Free Republic

Prices climbed at an unexpectedly slow pace last month, offering a boost to President Donald Trump, whose aggressive trade policies have sparked fears of a resurgence in inflation. The Labor Department on Tuesday reported that prices rose at an annual rate of 2.3 percent, the smallest increase since early 2021. While price growth in so-called core sectors of the economy — which exclude volatile food and energy costs — remained elevated at 2.8 percent, April’s Consumer Price Index contained only scant evidence that Trump’s tariffs have meaningfully driven up the cost of living. There was broad anticipation that Trump’s levies...

On May 12, 2025, the White House issued a joint statement with China on trade, in which the countries have “paused” the trade war for 90 days. More specifically, the United States has slashed tariffs from 145 percent to an effective rate of 30 percent. China has likewise slashed tariffs from 125 percent to an effective rate of 10 percent. Tariffs remain on certain industries including steel, aluminum, and automobiles. Other licensing deals respecting rare earth minerals and semiconductors remain in place. This deal is a mistake. A 90-day pause does nothing but burn precious political capital, waste time, and...

Federal agents have arrested Utah oil magnate James Lael Jensen, his wife Kelly Anne Jensen, and two of their sons, Maxwell Sterling Jensen (aka “Max”) and Zachary Golden Jensen, in connection with a sprawling $300 MILLION smuggling and money laundering conspiracy tied to Mexican criminal organizations. Court records reveal that all four members of the Jensen family were arrested on Wednesday, April 23 — with sons Max and Zachary taken into custody in the Rio Grande Valley, while James and Kelly Jensen were apprehended at their 26,893-square-foot mansion in Sandy, Utah, reportedly worth over $9.1 million. The arrest was carried...

Rarely has an economic policy been repudiated as soundly, and as quickly, as President Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs—and by Mr. Trump’s own hand. Witness the agreement Monday morning to scale back his punitive tariffs on China—his second major retreat in less than a week. This is a win for economic reality, and for American prosperity. Make that a partial win for reality. The Administration agreed to scrap most of the 145% tariff Mr. Trump imposed on Chinese goods on April 2 and later. What remains is his new 10% global base-line tariff, plus the separate 20% levy putatively tied to...

Looking forward to The Five this afternoon on FOX, and hoping Harold Ford is on. I wonder if he will eat his words concerning his take on the tariffs.

The US and China have agreed a deal that will significantly cut the import tariffs, or taxes, both sides have imposed on one another for a 90-day period. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said both countries would lower their reciprocal tariffs by 115% for 90 days. The announcement came after the two countries held intensive talks in Switzerland over the weekend.

A yearslong malicious cyber operation spearheaded by the notorious Chinese state actor, APT 41, has siphoned off an estimated trillions in intellectual property theft from approximately 30 multinational companies within the manufacturing, energy and pharmaceutical sectors.A new report by Boston-based cybersecurity firm, Cybereason, has unearthed a malicious campaign — dubbed Operation CuckooBees — exfiltrating hundreds of gigabytes of intellectual property and sensitive data, including blueprints, diagrams, formulas, and manufacturing-related proprietary data from multiple intrusions, spanning technology and manufacturing companies in North America, Europe, and Asia. "We're talking about Blueprint diagrams of fighter jets, helicopters, and missiles," Cybereason CEO Lior Div...

The US and China have agreed on a deal to help resolve the trade war raging between the world’s two largest economies, top Trump administration officials announced Sunday. Details of the deal — struck during negotiations in Switzerland over the weekend — were not revealed, but officials teased that more information will be shared on Monday. “The U.S. has a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit, so the President declared a national emergency,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Sunday. “We’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us work toward resolving that national emergency.” President...

GENEVA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng urged on Sunday China and the United States to find proper solutions to problems, and extend the list of cooperation. He, the Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, held a high-level meeting over the weekend with U.S. lead person Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The two sides conducted in-depth, candid and constructive communication on implementing the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries on Jan. 17, and reached a series of major consensuses. He said China and...

The Trump administration’s global tariffs face their first major legal test this week when a little-known Manhattan court considers one of the president’s most sweeping assertions of executive power. A three-judge panel at the Court of International Trade will hear arguments Tuesday on whether to halt the levies, which have unleashed a trade war with the world and threaten to upend the global economy. The federal court, which has nationwide jurisdiction over tariff and trade disputes, operates for the most part in obscurity, rarely garnering a mention in major publications and staying off the radar of most attorneys. “Most lawyers...

On July 7, 1846, a contingent of Marines raised the American flag over Monterey, California, to mark a proclamation by U.S. consul Thomas Larkin that the territory was being annexed as a consequence of the war with Mexico. Much of the future state had already been taken from Mexico's nominal control by an uprising of American settlers under the Bear Flag. Victory in the Mexican War meant that the country gained Texas, California, and everything in between, comprising most of what is now New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Next to the War of Independence and the Civil...

American farmers are behind President Donald J. Trump and his relentless push to restore fairness in global trade and secure new markets for homegrown producers.According to the latest Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer:70% of farmers expect the President Trump’s tariffs to strengthen the agricultural economy in the long-term.Farmer sentiment improved in April, marked by rises in current and future expectations.The Farm Capital Investment Index rose to its highest reading since May 2021. “This month, one out of four respondents said it was a good time to make large investments, nearly double the percentage of respondents who said it was...

In February, President Donald J. Trump promised “a great trade agreement” with the United Kingdom — and today he delivered with a “breakthrough” trade deal that expands market access, curbs non-tariff barriers, and levels the playing field for American exporters.Promises made, promises kept — and he’s just getting started.It’s the first such deal under President Trump’s transformational plan to liberate Americans from globalist trade policies that make foreign countries rich while Americans get robbed. It’s all part of President Trump’s vision of economic prosperity: fair trade, historic tax cuts, deregulation, and a manufacturing revival that will cement America’s new Golden...

Canadian exports to the United States are beginning to decrease in light of the trade war. Statistics Canada announced that exports to the United States, Canada’s largest trading partner, declined 6.6% during the first month of tariffs while imports from the United States fell 2.9%. March 2025 was the second-highest recorded monthly increase in non-US trade for Canada. Exports to nations outside the US rose 24.8%. Overall exports in March 2025 reached $69.9 billion, a slight decrease from February’s $70.04 billion posting, yet volume rose by 1.8%. The United Kingdom has been purchasing unwrought (crude) gold exports from Canada this...

Ford Motor has hiked prices on three of its Mexico-produced models effective May 2, becoming one of the first major automakers to adjust sticker prices following U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. Prices on the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, Maverick pickup and Bronco Sport will increase by as much as $2,000 on some models, according to a notice sent to dealers, which was reviewed by Reuters. Ford earlier this week said Trump's trade war would add about $2.5 billion in costs for 2025, but it expects to reduce that exposure by around $1 billion. Rival General Motors said last week that...

BRUSSELS — The European Union published on Thursday a list of U.S. imports that it would target with retaliatory duties if no solution is found to end President Trump’s tariff war, which could include aircraft maker Boeing. At the same time, the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, said that it would begin legal action at the World Trade Organization over the “reciprocal tariffs” that Trump imposed on countries around the world a month ago. “The EU remains fully committed to finding negotiated outcomes with the U.S.,” commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “At the same time, we continue...

The second largest carmaker in the world will be relocating the manufacturing of its luxury brand to the United States after President Donald Trump has been encouraging car companies to do business in the US. Volkswagen Group, which is the second largest car manufacturer in the world, will be joining a number of other car manufacturers in moving production to the United States for the German automaker's luxury brand, Audi, per the Daily Mail. A spokesman for the company told the outlet, "We want to localize more strongly in the USA. To this end, we are currently examining various scenarios....

Speaking to reporters and the American people from the Oval Office Thursday morning, President Donald Trump detailed a new trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States just one month after Liberation Day. "I think it's a great deal for both parties," Trump said. "It opens up a tremendous market for for us." "I think it's going to be something very special for the UK and for the United States," he continued. 🚨President Trump announces the "historic" details of his trade deal with the U.K."The deal includes a plan that will bring the United Kingdom into the economic...

We have a big event happening tomorrow. Katie will get the official unveiling, but a major trade deal was struck between the United States and “a big, and highly respected, country.” Is it the United Kingdom? That’s been circling the rumor mill. We are in trade talks with our cousins across the pond, but they’re not the only ones. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with Chinese officials in Switzerland over the weekend. Talks with India are ongoing, but their recent armed spat with Pakistan might put those on hold. Who knows, but trade deals are being hashed out, as...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump · 2h Big News Conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M., The Oval Office, concerning a MAJOR TRADE DEAL WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF A BIG, AND HIGHLY RESPECTED, COUNTRY. THE FIRST OF MANY!!!