Tuesday, July 15

Headlines



President Donald Trump with NATO Secretary 
General Mark Rutte. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images


Trump threatens 100% tariffs over Ukraine war, makes arms deal with NATO. President Trump said yesterday that he would impose a 100% “secondary tariff” on Russia’s trading partners if Moscow doesn’t make a deal to end its invasion of Ukraine within 50 days. The president also announced an agreement for US companies to sell “billions of dollars worth of military equipment” to European countries that will send them to Ukraine. He expressed disappointment in President Vladimir Putin for not reaching a peace deal sooner, reflecting a recent shift in Trump’s attitude toward the Russian leader.

Supreme Court rules dismantling of the Department of Education can begin. The high court ruled that the Trump administration can start implementing its plans to fire 1,400 Department of Education employees, pausing a Massachusetts federal judge’s order that blocked the layoffs in May. The administration aims to eliminate the department, which would require Congressional action. The Supreme Court’s order didn’t provide a reason and was unsigned, as is customary in response to emergency applications like the one that put the issue before the court. But the court’s three liberal justices issued a dissent, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing that the decision “hands the Executive the power to repeal statutes by firing all those necessary to carry them out.”

JPow’s building reno is getting a lot of attention. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell asked the central bank’s inspector general to review a $2.5 billion building renovation project after its budget overruns prompted severe criticism from the White House. The request came after National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told ABC on Sunday that the president could fire Powell “if there’s cause.” With President Trump having previously expressed a desire to axe Powell for not lowering interest rates, many Fed watchers see the building project as a potential cause the White House could use to get rid of Powell before his term ends and install someone new.—AR



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