Senior State Department officials have drawn up plans to close a dozen consulates overseas by this summer and are considering shutting down many more missions, in what could be a blow to the U.S. government’s efforts to build partnerships and gather intelligence, American officials say. The department also plans to lay off many local citizens … Read more
The Trump administration has moved to rewrite rules designed to prevent disasters at thousands of chemical facilities across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency filed a motion in federal court on Thursday pulling back the safety regulations, introduced last year under former president Joe Biden. The rules, which took effect in May, require sites that … Read more
President Trump said on Thursday that he would offer a one-month exemption from tariffs for imports from Mexico that trade under the rules of U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the trade pact he signed in his first term. The president wrote on Truth Social that he would give Mexican products an exemption until April 2 from the 25 … Read more
A popular Iranian musician who was arrested two years ago during a crackdown on artists and academics has been punished with 74 lashes in what activists said on Thursday was a bid to humiliate him for supporting a nationwide uprising. The musician, Mehdi Yarrahi, 43, was subjected to the flogging by officers of the Morality … Read more
South Africa is preparing a new trade offer to present to President Trump, hoping to appeal to his transactional approach to foreign policy and ease boiling tensions with Washington, a spokesman for South Africa’s president said this week. The spokesman, Vincent Magwenya, said in an interview that South African officials are anticipating Mr. Trump will … Read more
On Thursday morning, President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico plans to speak with President Trump, in a last-ditch attempt to avert the 25 percent tariffs that Mr. Trump imposed this week on her country’s exports, which would devastate its economy. But already, Mexico is bracing for impact. The tariffs, according to banks and business leaders, are … Read more
When the United States signed a free-trade agreement with Canada and Mexico more than 30 years ago, the premise was that partnering with two other thriving economies would also benefit America. This week, President Trump abruptly scrapped that idea. He imposed a sweeping 25 percent tariff on the roughly $1 trillion of imports that Mexico … Read more
When the United States signed a free-trade agreement with Canada and Mexico more than 30 years ago, the premise was that partnering with two other thriving economies would also benefit America. This week, President Trump abruptly scrapped that idea. He imposed a sweeping 25 percent tariff on the roughly $1 trillion of imports that Mexico … Read more
U.S. and Hamas officials have had talks in Qatar about hostages held in the Gaza Strip, according to two Israeli officials, a Western official and a diplomat briefed on the matter, breaking with a longstanding American policy of refusing to directly engage groups that it has designated as terrorists. President Trump’s nominee to be special … Read more
President Trump had a special message on Tuesday night for the “incredible people of Greenland,” whose island he has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring — through a purchase or by force. “We strongly support your right to determine your own future,” he said, briefly pausing during a speech to Congress to address Greenlanders directly. Then, … Read more