Free Republic

President Donald Trump told Time magazine in an interview published Friday that he will “very willingly” lead the U.S. into attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities if the regime does not make a deal to stop its program. Trump was, as usual, bullish about the prospects of making a deal and avoiding war, especially given the economic pressure he has restored on the regime. He added that he had not stopped Israel from attacking Iran on its own, but had not made it “comfortable” for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make that choice. Asked if Netanyahu would “drag” the U.S. into...

If cleanliness is next to godliness, then NYC’s basically heaven on Earth (kinda). Despite its vermin, trash-lined streets and only-in-New York smells, the Big Apple did not rank as one of the top 10 “Dirtiest Cities in America.” It’s a miracle on 34th Street — and it’s not even Christmas. “From clean drinking water to sewage disposal, littered streets to missed garbage pick-ups, we analyzed 12.3 million sanitation-related 311 complaints in a series of U.S. cities to reveal which metropolises need to clean up their act,” wrote study authors from HouseFresh, an indoor air quality imprint.

This could really take a bite out of the Big Apple. The secondhand apparel industry may be dodging duties on imported goods – but the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on thrift shops may still bring a wrecking ball to businesses across the city, resellers told The Post. “There’s a lot of rhetoric that everybody’s going to turn to second-hand [clothing] when wallets tighten,” said Alexis Krase, owner of plus-size secondhand store Plus BKLYN in Greenpoint. “But overall, I think that ultimately means people are also being more critical of spending dollars in general: Overall sales will be down.” Krase,...

Don’t go by the defiant rhetoric, China is hurting and in deep trouble over Trump’s tariffsFor the purpose of writing this column, I had to do some research as I always do. What struck me was how effortlessly China is winning the battle of narratives. It’s all a little confusing. We are apparently in the middle of a trade war, caught in the crossfire as the world’s two largest economies slap each other with tariffs in an escalatory spiral with the Donald Trump administration imposing 145% levies on most Chinese goods this month. That’s more than a little concerning for...

In a bold and somewhat cryptic statement that’s turning heads and raising eyebrows across the globe, White House tech chief Michael Kratsios claimed the United States has cutting-edge technology capable of “bending time and space.” Kratsios, who serves as Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, made the comment during a keynote speech at the Endless Frontiers Retreat in Austin, Texas. Just weeks into his new role, Kratsios wasted no time painting a picture of American innovation that, if true, would in all likelihood place us light-years ahead of our global competitors. “We seem to have...

NEW DELHI, April 11 (Reuters) - India and the U.S. have finalised terms of reference for talks over the first part of a bilateral trade deal, an Indian trade official said on Friday, adding it was possible that a "win-win" deal could take shape in the next 90 days. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a 90-day pause on most tariff hikes for major trading partners including India, while raising levies on China, providing temporary relief for Indian exporters.

“Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary argued during a recent interview that President Trump’s tariffs against China are necessary because the U.S. has to train Beijing “like a puppy” to not “steal” intellectual property. “It’s not just trade tariffs. It’s you cheating and stealing. We’re tired of it, and you’ve got to stop. They actually don’t care that they steal IP [intellectual property] — they don’t. They think it’s OK,” O’Leary said during a Friday morning appearance on CNN. “It’s almost … the analogy is like a puppy when you’re training it. You stick the nose in the poo poo, and...

US stocks fell on Friday as China struck back at President Trump’s latest tariff with a total 125% tax — further escalating trade tensions between the two nations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 254 points, or 0.6%, after plummeting 1,014.79 the day before. The index has been on a wild ride over the past week as markets struggle to absorb back-and-forth trade war news, plunging more than 4,000 points after Trump revealed his so-called “reciprocal” tariffs last Wednesday, then recovering more than 1,500 points this week after he announced a 90-day pause on most of his harsher tariffs. The...

Lip-Bu Tan, the man chosen to lead Intel, the U.S.'s largest chip maker, has invested in hundreds of Chinese tech firms, including at least eight with links to the People's Liberation Army, according to a Reuters review of Chinese and U.S. corporate filings. The appointment last month of Tan, one of Silicon Valley's longest-running investors in Chinese tech, as CEO of a company that manufactures cutting-edge chips for the U.S. Department of Defense raised questions among some investors Reuters' review found that Tan controls more than 40 Chinese companies and funds as well as minority stakes in over 600 via...

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a committee full of skeptical senators Tuesday that escalating trade tensions won’t “be resolved overnight,” but insisted the US economy is strong enough to withstand President Trump’s duty regime. “Our trade deficit, driven by these nonreciprocal conditions, is a manifestation [of] the loss of the nation’s ability to make, to grow, to build, and the president recognizes the urgency of the moment,” Greer told the Senate Finance Committee. “Our large and persistent trade deficit has been over 30 years in the making, and it will not be resolved overnight, but all of this is...

Tuesday on FBN’s “Mornings with Maria,” Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) acknowledged the short-term pain associated with the Trump administration’s tariff policy but acknowledged there would be tangible benefits in the long term. According to the Louisiana Republican lawmaker, the proof was in other nations’ efforts to negotiate a resolution with the United States. “[T]he problem is, is, with all of this uncertainty around tariffs, this bill becomes so much more important, just for clarity for the markets, so that we don’t see a deterioration in market value. The White House says almost 70 countries have reached out to negotiate on...

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said Tuesday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” that it was “absolutely a fallacy” that the United States is getting ripped off because they have a trade deficit with another country. Paul said, “I mean, the whole debate is so fundamentally backwards and upside down. It’s based on a fallacy, and the fallacy is this, that somehow, in a trade, someone must lose. That somehow, when you trade with someone, there’s a loser and someone’s taking advantage of you, and China is ripping you off, or Japan is ripping you off. It’s absolutely a fallacy. Every trade that...

8 Apr 2025 U.S. President Donald Trump shot down the European Union’s offer of a zero-tariff trade relationship on some goods, demanding that the bloc do more to rectify the significant trading imbalance, such as purchasing more American-produced energy. With markets putting pressure on politicians worldwide, leading Eurocrats came out on Monday, attempting to appease Washington with concessions. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that Brussels had relayed an offer of “zero-for-zero” tariffs on industrial goods, while trade envoy Maroš Šefčovič suggested a “boost in strategic areas” like semiconductors and minerals. 8 Apr 2025 U.S. President Donald Trump...

The supply of many foreign-made goods into the US is likely to grind to a halt as a result of President Trump’s tariffs, sources told The Post Monday. A baseline tariff of 10% was applied to many countries Saturday, with heftier percentages applied to the “worst offenders,” which levy high tariffs on US goods they import, in two days. Companies producing everything from toys to luxury wristwatches said they are holding off shipping goods — risking America going from the land of plenty to the land of plenty unavailable. The first luxury items to leave circulation: Jaguar, Range Rover and...

President Trump on Monday directed a powerful US national security panel to take a fresh look at Nippon Steel’s bid for US Steel to help determine if “further action” is appropriate, raising hopes for an elusive greenlight for the deal. “I direct the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States…to conduct a review of the acquisition of U.S. Steel by (Nippon Steel) to assist me in determining whether further action in this matter may be appropriate,” the memo reads. US Steel did not respond to requests for comment. Nippon Steel said it was “pleased” by the news. “We have...

Yesterday, China issued Retaliatory Tariffs of 34%, on top of their already record setting Tariffs, Non-Monetary Tariffs, Illegal Subsidization of companies, and massive long term Currency Manipulation, despite my warning that any country that Retaliates against the U.S. by issuing additional Tariffs, above and beyond their already existing long term Tariff abuse of our Nation, will be immediately met with new and substantially higher Tariffs, over and above those initially set. Therefore, if China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on...

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced he will suspend tariffs on goods imported from the US in an attempt to build a "positive relationship" with President Donald Trump's administration. The move comes days after Trump imposed 18% tariffs on Zimbabwean exports to the US. "This measure is intended to facilitate the expansion of American imports within the Zimbabwean market, while simultaneously promoting the growth of Zimbabwean exports destined for the United States," he said on X. Zimbabwe has had strained diplomatic relations with the US since it adopted a controversial land policy about 25 years ago, and because of its...

TAIPEI, April 6 (Reuters) - Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te on Sunday offered zero tariffs as the basis for talks with the U.S., pledging to remove trade barriers rather than imposing reciprocal measures and saying Taiwanese companies will raise their U.S. investments. President Donald Trump announced across-the-board import tariffs on Wednesday, with much higher duties for dozens of trading partners, including Taiwan, which runs a large trade surplus with the U.S. and faces a 32% duty on its products. The U.S. tariffs, however, do not apply to semiconductors, a major Taiwanese export.

On Friday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “On Balance,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) stated that large tariffs won’t bring back steel or auto plants to his state “in less than five or ten years. And the costs of competing, of manufacturing here in the United States are still too high.” Coons said, “There was a 100-year-old steel mill in Claymont, Delaware. We worked hard to try and save it, but, ultimately, it closed. There were two auto plants in Delaware. Ultimately, they closed. High tariffs won’t bring those plants back in less than five or ten years. And the costs of competing,...

Can the U.S. be trusted with German gold? That’s a question being asked by some German officials. Germany ranks second in gold reserves behind the U.S. It officially holds 3,352 tonnes of gold with about 1,236 tonnes (37 percent) held in Federal Reserve vaults in the U.S. Some are wondering whether holding over €100 billion in gold so far away is wise, given the geopolitical climate. European Taxpayers’ Association spokesperson Michael Jäger told The Bild that Germany should bring that gold home. “The Bundesbank and the federal government must show foresight in this phase of global political power shifts and...