Tariffs Jeopardize the Competitiveness of U.S. Businesses and the Pocketbooks of All Americans

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WASHINGTON DC – National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) President Jake Colvin today issued a statement following the announcement by the President of new reciprocal tariffs:

“We share the President’s desire to grow U.S. production of manufactured goods, agriculture products, services, and knowledge, but dramatically increasing America’s tariffs will undercut that objective.

“Without oversight from Congress, the President intends to raise tariffs to the highest levels since the Great Depression, which jeopardizes the competitiveness of U.S. businesses and the pocketbooks of all Americans.

“While the price of imported goods will undoubtedly rise, the President’s tariffs will also tack on added costs to American manufacturing, assembly and farming. There is simply no way to mitigate all of the added costs of inputs to finished goods from the Administration’s complex and growing web of tariffs. Consumers should expect to see higher prices for everything from groceries to home renovations to auto insurance as construction and repair costs rise. 

“The America First Trade Policy rightly recognizes the harmful impact that discriminatory measures can have in preventing U.S. companies from accessing foreign markets, but tariffs should be a scalpel to remedy specific unfair practices, not a sledgehammer that disregards our trade commitments, invites retaliation and undermines the competitiveness of U.S. businesses and the finances of the American people. 

“The Administration, Congress and America’s key trading partners and allies quickly need to identify paths forward to de-escalate and seek a durable new normal that lowers barriers, rebuilds trust and minimizes uncertainty.

“We look forward to partnering with the Administration and Congress to think creatively about pathways to foster trust with our trading partners and achieve our shared goals of lowering trade barriers and enhancing the competitiveness of American businesses and workers.”

Source:The National Foreign Trade Council @ https://www.nftc.org/tariffs-jeopardize-the-competitiveness-of-u-s-businesses-and-the-pocketbooks-of-all-americans/

Trump moves to impose big tax hikes

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Orange County Register editorial

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced the “American Dream” would be restored with his bold plan to tax American businesses and consumers for importing goods from abroad.

“Now it’s our turn to prosper, and in so doing, use trillions and trillions of dollars to reduce our taxes and pay down our national debt,” he said. “And it will all happen very quickly. With today’s action, we are finally going to be able to make America great again, greater than ever before or. Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country and you see it happening already. We will supercharge our domestic industrial base.”

Depending on which supporter of the president you’re talking to, this is actually what he believes will happen with sweeping tariffs in place or this is instead part of some big “negotiation” with vaguely defined objectives.

We didn’t think we needed to remind Republicans of this, but to put it simply, tax increases are generally bad. If a key plank of your economic policy is to raise taxes to get prosperity, you’re doing things wrong.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is seemingly one of the few in his party who still remembers this. “On many fronts, I’m a supporter of the president,” he told The Hill. “On tariffs, I think it’s economically a fallacy to think it will help the country. Tariffs are a tax.”

We know what happened the last time Trump imposed tariffs in his first term. Sure, some new domestic jobs were created in sectors subject to tariffs, but even more were lost as a result of businesses and consumers having to pay more for the same things.

The latest line of argument from Trump is that he’s doing this to deter other countries from imposing taxes on their own people.

But as former Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan noted on X, “Just because other countries impose high taxes on their people does not mean the United States should impose high taxes on Americans. The United States is the economic powerhouse of the world in large part because our economy is relatively free. Don’t emulate socialist countries.”

Yet that’s exactly what Trump is doing in pursuit of his confused goal of doing whatever he thinks he’s doing in support of American manufacturing.

As economist Veronique De Rugy wrote in a column recently published in this newspaper, “America’s industrial base is not collapsing. It’s evolving — becoming more productive, more specialized and more capital-intensive. Protectionism won’t bring back the past or revive old jobs. It will just make the future more expensive and shift workers into lower-paying jobs.”

Unfortunately, one can find no recognition of this in Trump’s rhetoric or actions. And even worse, Trump is leading Republicans down a path of making confused and contradictory arguments in support of higher taxes and central planning of the economy.

Meanwhile, Congress is standing by, unwilling to buck the president and denigrating our system of checks and balances.

America’s trade policy, simply put, should be free trade.

Source:The Orange County Register @ https://www.ocregister.com/2025/04/03/trump-moves-to-impose-big-tax-hikes/

ABA Condemns Second Raid on Educational Bookshop

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The American Booksellers Association was swift to issue a statement in Wednesday’s BTW newsletter condemning Israeli police’s second raid on Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem earlier this week.

The ABA stated, “For the second time in a month, Israeli police have raided the Palestinian-owned Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem. On Tuesday police detained 61-year-old shop owner Imad Muna, whose son Ahmad Muna was detained last month. Books seized in the raid included anything that seemed related to Palestine, such as works by Banksy and Noam Chomsky. The incitement for the raid is being reported as a tip that a visitor to the store ‘had observed books containing inciting content,’ similar to the raid last month in which police cited a children’s coloring book as evidence of ‘terrorism.’ 

Bookselling is not terrorism. Carrying books about Palestine is not terrorism. It is imperative that booksellers around the world stand together to reject politicized raids of bookstores, wherever they occur. ABA once again stands with the Educational Bookshop and demands a cessation of raids and due process for the booksellers.”

Source:https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=5265&oly_enc_id=0684G9264356E1T

Russia: Year After Navalny’s Death, Supporters Targeted:Human Rights Watch report

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(Berlin, February 20, 2025) – Dozens of arrests on the first anniversary of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s death are just the tip of the iceberg in the Kremlin’s continued crackdown on his supporters, Human Rights Watch said today.

On February 16, 2025, Russian law enforcement officers detained at least 42 people at gatherings commemorating Navalny on the first anniversary of his death in prison. Throughout the year, the authorities have used their extensive arsenal of repressive tools to try to suppress public outcry and erase Navalny’s political legacy.

“Russia’s notoriously vague and broad anti-extremism law is used to prosecute those who call for free and fair elections, expose corruption, advocate on behalf of political prisoners, or appear to identify as Navalny supporters,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The Kremlin sees the exercise of basic human rights as a threat that must be stopped, something Navalny knew well, and for which he paid the price.”

Navalny died in a remote prison in Russia’s far north while serving a 19-year sentence on bogus politically motivated charges. The authorities threw him behind bars in 2021, as soon as he returned to Russia from Germany, where he had been treated after surviving a poisoning attempt apparently orchestrated by Russian security services. 

In September 2024, The Insider, a leading Russian investigative media outlet, alleged that his death resulted from another poisoning by government agents. Prison authorities had arbitrarily and repeatedly confined him to various punishment cells and failed to provide him with adequate medical care.

Last week, the United Nations special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation condemned the lack of “credible investigation into his death” and said that “Alexei Navalny’s fate exposes the systematic and widespread repression against peaceful dissenters.”

In the first two days following Navalny’s death, police arbitrarily detained at least 425 people who had been honoring his memory in various regions of the country; another 106 were detained on March 1, 2024, the day of his funeral. One year later, police in major Russian cities again cordoned off local memorials to the victims of political repression, questioned those who came to lay flowers, recorded their personal data, and even arrested some of them.

Full Post @ Human Rights Watch https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/02/20/russia-year-after-navalnys-death-supporters-targeted

Trump and Putin cannot be permitted to dictate Ukraine’s future

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The bureau of Liberal International is outraged that President Donald Trump has callously prioritised the illegitimate claims of Vladimir Putin’s Russia over the long-standing Euro-Atlantic commitment to Ukraine – secure, peaceful, and whole – ahead of speculated peace negotiations.

As the war in Ukraine is on the verge of entering a new, critical phase, we find it inconceivable that the Trump administration can presume a lasting peace by minimising Ukraine’s voice and attempt to relegate Europe to a peripheral actor in any negotiations to come. President Trump’s comments after his call with President Putin this week demonstrate total disrespect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In addition, the failure to recognize who the aggressor remains a significant error in the statement of President Trump that will have far-reaching consequences.

President Trump’s recent statements and actions beg serious questions about the United States as a dependable ally and many of LI member parties will be reviewing how to address this dramatic deterioration in relations.

We welcome the unity of European nations including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom who, together with Canada, are collectively the largest source of aid to Ukraine. We urge the Trump administration to engage constructively and openly with their European counterparts and to embolden not undermine the transatlantic alliance that has served both continents so effectively for almost eight decades.

On the eve of the Munich security conference, we are convinced the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia will not diminish based on a ‘peace’ settlement in Ukraine brokered primarily by President’s Trump and Putin. That for a region riddled with Russian influence, this act will reverberate farther and embolden the ambitions of autocrats around the world.

Source:The Liberal International @ https://liberal-international.org/news-articles/trump-putin-ukraine-future/

Politico Report:”American citizen arrested in Russia for weed gummies”

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An American was arrested in Russia last week after airport security found cannabis gummies in his luggage.

The 28-year-old man, who arrived from Istanbul, was detained at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport on Feb. 7, according to Russian state media, after a sniffer dog discovered the contraband.

The man — who was not named in state media reports — explained he had been prescribed the gummies by a doctor in the United States. He was taken into custody and charged with drug smuggling, with a potential prison term of five to 10 years as well as a fine of 1 million roubles, which amounts to roughly $11,000.

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The Kremlin has arrested numerous Americans on cannabis possession charges in recent years, including basketball star Brittney Griner in 2022.

Griner, who was arrested for possession of a vape containing marijuana oil and sentenced to nine years in prison, was freed in a high-profile prisoner swap for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Another American, schoolteacher Marc Fogel, was arrested for possessing medical marijuana in 2021 and sentenced to 14 years. He was freed earlier this week, this time in exchange for a Russian cybercriminal.

The U.S. said both Griner and Fogel were wrongfully detained.

Western officials have accused Moscow of taking foreigners hostage to use as bargaining chips in prisoner swaps. At least 10 Americans remain in prison in Russia.

Story by Seb Starcevic “@ Politico https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/14/american-detained-in-russia-019107

The Problem With Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Order

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Former Rep. Justin Amash explains why President Donald Trump’s interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment is wrong:

There’s a problem with President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order, and it doesn’t take much effort to see it.

The Fourteenth Amendment reads, in relevant part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

Trump’s odd claim is that a child born in the United States without at least one parent who is a lawful permanent resident or U.S. citizen is not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States.

But this is simply false.

Set aside that Trump’s executive order would affect children whose parents are lawfully but not permanently here, such as those on student or work visas. Let’s look at the “harder” case: the children of illegal immigrants.

It should be obvious that even individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States are “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” “Jurisdiction” is just the applicability of legal authority to them and the potential exercise of state power against them.

People who are unlawfully present in the country can, of course, be charged with crimes, arrested, and subjected to the same legal processes as almost anyone else in the United States. There is not a person who doubts this, least of all someone in the Trump administration.

I include the word “almost” before “anyone else” in the paragraph above because the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” does exclude certain children: mainly the children of foreign diplomats, who, in fact, are generally not subject to U.S. laws. They have immunity that may or may not be waived by their home country.

Full Post by Former Rep. Justin Amash @ Reason https://reason.com/2025/01/24/the-problem-with-trumps-birthright-citizenship-order/

CTA Statement on Proposed Tariff Increases

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The following statement is from Gary Shapiro, CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® regarding President-elect Trump’s call for higher tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico, and China:

“President-elect Trump’s proposed sweeping new tariffs of 25% on all imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on top of existing tariffs on all imports from China, collectively, our top three trading partners, if implemented, will be a major inflation-causing tax on Americans and harmful to the U.S. economy.  

“We estimate that the new tariffs would burden over $350 billion in U.S. imports of technology products and inputs from these three countries. U.S. policymakers, especially in the Congress, must understand that the tariffs threatened by the President-elect would have the effect of separating the U.S. economy from those of these trading partners. More, they would invite these partners to retaliate against US exporters.

“Higher tariffs on our closest allies and trading partners like Canada and Mexico are counterproductive and will only lead to harm to U.S. businesses and consumers. CTA takes seriously and literally all tariffs proposed by the President-elect given how he followed through on his threats in his first term.

“According to our study ‘How the Proposed Trump Tariffs Increase Prices for Consumer Technology Products,’ a universal tariff of 10% and a 60% flat tariff on all imports from China will cause huge price increases for U.S. consumers: laptops and tablets are predicted to rise by 46%, video game consoles by 40%, and smartphones by 26%. The research also shows that the 60% flat tariff on all imports from China will largely drive production to other countries, not to the United States.

“We will be updating this study for CES® 2025, examining how a 20% universal tariff on all imports from all countries and a 100% flat tariff on all imports from China would impact the prices and purchases of consumer technology products in the United States. Tariffs are taxes that Americans pay and are ineffective and economically dangerous tools. 

About Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®:   
As North America’s largest technology trade association, CTA is the tech sector. Our members are the world’s leading innovators – from startups to global brands – helping support more than 18 million American jobs. CTA owns and produces CES® – the most powerful tech event in the world. Find us at CTA.tech. Follow us @CTAtech. 

Source:https://www.cta.tech/Resources/Newsroom/Media-Releases/2024/November/CTA-Statement-on-Proposed-Tariff-Increases

The War in Gaza Is Far Worse Than You Thought

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Researchers went back to check Palestinian casualty reports from October 2023. They found a deadlier month for civilians—and children—than any other chapter of the “war on terror.”

Matthew Petti | 12.13.2024 11:57 AM

A civilian injured in an Israeli airstrike on Al-Jalaa Street is helped into an ambulance in Gaza. December 12, 2024. | Khasan Alzaanin/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom

How many people in Gaza have been killed by the Israel-Hamas war? For a long time, the only source of information was the Palestinian Ministry of Health. And the accuracy of their death rolls became the subject of a morbid political debate. Is it fair to call the ministry “Hamas-run“? Did they tell the truth about the Ahli Hospital bombing? What to make of the discrepancy between identified and unidentified corpses?

It’s an ethical question not just for Israelis carrying out the war, but also for Americans, who are providing both the funding and weapons that make the war effort possible.

Airwars, a team of conflict researchers affiliated with the University of London, went back and cross-checked the casualty lists from the first 25 days of the Israeli air campaign against news reporting, social media, and other local sources. And unlike the Palestinian ministry, they differentiated between civilians and fighters, using data such as social media funeral notices to determine Hamas affiliation.

The Airwars report, released on Thursday, shows a rate of civilian slaughter “incomparable with any 21st century air campaign. It is by far the most intense, destructive, and fatal conflict for civilians that Airwars has ever documented.” The Palestinian ministry reported 8,525 wartime deaths, including 3,542 children, from October 7, 2023, to October 31, 2023. Airwars was able to verify a minimum of 5,139 civilians killed by Israeli air raids in that timeframe, including at least 1,900 children.

Most of them were not the collateral damage of combat against Hamas. Out of 606 incidents of civilian casualties studied by Airwars, only 26 overlapped with the death of a militant. And in those 26 incidents, the killing was still incredibly lopsided, with 32 militants killed in total, at a cost of 522 civilian lives.

For example, the Israeli military killed Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari on October 31, 2023, by dropping American-made 2,000-lb bunker buster bombs on the Jabalia refugee camp. The attack also killed at least 126 civilians, including 69 children, according to Airwars. “Children were carrying other injured children and running, with grey dust filling the air. Bodies were hanging on the rubble, many of them unrecognized. Some were bleeding and others were burnt,” Palestinian eyewitness Mohammad Al Aswad told CNN at the time.

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht called the deaths in Jabalia a “tragedy of war” in a CNN interview. “About the civilians there, we’re doing everything we can to minimize. Sadly they [Hamas] are hiding themselves within the civilian population,” Hecht told CNN. “We’re going to go after every one of these terrorists who was involved in the hideous [October 7, 2023] attack.”

Hamas raided Israeli towns and villages on October 7, 2023, killing 815 civilians, including 36 children, and 380 military personnel. Its fighters shot Israelis and foreigners in their houses, bomb shelters, and music festivals at close range, returning to Gaza with 251 captives, about 96 of whom are still being held hostage. The human rights organization Amnesty International said that Hamas “flagrantly violated international law and displayed a chilling disregard for human life by carrying out cruel and brutal crimes including mass summary killings, hostage-taking, and launching indiscriminate rocket attacks into Israel.”

Full Post by Matthew Petti @ Reason https://reason.com/2024/12/13/the-war-in-gaza-is-far-worse-than-you-thought/

CNN Report: Ikea says Trump’s tariffs could push up prices

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LondonCNN — 

The chief executive of the company behind Ikea furniture stores says tariffs make it more difficult to keep its prices low, joining a growing chorus of business leaders in warning of a potential hit to people’s wallets from Donald Trump’s planned import levies.

“In general, we don’t believe tariffs will support international companies and international trade. At the end of the day, that risks ending up on the bills of customers,” Jesper Brodin, Ingka Group CEO, told CNN Wednesday when asked about Trump’s tariffs. He was speaking ahead of the opening of Ikea’s pop-up store on London’s Oxford Street Thursday.

“Tariffs make it more difficult for us to maintain the low prices and be affordable for many people, which in the end is our goal,” he added. “We have never experienced a period of benefit when we had high tariffs,” he said, referring both to Ikea and the global economy. “But it’s beyond our control. We will need to understand and adapt.”

On Monday, President-elect Trump promised massive hikes in tariffs on goods coming from Mexico, Canada and China. In response, officials from those countries warned that the tariffs would harm the economies of all involved, including the United States.

“One tariff will be followed by another in response and so on until we put common enterprises at risk,” Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum said Tuesday during a regular press conference.

Business lobby groups for the US retail and consumer goods industries have also sounded the alarm. Tom Madrecki, vice-president of campaigns and special projects at the Consumer Brands Association, told CNN tariffs were a “clear and present danger” to its members. The group represents Coca-Cola, General Mills, Molson Coors and dozens of other packaged goods companies.

On Monday, Trump said he would impose an additional 10% tariff on goods from China until the country prevents the flow of illegal drugs into the US.

Ikea’s Brodin did not directly answer a question about whether Ingka Group, which runs most Ikea stores, plans to relocate any of its production in light of Trump’s tariffs but emphasized that it has longstanding relationships with suppliers of more than 10 years on average.

“(We) stick to long-term relationships, for better or worse,” he said.

Last year, Ikea cut prices on roughly 2,000 products — at a cost of more than €2 billion ($2.1 billion) — to give inflation-weary consumers a break. As a result, it posted a fall in annual revenue in value terms, even though it sold a higher volume of items.

Source:Cable News Network @ https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/27/business/ikea-prices-trump-tariffs-intl/index.html