Free Republic

Australian beef exports to China could be hit with a 55 per cent tariff within days. Earlier this year, Beijing announced a quota on Australian beef of 205,000 tonnes a year...

... nations failed to establish or effectively enforce comprehensive legal prohibitions against importing goods produced wholly or partly through forced labour.While a subset of countries — including Canada, Mexico, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the European Union — will see 10% tariffs imposed due to specific enforcement failures, Australia has been grouped with jurisdictions like China and India under the higher 12.5% tariff bracket...

The longer we go without oil from the Persian Gulf, the less we’ll need it, says Christopher Smart for the New York Times. Whatever peace agreement the United States and Iran may cobble together, there will be no quick return to pre-war energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Even after the mines are cleared, it will take a brave tanker captain to trust that the passage is once again secure - and higher insurance costs could raise the price of that trip by millions. But with every passing day, the world is learning to live without the Gulf’s seaborne...

I am angry. I’ve been relentlessly scrolling through social media and sundry reports tracking Marco Rubio’s statements throughout the day at various forums during his visit of India. It is Sunday, Day 2 of his four-day sojourn, and he has already kicked up quite a storm, telling the audience at an event in US embassy in New Delhi to mark America’s 250th Independence Day celebrations that “one of those relationships”… he is “so excited about going in to the 21st century, given the challenges and the opportunities of this new era, is India… one of those countries that I know...

A U.S. Court of Appeals has paused a ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) that had struck down President Trump’s second round of tariffs. They have issued a short-term administrative stay on the CIT's ruling, although they are considering a longer one. The new set of tariffs was immediately enacted following the Supreme Court’s decision invalidating the original Liberation Day tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and put a baseline 10 percent tariff on all U.S. trading partners. The new tariffs were originally blocked last Friday.

Trump heads to Beijing hoping personal ties with Xi can ease tensions but Iran, tariffs, Taiwan and China’s expanding global influence have complicated prospects for meaningful breakthroughs at the summit… Beijing’s deep economic relationship with Tehran, especially its dependence on Iranian oil — has placed China in a delicate position as Washington seeks broader regional support… Trump’s first presidency was dominated by tariff battles with China, many of which reshaped global trade flows even after some measures were later struck down in US courts… While a temporary trade truce last year reduced some pressure, the underlying disputes remain unresolved... The...

The U.S. Court of International Trade dealt a blow to the 10 percent global import tax that President Donald Trump imposed after losing on tariffs at the Supreme Court. A specialized federal court in New York delivered a new blow to President Donald Trump’s effort to impose widespread tariffs, ruling against the levies the president imposed after the Supreme Court decision in February that eliminated most of his emergency import taxes. Subscribe for unlimited access to The Post You can cancel anytime. Subscribe Thursday’s 2-1 ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade held that the...

A U.S. trade court has ruled against President Donald Trump’s 10 percent global tariffs. The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled 2-1 that a 1970s law doesn’t allow the president to enact sweeping tariffs worldwide. The State of Oregon, a spice company called Burlap and Barrel, and a toy company named “Basic Fun Inc.” challenged the tariffs. Article 1, Section eight of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to levy duties, collect taxes, and more. Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 gives some of that power to the president. It allows the president to impose temporary surcharges...

President Trump announced Friday he would soon raise tariffs to 25% on vehicles imported from the European Union, claiming the bloc was non-compliant with its US trade deal. “I am pleased to announce that, based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the United States,” he said in a post to Truth Social. Companies that build vehicles in the United States will be exempt from the tariff, he added. “Many Automobile and Truck...

Ford Motor Company says it will earn more money this year than previously expected after receiving a larger tariff refund than cross-town rival General Motors (GM), with both brands now forecasting improved financial results. Ford reported it will receive a one-off tariff refund of $US1.3 billion, nearly three times the $US500 million that GM expects to be refunded. The automaker also said it has effectively halved its expected tariff costs for 2026 to $US1 billion, due to both the refunds and its lower reliance on imports into the US, where it builds 83 per cent of its North American model...

Following direct remarks from both Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, a triggered Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says the U.S. will not be permitted to dictate terms of the USMCA renegotiation, now scheduled for formal talks with Mexico only beginning May 25th. According to the Canadian leadership they do not need the United States in order to maintain their economy. The unfortunate people of Canada are very close to finding out exactly what that level of arrogance delivers. USTR Jamieson Greer was just in Mexico meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and the Mexican trade...

Businesses can begin filing for tariff refunds on Monday as the federal government starts unwinding billions of dollars in import duties imposed by the Trump administration under emergency powers, opening the door to what could be one of the largest repayments to importers in U.S. history.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb says he exchanges messages with Prime Minister Mark Carney almost every day. Stubb is in Ottawa for his first official bilateral meetings with Canada's prime minister. The pair are working to develop trade and defence ties, according to Carney's office. "With shared interests, values and a commitment to international security, I look forward to hosting President Stubb to deepen our partnership to create stability, security and prosperity for both our peoples," Carney wrote in a statement. "With shared interests, values and a commitment to international security, I look forward to hosting President Stubb to deepen our...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has called for a disclosure by Congress members after observing that the Nasdaq call volume spiked minutes before President Donald Trump‘s announcement on a tariff pause. What Happened: Trump announced a pause in the tariffs in a Truth Social post around 1:18 p.m. ET on Wednesday. However, the data shared by Spencer Hakimian, the founder of Tolou Capital Management and Unusual Whales, a popular social media commentator and online suite for data feeds and tools on options flows, showed that call volumes for various contracts started spiking around 1:00 p.m. ET. AOC, in an X post, said...

A year ago Thursday, President Trump raised the average effective tariff rate to 22.5%, and proclaimed April 2 “Liberation Day,” which would “forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn.” Financial markets convulsed. Within a week, the president began suspending and modifying his tariffs. By the time the Supreme Court ruled that tariffs issued under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unlawful, the average effective rate had fallen to 11.6%, still higher than at any point between World War II and Liberation Day. Convinced that his tariffs were “quickly building the greatest economy in the history of...

The Trump administration is preparing to impose new tariffs on branded drugs from pharmaceutical companies that have not struck landmark deals with the president to lower their U.S. drug prices, CNBC has learned. Patented medications and their active ingredients would be hit with a 100% tariff, according to a draft of the document obtained by CNBC. But there are pathways for drugmakers to reduce or avoid the levies if they move their manufacturing to the U.S. or are negotiating deals with the administration. The proposal is not final, and it is unclear when the Trump administration may announce it, though...

The price of coffee is increasing faster than any other household grocery, and it’s not just tariffs driving the surge — bad weather, war and a frenzy of market traders are also to blame for the rise. Coffee prices have spiked by a stunning 18.4% in the last year, according to federal data from February. Most other household spending items — from groceries to cars to haircuts — don’t close to that increase rate, figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show. Those increases have affected both producers and consumers, and reflect a trend that has been running wild since...

ransomnote: Below are several of John A Konrad V's detailed posts. There are another 14 posts in this thread series at the link which I did not copy.Here's the source of the x.com thread posts below:DataRepublican (small r) repostedJohn Ʌ Konrad V@johnkonradLet's unpack this..What if the White House has no intention of reopening the Strait of Hormuz?What if this war is really about ships & tariffs?I had a long discussion with senior DOE official yesterday on background. I can’t share any details but it’s clear everyone’s Strait of Hormuz calculus is wrong.We need to go back to the drawing boards.That's...

The US Department of the Treasury completed a record $14.7 billion debt buyback operation on March 10, 2026 with settlement on March 11, 2026. This marks the largest single Treasury buyback in history. The operation targeted nominal coupon securities maturing between April 15, 2026, and February 29, 2028. The Treasury had announced a maximum par amount of $15 billion to be redeemed, but accepted $14.697 billion in par value from offers totaling nearly $41 billion submitted by participants. This buyback is part of the Treasury’s regular debt management strategy, which includes: Improving liquidity in the massive US Treasury market over...

Florsheim, the shoe brand President Donald Trump has been widely reported to favor and gift to allies, is owned by a parent company that is suing his administration over tariffs imposed during his second term. Weyco Group Inc., which owns Florsheim Shoe Company, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in December challenging the legality of those tariffs and seeking refunds for duties it says were unlawfully collected.