Trump tariffs reside updates: China hits again in commerce struggle; Senate panel advances RFK Jr’s well being secretary nomination

Trump fumes about Wall Street Journal with Rupert Murdoch right next to him

China has announced a package of tariffs on a range of American products in retaliation against a 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports imposed by President Donald Trump.

It comes after Trump agreed to suspend his aggressive tariff hike against Mexico and Canada by one month after speaking with his counterparts in both nations but the threatened Chinese tariffs went ahead at 12.01am ET on Tuesday.

Regarding Mexico, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he had had a “very friendly” conversation with President Claudia Sheinbaum and that the soldiers “will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country”.

As for Canada, Trump said the country agreed to appoint a “fentanyl czar” and signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl backed by $200m.

The deals temporarily avert a potentially costly trade war between the US and its neighbors.

Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee has voted along party lines to advance the controversial nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr to a full confirmation vote to be Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary.

The Senate Intelligence Committee will vote later on whether to advance Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination as director of national intelligence.

Trump names two members to Council of Economic Advisers

Donald Trump has named two members of his Council of Economic Advisers who will work with CEA Chairman Stephen Miran, as well as the rest of the president’s economics team, to “deliver the President’s new Golden Age of economic prosperity for all Americans,” the White House said.

Pierre Yared is the MUTB Professor of International Business and Senior Vice Dean at Columbia Business School. He will serve as Vice Chairman of CEA and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Kim Ruhl is the Curt and Sue Culver Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kim received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota.

Oliver O’Connell4 February 2025 16:51

‘60 Minutes’ chief says he won’t apologize as part of any Trump settlement

60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens told the program’s staff on Monday that he would not offer up an apology as part of any anticipated settlement the company reaches with Donald Trump in his ‘meritless’ lawsuit against CBS, sources told The Independent.

Justin Baragona reports.

Oliver O’Connell4 February 2025 16:35

Watch: Leavitt says first flights to Guantanamo Bay with illegal migrants are underway

Oliver O’Connell4 February 2025 16:32

Trump tariffs: How does fentanyl reach the U.S.?

President Donald Trump‘s plan to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China is partly aimed at combating the illicit flow of fentanyl into the U.S., where the opioid is blamed for some 70,000 overdose deaths annually.

Mexico agreed Monday to send 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a deal with Trump to pause the tariffs for a month — and hold off levying its own.

Neither Canada nor China has signaled major changes to tackle the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., and each has said it would retaliate for any U.S. tariffs.

What role do Mexico, Canada and China play in fentanyl reaching the U.S.? And how much can their governments do?

Where does fentanyl come from?

AP4 February 2025 16:15

America First mapped: All the countries Trump has threatened in his first two weeks as president

After just over a fortnight in the White House, Donald Trump has brought to life his “America First” agenda with considerable force, issuing threats to large swathes of the globe.

The imposition of tariffs on Canada and China – with the threat of more for the European bloc, the UK and the BRICS nations – the freeze on all USAID and threats against Greenland, Mexico and Panama have impacted 161 countries, equivalent to 83 percent of the globe, a tally by The Independent has found.

Here’s Tom Watling and Alicja Hagopian to map out the chaos.

Oliver O’Connell4 February 2025 16:00

Watch: Rubio meets with Costa Rican president

Oliver O’Connell4 February 2025 15:57

Texas National Guard can now arrest and detain people who illegally enter the US

Texas National Guard soldiers can arrest and detain people for entering the U.S. illegally from Mexico under an agreement with the Trump administration that expands the military’s role in immigration enforcement.

The new authority is a shift for the Guard and the military broadly, which has been limited to a supporting role for the Border Patrol.

Continue reading…

AP4 February 2025 15:55

Trump personally ordered firings of Jack Smith prosecutors, report says

The effort to remove individuals employed by former special counsel Jack Smith was believed to have originated from acting Attorney General James McHenry.

McHenry issued formal termination notices indicating that the individuals could not be relied upon to carry out Trump’s agenda.

However, the origin of the firings can be traced back to Trump himself, according to The Guardian’s reporting based on information from two individuals with direct knowledge of the situation.

The move also demonstrates what is believed to be the new paradigm for the Trump presidency in which the Justice Department is accountable to the White House with the president having the attorney general enact his political agenda.

Oliver O’Connell4 February 2025 15:45

Full story: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination passes crucial vote despite Democrats’ ‘grave concerns‘

Eric Garcia reports from Capitol Hill.

4 February 2025 15:40

New poll: Trump tariff row sees Brits demand closer ties with EU

The Ipsos Mori poll of 1,092 online British adults was taken this week as the world was plunged into economic chaos with the Trump administration threatening tariffs on China, Canada, Mexico and the EU.

With Brexit reset talks beginning properly today in Brussels, the survey showed that given a choice, Brits are far more likely to choose Europe over the USA or the Commonwealth.

David Maddox reports.

Oliver O’Connell4 February 2025 15:35

Source: independent.co.uk