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World powers on Thursday blasted US President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on imported vehicles and parts, urging retaliation as trade tensions intensify and price hikes appear on the horizon.Major car exporter Germany called for a firm response from the European Union, while Japan said it “will consider all options.”Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that the “old relationship” of deep economic, security and military ties with Washington “is over,” adding that he expected to speak with Trump in the next day or two.The 25 percent US duties, which take effect on April 3 at 12:01 am (0401 GMT), impact foreign-made cars, light trucks and vehicle parts.Experts warn of higher vehicle costs, and Italian carmaker Ferrari said it would raise prices on many models sold to the United States by up to 10 percent from next week.Global stock markets slumped with shares in automakers like Toyota, Hyundai, Mercedes and others falling. Wall Street’s main indexes closed lower as shares in General Motors and Ford fell.French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said the only solution for the European Union is to “raise tariffs on American products in response.”Carney, who earlier called the tariffs a “direct attack” on his country’s workers, said he convened a meeting to discuss trade options.Trump stepped up threats overnight, saying on social media that Canada and the EU could face “far larger” surcharges if they worked together “to do economic harm to the USA.”- Price surge -JPMorgan analysts estimate the tariffs on vehicles and parts over time could cause an increase of around $4,000 to $5,300 in average auto prices.It said around 82 percent of Ford’s US sales are produced domestically, with the corresponding figures for Stellantis at 71 percent and General Motors at 53 percent.The American Automotive Policy Council representing the big three automakers warned tariffs must be implemented in a way that “avoids raising prices for consumers” and preserves the industry’s competitiveness.Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association president Brian Kingston said the measures would bring higher costs for producers and consumers, alongside “a less competitive industry.”While Trump invoked emergency economic powers for some earlier tariffs, his auto levies build on a government investigation completed in 2019.- ‘Cheaters’ -About one in two cars sold in the United States are manufactured in the country. Among imports, about half come from Mexico and Canada, with Japan, South Korea and Germany also major suppliers.The White House estimates that of the US-made cars, their average domestic content is likely around 40 percent.Top Trump trade aide Peter Navarro on Wednesday blasted “foreign trade cheaters” who he said turned the US manufacturing sector into a “lower wage assembly operation for foreign parts.”He took aim at Germany and Japan for reserving construction of higher-value parts to their countries.Since returning to the presidency, Trump has imposed tariffs on imports from major trading partners Canada, Mexico and China — alongside a 25 percent duty on steel and aluminum.The latest levies add to those already in place for autos.But the White House said vehicles entering the United States under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) can qualify for a lower rate depending on their American content.USMCA-compliant auto parts will remain tariff-free as officials establish a process to target their non-US content.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said tariffs were contrary to the North American trade deal, but noted her country would wait until April before responding.- ‘Bargaining chip’ -Uncertainty over Trump’s trade plans have roiled financial markets, while consumer confidence slips.Trump has defended tariffs as a way to raise government revenue and revitalize US industry.Targeting imported cars however would have “a devastating impact” on many close US trading partners, said Asia Society Policy Institute vice president Wendy Cutler.Abby Samp of Oxford Economics said she expects “additional investments in US plants could be used as a bargaining chip to lower tariffs.”Besides automobiles, Trump is considering other sector-specific tariffs, including on pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber.He has promised “Liberation Day” on April 2, when he is set to unveil reciprocal levies tailored to different trading partners, to address practices deemed unfair.

Lawyers for the Associated Press (AP) urged a federal judge on Thursday to restore the news agency’s reporters access to the White House press pool that covers US President Donald Trump’s events.AP journalists and photographers have been barred from the Oval Office and traveling on Air Force One since February 11, because of the outlet’s decision to continue referring to the “Gulf of Mexico” — and not the “Gulf of America” as decreed by Trump.District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, did not issue a ruling at the conclusion of a hearing in the case on Thursday but said he would do so in a “timely fashion.” The AP, in a suit filed against three White House officials, said the denial of access to the wire service violates the First Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and of the press.AP lawyer Charles Tobin said at the hearing that the exclusion of the AP from certain official White House events was “abject retaliation” that has had “an adverse impact and chilling effect on the entire journalism industry.”Evan Vucci, chief White House photographer for the AP, testified that the access ban has left the agency “struggling to keep up.””It’s hurting us big time. We are basically dead in the water on major news stories,” said Vucci, who took the iconic photograph of Trump pumping his fist in the air after an assassination attempt last year.Two weeks after barring the AP, the White House stripped journalists of the nearly century-old power to decide which of the profession’s own number will be members of a pool of reporters and photographers covering presidential events.On Air Force One, the press pool consists of 13 newspaper and wire service reporters, photographers and TV and radio reporters, while for events in the White House itself it is slightly larger.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the independent White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) would no longer have a “monopoly” on choosing members of the press pool.- ‘No First Amendment right of access’ -Brian Hudak, a Justice Department attorney, said at Thursday’s hearing that pool membership is at the discretion of the White House and the president.”There is no First Amendment right of access to the press beyond what is afforded to the general public,” Hudak said.Tobin said the AP has not been admitted to the press pool for 44 days. “The White House changed its policy to a rotation system that happens to exclude the AP,” he said.”The only thing that seems to be consistent is that the AP is not allowed,” added Vucci.The WHCA — of which AFP is a member — condemned the decision by the White House to choose pool members, saying it “tears at the independence of the free press.” In its style guide, the AP notes that the Gulf of Mexico has “carried that name for more than 400 years” and the agency “will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.””As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences,” the AP said.The 180-year-old organization has long been a pillar of US journalism and provides news to print, TV and radio outlets across the United States and around the world.

A US judge ordered Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday to preserve messages from a chat group used by top national security officials to discuss plans for an attack on Yemen’s Huthi rebels.The ruling adds to the pressure on the White House after the Atlantic magazine revealed that its editor had been accidentally added to the group on the commercially-available Signal app.Republican Trump has dismissed the scandal as a “witch-hunt” while attacking the Atlantic and its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, who broke the story earlier this week.District Judge James Boasberg — who has already incurred Trump’s wrath after ruling against the administration in a separate migration case — said he would order the government to “preserve all Signal communication between March 11 and March 15.”He also ordered the government to file details by Monday showing the steps it had taken to preserve the messages.The dates cover the period between when National Security Advisor Mike Waltz set up the chat — and mistakenly added Goldberg — and the day of deadly US airstrikes on the Iran-backed Huthis.The Atlantic said that Waltz had set some of the Signal messages to disappear after one week, and others after four. “That raises questions about whether the officials may have violated federal records law,” Goldberg wrote.The magazine published the full chat on Wednesday, including sensational messages in which Hegseth revealed the timings of strikes hours before they happened and details of planes and missiles used.Waltz sent real-time intelligence on the aftermath of an attack, writing that US forces had identified the target “walking into his girlfriend’s building and it’s now collapsed.”Trump has largely pinned the blame on Waltz — saying he had admitted he was “responsible” — while denying that any classified material was shared in the group.But he has also dismissed calls by Democrats for top officials to resign and insisted instead on what he called the success of the raids on the Yemeni rebels.- ‘Mistake’ -Trump had also launched a fresh attack on Boasberg the night before the latest ruling, saying it was “disgraceful” that he was dealing with the Signal case and calling the judge “highly conflicted.”The president earlier this month called for Boasberg to be impeached after the judge barring the administration’s use of an obscure wartime law to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.Pressure continues to mount on the White House over “Signalgate,” however.The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee issued a bipartisan call on Thursday for a Pentagon watchdog to probe the claims in the Atlantic.”If true, this reporting raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information,” said a letter from Republican committee chair Roger Wicker and ranking Democrat Jack Reed.Democrats have claimed that the lives of US service members could have been put at risk by the breach, and the row has raised serious questions about potential intelligence risks.Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the prospect of a watchdog investigation “doesn’t bother me.”White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that “we have never denied that this was a mistake” and insisted that Waltz had taken “responsibility.”- ‘Successful mission’ -US Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday that the breach was unlikely to face a criminal investigation.”It was sensitive information, not classified, and inadvertently released, and what we should be talking about is that it was a very successful mission,” Bondi told a news conference.Washington has vowed to use overwhelming force against the Huthis until they stop firing on vessels in the key shipping routes of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with the rebels threatening to resume attacks in protest over the Gaza war.The Huthis said Thursday they had targeted an Israeli airport and army site as well as a US warship, soon after Israel reported intercepting missiles launched from Yemen.

The 25 percent tariffs on automobiles announced by President Donald Trump are meant to revitalize American industry, but Detroit’s giants were stunned Thursday by their scale and faced a beating on Wall Street.While the implementation of the tariffs had been anticipated for weeks, their details surprised manufacturers and experts as the levies will not only apply to imports of finished vehicles but parts as well.That will be particularly painful because the sector relies on a complex global supply chain, sometimes involving multiple border crossings, with assembly in one country of parts manufactured in others.The levies kick in April 3 at 04:01 GMT, according to the decree signed by the Republican president on Wednesday.The manufacturing process at Ford and General Motors depends largely on a highly complex back-and-forth between the United States, Mexico, and Canada — the three countries linked by the USMCA, a free trade agreement signed by Trump during his first term.However, Trump’s decree doesn’t provide exemptions for imports under USMCA, dashing industry hopes that car parts would be spared.The tariffs include “crucial parts” — engines, transmissions, powertrains, and electrical components are on the list that could be expanded.Parts not originally manufactured in the United States will face 25 percent tariffs just like finished foreign vehicles.The White House noted that of the 16 million new vehicles sold in the United States last year, half were assembled in the country but contained only 40-50 percent American-made components.It also said the trade deficit for automotive parts was $93.5 billion.Stock Market DeclineManufacturers faced a drubbing in the stock market Thursday.General Motors plummeted 7.3 percent, while Ford closed down 3.8 percent and Stellantis 1.2 percent. US listed shares of Toyota and Honda fell by 2.8 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively.According to JPMorgan analysts, 82 percent of vehicles sold by Ford are produced in the United States, ahead of Stellantis (71 percent), Honda (68 percent), Toyota (57 percent), and General Motors (53 percent).Trump’s decree demands that manufacturers determine the percentage between US parts and foreign parts in components or finished vehicles entering the United States, with the 25 percent tariff imposed only on foreign-made parts.This presents a real challenge for manufacturers — who will be penalized for incorrect allocations — but also for the authorities to track them.An implementation delay has therefore been granted, allowing the Commerce Department time to figure out how to proceed.According to JPMorgan, once tariffs are collected across the entire intended scope, they would generate $82 billion annually. Trump claimed Wednesday that they would bring in “more than $100 billion.”JPMorgan estimated that the largest tariff bill would be paid by GM ($13 billion) while Ford should pay around $4.5 billion.Experts have no doubt that there will be a price increase for new vehicles in the United States, which will subsequently affect a weakened used car market as owners keep their vehicles longer.The president’s goal is to increase manufacturing in the United States, but relocating factories or reconfiguring a supply chain cannot happen overnight.Foreign nations have also threatened retaliatory measures which could further impact the sector.In the meantime, manufacturers will have to decide between fully passing on the additional cost to the end consumer, cutting into their margins, or a mix of both.The cost of an affected new vehicle could increase by 9-12 percent, or $4,000 to $5,300, JPMorgan anticipates.”With added cost pressures, automakers may pull back on incentives, which could make it more difficult for some consumers to find affordable options,” said Jessica Caldwell from Edmunds.According to Caldwell, insurance premiums should also increase due to inflation in spare parts costs.

The release of the latest image generator on OpenAI’s ChatGPT has triggered an online flood of memes featuring images done in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese studio behind classic animated films like “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Princess Mononoke.”The virality of these images, with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman even changing his profile picture on X to match the style, immediately raised questions about copyright infringement by the ChatGPT maker, which already faces lawsuits regarding the use of source material without permission.Since the release on Wednesday, AI-generated images depicting Studio Ghibli versions of Elon Musk with US President Donald Trump, “The Lord of the Rings,” and even a recreation of the September 11 attacks have gone viral across online platforms.On Thursday, the White House took part by posting on X a Ghibli-style image of a weeping alleged felon being handcuffed by a US immigration officer before her deportation.Originally intended to be available on the platform for free, Altman said the huge success of the new generator was unexpected and meant the tool would remain limited to paid users for now.It was already possible to generate images with ChatGPT, but the latest version is powered by GPT-4o, the company’s highest-performing model, and allows sophisticated results to be obtained through very succinct requests, which was not the case before.After the viral trend, a video from 2016 resurfaced in which Studio Ghibli’s legendary director Hayao Miyazaki is seen lashing out during an AI demonstration by staff.”I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all. I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself,” an English translation of his remarks said in the video.The trend “is especially insidious and malicious because of how outspokenly scathing Miyazaki has been toward the tech,” wrote artist and illustrator Jayd “Chira” Ait-Kaci on Bluesky.”It’s always about contempt for artists, every time,” Ait-Kaci added.OpenAI is facing a barrage of lawsuits over copyright infringements, including one major case with the New York Times and others from artists, musicians and publishers.The company is aggressively lobbying the White House and Congress to make the use of copyrighted content by AI companies part of the fair use doctrine.Fair use allowances already apply to search engines or in the case of satire and memes online, and allow companies to freely use copyrighted material without permission.Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that OpenAI is close to finalizing a $40 billion funding round led by Japan’s SoftBank Group that would be the biggest funding round ever for a startup.OpenAI has projected its annual revenue could exceed $12.7 billion in 2025, up from $3.7 billion expected this year.

Sundance, the highly influential US film festival co-founded by Robert Redford, is moving to a new home in Colorado, organizers said Thursday.For the past four decades, Sundance has been held each winter in Utah’s Park City, launching the year’s hottest independent movies in the swanky Rocky Mountain ski town amid freezing temperatures at an altitude of 7,000 feet (2,150 meters).But as the festival has grown in scale and importance, many attendees have complained it has become prohibitively expensive to attend. Many locals also dread the annual influx of Hollywood bigwigs and the accompanying gridlock caused by fleets of luxury SUVs.Talks about a new destination have been ongoing for years, with more than 100 locations initially expressing interest in hosting Sundance. From a final shortlist of three candidates, Boulder in Colorado beat out rival bids from Utah’s Salt Lake City and Ohio’s Cincinnati.Boulder, a small city of 100,000 people, a short drive from Colorado’s sprawling state capital Denver, will host the Sundance Film Festival beginning in 2027.”Boulder is an art town, tech town, mountain town, and college town. It is a place where the Festival can build and flourish,” said Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute Acting CEO, in a statement.”Change is inevitable,” Redford said in the statement.”This move will ensure that the Festival continues its work of risk taking, supporting innovative storytellers, fostering independence, and entertaining and enlightening audiences.”I look forward to seeing what the future holds for the Festival there,” he added.Boulder had widely been viewed as the favorite from the final shortlist.Unlike Salt Lake City, it is located in a liberal, Democratic state. And unlike Ohio, Colorado borders Utah and shares its dramatic mountain skylines.Sundance is a key launching pad for the careers of many of the industry’s leading filmmakers. Over the years, roughly 4,000 feature films have been presented in Park City.These are mainly independent movies from upcoming directors, though over time the festival has drawn more Hollywood A-listers and studios too.Beloved films that first launched at Sundance include Quentin Tarantino’s debut movie “Reservoir Dogs,” Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and Damien Chazelle’s “Whiplash.”Other famous Sundance premieres have included Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” and “Before Sunrise,” and Steven Soderbergh’s debut “sex, lies and videotape.” This coming January’s Sundance festival, due to take place January 22 to Feb 1, will be the final edition held in the original host city.

Mexico’s water debt to the United States under a decades-old supply treaty has opened a new battlefront between the two countries, in addition to US President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs.Mexico’s shortfalls, which it blames on an extraordinary drought, led the United States to refuse its neighbor’s request for special delivery of water to the border city of Tijuana last week.- What’s the deal? -Under a pact dating back to 1944, the neighboring countries share water from two major rivers flowing from the southwestern United States to Mexico.The agreement obliges the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water a year from the Colorado River.In return Mexico must supply an average of 432 million cubic meters annually over a five-year cycle from the Rio Grande, which forms part of the border between the two countries.The current cycle expires in October and Mexico owes the United States more than 1.55 billion cubic meters, according to the two countries’ boundary and water commission.The situation is “critical,” warned Gonzalo Hatch Kuri, a geographer and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.”Only massive storms during the upcoming rainy season of August and September could, miraculously, make it possible to meet the deadline,” he told AFP.- What does US say? -Washington said on March 20 that it was the first time it had rejected a request by Mexico for special delivery of water.It said the Mexican delivery shortfalls were “decimating American agriculture — particularly farmers in the Rio Grande valley.”US farmers and lawmakers complain that their southern neighbor has waited until the end of each cycle and has been coming up short in the latest period.The Colorado River has seen its water levels shrink due to drought and heavy agricultural consumption in the southwestern United States, with around half of its water going to raise beef and dairy cattle.Farmers in southern Texas have voiced fear for the future of cotton, citrus and other farming products.The row has added to the tensions sparked by Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico, despite a North American free trade deal that also includes Canada.- Why is Mexico falling short? -The Mexican government says that the Rio Grande basin has suffered from two decades of drought that reached extreme levels in 2023.Excessive water concessions for agricultural and industrial use on the Mexican side have caused water to be “overexploited,” according to authorities in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas.In November, the two countries signed an agreement aimed at preventing water shortages in parched southern US states with more reliable Mexican deliveries of river water.The accord — the result of more than 18 months of negotiations — provides Mexico with “tools and flexibility” to provide water earlier in a five-year cycle to reduce or prevent shortfalls, the boundary and water commission said.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that the US complaints were “being dealt with” through the boundary and water commission.”There’s been less water. That’s part of the problem,” she told reporters.Mexico’s attempts to comply with the treaty have resulted in civil unrest in the past.In 2020, farmers in the northern state of Chihuahua seized a dam to prevent the government from supplying water from a reservoir to the United States, leading to clashes between protesters and the National Guard that left one person dead.

Top US diplomat Marco Rubio on Thursday issued a stern warning against Venezuela if it escalates its claims against newly oil-rich Guyana, brandishing the power of the US military to protect the small South American nation.Venezuela, whose leftist leader Nicolas Maduro is a sworn enemy of the Cuban-American Rubio, has laid claim to Guyana’s Essequibo, which covers most of the country and is the center of oil production.”I have full confidence saying it now as secretary of state — there will be consequences for adventurism. There will be consequences for aggressive action,” Rubio told a joint news conference.Asked what the United States would do if Venezuela attacks ExxonMobil oil projects in Guyana, Rubio said: “It would be a very bad day — a very bad week for them.””It would not end well for them,” he said to applause from Guyanese officials assembled in a fanned outdoor pavilion in the tropical heat.While stopping short of spelling out a US military response, Rubio said: “We have a big navy, and it can get almost anywhere.”Rubio signed an agreement to boost security cooperation with Guyana including through greater information sharing. The United States and Guyana earlier agreed to joint maritime patrols.Guyanese President Irfaan Ali welcomed the stance of Rubio, who called Venezuela’s claims “illegitimate.””I’m very pleased at the reassurance of the US, ensuring the safeguard of our territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Ali said.Mauricio Claver-Carone, the US special envoy on Latin America, earlier said that the United States envisioned a future “binding” security relationship with Guyana similar to the US position in the oil-rich Gulf.The United States stations troops in Gulf Arab nations to ensure the small petro-states’ security, in particular against larger neighbor Iran.- US expands in hemisphere -Guyana, an English-speaking former British and Dutch colony where the majority of the 800,000 people still live in poverty, has for years had a long-shot movement that has sought to join the United States.Such formal accession was not on the agenda, but Trump has made no secret of his passion for expansionism in the Western Hemisphere, even at the expense of traditional alliances. The Republican billionaire has vowed to take control of Greenland from Denmark and to “take back” the Panama Canal.While Exxon has dominated the oil industry, China — viewed by the Trump administration as the top global adversary — has made rapid inroads in Guyana with infrastructure projects including an expansion of the international airport where Rubio landed.Meanwhile, Guyana earlier in March denounced what it called a Venezuelan military vessel’s incursion into its waters.Venezuela denied any violation and requested a meeting with Ali, who dismissed the offer.The parliament in Caracas last year approved a bill to declare Guyana’s Essequibo as Venezuela’s 24th state, a move rejected internationally.Guyana insists the border was finalized by an 1899 arbitration panel, but Venezuela claims the Essequibo River to the region’s east as a natural border recognized as far back as 1777.The Trump administration has put a high priority on ramping up oil production, seeing both economic and security incentives, and has brushed aside the push by previous president Joe Biden to diversify to renewables to address the planet’s fast-rising temperatures and climate disasters.Texas-based ExxonMobil has taken the lead in oil production in Guyana, which has rapidly scaled up over the past five years.ExxonMobil anticipates gross production from Guyana of 1.3 million barrels a day by the end of the decade, dwarfing current output from Venezuela, whose industry has slumped since the 1990s after mismanagement and US sanctions.The Trump administration, under pressure from anti-communist Latino lawmakers, has canceled US oil major Chevron’s exemption from US sanctions to operate in Venezuela.

World powers on Thursday blasted US President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs on imported vehicles and parts, vowing retaliation as trade tensions intensify and price hikes appear on the horizon.Major car exporter Germany urged a firm response from the European Union, while Japan said it “will consider all options.”The 25 percent US duties take effect starting 12:01 am Washington time (0401 GMT) on April 3 and impact foreign-made cars, light trucks and vehicle parts.Experts warn of higher vehicle costs, and Italian carmaker Ferrari said it would raise prices on many models sold to the United States by up to 10 percent from next week.Global stock markets plummeted with automakers like Toyota, Hyundai and Mercedes leading the plunge. In New York, shares in General Motors tumbled with Ford and Stellantis also declining.French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said the only solution for the EU is to “raise tariffs on American products in response.”Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he convened a meeting to discuss trade options, while Mexico’s Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard seeks “preferential treatment” for his country.But Trump ramped up his threats overnight, saying on social media that Canada and the EU could face “far larger” tariffs if they worked together “to do economic harm to the USA.”- Price surge -JPMorgan analysts estimate the tariffs on autos and parts could cause a $4,000 to $5,300 increase in average auto prices.It said 82 percent of Ford’s US sales are produced domestically, with the corresponding figures for Stellantis at 71 percent and General Motors at 53 percent.The American Automotive Policy Council representing the three automakers warned that the tariffs must be implemented in a way that “avoids raising prices for consumers” and preserves the industry’s competitiveness.”The steep and broad-based tariffs are likely to cause supply chain disruptions globally,” JPMorgan said in a note.Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association president Brian Kingston said the levies would bring higher costs for producers and consumers, alongside “a less competitive industry.”While Trump invoked emergency economic powers for some earlier tariffs, his auto levies build on a government investigation completed in 2019.- ‘Cheaters’ -About one in two cars sold in the United States are manufactured in the country. Among imports, about half come from Mexico and Canada, with Japan, South Korea and Germany also major suppliers.Of the US-made cars, their average domestic content is likely around 40 percent, the White House said.In a briefing Wednesday, Trump’s senior counselor Peter Navarro blasted “foreign trade cheaters” who he said turned the US manufacturing sector into a “lower wage assembly operation for foreign parts.”He took aim at Germany and Japan for reserving construction of higher-value parts to their countries.Since returning to the presidency, Trump has imposed tariffs on imports from major trading partners Canada, Mexico and China — alongside a 25 percent duty on steel and aluminum.The latest levies add to those already in place for autos.But the White House said that vehicles entering under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) can qualify for a lower rate depending on their American content.USMCA-compliant auto parts will remain tariff-free as officials establish a process to target their non-US content.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said tariffs were contrary to the North American trade deal, but her country would wait until early April before responding.- ‘Devastating impact’ -Uncertainty over Trump’s trade plans and worries they could trigger a downturn have roiled financial markets, with consumer confidence also slipping.Trump has defended levies as a way to raise government revenue and revitalize US industry.Targeting imported cars could strain ties with Washington’s allies, however.”Imposing 25 percent tariffs on imported cars will have a devastating impact on many of our close trading partners,” said Wendy Cutler, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former US trade negotiator.Besides automobiles, Trump is eyeing other sector-specific tariffs, including on pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber.Trump has promised a “Liberation Day” on April 2, when he is set to unveil reciprocal levies, tailored to different trading partners, to address practices that his government deems unfair.

Atlantic magazine editor Jeffrey Goldberg has been propelled to global fame — and put under immense pressure — after being inadvertently added to a group chat in which top US officials shared secret plans for Yemen air strikes.He has been roundly attacked by President Donald Trump, as well as by other officials, after publishing details of the sensitive exchanges on the Signal app in the run up to US strikes on rebel Houthis.Goldberg says the attacks on him are expected but misguided.”This is their move. You never defend, just attack,” said Goldberg, 59, in an interview with the BBC.”I’m sitting there, minding my own business. They invite me into this Signal chat and now they’re attacking me as a sleaze bag, I don’t even get it,” he said. “Maybe they should spend a little time thinking about why I was invited into the chat in the first place.”- Rising US journalism star -Born into a Jewish New York family, Goldberg migrated to Israel in the 1980s. He briefly served in the Israeli army during the first Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, including a stint as a guard at a Palestinian detention camp, an experience he recounts in a book on the issue. Back in the United States, he launched a stellar career with a job covering the police for The Washington Post, before moving to the prestigious New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker, according to The Atlantic’s website.He joined the Atlantic in 2007, becoming its fifteenth editor-in-chief in 2016, a position he still holds today.- The Atlantic success story -Founded in 1857 in Boston, the magazine was originally a literary and cultural monthly, publishing notable authors and essays on contemporary issues — with a particular focus on the abolition of slavery. After cutting back publication from 12 issues annually to 10, amid severe economic headwinds for traditional US media, The Atlantic has enjoyed a revival under Goldberg’s editorship.It announced last year that it had surpassed one million subscribers and was once again profitable, after winning three Pulitzer Prizes — in 2021, 2022, and 2023.- A tempestuous history with Trump -Goldberg previously drew Trump’s ire in 2020 for an article in which he reported senior US military officers hearing the president call soldiers killed in World War I “losers.”Monday’s article about his stunning inclusion in the Yemen strikes chat on Signal won him further opprobrium from the White House.Trump said: “I just know Goldberg. He’s a sleazebag. You know, his magazine’s terrible.” A White House spokesperson, Taylor Budowich, described The Atlantic as “scumbags.”Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who revealed secret attack plans in the chat while Goldberg was included, branded him a “deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who has made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again.”The Atlantic has endorsed Trump’s Democratic rivals for the White House since 2016.