ֱ

You are here

  • Home
  • A look at the countries that received Trump’s tariff letters

A look at the countries that received Trump’s tariff letters

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2025. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2025. (AFP)
Short Url

https://arab.news/msjfq

Updated 13 July 2025
AP

A look at the countries that received Trump’s tariff letters

A look at the countries that received Trump’s tariff letters
  • Nearly every country has faced a minimum 10 percent levy on goods entering the US since April, on top of other levies on specific products like steel and automobiles. And future escalation is still possible
Updated 13 July 2025
AP

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has sent letters this week outlining higher tariffs countries will face if they don’t make trade deals with the US by Aug. 1.
Some mirror the so-called “reciprocal” rates Trump unveiled against dozens of trading partners in April — the bulk of which were later postponed just hours after taking effect. But many are higher or lower than those previously announced amounts.
So far, Trump has warned the European Union and 24 nations, including major trading partners like South Korea and Japan, that steeper tariffs will be imposed starting Aug. 1.
Nearly all of these letters took the same general tone with the exception of Brazil, Canada, the EU and Mexico, which included more specifics about Trump’s issues with those countries.
Nearly every country has faced a minimum 10 percent levy on goods entering the US since April, on top of other levies on specific products like steel and automobiles. And future escalation is still possible. In his letters, which were posted on Truth Social, Trump warned countries that they would face even higher tariffs if they retaliated by increasing their own import taxes.
Here’s a look at the countries that have gotten tariff letters so far — and where things stand now:
Brazil
Tariff rate: 50 percent starting Aug. 1. Brazil wasn’t threatened with an elevated “reciprocal” rate in April — but, like other countries, has faced Trump’s 10 percent baseline over the last three months.
Key exports to the US: Petroleum, iron products, coffee and fruit juice.
Response: In a forceful response, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Trump’s tariffs would trigger the country’s economic reciprocity law — which allows trade, investment and intellectual property agreements to be suspended against countries that harm Brazil’s competitiveness. He also noted that the US has had a trade surplus of more than $410 billion with Brazil over the past 15 years.
Myanmar
Tariff rate: 40 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 44 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Clothing, leather goods and seafood
Response: Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, the spokesperson for Myanmar’s military government said it will follow up with negotiations.
Laos
Tariff rate: 40 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 48 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Shoes with textile uppers, wood furniture, electronic components and optical fiber
Cambodia
Tariff rate: 36 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 49 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Textiles, clothing, shoes and bicycles
Response: Cambodia’s chief negotiator, Sun Chanthol, said the country successfully got the tariff dropped from the 49 percent Trump announced in April to 36 percent and is ready to hold a new round of negotiations. He appealed to investors, especially factory owners, and the country’s nearly 1 million garment workers not to panic about the tariff rate announced Monday.
Thailand
Tariff rate: 36 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s the same rate that was announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Computer parts, rubber products and gemstones
Response: Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said Thailand will continue to push for tariff negotiations with the United States. Thailand on Sunday submitted a new proposal that includes opening the Thai market for more American agricultural and industrial products and increasing imports of energy and aircraft.
Bangladesh
Tariff rate: 35 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 37 percent announced in April.
Key export to the US: Clothing
Response: Bangladesh’s finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said Bangladesh hopes to negotiate for a better outcome. There are concerns that additional tariffs would make Bangladesh’s garment exports less competitive with countries like Vietnam and India.
Canada
Tariff rate: 35 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s up from 25 percent imposed earlier this year on goods that don’t comply with a North American trade agreement covering the US, Canada and Mexico. Some of Canada’s top exports to the US are subject to different industry-specific tariffs.
Key exports to the US: Oil and petroleum products, cars and trucks
Response: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X early Friday that the government will continue to work toward a trade deal by the new Aug. 1 deadline.
Serbia
Tariff rate: 35 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 37 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Software and IT services; car tires
Indonesia
Tariff rate: 32 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s the same rate that was announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Palm oil, cocoa butter and semiconductors
Algeria
Tariff rate: 30 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s the same rate that was announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Petroleum, cement and iron products
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tariff rate: 30 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 35 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Weapons and ammunition
The European Union
Tariff rate: 30 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s up from 20 percent announced in April but less than the 50 percent Trump later threatened.
Key exports to the US: Pharmaceuticals, cars, aircraft, chemicals, medical instruments, and wine and spirits.
Iraq
Tariff rate: 30 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 39 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Crude oil and petroleum products
Response: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the tariffs would disrupt essential supply chains “to the detriment of businesses, consumers and patients on both sides of the Atlantic.” She said the EU remains ready to continue working toward an agreement but will take necessary steps to safeguard EU interests, including countermeasures if required.
Libya
Tariff rate: 30 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 31 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Petroleum products
Mexico
Tariff rate: 30 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s up from 25 percent imposed earlier this year on goods that don’t comply with the free trade agreement covering the US, Mexico and Canada. Some of Mexico’s top exports to the US are subject to other sector-specific tariffs.
Key exports to the US: Cars, motor vehicle parts and accessories, crude oil, delivery trucks, computers, agricultural products
South Africa
Tariff rate: 30 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s the same rate that was announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Platinum, diamonds, vehicles and auto parts
Response: The office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement that the tariff rates announced by Trump mischaracterized the trade relationship with the US, but it would “continue with its diplomatic efforts toward a more balanced and mutually beneficial trade relationship with the United States” after having proposed a trade framework on May 20.
Sri Lanka
Tariff rate: 30 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 44 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Clothing and rubber products
Brunei
Tariff rate: 25 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s up from 24 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Mineral fuels and machinery equipment
Moldova
Tariff rate: 25 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 31 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Fruit juice, wine, clothing and plastic products
Japan
Tariff rate: 25 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s up from 24 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Autos, auto parts, electronic
Response: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called the tariff “extremely regrettable” but said he was determined to continue negotiating.
Kazakhstan
Tariff rate: 25 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 27 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Oil, uranium, ferroalloys and silver
Malaysia
Tariff rate: 25 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s up from 24 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Electronics and electrical products
Response: Malaysia’s government said it will pursue talks with the US A cabinet meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.
South Korea
Tariff rate: 25 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s the same rate that was announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Vehicles, machinery and electronics
Response: South Korea’s Trade Ministry said early Tuesday that it will accelerate negotiations with the United States to achieve a deal before the 25 percent tax goes into effect.
Tunisia
Tariff rate: 25 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 28 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Animal and vegetable fats, clothing, fruit and nuts
Philippines
Tariff rate: 20 percent starting Aug. 1. That’s down from 17 percent announced in April.
Key exports to the US: Electronics and machinery, clothing and gold

Topics: US President Donald Trump Donald Trump's tariff USA

Related

Trump says Mexico, EU to face 30% tariff from August 1
World
Trump says Mexico, EU to face 30% tariff from August 1
Judge orders Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops, arrests in California
World
Judge orders Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops, arrests in California

European leaders face tough choices as the UK and France host another meeting on Ukraine

Updated 8 sec ago

European leaders face tough choices as the UK and France host another meeting on Ukraine

European leaders face tough choices as the UK and France host another meeting on Ukraine
Updated 8 sec ago
LONDON: European countries are stuck between a rock and a hard place as a coalition of countries meets in Paris on Thursday to discuss security guarantees for a postwar Ukraine.
The war is raging unabated, with no ceasefire in sight — and the crucial question of American involvement in ensuring Ukraine’s future security remains unresolved.
For months, the so-called “coalition of the willing” has been meeting to discuss aid for Ukraine, including sketching out plans for military support in the event of a ceasefire to deter future Russian aggression.
The coalition leaders — French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K Prime Minister Keir Starmer — have insisted that any European “reassurance” force in Ukraine needs the backing of the United States. But while US President Donald Trump has hinted his country will be involved, he has moved away from calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine and refrained from implementing tough additional economic measures to punish Moscow.
Although Trump said he is “disappointed” in Russian President Vladimir Putin and issued several threats to try to cajole him into negotiating an end to hostilities, none has worked. At a meeting with Putin in Alaska in August, Trump failed to persuade the Russian leader to stop fighting and has not yet managed to broker talks between Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While Trump and European leaders met in Washington after the Alaska summit — and US, European and NATO military chiefs held discussions on support for Ukraine — little concrete detail has emerged on the security guarantees to deter Moscow from a future conflict.
Former military generals and experts suggest Europe is in a bind — not knowing the level of support the US is prepared to provide the coalition, the nature of any ceasefire or if the US will abide by commitments made. It’s also far from certain that Putin would agree to a cessation of hostilities, something Russian officials have invariably dismissed.
“Talking about detailed operational planning when you don’t actually have your mission is, quite frankly, impossible,” said Ed Arnold, an expert in European Security at the Royal United Services Institute in London and a former military planner.
Why Europeans believe a ceasefire is necessary
The “coalition of the willing” is a broad term for about 30 nations supporting Ukraine, but the so-called “reassurance force” that would provide security guarantees to Kyiv is a subset of that group.
The UK, France and Estonia have all suggested they are ready to deploy troops to Ukraine to deter Putin from attacking again, while officials in Poland said Warsaw will not take part and will instead focus on bolstering NATO security in the east of Europe.
There is “no suggestion” that any troops will be deployed without a ceasefire because it’s too risky, said François Heisbourg, special adviser at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris.
Despite Zelensky signaling his willingness to talk, a ceasefire agreement is not currently in the cards — not least because of the positions of the US and Russian presidents.
At his Aug. 18 meeting with European leaders at the White House — a day after meeting Putin — Trump walked back his previous demands for a ceasefire in Ukraine and said he thought a peace agreement was preferable.
The comments marked a shift toward the Russian position from Trump and would allow Moscow to fight on in Ukraine while peace negotiations are underway.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov later suggested an end to hostilities was even further away, stating that Moscow will not accept Zelensky’s signature on any peace agreement as Russia considers him to be an illegitimate president.
“If Putin doesn’t want a ceasefire — and if Trump doesn’t call for a ceasefire — what are the chances of a ceasefire happening?” asked Heisbourg.
What a European security guarantee for Ukraine could look like
Even if a ceasefire or peace agreement for Ukraine were implemented, it’s not clear it would be a sufficient deterrent to Putin and would be “very, very risky” for European nations, said Arnold at RUSI.
Such an operation hinges on the US providing intelligence support and the deterrent effect of US airpower in countries outside Ukraine.
The Western appetite to potentially shoot down Russian missiles violating a ceasefire or target launchers firing them from within Russia is “close to zero,” said Heisbourg.
Any response to a ceasefire violation, he said, would likely depend on “how many Western soldiers the Russians would have actually killed...and nobody wants to think about that too much in advance.”
In March, Starmer told allies that a force for Ukraine would need at least 10,000 troops, but that would potentially require around 30,000 troops when taking into account those on rotation and rest.
As a coalition leader, the UK should look at contributing a brigade of 5,000 soldiers which would become 15,000 when taking into account rest and rotation, said Arnold.
That figure would account for about 30 percent of the deployable capacity of the British Army, he said, and potentially create a “tricky” problem whereby the UK deploys more forces on behalf of non-NATO ally Ukraine than it does for NATO allies such as Estonia.
European officials have indicated that the troops could be involved in training Ukrainian soldiers and likely based away from the frontlines although the risk of Russian missile and drone strikes would remain high.
But there would be “zero credibility” if Western troops were put in various Ukrainian towns without a clear mission or purpose, said Ben Hodges, former commanding general of the US Army in Europe.
“That will not impress the Russians at all,” he added.
US as a reliable partner
European leaders are also grappling with the question of whether to take Trump and his officials at their word while also eyeing the rise of populist parties — particularly in the UK, France and Germany — which may not share the same commitment to Ukraine as current political leadership.
That means the future of any security guarantees for Kyiv could be extremely fragile.
There is “absolutely no guarantee” that Trump will abide by commitments made to European nations over Ukraine, said Arnold, pointing to Trump’s withdrawal from previous agreements, including the Paris climate agreement and Iran’s nuclear deal.
That means European nations cannot rely on him ordering US jets into action in the event of a ceasefire violation because “at one time he may say yes, at another time he may say no,” Arnold said.
With NATO membership for Kyiv ruled out by Trump and a host of hurdles to overcome to implement security guarantees for Ukraine, European leaders may decide to navigate the situation by spending “a lot more money on weapons” for Kyiv, said Heisbourg.
Arnold agreed, adding that the best option could be to give Kyiv “loads of guns and loads of ammo.”
“There’s no easy way out,” he said. “None of the options, especially for the Europeans, are good.”

Indonesian protests draw regional solidarity with food orders for delivery drivers

Indonesian protests draw regional solidarity with food orders for delivery drivers
Updated 33 min 50 sec ago
Reuters

Indonesian protests draw regional solidarity with food orders for delivery drivers

Indonesian protests draw regional solidarity with food orders for delivery drivers
  • The protests spread across the country when delivery driver Affan Kurniawan was run over and killed by a police vehicle in Jakarta, placing the low wages and income precarity of ride-sharing drivers at the heart of the demonstrations
Updated 33 min 50 sec ago
Reuters

KUALA LUMPUR: When Indonesian driver Rizky Azhar received a food delivery order from Malaysia, he was surprised by both the location and the accompanying note, which said the plate of smoked beef with rice was for him.
The order was part of a surge in food purchases from other Southeast Asian countries for motorcycle taxi and delivery drivers in Indonesia, a show of solidarity for week-long protests around income inequality and generous perks for lawmakers.
The protests spread across the country when delivery driver Affan Kurniawan was run over and killed by a police vehicle in Jakarta, placing the low wages and income precarity of ride-sharing drivers at the heart of the demonstrations.
President Prabowo Subianto has said the police and military would stand firm against the protests, which have occasionally turned violent after Affan’s death and left 10 people dead.
But the images of students and workers on the streets have attracted a wave of solidarity, with people across Southeast Asia ordering food for delivery drivers and sharing the screenshots on social media.
Over 1,100 kilometers (701.5 miles) from the Indonesian capital, Ayman Hareez Muhammad Adib decided to show his support, using the ride-hailing and food delivery app Grab to place the order that ended up with Rizky.
“The calls tell us all to contribute to what’s happening in Indonesia...to show support by sending food,” the 23-year-old Kuala Lumpur resident said.
The orders are usually accompanied by a note that reads the drivers can take the food or give it to their families.
Rizky received a similar message from Ayman on a slow Wednesday, when several schools and offices were shut in Jakarta over the protests.
“We were surprised that in recent days, some foreign nationals have shown concern for us,” he said.
On a major Jakarta street last week, hundreds of motorcycle drivers flanked a vehicle carrying Affan’s body to the cemetery. Most worked for Grab and Gojek, operated by Indonesia’s biggest tech company GoTo.
Grab has seen an uptick in orders from overseas for delivery within Indonesia over the past week, a spokesperson told Reuters, declining to say by how much or from which countries.
Tyas Widyastuti, Grab’s director of mobility and logistics, said the orders came mostly from Southeast and East Asia.
A GoTo spokesperson said the company’s ‘Treat Your Driver’ feature “has been welcomed by customers during this period as a gesture of solidarity with driver-partners” without specifying whether orders had been placed from overseas.
Motorcycle taxis are ubiquitous across Indonesia, including in the capital Jakarta, known for some of the world’s worst traffic congestion.
In recent years, drivers have routinely protested low pay, lack of employment security and unfair practices by ride-sharing companies. GoTo and Grab have defended their business practices.

Topics: Indonesia

Related

Special With brooms, Indonesian women protest for sweeping police reforms after deadly crackdown video
World
With brooms, Indonesian women protest for sweeping police reforms after deadly crackdown
Special In viral campaign, Southeast Asians use apps to support Indonesian delivery drivers
World
In viral campaign, Southeast Asians use apps to support Indonesian delivery drivers

Russia launches over 500 drones and missiles at Ukraine as Zelensky seeks more support

Russia launches over 500 drones and missiles at Ukraine as Zelensky seeks more support
Updated 04 September 2025
AP

Russia launches over 500 drones and missiles at Ukraine as Zelensky seeks more support

Russia launches over 500 drones and missiles at Ukraine as Zelensky seeks more support
  • The main Russian nighttime targets were civilian infrastructure, especially energy facilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said
  • Ukraine and its allies discuss new military aid andTrump and Zelensky are scheduled to speak Thursday
Updated 04 September 2025
AP

KYIV, Ukraine: Russia fired more than 500 drones and two dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight, authorities said Wednesday, as Ukraine’s president and European leaders pressed on with talks on how to strengthen Ukrainian defenses and boost as-yet unsuccessful US-led peace efforts.
The main Russian nighttime targets were civilian infrastructure, especially energy facilities, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as another winter approaches three years after Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor. The attacks targeted mainly western and central Ukraine and wounded at least five people, the Ukrainian air force said.
Russia’s aerial assaults that hit civilian areas and its army’s drive to crush Ukrainian defenses along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line have not abated in recent months, despite US President Donald Trump’s attempts to stop the fighting. While Zelensky has accepted Trump’s proposals for a ceasefire and face-to-face peace talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin has voiced reservations.
Putin said Wednesday he believed “that if common sense prevails, it is possible to agree on an acceptable option for ending the conflict,” adding that Trump has “a sincere desire” to find a settlement.
“It seems to me that there is a certain light at the end of the tunnel,” Putin said at a news conference in Beijing, wrapping up a four-day visit to China. “Let’s see how the situation develops. If not, then we will have to achieve our goal by military means.”
He said he was ready to receive Zelensky for talks in Moscow, but only if the meeting is “well prepared.” Kremlin officials have previously said a summit could happen only after a broad agreement has been hammered out first by lower-ranking delegations.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leader described the overnight strikes as “demonstrative.”
“Putin is demonstrating his impunity,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram Wednesday, urging tougher sanctions on Russia. “Only due to the lack of sufficient pressure, primarily on the war economy, does Russia continue this aggression.”
Trump and Zelensky are scheduled to speak Thursday, according to a White House official who requested anonymity to discuss the call that is yet to be formally announced.
Meetings in Beijing bring together Russia’s supporters
As part of diplomatic maneuvering, Putin was in China meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The three countries support Russia’s war effort, Washington says. Pyongyang has sent troops and ammunition to Russia, while China and India have bought Russian oil, indirectly helping its war economy.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief said that China’s alliance with Russia is supplying vital support for its invasion, including with products that can be used for both civilian and military purposes.
“Russia is not acting alone. China provides Russia with up to 80 percent of dual use imports,” Kaja Kallas said in a speech Wednesday at the annual European Union Institute for Security Studies conference in Brussels. “This allows the killing to continue in Ukraine.”
In his daily video address on Tuesday evening, Zelensky said the number of Russian drone attacks is growing, including in broad daylight, and reported “another buildup of Russian forces in some sectors of the front.”
He said it revealed “an open disregard by Russia for everything the world is doing to stop this war.”
Ukraine and its allies discuss new military aid
Zelensky arrived in Denmark on Tuesday for talks with Northern European and Baltic countries about new military aid and further diplomatic support for Ukraine. He said in Copenhagen that a program for weapons sourced from the United States and paid for by Europe for delivery to Ukraine already has commitments of more than $2 billion. The goal, he said, is to add around $1 billion to the fund each month.
British Defense Secretary John Healey, meanwhile, was in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv for meetings on how to strengthen Ukraine’s military.
French President Emmanuel Macron greeted Zelensky in Paris on Wednesday evening, ahead of a Thursday meeting of European countries assessing what kind of postwar security guarantees they might be able to provide with the United States.
Macron said defense ministers of these countries confirmed and documented contributions from 35 coalition members at a meeting earlier in the day. He didn’t elaborate on what he said was a confidential agreement, but said it was the result of ″intense work in recent weeks″ and ″allows me to say that this preparatory work has been completed.″
″We are ready, we Europeans, to bring security guarantees to Ukraine and Ukrainians the day a peace deal is signed,″ Macron said. ″The question now is about the sincerity of Russia and its successive commitments since it proposed peace to the United States.’
Zelensky said that “unfortunately, so far we have not seen any signals from Russia that they want to end” the war. “But I am sure that our union, the union with Europe which has been with us since the beginning of the war, and the union of Europe with America will help us increase the pressure on Russia to move toward a diplomatic solution,” he said.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said earlier Wednesday he expected clarity after the Paris talks about what each country can provide.
Rutte said he is “discreetly part of all the conversations” alongside NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, because the plans would draw resources from alliance countries and officials need to “prevent spreading our resources too thinly.”
 

 

Topics: Ukraine-Russia war

Related

Russia claims capturing ‘about half’ of Ukrainian city Kupiansk; Kyiv says it’s untrue
World
Russia claims capturing ‘about half’ of Ukrainian city Kupiansk; Kyiv says it’s untrue
Russia expects ongoing Ukraine talks, tied to territorial changes, Lavrov says
World
Russia expects ongoing Ukraine talks, tied to territorial changes, Lavrov says

Medical groups call on US Health Secretary Kennedy to step down

Medical groups call on US Health Secretary Kennedy to step down
Updated 04 September 2025
Reuters

Medical groups call on US Health Secretary Kennedy to step down

Medical groups call on US Health Secretary Kennedy to step down
Updated 04 September 2025
Reuters

WASHINGTON: Multiple health groups and medical associations called on US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down in a joint statement on Wednesday, saying he was disregarding decades of lifesaving science and reversing medical progress.
The statement, signed by more than 20 groups, comes after multiple former directors of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under both Republican and Democratic presidents have said that Kennedy’s decisions — culminating in last week’s firing of the CDC’s director — are putting Americans’ health at risk.
“Our country needs leadership that will promote open, honest dialogue, not disregard decades of lifesaving science, spread misinformation, reverse medical progress and decimate programs that keep us safe,” the statement released on Wednesday said.
“We are gravely concerned that American people will needlessly suffer and die as a result of policies that turn away from sound interventions,” the statement added.
Signatories included the Infectious Diseases Society of America ; American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology; American Public Health Association; and American Association of Immunologists.
Kennedy has made sweeping changes to vaccine policies, including withdrawing federal recommendations for COVID shots for pregnant women and healthy children in May. He fired all members of the CDC’s expert vaccine advisory panel in June and replaced them with hand-picked advisers including fellow anti-vaccine activists.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Kennedy said his mission was “to restore the CDC’s focus on infectious disease” and “rebuild trust through transparency and competence.”
CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired last week, less than a month after being sworn in, and some senior officials resigned amid growing tensions over vaccine policies and public health directives.
More than 1,000 current and former Health and Human Services Department employees also penned an open letter calling for the health secretary to either resign or be fired.

Topics: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn’t ending his reelection campaign

NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn’t ending his reelection campaign
Updated 04 September 2025
AP

NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn’t ending his reelection campaign

NYC Mayor Eric Adams insists he isn’t ending his reelection campaign
Updated 04 September 2025
AP

NEW YORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams insisted Wednesday that he isn’t dropping his reelection campaign after reports he had been approached about potentially taking a job with the federal government.
Trump administration intermediaries recently reached out to people close to Adams, a Democrat, to discuss whether he would be open to abandoning his reelection campaign to take a federal job, according to a person familiar with those conversations.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the private nature of those conversations.
It was unclear how far those talks progressed, but as media reports about them multiplied, Adams insisted in interviews and through a spokesperson that he had no intention of dropping out of the contest against Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
“Mayor Adams has not met with Donald Trump — don’t believe the noise. He is not dropping out of the race,” said his campaign spokesperson, Todd Shapiro.
After Mamdani romped in the Democratic primary, which Adams had skipped, some pundits suggested that the 33-year-old democratic socialist might be unbeatable in the general election unless either Cuomo or Adams dropped out.
During a series of television interviews where he had intended to talk about his efforts to fight crime in the city, Adams battled back against the idea that he might leave the race.
“If there’s any changes in this race, I will announce that,” Adams told Fox 5. “Right now, we’re moving straight ahead to do — No. 1, serve this city as we’re currently doing, doing a darn good job. And we’re looking forward to reelection.”
After spending Tuesday in Florida after his 65th birthday, Adams was asked whether he met with anyone from the Trump administration while there. The mayor would only say that he “met with several political figures,” including Miami’s Republican mayor.
“I met with several political figures in Florida,” he told PIX11, saying the trip was to “deal with some personal issues.”
Adams, in that interview, pushed back against questions about whether he would exit the contest but added: “I’ve never had a problem finding jobs as I transition.”
Later Wednesday, Adams reiterated at an unrelated news conference that he’s still running for reelection and didn’t go to Florida to “seek a job,” adding that he often receives job offers from boards, educational institutions and others who have been impressed with what he’s done with the city.
The White House did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday night.
Mamdani held a news conference in Manhattan on Wednesday, calling the reports “an affront to democracy.”
“We know that this city will decide its own future. And we know that it is New Yorkers that we will turn to to make that decision in November, not the White House in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Adams had previously quit the Democratic primary after he was charged in a federal corruption case. The Trump administration successfully moved to drop the case so the mayor could better assist with the president’s immigration agenda, which freed Adams up to run as an independent in the general election, but has not helped his image in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.
A spokesperson for Cuomo, who is now running as an independent candidate, did not immediately return a request for comment.

Topics: Eric Adams

Latest updates

European leaders face tough choices as the UK and France host another meeting on Ukraine
European leaders face tough choices as the UK and France host another meeting on Ukraine
Gaza docu-drama on Hind Rajab gets 23-minute ovation at Venice premiere
Gaza docu-drama on Hind Rajab gets 23-minute ovation at Venice premiere
Indonesian protests draw regional solidarity with food orders for delivery drivers
Indonesian protests draw regional solidarity with food orders for delivery drivers
Russia launches over 500 drones and missiles at Ukraine as Zelensky seeks more support
Russia launches over 500 drones and missiles at Ukraine as Zelensky seeks more support
Roy Jones Jr. given the 1988 Olympic gold medal by the boxer who got the controversial win over him
Roy Jones Jr. given the 1988 Olympic gold medal by the boxer who got the controversial win over him

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version
© 2025 ֱ, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.