Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday arrived in Berlin for talks with the German chancellor and virtual meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and other European leaders ahead of Friday’s planned summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has convened the virtual meetings in an attempt to make sure European and Ukraine’s leaders are heard ahead of the summit in Alaska, where Trump and Putin are expected to discuss a path toward ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy and the Europeans have been sidelined from that summit. German government spokesperson Steffen Meyer said the intention of Wednesday’s meetings was to “make clear the position of the Europeans.” Zelenskyy is due to meet with European leaders first, in preparation for a virtual call with Trump and Vice President JD Vance about an hour later. A call among leaders of countries involved in the “coalition of the willing” — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — will take place last. The Ukrainian leader on Wednesday said his government has had over 30 conversations with partners ahead of the summit in Alaska, but reiterated his doubt that Putin would negotiate in good faith. Writing on his official Telegram channel, Zelenskyy said there was “currently no sign that the Russians are preparing to end the war,” and urged Ukraine’s partners in the United States and Europe to coordinate efforts and “force Russia to peace.” “Pressure must be applied on Russia for an honest peace. We must take the experience of Ukraine and our partners to prevent deception by Russia,” Zelenskyy said. The stakes for Europe Trump has said he wants to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year, describing Friday’s summit as “a feel-out meeting” where he can assess the Russian leader’s intentions. Yet Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He has also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender. European allies have pushed for Ukraine’s involvement in any peace talks, fearful that discussions that exclude Kyiv could otherwise favor Moscow. Trump on Monday ducked repeated chances to say that he would push for Zelenskyy to take part in his discussions with Putin, and was dismissive of Zelenskyy and his need to be part of an effort to seek peace. Trump said that following Friday’s summit, a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders could be arranged, or that it could also be a meeting with “Putin and Zelenskyy and me.” The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia’s energy might to try to intimidate the European Union, might secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them. The overarching fear of many European countries is that Putin will set his sights on one of them next if he wins in Ukraine. Land concessions a non-starter for Kyiv Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region that it still controls as part of a ceasefire deal, a proposal the leader categorically rejected. Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would not give up any territory it controls, saying that would be unconstitutional and would […]
There was an NYPD officer-involved shooting on Tuesday afternoon in Flatbush. The incident occurred at 533 Ocean Avenue near Church Avenue. A gun was recovered, and one suspect was transported to a nearby hospital. No officers were injured.
Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz on Monday renews his threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warning the Islamic Republic’s ruler to “lift his eyes to the sky and listen carefully to every buzz” — an apparent reference to Israeli drones — and reviving his threat to assassinate him. The threat came in response to what Katz said was Iranian propaganda graphic circulating in Hebrew, labeling senior Israeli officials as assassination targets. The list included Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar, and Katz himself — identified in the graphic as “Terror Minister Israel Katz.” Katz said the image was a knockoff of Israeli kill-notice graphics issued during the June 12-day Israel-Iran war, when Jerusalem struck dozens of senior Iranian military figures in Tehran. It was unclear how widely the Iranian version circulated before Katz reposted it. In his post on X, Katz warned Khamenei that “participants of the ‘Red Wedding’ are waiting for him,” invoking the code name for Israel’s opening blitz in the June war. That operation, modeled after an infamous massacre scene from a TV show, killed roughly 30 senior Iranian commanders, including the country’s three top generals, and crippled Iran’s command structure for nearly a day. Katz has repeatedly threatened to eliminate Khamenei. In late July, he warned that “our long arm will again reach Tehran and with even greater force — and this time to you personally. Do not threaten, lest you be harmed.” During the June war, Katz said Israel actively sought to assassinate Khamenei but was unable to locate him, calling the supreme leader a “modern Hitler” whose continued existence posed an existential threat to Israel. Multiple reports during the conflict claimed Israel had an opportunity to kill Khamenei in the war’s opening hours but that U.S. President Donald Trump vetoed the strike. Trump later hinted at such a decision, writing on June 17: “We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.” Israeli officials have been divided on whether such an opportunity truly existed, with some denying the reports outright and others refusing to comment. Tensions between Jerusalem and Tehran have remained high since the June conflict, which Israel launched claiming to neutralize an imminent nuclear and missile threat. Iranian state media has since amplified messages vilifying Netanyahu, including a new Tehran billboard in Persian calling him “Hitanyahu” and, in Hebrew, “Germany’s Nazi of today.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Apparently, man’s best friend is now public enemy number one in the war on climate change. That’s one of the headline takeaways from a new study published by the National Academy of Sciences, which asked Americans to rank the climate impact of various personal choices — from ditching plane flights to swapping lightbulbs. The top three “most effective” actions, according to the scientists? Avoiding flights, using renewable electricity, and… not getting a dog. The reasoning? Fido’s a meat eater. And meat, especially beef, is a high-emissions business thanks to methane-belching livestock and deforested grazing land. In other words, golden retrievers’ kibble habit is apparently dooming the planet. “People just don’t associate pets with carbon emissions,” said Jiaying Zhao, a psychology and sustainability professor at the University of British Columbia. Zhao, notably, owns one dog herself — plus three rabbits, which she assured reporters don’t come close to the emissions of her carnivorous companion. Study co-author Madalina Vlasceanu of Stanford University says most people misjudge what matters. Folks tend to pat themselves on the back for recycling or swapping lightbulbs, she explained, but those actions rank far below avoiding air travel, cutting meat consumption — or pet abstinence — when it comes to carbon savings. This is partly because we can see ourselves recycling, while emissions from flights or dog chow are invisible. And marketing campaigns, she added, have pushed feel-good but low-impact habits, instead of tackling more politically fraught targets like flights, steaks, and Labradors. For perspective, the study notes that a single round-trip economy-class flight from New York to Los Angeles emits over 1,300 pounds of CO₂ per passenger. That’s roughly equivalent to giving up all meat for a year or parking your car for more than three months. Even Zhao, who champions the finding, admits she hasn’t exactly gone pet-free. Instead, she feeds her dog seafood and turkey to keep his “carbon pawprint” down. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israel’s Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that a two-year-old toddler who has been hospitalized for several weeks and connected to an ECMO after contracting measles passed today at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. Hadassah Ein Kerem stated, “The toddler who was evacuated to the pediatric intensive care unit at Hadassah a few weeks ago arrived in critical condition after being connected to the ECMO machine and transferred from Shaare Tzedek to Hadassah. The toddler (unvaccinated) contracted measles and as a result suffered from a secondary disease of streptococcus, which caused severe pneumonia. For weeks he was treated in the pediatric intensive care unit as the doctors fought for his life. Unfortunately, this morning the unit’s doctors had to pronounce his death after his body systems collapsed.” Another measles patient, a one-year-old toddler who is also connected to an ECMO machine and has been treated in the pediatric intensive care unit for several weeks, is still in very serious condition. Since the beginning of the measles outbreak in Israel about three months ago, 503 patients have been diagnosed, of whom 187 are active patients. Most of the patients who were diagnosed recently are from the Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh areas, and most of the hospitalized patients are unvaccinated children. As of today, 12 children are hospitalized, all under the age of six. Three of them are in intensive care, one of whom is connected to ECMO. All hospitalized children are unvaccinated, except for two cases that are still under investigation. Eighty-one percent of the patients are children and most were unvaccinated. The Ministry of Health calls on parents to complete routine vaccinations, especially the measles vaccine. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Amazon is now rolling out a service where its Prime members can order their blueberries and milk at the same time as their batteries and other basic items. The online juggernaut said Wednesday that customers in more than 1,000 cities and towns now have access to fresh groceries with its free Same-Day Delivery on orders over $25 for Prime members, with plans to reach over 2,300 by the end of the year. The company said that if an order doesn’t meet the minimum, members can still choose same-day delivery for a $2.99 fee. For customers without a Prime membership, the service is available with a $12.99 fee, regardless of order size. In the past, Prime subscribers’ grocery orders were fulfilled through Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods. The expansion is expected to put more pressure on grocery delivery services offered by such rivals as Walmart, Instacart and Target. (AP)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has come under attack, mainly from his own party and its voter base, following his announcement last week that he is imposing a partial arms embargo on Israel due to the war in Gaza, a move that astonished Israelis and Germans alike, Ynet reported According to reports, even Merz’s close advisers were shocked by his announcement. Alexander Hoffmann, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU) faction in Bavaria, slammed Merz for the decision, which he described as contentious and unilateral. “Our party wasn’t involved, and it demands at least some explanation,” Hoffmann said. Former Interior Minister and CSU honorary chairman Horst Seehofer lambasted the decision as a “misguided foreign policy mistake with far-reaching consequences.” CSU parliamentarian Stefan Pilsinger made similar statements, stressing the benefits Germany gains from security cooperation with Israel, especially in air defense and intelligence. MP Karsten Müller, a member of Merz’s party, also condemned the move, stating on X, “This decision disregards the military and security cooperation that strengthens Germany’s army and NATO.” Berlin’s outgoing culture senator, Joe Chialo, also a member of Merz’s party, wrote in Bild that withholding arms from Israel is arrogant and hypocritical. “If Berlin or Munich were attacked, we’d beg for the Iron Dome. This embargo betrays our core values.” Many social media users condemned Merz for withholding weapons from Israel at a critical time, with one user terming it a “blow to a democratic ally.” Another user asked how Merz would respond if Israel restricted Germany’s use of weapons against Russia. Other users expressed concerns about possible Israeli retaliatory moves. Volker Beck, chair of the Bundestag’s Germany-Israel relations committee, warned about “German arrogance,” elaborating that Israel’s $260 million deal with Elbit Systems for anti-missile defenses could be at risk. “If Israel limits arms to Germany, our air defense future looks grim,” he said. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Military police officers arrived in the early hours of Wednesday morning at the home of a yeshiva bochur, 23, in Bat Yam and arrested him for draft-dodging. He was the fourth yeshivah bochur to be arrested at his home in central Israel in recent weeks. The bochur is receiving legal advice from a lawyer from the Ezram U’Meginim organization. Several Chareidi media outlets reported that the bochur received army deferments over the years and only recently stopped responding to draft notices, in accordance with the instructions of Gedolei HaDor. However, according to a Ynet report, the bochur is a Ba’al Teshuvah who only recently began learning in a yeshivah in Kiryat Melachi. The report said that IDF sources said that the bochur began the recruitment process in the past, but after becoming religious, stopped responding to IDF notices and disappeared. According to the IDF, the arrest was part of a routine enforcement operation and not one focused on Chareidi deserters, and there is no intention to carry out such enforcement. It should be noted that the recent arrests of yeshivah bochurim were carried out only in mixed cities, with no arrests taking place in Chareidi cities. A young avreich from Ashkeon was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday on his way to a vacation abroad but was later released to his home after a disciplinary hearing. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
The Admorim of Rachmastrivka, Skulen–Yerushalyim, and Zvhil participated in this evening’s protest outside Prison 10 where Yeshiva Bochurim are currently incarcerated due to IDF draft evasion.
President Donald Trump’stax and spending law will result in less income for the poorest Americans while sending money to the richest, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported Monday. The CBO estimates that the 10% of poorest Americans will lose roughly $1,200 a year as they experience restrictions on government programs like Medicaid and food assistance, while the richest 10% of Americans will see their income increase by $13,600 from tax cuts. Overall, American households will see more income from the tax cuts in the legislation, including middle income households, but the largest benefit will go to the top 10% of earners. The CBO’s report comes as lawmakers are away from Washington, many taking their messages about the bill to voters. Republicans muscled the legislation — deemed “the big, beautiful bill” by Trump — through Congress in July. Democrats all vehemently opposed the legislation, warning that its tax cuts and spending priorities would come at the expense of vital government aid programs and a ballooning national debt. “This really is a big, beautiful bill for billionaires, but for the poor and the working class in this country, you are actually poorer,” said Rep. Brendan Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, in an MSNBC interview on Monday. Changes to eligibility for government food assistance under the law will impact millions of Americans, the CBO found. Roughly 2.4 million people won’t be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program under new work requirements for many recipients. Low-income Americans could also see their income reduced through further restrictions on food aid and other types of assistance included in the law. Already, more than 10 million Americans are expected to lose health insurance by 2034 due to changes to Medicaid under the law. Following release of the report, Rep. Jason Smith, the Republican chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he took issue with CBO’s methodology, repeating criticism he has made in the past. “CBO has a troubled track record of getting its estimates incorrect and, like Democrats, is biased in favor of more federal spending and higher taxes,” Smith said on social media. “Don’t buy it.” Republicans have been eager to sell the upsides of the legislation — arguing that the tax cuts will spur economic growth — while they are on a monthlong summer break from Washington. But those who have held townhalls in their home districts have often been greeted by an earful from voters and activists. “Tax the rich,” the crowd in Lincoln, Neb. chanted last week as Republican Rep. Michael Flood attempted to defend the bill. Still, Trump has been undeterred. “President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is putting America First like never before, delivering huge savings for hardworking families, boosting our economy, and securing our borders,” said White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson in a statement last week. (AP)
HaGaon Rabbi Yitzchak Kolodetzky, son-in-law of Sar HaTorah HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l, delivers a passionate address at the mass protest outside Prison 10 where Yeshiva Bochurim are currently incarcerated due to IDF draft evasion.
Mexico expels 26 cartel figures wanted by US authorities in deal with Trump administration Mexico has expelled 26 high-ranking cartel figures to the United States in the latest major deal with the Trump administration as American authorities ratchet up pressure on criminal networks sending drugs across the border, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday. The cartel leaders and other prominent figures were being flown from Mexico to the U.S. on Tuesday, the person said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the operation that was still ongoing. Those being handed over to U.S. custody include Abigael González Valencia, a leader of “Los Cuinis,” a group closely aligned with notorious cartel Jalisco New Generation or CJNG. Another person, Roberto Salazar, is accused of participating in the 2008 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy.
EPIC FAIL! In a scene that could have been ripped from a slapstick crime reel—if it weren’t so destructive—a Chareidi youth stormed into the “Sabaphone” cell phone store on Shmuel HaNavi Street Tuesday carrying a bucket of revolting, foul-smelling liquid. Security footage shows the young man brazenly dumping the noxious contents onto the shop floor and merchandise before his plan backfired—literally—when he slipped on the slime and crashed to the ground. Store employees quickly moved in, kicking him out of store as the stench filled the air and the damage piled up.
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles has revoked the EMT license plates from a vehicle bearing a large swastika and antisemitic graffiti, after a formal request from Assemblyman Kalman Yeger (D-Brooklyn). In a letter sent Tuesday to Yeger, DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said the agency was “appalled by the hate speech portrayed on the vehicle” and “abhors antisemitism in all its forms.” Schroeder confirmed that the DMV had issued the registrant a new set of standard, non-EMT plates. The action follows weeks of public outrage after photos circulated showing the car, marked with New York EMT plate number 544, covered in Nazi imagery in Closter, New Jersey. YWN sources identified the owner as John Kanjiram, a former EMT whose certification expired in 2015. In his initial letter earlier this month, Yeger pressed the DMV to investigate how someone without current EMT credentials could still retain specialty plates that might falsely imply emergency authority. “I’m sure there will be some free-speech nonsense about a vehicle owner’s ‘right’ to paint his vehicle any way he’d like, but I don’t believe he has the right to a New York EMT plate—particularly if he is not actually an EMT,” Yeger wrote. The DMV acted within three days, replacing the EMT plates with standard ones. “I deeply appreciate the quick action of DMV personnel, particularly Commissioner Mark Schroeder, to rectify what could have become a dangerous situation – a vehicle adorned with hate imagery while bearing the appearance of licensure as an emergency-use vehicle,” Yeger said. The controversy also drew condemnation from Closter officials. Mayor John C. Glidden Jr. and the Borough Council issued a statement denouncing “overt antisemitic expressions” and reaffirming the town’s commitment to diversity and tolerance. Yeger personally thanked the mayor for his response. “I am grateful to Mayor Glidden for immediately reassuring his neighbors that they have his support,” said Yeger. “It’s important for all to know that the swastika car’s owner vile hate has no place in Closter, or anywhere else.” Yeger emphasized that public vigilance was key to achieving the outcome. “Seeing something and saying something is what achieved this result. I appreciate all who took time to report this to the appropriate authorities. I continue to urge the local police and prosecutor’s office to look into whether crimes have been committed by the swastika car’s owner,” he said. While both Yeger and the DMV acknowledged that the First Amendment protects the display of hate symbols, they noted that law enforcement can and should act when public safety or registration rules are implicated. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The teenage gunman in the 2022 Robb Elementary School massacre entered school in Uvalde, Texas, as a bright learner before years of escalating academic and behavioral troubles that preceded him opening fire on a fourth-grade classroom, according to records released Monday. The school files reveal in greater detail 18-year-old Salvador Ramos’ downward spiral that authorities have well documented since the attack that killed 19 children and two teachers. One assessment shows Ramos described as a “motivated thinker and learner” in kindergarten, but by middle school, he was suspended or written up multiple times for harassment, bullying and failing to meet the minimum statewide testing standards. In October 2021 — seven months before the shooting — Ramos withdrew from high school because of “poor academic performance, lack of attendance” and records showed he had failing grades in nearly all classes. The records are among thousands of pages released by the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District following a yearslong legal battle to withhold documents connected to one of the deadliest classroom attacks in U.S. history. Many of the documents offer scant new revelations surrounding the attack and the gunman, whose troubled history has been laid out in previous state and federal investigations. Nor do the records — which do not include any video from the day of the shooting — shed light on the hesitant and widely criticized police response. The documents include the personnel file of former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo, one of two officers facing criminal charges over the slow law enforcement response, and emails to and from school administrators in the days and weeks after the attack. At 11:40 a.m. on the day of the shooting, Arredondo received a text from a school district secretary noting that another employee reported hearing gunfire outside the school. “They went ahead and locked themselves down,” the text to Arredondo read. Arredondo and Adrian Gonzales, another former Uvalde school district officer, are the only responding officers who face criminal charges for their actions that day. They both have pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment and are scheduled for trial later this year. Media organizations, including The Associated Press, sued the district and county in 2022 for the release of their records related to the mass shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers. A Texas appeals court in July upheld a lower court’s ruling that the records must be released. The records are not the public’s first glimpse inside one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings and the slow law enforcement response that has been widely condemned. Last year, city officials in Uvalde released police body cam videos and recordings of 911 calls. Shooter’s records Salvador Ramos’ academic records showed a student who as a kindergartener was described as “a remarkable little boy” who was a “very hard worker,” but he went on to be suspended multiple times in junior high and withdrew from high school because of “poor academic performance.” The records showed a student spiraling further into academic and behavioral problems, cut classes and confrontations with teachers through middle school. By ninth grade, he was classified as “at risk.” The records align with previous findings released by investigators, including a 2022 Texas House report that laid out how the gunman “turned down a dark path” after dropping out of school and became […]
Billionaire SpaceX, Tesla and X owner Elon Musk says he plans to sue Apple for not featuring X and its Grok artificial intelligence chatbot app in its top recommended apps in its App Store. Musk posted the comments on X late Monday, saying, “Hey @Apple App Store, why do you refuse to put either X or Grok in your ‘Must Have’ section when X is the #1 news app in the world and Grok is #5 among all apps? Are you playing politics? What gives? Inquiring minds want to know.” Grok is owned by Musk’s artificial intelligence startup xAI. Musk went on to say that “Apple is behaving in a manner that makes it impossible for any AI company besides OpenAI to reach #1 in the App Store, which is an unequivocal antitrust violation. xAI will take immediate legal action.” He gave no further details. There was no immediate comment from Apple, which has faced various allegations of antitrust violations in recent years. A federal judge recently found that Apple violated a court injunction in an antitrust case filed by Fortnite maker Epic Games. Regulators of the 27-nation European Union fined Apple 500 million euros in April for breaking competition rules by preventing app makers from pointing users to cheaper options outside its App Store. Last year, the EU fined the U.S. tech giant nearly $2 billion for unfairly favoring its own music streaming service by forbidding rivals like Spotify from telling users how they could pay for cheaper subscriptions outside of iPhone apps. As of early Tuesday, the top app in Apple’s App Store was TikTok, followed by Tinder, Duolingo, YouTube and Bumble. Open AI’s ChatGPT was ranked 7th. (AP)
A longtime Democratic intelligence committee staffer repeatedly warned the FBI over the course of six years that then–Rep. Adam Schiff authorized the leaking of classified material to damage Donald Trump during the now-debunked Trump–Russia collusion probe, according to newly disclosed FBI interview reports obtained by Just the News. The whistleblower — a career intelligence officer who worked for Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee for more than a decade — told federal agents in multiple interviews, starting in 2017, that Schiff personally convened staff meetings to greenlight leaks of classified information “derogatory” to Trump. In one meeting, according to a May 2023 interview, Schiff allegedly told his team the material would be used “to indict President Trump.” The staffer, who described himself as a friend to both Schiff and former Republican Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, warned the leaks were “unethical,” “illegal,” and “treasonous.” He said Schiff dismissed the concerns, suggesting he would be protected under the Constitution’s speech and debate clause — a position the Department of Justice ultimately cited when declining to investigate. No official legal opinion has been made public supporting that interpretation. The whistleblower’s warnings, documented in at least six FBI interviews, reveal a calculated strategy by senior Democratic staff to weaponize classified information to drive media narratives and “topple the administration.” FBI memos describe him detailing a “systematic process” in which staff prepared notes for Schiff, who then decided what to leak. The claims go beyond Schiff. The whistleblower accused Rep. Eric Swalwell (D–Calif.) of having “a reputation for leaking classified information” and suggested Swalwell was involved in at least one high-profile disclosure. He also alleged that targeting Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was an explicit committee priority. Despite the seriousness of the allegations, DOJ prosecutors repeatedly declined to move forward, citing constitutional immunity for members of Congress. Some of the officials who made those decisions remain in senior posts, according to Just the News. The revelations arrive at a politically fraught moment for Schiff, now a U.S. senator, who is already facing a Justice Department referral for possible mortgage fraud. They also rekindle scrutiny of his central role in promoting the discredited Steele dossier and pushing false public claims of “ample evidence” of Trump–Russia collusion — claims later discredited by Special Counsel John Durham and the DOJ Inspector General. FBI Director Kash Patel, who has provided the memos to Congress, accused Schiff and others of “weaponizing intelligence and law enforcement for political gain,” warning that such conduct “eroded public trust in our institutions.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
President Donald Trump extended a trade truce with China for another 90 days Monday, at least delaying once again a dangerous showdown between the world’s two biggest economies. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he signed the executive order for the extension, and that “all other elements of the Agreement will remain the same.” Beijing at the same time also announced the extension of the tariff pause, according to the Ministry of Commerce. The previous deadline was set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Had that happened the U.S. could have ratcheted up taxes on Chinese imports from an already high 30%, and Beijing could have responded by raising retaliatory levies on U.S. exports to China. The pause buys time for the two countries to work out some of their differences, perhaps clearing the way for a summit later this year between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, and it has been welcomed by the U.S. companies doing business with China. Sean Stein, president of the U.S.-China Business Council, said the extension is “critical” to give the two governments time to negotiate a trade agreement that U.S. businesses hope would improve their market access in China and provide the certainty needed for companies to make medium- and long-term plans. “Securing an agreement on fentanyl that leads to a reduction in U.S. tariffs and a rollback of China’s retaliatory measures is acutely needed to restart U.S. agriculture and energy exports,” Stein said. China said Tuesday it would extend relief to American companies who were placed on an export control list and an unreliable entities list. After Trump initially announced tariffs in April, China restricted exports of dual-use goods to some American companies, while banning others from trading or investing in China. The Ministry of Commerce said it would stop those restrictions for some companies, while giving others another 90-day extension. Reaching a pact with China remains unfinished business for Trump, who has already upended the global trading system by slapping double-digit taxes – tariffs – on almost every country on earth. The European Union, Japan and other trading partners agreed to lopsided trade deals with Trump, accepting once unthinkably U.S. high tariffs (15% on Japanese and EU imports, for instance) to ward off something worse. Trump’s trade policies have turned the United States from one of the most open economies in the world into a protectionist fortress. The average U.S. tariff has gone from around 2.5% at the start of the year to 18.6%, highest since 1933, according to the Budget Lab at Yale University. But China tested the limits of a U.S. trade policy built around using tariffs as a cudgel to beat concessions out of trading partners. Beijing had a cudgel of its own: cutting off or slowing access to its rare earths minerals and magnets – used in everything from electric vehicles to jet engines. In June, the two countries reached an agreement to ease tensions. The United States said it would pull back export restrictions on computer chip technology and ethane, a feedstock in petrochemical production. And China agreed to make it easier for U.S. firms to get access to rare earths. “The U.S. has realized it does not have the upper hand,’’ said Claire Reade, senior counsel at Arnold & Porter and former assistant […]
