Trump’s tariff letters reignite global trade war

Trump escalates pressure on Fed Chairman Powell

President Trump is escalating his pressure campaign against the Federal Reserve chairman. Almost every day, the president belittles Fed Chair Jerome Powell, calling him names and demanding that he lower interest rates. Now, the Trump administration accuses Powell of spending too much money to renovate the central bank’s headquarters. The president has also appointed allies to scrutinize the project further. It’s an ironic move, given Donald Trump’s renovations at the White House, including the paving over of the grass in the Rose Garden.

State Department fires more than 1,300 workers in reorganization

The State Department is being hit with mass layoffs. More than 13-hundred civil servants and foreign service officers are being fired in a major reorganization of the agency. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defends the job cuts. The layoffs are not immediate. Most civil servants will lose their jobs after a 60-day separation period. Foreign service officers will be let go after being placed on administrative leave for 120 days.

U.S. is selling weapons to NATO nations to give to Ukraine

The United States is sending weapons to Ukraine by way of NATO. The president said the U-S is selling weapons to its NATO allies in Europe so they can provide them to Ukraine. He told NBC that NATO is paying for those weapons “100 percent.” Ukraine badly needs more U-S-made Patriot air defense systems to stop Russia’s ballistic and cruise missiles. The president has repeatedly expressed displeasure with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and recently held constructive talks with Ukraine’s president.

Rubio exchanges “new” peace ideas with Russia about Ukraine

The Trump administration continues pushing for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Secretary of State Rubio said the U.S. and Russia have exchanged new ideas for Ukraine peace talks after he met with his Russian counterpart in Malaysia today. He said they discussed a “new and different approach,” although he did not elaborate. Rubio said President Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the ongoing military conflict.

Mideast Envoy Witkoff working toward Gaza ceasefire this week

Unhappy with Putin, Trump approves more weapons for Ukraine

Trump defends timetable for his global tariffs

President Trump is defending his timetable for imposing global tariffs. After announcing sweeping tariffs in early April, the president issued a 90-pause. That extension expires this week and now the tariffs will take effect next month. He also told a Cabinet meeting of plans to place a 50 percent tariff on copper and steep taxes on pharmaceutical drugs — as high as 200 percent.

Mixed messages from Trump administration on migrant farm workers

The Trump administration continues to send mixed messages about the fate of immigrant farm workers.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said this week there will be “no amnesty” for agricultural workers as the administration carries out deportations for all immigrants in the country illegally. But recently, President Trump floated the idea of a “temporary pass” for some workers after the farm sector warned that mass deportations would disrupt the food supply.

Trump announces tariff rates, reigniting global trade war

President Trump is ramping up his tariffs fight with many nations, including key allies. The Trump administration has released letters informing Japan and South Korea that their goods will be taxed at 25% starting on August 1st. In the letters, the president warned that the U-S will tack on another 25 percent if they retaliate. He also announced new tariffs on a dozen other countries, with the promise of more to come.

In reversal, DOJ says there is no Jeffrey Epstein “client list”

The Trump administration now says there is no “client list” from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — angering the president’s MAGA supporters. A memo from the Justice Department says there is no evidence Epstein maintained a “client list” despite Attorney General Pam Bondi’s claim that she
had such a document “sitting on [her] desk.” The announcement undermines the theory promoted by Trump allies, some of whom now work at the DOJ. MAGA influencers and other Trump supporters are venting online, with some calling for Bondi to be fired.

Trump sets 25% tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea

Trump is ending protected status for thousands of migrants

The Trump administration is terminating the legal status of tens of thousands of Hondurans and Nicaraguans in the United States. In its latest deportation effort, the Trump administration will end the Temporary Protected Status for Honduran and and Nicaraguan migrants effective on September 6th. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says many migrants no longer merit protections. Critics of the Trump policy say that TPS enrollees could be forced to return to dangerous conditions and that U-S employers depend on their labor.

Israel’s Netanyahu to meet with Trump at White House

President Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House. It will be Netanyahu’s third visit to the White House this year. And the president remains optimistic about reaching a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying a deal could be reached this week. The latest Gaza ceasefire proposal submitted by mediators to Hamas reportedly outlines plans for a 60-day ceasefire.

Trump calls Musk’s new political party “ridiculous”

President Trump is throwing cold water on Elon Musk’s newly announced political party. The president said it’s “ridiculous” for Musk to launch a new political party. He told reporters that “it’s always been a two-party system.” Over the weekend, Musk announced that he would form the America Party in response to the president’s sweeping tax cuts law.

Trump signs disaster declaration for Texas after deadly floods

President Trump has signed a disaster declaration for Texas after the deadly floods. The president said the scenes from central Texas are hard to watch. He said his administration is working with officials in the state — and that his heart goes out to those affected. The president said he’ll probably visit the state on Friday.

EU seeks trade deal with Trump before Wednesday deadline

Trump’s big bill signing ceremony to feature a military flyover

President Trump will sign his so-called “big beautiful bill” into law during a 4th of July ceremony. The president’s massive tax breaks and spending cuts legislation is awaiting his signature and he’s planning a military flyover at the White House. He announced that this afternoon’s Independence Day flyovers will include B-2 bombers and will occur as he signs his signature domestic policy bill. The president said F-22s and F-35s will also be featured in the White House celebration.

Trump celebrates big bill’s passage at Iowa State Fairgrounds

Trump: “No progress” on ending war in call with Russia’s Putin

Judge blocks Trump asylum order, gives administration two weeks to appeal

A federal judge has thrown one of President Trump’s key immigration plans into doubt. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington ruled that the Trump executive order suspending asylum access at the southern border was unlawful. But he put the ruling on hold for two weeks to give the government time to appeal. In January, Donald Trump declared an invasion of America. However, the judge wrote that neither the Constitution nor immigration law gives the president the authority to repatriate or remove individuals from the U-S “without an opportunity to apply for asylum.”

Trump announces U.S. trade deal with Vietnam

President Trump has announced a trade deal with Vietnam. A week before his global tariffs are scheduled to take effect, the president announced that he personally negotiated a trade deal with the General Secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party. He wrote online that Vietnam will pay a 20 percent tariff on goods exported to the U-S and, in return, Vietnam will open its market to the U-S with “zero” tariffs. The president suggested that American-made SUVs and large vehicles would benefit from the trade deal. GC, Wash.

With his big bill back in the House, Trump urges GOP unity

President Trump is calling for Republican unity as House lawmakers finalize the tax breaks and spending cuts bill. As the House takes up the Senate version of the president’s domestic priorities bill, he’s optimistic about the legislation’s chances. He claims the bill has something for everyone and vows that Medicare and Medicaid are being strengthened, despite claims to the contrary. The president writes online that the GOP must “unite” and ignore the “occasional grandstanders.”

Trump’s first choice for Senate seat in NC is daughter-in-law

President Trump thinks his daughter-in-law would be a great candidate for the U-S Senate seat in North Carolina. Now that GOP Senator Thom Tillis has announced he won’t run for re-election, the president is suggesting daughter-in-law Lara Trump as a possible candidate. It wasn’t clear if he was ruling out his daughter-in-law, who doesn’t live in North Carolina. Last year, the president picked Lara Trump to serve as co-chair of the Republican National Committee.