now topping the polls after a very close election. This is essentially an attack on a political opponent, about whom I am well-informed!
Trump, who is in the White House on Monday, demanded last month that Netanyahu’s corruption conviction be dismissed.
The Trump administration removes the new Syrian ruler’s group’s status as a terrorist organization.
As part of a larger engagement with the new government following the overthrow of former leader Bashar Assad, the Trump administration has chosen to cancel the new Syrian president’s group’s designation as a terrorist organization.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he made the action after consulting with the Treasury Secretary and Attorney General in a notice that will be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday.
The brief notice, which was put online in an advance public inspection section of the Federal Register website on Monday, said Rubio signed the revocation of the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation for the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on June 23.
Although the decision was not previously made public, U.S. officials stated that it would go into effect on Tuesday.
In the struggle for public information, a former Librarian of Congress assumes a new role.
After being summarily sacked by Trump in May, the former Librarian of Congress has returned with a new position.
Carla Hayden joined the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Monday as a senior fellow, the humanities grantmaker exclusively told The Associated Press.
Her duties include advising the country s largest philanthropic supporter of the arts on efforts to advance public knowledge through libraries and archives. Hayden noted existing threats to the free exchange of ideas in a statement.
Together, we will work to strengthen the public knowledge ecosystem and ensure that the transformative power of information remains accessible to all, she said.
China claims that BRICS isn’t about focusing on any one nation.
According to a Chinese Foreign Ministry official, the BRICS mechanism is a crucial forum for collaboration between developing nations and rising markets.
According to the spokeswoman on Monday, it does not target any particular nation or engage in bloc conflict; instead, it promotes transparency, inclusivity, and win-win collaboration.
The remarks follow Trump’s announcement late Sunday on social media that any nation that supports what he called the BRICS’ anti-American policies will be subject to an additional 10% tariff.
Rio de Janeiro is hosting the second BRICS meeting on Monday.
Tesla’s stock falls as the Trump-Musk dispute intensifies once more.
As it rekindled during the weekend, Tesla’s stock fell 6.5% overnight.
Musk, a former Trump buddy and major fundraiser, declared his disapproval of the Republican funding measure that was approved late last week.
In a subsequent social media post, Trump criticized Musk, claiming that the CEO had lost his mind in recent weeks. Trump implied that Musk was dissatisfied with the agreement because it ended an electric vehicle mandate, something he claims Musk was aware would happen.
Investors worry that if Musk’s conflict with Trump worsens, his businesses, which rely heavily on governmental subsidies, may suffer even more.
Since Musk threw his weight behind Trump in the lead-up to last year’s election, Tesla’s stock has been incredibly volatile.
This week, Rubio will travel to Asia.
This week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Malaysia for a regional security conference, marking his first official trip to Asia.
It occurs as the Trump administration advances its goal of reducing China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region and placing a greater emphasis on the region.
Rubio, who will also be traveling alone for the first time since assuming the additional role of national security advisor, will be in Kuala Lumpur from Tuesday to Friday for the annual Association of Southeast Nations Regional Forum, the State Department said Monday.
He will participate in a number of bilateral and multilateral talks that are anticipated to center on commerce, maritime safety and security, and defense-related topics.
With calls for higher defense expenditure and threats of imposing steep tariffs on foreign exports to the United States, the Trump administration has irritated several allies.
Ahead of the tariff deadline, the Treasury Secretary claims that his email is overflowing with trade offers.
In a TV interview on Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the Trump administration would reveal a number of trade frameworks over the next 48 hours.
Bessent stated on CNBC that President Trump is more worried with the caliber of the agreements than their quantity.
In reaction to the possibility that nations would retaliate against the higher tariff rates that President Donald Trump proposed on April 2, the Treasury Secretary reported that his mailbox was flooded with new trade offers.
Following a sell-off in the financial markets, Trump imposed a 90-day negotiation period that ends on Wednesday and would impose a 10% tax on goods from the majority of nations.
In the next days, the president intends to send out letters outlining new tariff rates that will go into effect on August 1.
Trump’s pressure for trade agreements before the deadline on Wednesday
The Trump administration is ratcheting up pressure on to quickly reach new arrangements before a , with plans for the United States to start Monday alerting countries that higher might kick in Aug. 1.
Businesses, consumers, and America’s trading partners are further left in the dark as a result. It is still unclear which nations will receive notifications, whether anything will change in the coming days, and whether President Donald Trump will again postpone enforcing the rates. Though they maintain that the administration is exerting the greatest amount of pressure on other countries, Trump and his senior trade advisers suggest he might prolong the time for negotiations.
The White House National Economic Council’s director, Kevin Hassett, stated on Sunday on CBS Face the Nation that Trump would determine when to end talks.
On July 4th, Trump signs expenditure cutbacks and tax incentives into law.
After his persuasion resulted in nearly complete Republican backing in Congress for the domestic goal that might solidify his second-term legacy, Trump signed his into law Friday in front of Fourth of July picnickers.
Trump signed the multitrillion-dollar bill at a desk on the White House driveway while surrounded by Republican lawmakers and Cabinet members. He then slammed down a gavel that House Speaker Mike Johnson had given him during Thursday’s proceedings.
Trump succeeded in celebrating a historic and contentious legislative win in time for the nation’s birthday, which also happened to be his self-imposed deadline for Congress to get the legislation to his desk, despite what at times seemed like insurmountable odds. Over the yearly Fourth of July meal at the White House, fighter planes and stealth bombers flew across the sky.
