Ex-FBI chief Comey pleads not guilty to false statements charges
Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to criminal charges, and his lawyer said he would file a barrage of legal challenges t...
The White House has affirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump still intends to implement new reciprocal tariff rates on April 2, despite earlier remarks from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinting at a possible delay.
A White House official stated, "The intent is to enact tariffs on April 2," emphasizing that unless trading partners equalize their tariff and non-tariff barriers—or unless the U.S. maintains higher tariffs—the new measures will go into effect as planned.
Treasury Secretary Bessent had explained on Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" that on April 2, each country would receive a reciprocal tariff number reflecting its own tariff rates, non-tariff barriers, currency practices, and other factors. "For some countries, it could be quite low, for some countries, it could be quite high," he said, adding that negotiations might help avert a "tariff wall" if countries adjust their trade barriers accordingly.
The administration expects that the tariff announcements will prompt affected nations to either negotiate in advance or voluntarily reduce their trade barriers, thereby avoiding the harsher tariffs designed to protect the U.S. economy, workers, and industries. In a bid to mitigate the economic impact, Bessent suggested that if trading partners come forward with proposals to lower their tariffs, some of the new duties might be negotiated down.
Details of the reciprocal tariff plan are still being finalized, with much of the technical work being handled by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, led by Jamieson Greer, and a team of about 200 staffers. Vice President JD Vance has also played an increasingly active role in these discussions.
The complexity of the new tariff structure is compounded by the need to factor in the different duty rates and non-tariff measures of the 186 members of the World Customs Organization. Additional challenges include accounting for regulations such as domestic content requirements and food safety standards that can disadvantage U.S. firms.
Market observers note that the administration's tariff strategy is aimed particularly at the roughly 15% of countries with the highest tariffs and substantial trade volumes with the U.S.—often dubbed the "Dirty 15." These measures come amid ongoing efforts to address what the White House sees as unfair trade practices, including currency manipulation, labor suppression, and other non-tariff barriers.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office did not immediately comment on the reciprocal tariff plan, while industry analysts remain cautious about the potential economic fallout. With the new tariffs set to trigger negotiations and possibly retaliatory measures from key trading partners, the coming days will be critical in shaping the next phase of U.S. trade policy.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
Former FBI Director James Comey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to criminal charges, and his lawyer said he would file a barrage of legal challenges to the first prosecution by the Justice Department against one of President Donald Trump's political enemies.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to attend a ministerial meeting in Paris on Thursday with representatives of Europe, the Arab world and other nations to discuss Gaza's post-conflict transition, according to three diplomatic sources.
Germany will grant police the power to shoot down rogue drones like those that have disrupted airports across Europe and that some European leaders have attributed to a hybrid war being waged by Russia.
Czech Republic election winner ANO hopes to conclude negotiations with two small parties on forming a new government by the beginning of November, party leader Andrej Babis said on Wednesday (8 October).
Türkiye on Wednesday slammed an intervention by Israeli forces against a flotilla attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza as an act of piracy and a violation of international law.
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