First Thing: Trump imposes fresh tariffs on UK, EU and dozens of other trading partners
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Shipping containers in Felixstowe port, Suffolk. The UK is among the countries facing new US tariffs. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA View image in fullscreen Shipping containers in Felixstowe port, Suffolk. The UK is among the countries facing new US tariffs. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA First Thing newsletter World news First Thing: Trump imposes fresh tariffs on UK, EU and dozens of other trading partners Measures replace 10% global duty and come after supreme court declared many of the earlier tariffs illegal. Plus, how secondhand fashion got so expensive
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Donald Trump has imposed a fresh round of tariffs on more than 80 countries to replace a 10% global duty that was due to expire, provoking a wave of criticism and protests from US allies and trading partners.
In the latest attempt to instate aggressive trade policies despite challenges by supreme court, the president has imposed tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on dozens of countries, including the UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, India, China and the 27 member states that make up the EU. In effect, it replaces the blanket 10% tariff that Trump imposed in February, after the supreme court declared that many of his earlier tariffs were illegal.
What is Trump’s justification for the tariffs? The newest tariffs, announced late last night by the US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, would fall under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, aimed against countries that engage in forced labor. Trump had said his administration would investigate unfair trading practices to impose permanent tariffs as soon as the February supreme court decision was announced.
How have the affected countries reacted to the news? The ‘forced labour’ rationale for Trump tariffs has been met with bewilderment , with some saying their labor laws are stronger than those in the US.
View image in fullscreen Bill Essayli, an assistant US attorney, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the situation. Photograph: David Swanson/Reuters Concerns are growing in southern California over a cluster of “exceptionally rare” cancer cases that have affected several children in a suburban community.
Families living in the Orange county neighborhood of Ladera Ranch, home to about 26,000 people, reported that six children had been diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, according to Katrina Foley, the vice-chair of the county board of supervisors.
Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer that primarily affects bone and soft tissue, typically affects young adults and children.
How are the authorities responding? Last week, Bill Essayli, an assistant US attorney, asked the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the cluster to determine if there is an environmental cause.
View image in fullscreen President’s remarks follow Houthi strikes on Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and oil prices rising past $100 a barrel again. Photograph: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Trump has said he is close to deciding whether to mount “a massive attack” against Iran , on a scale larger than strikes launched during the months-long conflict with Tehran.
Speaking to the Axios news site, the president said: “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it.”
Trump made his remarks on Thursday, as oil prices once again soared past the symbolic $100 for a barrel of Brent crude, the international benchmark, and amid indications the price could continue to climb.
What else did he say? Trump acknowledged that such a move would have consequences but said he had not yet made a final decision. Israel “would join in two minutes if I ask them to”, he claimed, adding: “We don’t need anybody.”
View image in fullscreen A photo of Mark and Melissa Hortman inside the sanctuary at the Basilica of Saint Mary during funeral services for the couple last year. Photograph: Alex Kormann/Minnesota Star Tribune/AP The Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to killing a senior Democratic lawmaker and her husband was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison yesterday, a little over a year after the political attacks.
A panel of federal health advisers yesterday narrowly recommended easing access to several peptides popular with wellness influencers and celebrities, despite warnings from government scientists that the chemicals have not been shown to be safe or effective .
Four Palestinians and one Israeli have been killed in a shooting in the northern West Bank , according to health officials. Several more people were seriously wounded.
The Indian “cockroach” activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended a 26-day hunger strike over an exam paper scandal that has spiralled into a wide-ranging, youth-led wave of demonstrations against Narendra Modi’s government.
View image in fullscreen The original La La Land photograph has ‘haunted’ Ryan Gosling for years. Photograph: Dale Robinette/Lionsgate/Allstar After 10 years and much complaining by Ryan Gosling, a “minor adjustment”to correct his famously bent wrist has been made to the La La Land poster . The actor has previously said the pose “haunts” him because he ignored the choreographers and bent his wrist during filming, not realising the image would become the film’s poster. But many fans have criticised the change, arguing the quirky pose had become an celebrated part of the movie’s identity.
View image in fullscreen Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate appropriations committee hearing on Capitol Hill this week. Photograph: Jacquelyn Martin/AP When the much-maligned Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) was slashing federal spending in February 2025, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, ordered officials to find annual cuts of 8% for five years – a plan that briefly sent Palantir and other defense stocks tumbling before quietly disappearing. He is now seeking a $454bn increase for 2027 military spending, taking the budget to almost $1.5tn , calling it a…
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