The Latest: Trump says he plans 100% tariff on computer chips, likely increasing electronics costs
The Latest: Trump says he plans 100% tariff on computer chips, likely increasing electronics costs
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to put a 100% tariff on computer chips. The move will likely increase the cost of electronics, autos, household appliances and other essential goods. Trump highlighted that companies who make computer chips in the U.S. would be spared the import tax.
This comes after the president placed an additional 25% tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing combined tariffs on the country to 50%. The tariffs will go into effect in 21 days, meaning that both India and Russia might have time to negotiate with the administration on the import taxes.
Here’s the latest:
Things to know about the Voting Rights Act and the cases that could unravel it
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended the discriminatory practices against Black voters that were prevalent in many states, including barriers such as poll taxes and literacy tests.
The law also established a process known as preclearance, which required that all or parts of 15 states with a history of discriminatory practices in voting get federal approval before making changes to the way they hold elections.
The Supreme Court removed that pillar in 2013. Cases before the current court could undo most of what’s left of the law.
▶ Read more on things to know about the Voting Rights Act
Trump once hailed mRNA vaccines as a ‘medical miracle.’ Now RFK Jr. is halting advancement
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this week that the federal government is canceling $500 million worth of mRNA research development contracts.
That puts an end to U.S.-backed hopes for the vaccine technology to prevent future pandemics, treat cancer or prevent flu infections.
It’s a sharp pivot from how Trump and top officials described the technology during his first term.
▶ Read more aboutwhat Trump and some of his closest advisers have said about mRNA vaccines
Trump administration sanctions a Mexican rapper over alleged cartel ties
The administration said Wednesday that it was sanctioning Ricardo Hernández, known as “El Makabelico,” whom it characterized as a “narco-rapper” associated with the Cartel del Noreste, or CDN.
According to the Treasury Department, Hernández laundered money for the criminal group through concerts and events.
Officials alleged that 50% of his royalties on streaming platforms go directly to the cartel, leading to his sanctioning alongside leaders of the cartel.
Hernández did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The CDN is one of the Latin American crime groups that the Trump administration has designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
The administration has revoked the visas of some of Mexico’s most famous musicians, targeting those whose genres often explore themes related to cartels.
Victims feeling exhausted and anxious about wrangling over Epstein files
Women who say they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein are feeling skeptical and anxious after the Justice Department requested a court take the rare step of unsealing transcripts of secret testimony.
In letters addressed to federal judges in New York this week, several victims said Trump is just seeking to placate segments of his base who are unhappy with the DOJ’s handling of the investigation.
Others said they would support disclosure provided the government takes steps to ensure their privacy.
The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment on the statements.
“I am not some pawn in your political warfare,” one woman said in a letter submitted by her lawyer. “What you have done and continue to do is eating at me day after day as you help to perpetuate this story indefinitely.”
Said another: “This is all very exhausting.”
▶ Read more about the victims and the possible unsealing
Trump administration cancels wind farm development in Idaho
The administration has reversed a decision by former President Joe Biden to approve a major wind farm development in the southern part of the state.
The Lava Ridge Wind Project drew criticism for the height of its turbines as well as for its proximity to the Minidoka National Historic Site, where thousands of Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II.
Wednesday’s announcement comes as the administration and congressional Republicans have targeted wind and solar projects as expensive and unreliable while taking steps to support the burning of fossil fuels, which is dangerously heating the planet.
▶ Read more about the cancelation
Border Patrol agents hid in back of rented box truck for immigration raid outside LA Home Depot
Photos on social media showed the moment the door of the rented Penske truck opened and armed agents jumped out to make arrests Wednesday. An official called it “Operation Trojan Horse.”
The early-morning raid near downtown came days after an appeals court upheld a judge’s order blocking the Trump administration from conducting indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests in Southern California.
“For those who thought immigration enforcement had stopped in Southern California, think again,” acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on the social platform X. “The enforcement of federal law is not negotiable and there are no sanctuaries from the reach of the federal government.”
Messages were sent to the Department of Homeland Security seeking details on the raid.
A spokesperson for Penske Truck Rental said that it was looking into the use of its vehicles by federal agents, that it was unaware its trucks would be used in the operation and that its regulations prohibit transporting people in truck cargo areas.
Trump moves to shut down NASA missions that measure carbon dioxide and plant health
The Trump administration is moving to shut down two NASA missions that monitor a potent greenhouse gas and plant health, potentially cutting off an important source of data for scientists, policymakers and farmers.
The president’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 includes no money for the Orbiting Carbon Observatories, which can precisely show where carbon dioxide is being emitted and absorbed and how well crops are growing.
The missions — a free-flying satellite launched in 2014 and an instrument attached to the International Space Station in 2019 that include technology used in the Hubble Space Telescope — are more sensitive and accurate than any other systems in the world, operating or planned, and a “national asset” that should be saved, said David Crisp, a retired NASA scientist who led their development.
▶ Read more about the NASA missions and what they help scientists assess
Trump administration: El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele is not a dictator
The administration said President Bukele should not be lumped together with leaders of other countries it considers dictatorships after his party and allies did away with presidential term limits. The Central American nation’s congress also approved extending presidential terms from five to six years.
The State Department said in a statement to AP that the constitutional change on term limits was made by a “democratically elected” Congress and “it is up to them to decide how their country should be governed.”
“We reject the comparison of El Salvador’s democratically based and constitutionally sound legislative process with illegitimate dictatorial regimes elsewhere in our region,” the statement said.
The speedy approval of indefinite presidential terms last week prompted warnings from watchdogs and El Salvador’s beleaguered opposition that it spelled the end of democracy.
“It’s unfortunate to see the U.S. government is defending efforts to establish an autocracy in El Salvador,” said Juan Pappier, Americas deputy director for Human Rights Watch.
FACT FOCUS: RFK Jr.’s mRNA vaccine claim not supported by evidence
Although mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly argued that they are ineffective in order to justify the canceling $500 million in government-funded research to develop new vaccines using the technology.
Here’s a closer look at the facts:
KENNEDY: “As the pandemic showed us, mRNA vaccines don’t perform well against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract.”
THE FACTS: His claim is contradicted by scientific evidence. Countless studies show that vaccinated individuals fare far better against COVID-19 infections than those who are unvaccinated, while others have estimated that COVID-19 vaccines prevented millions of deaths during the global pandemic. The mRNA vaccines do not prevent respiratory diseases entirely, experts say. Rather, they can prevent more serious illness that leads to complications and death. For example, an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 may prevent an infection in the upper respiratory tract that feels like a bad cold from spreading to the lower respiratory tract, where it could affect one’s ability to breathe.
▶ Read more about the facts on mRNA vaccines
Confederate monument restoration will take about 2 years, official says
An Army official told AP that the service expects it will take about that long to restore and replace the monument at its original location in Arlington National Cemetery after it was removed in 2023.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the restoration of the monument, which was created by sculptor and Confederate veteran Moses Ezekiel in 1914, on social media Tuesday.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of a plan in progress, said the base it sat on needs to be replaced and the monument itself will be refurbished.
Once back in the cemetery, it will have panels nearby offering context about its history, according to the official.
The Army expects the entire effort to cost around $10 million, the official said.
— Konstantin Toropin
Trump to discuss vaccines Thursday, talks up Operation Warp Speed against COVID
The president was asked about his top health official, Robert Kennedy Jr., announcing plans to pull $500 million in vaccine development and said he plans a meeting to discuss vaccines.
“We’re gonna look at that. We’re talking about it,” Trump said of the funding cuts.
He also praised his first-term effort to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, Operation Warp Speed. He said that push was “considered one of the most incredible things ever done in this country, but added, “That was now a long time ago. And we’re on to other things.”
Trump said of Thursday’s planned meeting: “We’re looking for other answers to other problems, to other sicknesses and diseases.”
Trump doesn’t say if Russia-Ukraine war deal would avert more India tariffs
Asked during an Oval Office event if a deal between Russia and Ukraine would mean the dropping of additional tariffs on India, Trump said, “We’ll determine that later.”
He did affirm that India was currently paying 50% tariffs, the result of an additional 25% tax placed Wednesday due to its purchases of Russian oil.
The tariffs would take effect 21 days after the signing of the order, meaning both India and Russia might have time to negotiate with the administration on the import taxes.
JD Vance denies reports that he is leading a meeting to deal with Epstein fallout
The vice president is denying reports that he is holding a meeting Wednesday night with top administration officials to discuss how to better handle the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Trump was asked about it and deferred to Vance, who was standing next to him at the Apple event.
Vance responded by saying, “We’re not meeting to talk about the Epstein situation.” He added that reporters saying so need “better sources.”
The president then interjected: “Look, the whole thing is a hoax.”
“That’s just a way of trying to divert attention to something that’s total bulls–t, OK?” Trump said.
Trump says interviews have begun for the Fed board chair
Jerome Powell is still in place as Federal Reserve Board chair, but the president said interviews for his successor have begun.
Trump said the candidate pool was “probably down to three” and “we’ve started the interview process.” He said Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were part of the process.
“We have some great candidates,” Trump said, also noting that a temporary replacement for another Fed governor post would likely be named in the coming days.
Trump mulls bringing National Guard to the nation’s capital
The president said he is “considering” ways for the federal government seize control of Washington, saying crime is “ridiculous” and the city is “unsafe.”
Trump renewed that idea after an attempted carjacking and beating of one of the most prominent members of the Department of Government Efficiency.
“This has to be the best run place in the country, not the worst run place in the country,” Trump said, adding that his team is reviewing options that include “bringing in the National Guard.”
Trump says he plans to put a 100% tariff on computer chips
The president said Wednesday that he will impose a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely raising the cost of electronics, autos, household appliances and other goods deemed essential for the digital age.
Trump said companies that make computer chips in the U.S. would be spared the import tax.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of autos and contributed to an uptick in overall inflation.
Trump says US ‘had some very good talks’ with Putin
Taking questions from reporters in the Oval Office, Trump would not forecast a timeline for a potential meeting with Russia’s Putin and Ukraine’s Zelenskyy.
But he said “there’s a good chance there will be a meeting very soon.”
Trump said there had been no specific breakthrough leading to talk of a meeting but U.S. officials have been working on the matter for “a long time.”
“I’m here to get the thing over with,” he said of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Man accused of killing Israeli Embassy staffers indicted on federal hate crimes charges
The man accused of fatally shooting two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington outside a Jewish museum has been indicted on federal hate crimes charges, according to court documents unsealed Wednesday.
The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, charges Elias Rodriguez with nine counts, including a hate crime resulting in death. The indictment also includes notice of special findings, which would allow the Justice Department to potentially pursue the death penalty.
Elias Rodriguez is accused of shooting Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the museum in May. He was heard shouting “Free Palestine” as he was led away after his arrest. He told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” federal authorities have said.
Rubio says ‘a lot has to happen’ before a Trump-Putin meeting
Secretary of State Marco Rubio lowered expectations for the president to meet soon with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, saying in an interview with Fox Business: “Today was a good day, but we’ve got a lot of work ahead.”
Rubio said Trump meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would help secure an agreement to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but he said, “We’ve got to get close enough to that point so that a meeting like that will be productive and worth doing.”
“There’s still many impediments to overcome,” Rubio said.
Trump says Apple is ‘coming home’
Announcing that Apple will invest $600 billion in the U.S., the president said of the company: “They’re coming home.”
He said Apple investments will create 20,000 jobs, including in Kentucky.
Trump opens Oval Office event by mentioning Fort Stewart ‘atrocity’
Before talking with Cook about Apple’s investment, the president spoke of the “horrible person” who shot five soldiers earlier Wednesday at one of the country’s largest Army bases.
“The entire nation is praying for the victims and their families,” Trump said, adding that “hopefully they will fully recover.”
Officials said a sergeant shot five soldiers at Fort Stewart before he was quickly tackled by other troops, forcing a brief lockdown. The Army said it is investigating the shooting.
By The Associated Press
