North America

Despite tariffs, Trump takes softer tone with China

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — While slapping duties on steel and aluminum imports, President Donald Trump struck a more conciliatory tone towards China, pointing to negotiations underway to trim Washington’s soaring bilateral trade deficit with Beijing. “We’re negotiating now with China. We’re in the midst of a big negotiation. I don’t know that anything is going to come of it,” Trump said at the White House while rolling out the new trade barriers. “They have […]

Trump rolls out sweeping tariffs, defying trade war warnings

by Andrew Beatty and Margaret Donaldson Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – US President Donald Trump on Thursday slapped deeply contentious trade tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum, swatting aside warnings of a global trade war and protests from allies in Europe and at home. The tariffs of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum will come into effect in 15 days, the White House said. They will not apply to Canada and Mexico […]

Snow blankets US East Coast second time in week

PHILADELPHIA, PA (Eagle News) — The Northeastern Seaboard of the United States was covered with snow once again on Wednesday. This happened just as residents of Philadelphia were still recovering from last Friday’s snowfall that caused power outages throughout the region and made travel difficult. Residents of the city were bracing for up to 13 inches of snow. The National Weather Service reported that 6.1 inches fell at Philadelphia International Airport and up to 26 […]

Embattled White House promises quick tariff decision

by Andrew BEATTY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump’s team played down talk of a trade war Wednesday as it fought to limit a financial market sell-off, promising a quick decision on contentious tariffs that prompted a popular economic advisor to the president to quit. Administration big guns Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin rushed to the cameras to calm market jitters over proposed steel and aluminum […]

Winter storm hits northeast US, halting over 2,500 flights

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The second winter storm in less than a week struck the northeastern United States Wednesday, with around 2,500 flights canceled as the region braced for heavy snow. Around 550 flights arriving and departing from John F Kennedy International Airport — nearly 42 percent of the total scheduled — were canceled by 7:00 pm (2400 GMT), along with 700 flights from New Jersey’s Newark airport and also from La Guardia, […]

North Korea talks offer a defining challenge for Trump

  by Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)  —  North Korea’s surprise offer of nuclear talks has thrown Donald Trump the biggest global challenge of his administration — and prompted a rare show of restraint from the usually outspoken president. Perched in the Oval Office, the 71-year-old president was uncharacteristically cautious. “I don’t want to talk so much about things that we don’t know yet,” he said, holding out for clarity about […]

Mexico vows US steel tariff retaliation

by Joshua Howat BERGER Agence France Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico threatened Tuesday to retaliate against President Donald Trump’s planned steel and aluminum tariffs by hitting the most “politically sensitive” US exports with tariffs of its own, the latest signal of a brewing trade war. Speaking a day after Trump shot down Mexican and Canadian proposals that the neighboring nations be granted an exemption from the steep US tariffs, Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo […]

Top Trump economic aide Cohn resigns

by Andrew BEATTY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump’s White House was rocked by another high-profile resignation Tuesday, as top economic advisor Gary Cohn quit in protest at the president’s decision to levy global steel tariffs. “It has been an honor to serve my country and enact pro-growth economic policies to benefit the American people,” Cohn said in a terse statement that belied fierce infighting in Trump’s tumultuous White House. Cohn […]

Republicans balk at Trump tariff proposal in rare pushback

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – Congressional Republicans occasionally confront Donald Trump on issues from immigration to diplomacy, but it is rare for them to bluntly oppose the US president on economic policy. That changed when he proposed tariffs on steel imports. Trump’s successes of 2017 — slashing regulations on US industry, hard-won tax cuts and soaring consumer confidence — won plaudits among conservatives like House Speaker Paul Ryan. But Trump’s aggressive plan to punish trade […]

White House clarifies Trump-North Korea ‘call’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The White House said Monday that Donald Trump had been referring to a call with South Korea’s leader when he appeared to suggest a landmark direct contact with the nuclear North. Trump raised eyebrows at a Washington media dinner on Saturday when he said “they, by the way, called up a couple of days ago and said ‘we would like to talk.’ “And I said, ‘so would we, but you […]

Uncertain future for ‘Dreamer’ immigrants as deadline passes

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES – The hopes of hundreds of thousands of “Dreamers” were on hold Monday as lawmakers missed an initial deadline for resolving the fate of immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that shields nearly 700,000 of the immigrants from deportation was supposed to expire on March 5, six months after President Donald Trump announced he was ending it. But a […]