April 9, 2025 2:15 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a global market meltdown, President Donald Trump on Wednesday abruptly backed down on his tariffs on most nations for 90 days, but raised his tax rate on Chinese imports to 125%. It was seemingly an attempt to narrow what had been an unprecedented trade war between the U.S. and most of the world to one between the U.S. and China.Global markets surged on the development, but the precise details of Trump’s plans to ease tariffs on non-China trade partners were not immediately clear.
April 9, 2025 10:37 am
BRUSSELS (AP) – European Union member states have voted to approve retaliatory tariffs on $23 billion in goods in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. The tariffs will go into effect in stages, with some on April 15 and others on May 15 and Dec. 1. The EU executive commission didn’t immediately provide a list of the goods Wednesday. Members of the 27-country bloc repeated their preference for a negotiated deal to settle trade issues.
April 9, 2025 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service’s acting commissioner is resigning over a deal to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S. Two people familiar with Melanie Krause’s decision confirmed the intended resignation to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about it. The memo signed Monday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.
April 9, 2025 5:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed four executive orders aimed at boosting coal, a reliable but polluting energy source that’s long been in decline. Under the orders, Trump will use his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars. Trump has long promised to boost what he calls “beautiful” coal to fire power plants and for other uses, but the industry has been declining for decades.
April 9, 2025 5:03 am
BANGKOK (AP) —China has raised tariffs to 84% on goods coming from the U.S. in an additional countermeasure. Last week, China said it would levy 34% tariffs on all U.S. goods. China again vowed to “fight to the end” against Donald Trump’s tariffs in a lengthy policy statement published Wednesday, while arguing that trade between the two countries is in balance as a 104% tax on the country’s exports to the U.S. came into effect. “If the U.S. insists on further escalating its economic and trade restrictions, China has the firm will and abundant means to take necessary countermeasures and fight to the end,” according to a statement introducing the white paper from the Ministry of Commerce.
April 9, 2025 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson (pictured) is vowing to try again to pass the Republican budget framework after abruptly postponing Wednesday night’s vote. The Republican speaker worked into the night to satisfy conservative GOP lawmakers who refused to support the plan. President Donald Trump had admonished the holdouts to “stop showboating” and vote. But conservatives warn that allowing trillions of dollars in tax breaks without steeper cuts will pile onto the nation’s debt. What the president calls the “big, beautiful bill” is central to his agenda of tax cuts, mass deportations and smaller government. Johnson was hopeful they would try again Thursday. There’s still weeks, if not months, to go before a final package.
April 9, 2025 5:02 am
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Dozens of people have gathered at the Dominican Republic’s forensic institute, hoping for news of their loved ones who are still missing after the roof of an iconic nightclub collapsed. The crowd grew increasingly agitated Wednesday as National Institute of Forensic Pathology officials read the names of 54 victims they have identified so far. At least 124 people were killed and more than 250 others injured when disaster struck early Tuesday at the legendary Jet Set club in Santo Domingo. Officials have called for calm, saying they have already delivered 28 bodies to their families. Officials have not been able to identify at least 33 bodies.
April 9, 2025 5:01 am
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China is reaching out to other nations as the U.S. layers on tariffs, in what appears to be an attempt by Beijing to form a united front to compel Washington to retreat. It’s meeting only partial success as countries are unwilling to ally with the main target of President Donald Trump’s trade war. Trump backed off his tariffs on most nations for 90 days, saying countries were lining up to negotiate more favorable conditions. China has refused to seek talks, saying the U.S. was insincere and that it will “fight to the end.” Trump then further raised the rate on Chinese imports to 125%, and China retaliated with tariffs on U.S. goods of 84%.
April 9, 2025 4:58 am
TOKYO (AP) — European shares have opened higher after Asian markets soared, with Germany’s benchmark initially surging 8% and Japan’s jumping 9% as investors welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to put his sharp tariff hikes on hold for 90 days. However, U.S. futures edged lower and oil prices also declined. Analysts had expected the global comeback given that U.S. stocks had one of their best days in history on Wednesday as investors registered their relief over Trump’s decision. In early trading, Germany’s DAX gained more than 8% and benchmarks in London and Paris gained more than 6%. Chinese shares saw more moderate gains, given yet another jump in the tariffs each side is imposing on each others’ exports.
April 9, 2025 4:55 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The federal government has revoked the visas of two current students and five recent graduates from Carnegie Mellon University. Provost James Garrett Jr. and Dean of Students Gina Casalegno sent a letter to the CMU community stating they learned about the revocation late last week. The letter stated, “These incidents understandably raise wider concerns for many in our community, and we take seriously our continued responsibility to ensure that our community is equipped with the information they need to navigate these uncertain times.” The university didn’t say why the students’ visas were revoked. “We understand the sensitivity of this matter and are committed to safeguarding their privacy, which limits the information we can share publicly. At this time, we are not aware of any recent presence of immigration authorities on our campus,” the letter said. It’s not just visas involved. According to CMU, the seven people have had their records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) terminated. The action is part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration and deportation strategy.
