Free Republic

Boycott, eh? US exports of liquor and wine to Canada have plummeted by more than 60% in the first half of the year as furious Canucks snub American booze because of President Trump’s trade war. Shipments of popular US-made whiskeys, rums, gins and other liquors through June to Canadian provinces was around $43.4 million, according to the Distilled Spirits Council — a 62% drop from the approximate $114 million during the same period last year. Wine exports have suffered even more severely, falling approximately 67% based on federal trade statistics provided by the US trade group. The data was first...

Whether you pronounce the delectable fruit (yes, it’s a fruit) as tomato or tomatto, Trump’s Mexican tariffs are forcing many dining establishments to either raise prices and risk losing customers, revamp menus or swallow the cost and bleed margin, said Sapana Grossi of Shah Grossi Law Firm, a business attorney specializing in the food and beverage industry.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China for the first time in over seven years, a government source said on Wednesday (Aug 6), in a further sign of a diplomatic thaw with Beijing as tensions with the United States rise. Modi will go to China for a summit of the multilateral Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that begins on Aug 31, the government source, with direct knowledge of the matter, told Reuters. India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. His trip will come at a time when India's relationship with the US faces its most serious...

President Donald Trump issued a rare threat of nuclear escalation on Friday, saying he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be strategically positioned near Russia in response to what he said were aggressive remarks by Dmitry Medvedev, the country’s former president and current deputy chairman of its Security Council. “I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your...

SUMMARY: * The United States and European Union have reached a trade deal which will see a blanket tariff of 15% on all EU goods imported to the US. * President Trump says the EU has promised hundreds of billions of dollars of investment and energy purchases. * Trump and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen met for talks in Scotland on Sunday - she has called the agreement a "huge deal" * The new deal is set to kick in on Friday, and means the Europe will avoid threatened import charges of 30% A trade deal...

<p>MONTEROSI, Italy (Reuters) -Producers of Pecorino Romano cheese, one of Italy's best known food exports, are lobbying to be spared new U.S. tariffs that could raise consumer prices and take a chunk out of their export market.</p><p>Gianni Maoddi, president of the Consorzio di Tutela del Pecorino Romano, said the cheese has for more than 140 years been popular in the United States, which accounts for around 40% of annual exports.</p>

US President Donald Trump’s fresh tariff threat for Russia’s allies has not gone down well with China, with the latter hitting out at America’s ‘coercion’ tactics. China has expressed strong disapproval on Tuesday regarding the United States' pressure tactics, following President Donald Trump's warning of "very severe" tariffs against Russia's remaining trade partners if the Ukraine conflict remains unresolved within 50 days. "China firmly opposes all illegal unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction. There are no winners in a tariff war, and coercion and pressure will not solve problems," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian has said according to an AFP...

Lindsey Graham says in the coming days, Trump will unleash weapons to Ukraine "at a record level," along with enacting unprecedented sanctions against Russia

What’s going on with my “boys” and, in some cases, “gals?” They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and “selfish people” are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein. For years, it’s Epstein, over and over again. Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, Comey, Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration, who conned the World with the...

President Donald Trump on Saturday announced he's levying tariffs of 30% against the European Union and Mexico. Trump announced the tariffs on two of the United States' biggest trade partners in letters posted to his social media account. In his letter to Mexico's leader, Trump acknowledged that the country has been helpful in stemming the flow of undocumented migrants and fentanyl into the United States. But he said the country has not done enough to stop North America from turning into a "Narco-Trafficking Playground." Trump in his letter to the European Union said that the U.S. trade deficit was a...

President Donald Trump has announced that the European Union and Mexico will face a 30% tariff on imports to the US from 1 August. He warned he would impose higher import taxes if either of the US trading partners decided to retaliate. The 27-member EU - America's biggest trading partner - said earlier this week it hoped to agree a deal with Washington before 1 August. Trump has this week also said the US will impose new tariffs on goods from Japan, South Korea, Canada and Brazil, also starting from 1 August. Similar letters were sent this week to a...

“He can’t be as honest and candid as he was with me when he didn’t have Donald Trump as his boss,” Massie said. “He’s got his job is to sell this bill, and he’s trying to put lipstick on a pig, and Rand Paul and I are pointing out it’s a pig.”

Federalizing the National Guard in response to ICE protests risks bloodshed—which is exactly what this administration wants.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Around 300 National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles early Sunday on orders from President Donald Trump, staging outside a federal complex that remained largely quiet and without major protests following two days of clashes with immigration authorities.The deployment appeared to be the first time in decades that a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor, a significant escalation against those who have sought to hinder the administration’s mass deportation efforts. On Sunday morning, some of the troops were stationed outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, dressed in tactical...

More than a quarter-million Chinese students attending college in the United States saw their futures plunged into uncertainty Wednesday when the Trump administration announced an aggressive crackdown on student visa holders from that country. With an estimated 277,398 students pursuing primarily undergraduate and graduate degrees, China ranks only behind India among foreign countries with the highest number of students attending college in the U.S., according to data from the Institute of International Education. Since China’s middle-class boom in the early aughts, its students have flocked to U.S. institutions, which in turn welcomed the enrollment boost and mostly unsubsidized tuition fees....

Full story House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Congress could eliminate a federal district court as Republicans continue criticizing judges who have blocked President Trump’s agenda. Republicans say judges have overstepped their constitutional authority. Article Three of the Constitution allows Congress to “ordain and establish” lower courts. Johnson said the House will vote next week on a bill to eliminate nationwide injunctions. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Congress could eliminate a federal district court as Republicans continue criticizing judges who have blocked President Donald Trump’s agenda. “We do have authority over the federal courts. As you know, we can...

As the Trump administration cut billions of dollars in federal funding to scientific research, thousands of scientists in the U.S. lost their jobs or grants — and governments and universities around the world spotted an opportunity. The “Canada Leads” program, launched in April, hopes to foster the next generation of innovators by bringing early-career biomedical researchers north of the border.Aix-Marseille University in France started the “Safe Place for Science” program in March — pledging to “welcome” U.S.-based scientists who “may feel threatened or hindered in their research.”Australia’s “Global Talent Attraction Program,” announced in April, promises competitive salaries and relocation packages.“In...

Calling the trade talks a stalemate, US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 50% tariff on the EU on June 1. European markets took an immediate tumble following Trump's social media post. US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he is recommending a 50% tariff on goods from the European Union, citing a stalemate in trade talks. "Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025," he wrote on social media. In a post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated his criticism of...

The Trump Administration has frozen billions in federal grants to Harvard University, threatened its tax-exempt status, and sought to dictate its curriculum and hiring. Now the government seems bent on destroying the school for the offense of fighting back. And for what purpose? That’s how we read the Department of Homeland Security’s move Thursday to bar foreign students from attending the world-renowned institution. That’s 6,800 students, or a quarter of Harvard’s student body, whose futures are suddenly in disarray. It’s also a short-sighted attack on one of America’s great competitive strengths: Its ability to attract the world’s best and brightest....

After firing back at Bruce Springsteen for criticizing him during a concert tour, President Trump is now calling for “major investigations” into Springsteen and other celebrities for their support of his opponent, Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election. In addition to Springsteen, Trump also named two other singer/songwriters — Bono and Beyoncé — as well as longtime TV host, actress, and producer and l Oprah Winfrey. Giving the all-caps key his usual workout, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Monday, May 19: “HOW MUCH DID KAMALA HARRIS PAY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN FOR HIS POOR PERFORMANCE DURING HER CAMPAIGN FOR...