Why Trump’s aluminum tariffs won’t raise the price of your can of Coke
American consumers don’t need to fret about President Donald Trump’s tariffs on aluminum raising the price of their can of soda. Two weeks ago, Trump announced a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States that would go into effect March 12, worrying some soda drinkers that another staple will take more out of their wallet.
Trump signs new action calling for investigation into lumber imports, potentially leading to higher tariffs
President Donald Trump on Saturday signed another executive action that directs his administration to investigate potential instances of what he deems unfair trade practices for lumber the United States imports. This comes just days after Trump signed a similar action ordering an investigation into copper. Trump also ordered a separate investigation earlier this month that’s set to pave the way for what the president refers to as “reciprocal tariffs.”
How Trump’s immigration crackdown could backfire
The Trump administration is cracking down on immigration — legal and otherwise — setting the stage for potential labor shortages, weaker economic growth and higher inflation. President Donald Trump announced a flurry of immigration policies immediately after taking office in late January, many of them aimed at curbing illegal entries — a core tenet of his presidential campaign. But he’s also chipped away at legal avenues, such as shutting down the asylum-seeking process at the US-Mexico border and canceling flights for refugees who had already been vetted.
‘Tesla Takedown’ protesters gather outside showrooms to rally against Elon Musk’s role with DOGE
Demonstrators gathered at more than 50 Tesla showrooms across the United States on Saturday in protest of CEO Elon Musk’s role in slashing government agencies as part of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency established by President Donald Trump. The protests are part of “Tesla Takedown,” which, according to its website, hopes to encourage stakeholders to “sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines.”
Microsoft outage leaves thousands of users without access to email and apps
Tens of thousands of Microsoft Outlook users reported issues with the e-mail service on Saturday afternoon. Microsoft 365, which manages services such as Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint, posted an update to X at 5:01 p.m. ET that it had “identified a potential cause of impact and have reverted the suspected code to alleviate impact.”
Your next car could quickly become much more expensive if Trump makes good on his tariff threat next week
Tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports are looming again. And that could quickly send car prices soaring, even for those assembled in the United States. That’s because the auto industry has spent decades operating as if all of North America is a single market, moving cars parts and vehicles freely across borders of the three countries. As a result, there isn’t such thing as an all-American car built with parts made solely in the United States.
America says there are ‘extraordinary’ economic opportunities in Russia. Really?
A tentative thaw in ice-cold US-Russia relations is paving the way for American companies to do what, until recently, seemed unthinkable — return to the country three years after they left in droves. Following watershed talks with Russian officials last week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio extolled the “extraordinary opportunities,” economic and geopolitical, that the United States and Russia could both seize once the war in Ukraine was over. And, on Monday, US President Donald Trump said he was “trying to do some economic development deals” with Moscow.
A Russian state media reporter gained entry to the Oval Office for Trump-Zelensky sit-down
A member of Russia’s state-owned news agency gained access to the Oval Office on Friday to cover President Trump’s sit-down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – even as the AP and Reuters were barred from the high-level meeting. The White House said the journalist was not authorized to be in the press pool. A correspondent for TASS, a Russian state media organization, was among a group of hand-picked pool reporters present in the Oval Office for the leaders’ meeting, which is part of the US’ efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. The testy Trump-Zelensky sit-down may yield a signed deal that would exchange US access to Ukraine’s mineral resources for security guarantees.
Skype is shutting down after two decades
Microsoft is shutting down Skype, the internet-based phone and video service that was once the dominant way of staying connected in the mid 2000s. Skype will “no longer be available” to use starting in May, the company confirmed on X, telling users that their log-in information can be used on Microsoft Teams’ free tier in the “coming days.”
Inflation is easing, but another alarm bell is ringing about the US economy
The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge cooled as expected in January; however, the good news came with another potential red flag for the US economic engine: Consumers pulled back their spending by the most in nearly four years. The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index rose 2.5% in January from the year before, slowing from December’s 2.6% annual rate, according to Commerce Department data released Friday.