Donald Trump said he plans to impose a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil. Questions about the future of FEMA loom amid the Texas floods. And “Superman” becomes a political flashpoint ahead of the new movie’s release.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump threatens 50% tariff on Brazil, in part because of its treatment of its ex-president
President Donald Trump has announced plans to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil, in part because of the treatment of its former president and Trump’s political ally, Jair Bolsonaro.
The 50% rate imposed on Brazil is by far the highest tariff Trump has slapped on any nation so far this week, and far more than the 10% tariff he said in his April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement that he would put on Brazil. Trump said yesterday in a post on Truth Social that 50% would be “far less than what is needed” to achieve a “level playing field.”
The United States has a trade surplus with Brazil, and the country was the 18th-largest source of U.S. goods imports last year, according to U.S. International Trade Commission data.
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In a letter to Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Trump said that the treatment of Bolsonaro, who faces charges that he plotted to overturn his 2022 election loss, “is an international disgrace.”
Trump also accused the Brazilian government of attacking “free elections” and Americans’ free speech rights. Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled last month that social media companies can be held accountable for the content posted on their platforms.
On a day that was supposed to mark the end of a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, which has since been pushed back until Aug. 1, Trump also revealed that he sent more letters dictating new tariff rates to at least seven more countries.
The letters threaten higher tariff rates on their goods if they don’t reach trade agreements by the August deadline. Those countries are Algeria, Brunei, Iraq, Libya, Moldova, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, and rates range from 20% to 30%.
After Texas floods, questions about FEMA’s future loom
As more days pass since the July 4 flash floods that inundated parts of central Texas, hope is fading that rescue crews will find survivors, with at least 173 people still missing.
The floods mark the first high-profile disaster that FEMA has faced since Trump took office, but because of the relatively small geographic area affected, former and current FEMA officials have said it’s not a true test of the agency’s current capabilities in the wake of a disaster. A bigger test could come later this summer as hurricane season reaches its peak.
Still, the events in Texas come at a time when FEMA’s future is in question. Trump has talked about the possibility of “getting rid of” the agency, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has tightened her grip on its operations. She now requires that all agency spending over $100,000 to be personally approved by her — a move that some argue is creating possible delays on the ground and a new layer of bureaucracy that goes against critics’ goals of reducing red tape and costs.
And then there’s the void created largely by a voluntary exodus of FEMA leaders, including 16 senior officials who took with them a combined disaster expertise of more than 200 years. Despite the Trump administration’s goal that states “wean off of FEMA” and bring assistance “down to the state level,” the agency, for now, still has the same mandate — just with fewer workers.
Republican Sen. Hawley wants to undo parts of Trump’s megabill
After voting to push Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” through the Senate, Sen. Josh Hawley told an event in his home state of Missouri that his goal is to ensure parts of the legislation don’t go into effect — specifically, changes to Medicaid rules that limit state reimbursement.
For rural hospitals and social safety net administrators in Missouri — and across the country — the new legislation, even if not fully implemented for a few years, brings uncertainty to communities dependent on funding from expanded Medicaid access, especially amid shortfalls and budget cuts.
Hawley’s position illustrates the challenges Republicans face as they try to sell the public on the bill they’ve been working on for months. Case in point: The event Hawley attended this week was a news conference to tout a less-noticed part of the 1,000-page bill that expands funds for victims of nuclear waste. “Gotta take the wins that you can,” he said. Read the full story here.
Former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey, two repeated targets of Trump, are under criminal investigation.But what they’re being investigated for and how far the DOJ plans to take the probes are unclear.
Trump’s desire for Republicans to bypass Democrats to claw back $9.4 billion in approved spending could upend the government funding process and threaten a shutdown fight.
Trump complimented the president of Liberia for speaking “good English.” English is the national language of Liberia, which was founded in part to resettle descendants of freed American slaves.
Read All About It
The resignation last month of University of Virginia President James Ryan came amid a federal investigation into allegations about the school’s diversity programs. But a letter released last weekreveals another reason the Justice Department targeted the university.
Thirty-one workers at a Los Angeles construction site were rescued after a tunnel collapsed.
PETA is suing the American Kennel Club, alleging its breed standards have “caused deformities” and “great suffering” to popular breeds like French bulldogs, pugs and dachshunds.
Panera Bread settled three remaining lawsuits over its highly caffeinated Charged Lemonade, the beverage blamed for multiple deaths and permanent injuries.
Linda Yaccarino announced she will step down as CEO of X, just a day after the Elon Musk-owned platform’s AI chatbot published a wave of antisemitic posts.
Staff Pick: Is Superman becoming ‘Superwoke’?
Alon Amir / Warner Bros.
Superman is perhaps one of the most famous immigrants in pop culture. But with James Gunn’s new “Superman” movie, which premieres in theaters tomorrow, that part of his identity has become a political flashpoint. Gunn’s comments about Superman being an “immigrant that came from other places” has drawn the ire of conservative commentators, who lament that the superhero is being unnecessarily politicized. But is that really the case? I took a closer look at why fans say that Superman’s immigrant identity has always been central to his story and how superhero comics have historically embracedpolitical themes. — Angela Yang, culture & trends reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
On the third day of Amazon Prime Day, the NBC Select team has a roundup of the best tech deals. Plus, we have the best discounted household essentials you’ll want to stock up on, as well as beauty and wellness deals. If you’re also a fan of Nordstrom, the retailer is running exclusive deals this week and we’ve pulled together some of our favorites.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.
Trump plans 50% tariff on Brazil and ‘Superman’ immigrant comment criticized: Morning Rundown
Donald Trump said he plans to impose a 50% tariff on imports from Brazil. Questions about the future of FEMA loom amid the Texas floods. And “Superman” becomes a political flashpoint ahead of the new movie’s release.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump threatens 50% tariff on Brazil, in part because of its treatment of its ex-president
President Donald Trump has announced plans to impose a 50% tariff on Brazil, in part because of the treatment of its former president and Trump’s political ally, Jair Bolsonaro.
The 50% rate imposed on Brazil is by far the highest tariff Trump has slapped on any nation so far this week, and far more than the 10% tariff he said in his April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement that he would put on Brazil. Trump said yesterday in a post on Truth Social that 50% would be “far less than what is needed” to achieve a “level playing field.”
The United States has a trade surplus with Brazil, and the country was the 18th-largest source of U.S. goods imports last year, according to U.S. International Trade Commission data.
This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
In a letter to Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Trump said that the treatment of Bolsonaro, who faces charges that he plotted to overturn his 2022 election loss, “is an international disgrace.”
Trump also accused the Brazilian government of attacking “free elections” and Americans’ free speech rights. Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled last month that social media companies can be held accountable for the content posted on their platforms.
On a day that was supposed to mark the end of a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, which has since been pushed back until Aug. 1, Trump also revealed that he sent more letters dictating new tariff rates to at least seven more countries.
The letters threaten higher tariff rates on their goods if they don’t reach trade agreements by the August deadline. Those countries are Algeria, Brunei, Iraq, Libya, Moldova, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, and rates range from 20% to 30%.
Read the full story here.
After Texas floods, questions about FEMA’s future loom
As more days pass since the July 4 flash floods that inundated parts of central Texas, hope is fading that rescue crews will find survivors, with at least 173 people still missing.
The floods mark the first high-profile disaster that FEMA has faced since Trump took office, but because of the relatively small geographic area affected, former and current FEMA officials have said it’s not a true test of the agency’s current capabilities in the wake of a disaster. A bigger test could come later this summer as hurricane season reaches its peak.
Still, the events in Texas come at a time when FEMA’s future is in question. Trump has talked about the possibility of “getting rid of” the agency, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has tightened her grip on its operations. She now requires that all agency spending over $100,000 to be personally approved by her — a move that some argue is creating possible delays on the ground and a new layer of bureaucracy that goes against critics’ goals of reducing red tape and costs.
And then there’s the void created largely by a voluntary exodus of FEMA leaders, including 16 senior officials who took with them a combined disaster expertise of more than 200 years. Despite the Trump administration’s goal that states “wean off of FEMA” and bring assistance “down to the state level,” the agency, for now, still has the same mandate — just with fewer workers.
Read the full story here.
Republican Sen. Hawley wants to undo parts of Trump’s megabill
After voting to push Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” through the Senate, Sen. Josh Hawley told an event in his home state of Missouri that his goal is to ensure parts of the legislation don’t go into effect — specifically, changes to Medicaid rules that limit state reimbursement.
For rural hospitals and social safety net administrators in Missouri — and across the country — the new legislation, even if not fully implemented for a few years, brings uncertainty to communities dependent on funding from expanded Medicaid access, especially amid shortfalls and budget cuts.
Hawley’s position illustrates the challenges Republicans face as they try to sell the public on the bill they’ve been working on for months. Case in point: The event Hawley attended this week was a news conference to tout a less-noticed part of the 1,000-page bill that expands funds for victims of nuclear waste. “Gotta take the wins that you can,” he said. Read the full story here.
More politics news:
Read All About It
Staff Pick: Is Superman becoming ‘Superwoke’?
Superman is perhaps one of the most famous immigrants in pop culture. But with James Gunn’s new “Superman” movie, which premieres in theaters tomorrow, that part of his identity has become a political flashpoint. Gunn’s comments about Superman being an “immigrant that came from other places” has drawn the ire of conservative commentators, who lament that the superhero is being unnecessarily politicized. But is that really the case? I took a closer look at why fans say that Superman’s immigrant identity has always been central to his story and how superhero comics have historically embraced political themes. — Angela Yang, culture & trends reporter
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
On the third day of Amazon Prime Day, the NBC Select team has a roundup of the best tech deals. Plus, we have the best discounted household essentials you’ll want to stock up on, as well as beauty and wellness deals. If you’re also a fan of Nordstrom, the retailer is running exclusive deals this week and we’ve pulled together some of our favorites.
Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.
Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.
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