China has warned Donald Trump to “stop whining” about being a victim of tariffs in the escalating trade war between the two nations.
It comes as the president claims the U.S is “taking in RECORD NUMBERS in Tariffs,” which was helping fight inflation, after he raised import duties on nearly all trading partners.
However, it is Beijing that is facing the most stringent measures. The U.S, which raised duties on Chinese products to 145 percent, has tightened export rules, with computer chip manufacturing giant Nvidia among those affected.
A fact sheet published by the White House on Tuesday said that China “now faces up to a 245 percent tariff”, and China’s foreign ministry urged reporters to question the Trump administration over the figure.
Beijing, which raised tariffs on U.S. goods to 125 percent, has reportedly told airlines to halt ordering Boeing jets and other U.S aircraft parts. In an editorial on Wednesday, state media outlet China Daily said the U.S. “should stop whining about itself being a victim in global trade.”
Wall Street ended the day sharply lower on the Nvidia news, and as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stated that U.S. economic growth appears to be slowing.
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Key Points
- China urges U.S. to 'stop threatening and blackmailing' over apparent 245% tariff threat
- Trump admin sues Maine over participation of transgender athletes in girls sports
- Nvidia to take $5.5 billion hit as U.S. restricts sales to China
- U.S 'should stop whining' over trade: Chinese media
Trump says 'Big Progress!' in meeting with Japanese trade delegation
Wednesday 16 April 2025 22:49
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Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump posted the following on Truth Social just now:
A Great Honor to have just met with the Japanese Delegation on Trade. Big Progress!
Trump claims the cost of gas and groceries has gone down. Have they?
Wednesday 16 April 2025 22:40
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Oliver O'Connell
President Donald Trump claims he’s driving down the cost of everyday goods such as groceries and gasoline with his policies but data from the consumer price index indicates only some products are getting cheaper.
The average prices of gasoline, bread and tomatoes have gone down since Trump took office in January but the cost of other goods such as eggs and beef have risen. Those numbers, reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, also have not reflected the impact of tariffs.
But that hasn’t stopped the president from touting confidence about consumer prices, as Ariana Baio reports.
California becomes the first state to sue Trump over his tariff plan
Wednesday 16 April 2025 22:30
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Oliver O'Connell
California has become the first state in the nation to sue Donald Trump over his “reckless and unprecedented” tariff plan, which is projected to wipe billions off the U.S. economy.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by Governor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, argues that as a “global leader in trade,” the Golden State will bear “an inordinate share” of the costs that result from the sweeping levies.
Mike Bedigan reports.
Scramble underway to stop Trump tariffs hitting Britain’s pharmaceutical industry
Wednesday 16 April 2025 22:20
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Oliver O'Connell
Pharmaceutical bosses and the government are racing to stop Donald Trump from slapping tariffs on medicines in a move that would significantly impact Britain’s multibillion-pound industry.
The US president has warned he will impose a 25 per cent levy on foreign drugs, which would devastate UK giants GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca.
America is by far the largest market for the firms, making up 40 per cent of AstraZeneca’s revenue, worth more than £20bn.
Archie Mitchell reports from London.
Wall Street ended sharply lower on chip export restrictions and Fed chair remarks
Wednesday 16 April 2025 22:13
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Oliver O'Connell
Wall Street ended sharply lower on Wednesday as Nvidia warned about steep charges from new U.S. restrictions on its chip exports to China and as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stated that U.S. economic growth appears to be slowing.
Powell, in remarks for the Economic Club of Chicago, mentioned that larger-than-expected tariffs likely indicate higher inflation and slower growth. However, he pointed out that the U.S. economy is still in a solid position and that the Fed is awaiting greater clarity before considering policy changes.
Stocks added to declines from earlier in the day following Powell's comments, with Nvidia and other chipmaker stocks among the biggest decliners.
Nvidia announced late on Tuesday that it would take $5.5 billion in charges after the U.S. government restricted exports of its H20 artificial-intelligence chip to China, a key market for one of its most popular chips.
According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 lost 120.84 points, or 2.24%, to end at 5,275.79 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 513.57 points, or 3.05%, to 16,309.60. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 695.17 points, or 1.72%, to 39,673.79.
With reporting from Reuters
IRS planning to rescind Harvard's tax-exempt status, report says
Wednesday 16 April 2025 22:10
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Oliver O'Connell
The Internal Revenue Service is planning to rescind the tax-exempt status of Harvard University, CNN reports, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
A final decision on rescinding the university's tax exemption is expected soon, the network added.
The report comes a day after President Donald Trump threatened to strip the university of its tax-exempt status and stated that Harvard should apologize after the school rejected what it called unlawful demands to overhaul academic programs or lose federal grants.
Musk claims to be ‘No. 2 after Trump for assassination’
Wednesday 16 April 2025 22:05
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Oliver O'Connell
Elon Musk claimed that he was “#2 after Trump for assassination,” in text messages to a former partner who claims to be the mother of one of his children.
The tech billionaire told Ashley St Clair in a text, seen by the Wall Street Journal, that “only the paranoid survive,” citing it as a reason to keep his name off her baby’s birth certificate.
St Clair told the outlet that she had been ordered not to put Musk’s name on the official document, and warned not to hire an attorney by Musk’s longtime fixer, Jared Birchall.
Mike Bedigan reports.
White House says Abrego Garcia will never set foot in U.S. again
Wednesday 16 April 2025 21:58
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Oliver O'Connell
At today’s short-notice White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says of the wrongly deported father, Kilmar Abrego Garcia: “Abrego Garcia is an illegal alien, MS-13 gang member and foreign terrorist who was deported back to his own country… Abrego Garcia will never be a Maryland father. He will never set foot in the United States again.”
Leavitt: Nothing will change the fact that Garcia will never be a Maryland father… The supreme court ruled unanimously that the president of the United States and secretary of state cannot be compelled to forcibly retrieve this citizen of El Salvador pic.twitter.com/ARR48bpLOT
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 16, 2025
Why RFK is contradicting his own department with autism investigation
Wednesday 16 April 2025 21:40
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Josh Marcus
Robert F. Kennedy Jr sits atop a government agency that spends $45 billion a year on medical research. The best scientists in the world, with access to the most technologically advanced equipment and cutting-edge artificial intelligence, are at his disposal.
But with confidence that only a Kennedy heir could muster, the health secretary dismissed the findings of those scientists Wednesday, instead announcing his intention to find the real truth behind what he described as an “epidemic” of autism.
"One of the things that I think we need to move away from today is this ideology that … the relentless increases are simply artifacts of better diagnoses, better recognition, or changing diagnostic criteria,” he said at a press conference, which he called to deliver his own unique interpretation of an autism study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
“This epidemic denial has become a feature in the mainstream media. And it's based on an industry canard,” he continued.
One man’s canard is another’s body of scientific evidence, because that was precisely the explanation given in the report from his own department. It noted that the likely cause for a rise in the number of children being diagnosed with autism — from one in 36 Americans under the age of 8 in 2020, to one in 31 in 2022 — was the better availability of diagnoses.
Read our full story for more context.
WATCH: White House briefs media amid Harvard funding row and tariff fallout
Wednesday 16 April 2025 21:23
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Josh Marcus
Abrego Garcia: CNN anchor shouts down GOP rep for accusing her of ‘false reporting’
Wednesday 16 April 2025 21:20
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Oliver O'Connell
CNN anchor Pamela Brown shut down a Republican congressman who accused her of “false reporting” about the Supreme Court ruling that the Trump administration must “facilitate” the return of an illegally deported Maryland man, calling him out for trying to “create a moment” that would get him plaudits from the White House.
“Let me finish my sentence!” Brown shouted at one point.
Justin Baragona has the story.
Powell says Fed can wait on any interest rate moves
Wednesday 16 April 2025 21:00
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AP
The Federal Reserve can stay patient and wait to see how tariffs and other economic policies of the Trump administration play out before making any changes to interest rates, Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday.
“For the time being, we are well-positioned to wait for greater clarity” on the impact of policy changes in areas such as immigration, taxation, regulation, and tariffs, Powell said.
Continue reading...
Concern in U.K. over risks to children if PM agrees to U.S. demands for trade deal
Wednesday 16 April 2025 20:40
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Oliver O'Connell
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been warned that giving in to U.S. demands over free speech to secure a trade deal will harm children.
The concerns have been raised after allies of vice-president JD Vance told The Independent that he wants the UK to repeal hate speech laws and ditch plans for a new online safety law in exchange for a trade deal that could see the UK avoid tariffs.
He has previously claimed that free speech is being undermined by laws banning hateful comments, including abuse targeting LGBT+ groups or other minorities, and sees UK legislation aimed at improving online safety as an attack on U.S. tech giants.
David Maddox and Harriette Boucher report from London.
Powell says Trump tariffs even larger than Fed's upside estimates
Wednesday 16 April 2025 20:25
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Reuters
The tariffs rolled out by President Donald Trump were larger than even the highest estimates prepared by the Federal Reserve ahead of time, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday.
“The tariffs are larger than forecasters had expected, certainly larger than we expected, even in our upside case,” Powell said in response to a question at an event at the Economic Club of Chicago.
As she draws massive crowds with Bernie Sanders, AOC hauls in staggering $9.6m in just three months
Wednesday 16 April 2025 20:20
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Oliver O'Connell
New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised $9.6 million during the first three months of this year in a stunning fundraising haul.
The amount is more than double that of her second-highest quarter and comes as progressives call on her to challenge New York Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader, in the 2028 primary.
Gustaf Kilander takes a look at the numbers.
China to blast US for bullying, trade war at UN
Wednesday 16 April 2025 20:06
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Reuters
China will next week convene an informal United Nations Security Council meeting to accuse the United States of bullying and “casting a shadow over the global efforts for peace and development” by weaponizing tariffs.
The move comes as Beijing pursues a hardline stance in an escalating trade war with Washington triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump's steep tariffs on items imported from China.
“All countries, particularly developing nations, are victims of unilateralism and bullying practices,” read the concept note for the informal U.N. meeting on “the impact of unilateralism and bullying practices on international relations.”
The note, inviting all 193 U.N. member states to attend the April 23 meeting, specifically criticizes the United States for imposing tariffs.
“By weaponizing tariffs as a tool of extreme pressure, the U.S. has gravely violated international trade rules, and triggered severe shocks and turbulence in the world economy and multilateral trading system, casting a shadow over the global efforts for peace and development,” read the concept note.
The U.S. mission to the United Nations referred a request for comment on China's planned meeting to the State Department, which did not immediately respond.
The U.N. Trade and Development agency said on Wednesday that global economic growth could slow to 2.3% as trade tensions and uncertainty drive a recessionary trend.
New survey reveals shocking extent to which American conservatives distrust science
Wednesday 16 April 2025 20:00
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Oliver O'Connell
New research by social psychologists at the University of Amsterdam, published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, shows that America's conservatives distrust science to a far greater extent than previously understood.
The academics asked 7,800 Americans their opinions on 35 different scientific professions and examined their answers based on whether they identified as conservative or liberal.
They found that members of the public who described themselves as right-leaning were overwhelmingly more likely to distrust scientists, particularly those whose work in fields such as climate may not align with their political ideology.
Joe Sommerlad looks at the findings.
Van Hollen denied chance to visit of speak with Abrego Garcia
Wednesday 16 April 2025 19:54
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Alex Woodward
Senator Chris Van Hollen said he asked El Salvador’s vice president if he could meet Kilmar Abrego Garcia, “and he said you need to make earlier provisions to go visit CECOT.”
“I said I’m not interested in this moment of taking a tour of CECOT, I just want to meet Mr. Abrego Garcia. He said he was not able to make that happen,” Van Hollen said from San Salvador.
He couldn’t promise a visit next week either, he said.
“So I asked if I could get on the phone, either video phone or just a phone, and talk with Mr. Abrego Garcia.”
He was also denied that, he said.
Asked if his family or wife could speak with him, “he said he was not sure whether he could make that happen.”
“We have an unjust situation here,” Van Hollen said.
A reporter also asked him if he thinks he’s still alive.
He said he doesn’t know his health status, which is why he’s trying to meet with him.
Watch: Powell says Fed will never be influenced by political pressure
Wednesday 16 April 2025 19:52
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Oliver O'Connell
Fed Chair Powell on independence: "We're never going to be influenced by any political pressure. People can say whatever they want. That's fine. That's not a problem, but we will do what we do strictly without consideration of political or any other extraneous factors." pic.twitter.com/AYH7G7wYnF
— CSPAN (@cspan) April 16, 2025
'Special guest' at newly announced White House briefing
Wednesday 16 April 2025 19:45
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Oliver O'Connell
Stay tuned...
NEW: the White House has added a 4:30 pm briefing with @PressSec and a “special guest” pic.twitter.com/ueEhLsDBfP
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 16, 2025
Van Hollen says El Salvador government has no evidence Abrego Garcia is part of MS-13
Wednesday 16 April 2025 19:45
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Alex Woodward
Senator Van Hollen was live from El Salvador after being denied a visit with Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
He said that the Trump administration is “lying when they say he has been charged with a crime or is part of MS-13. That is a lie.”
“And this is a life to cover up what they did. … They illegally abducted Mr. Abrego Garcia from Maryland and sent him to CECOT.”
He asked El Salvador’s vice president whether or not El Salvador has any evidence that he’s part of MS-13 or has committed a crime.
“The government of El Salvador has no evidence he is part of MS-13. Why is El Salvador continuing to hold him in CECOT?” he said. “And his answer was the Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador, to keep him in CECOT.”
Zuckerberg reportedly cozied up to Trump so he could settle Meta's FTC lawsuit for fraction of total
Wednesday 16 April 2025 19:40
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Oliver O'Connell
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, reportedly hoped to avoid an antitrust lawsuit trial by offering to settle with the Federal Trade Commission for $450 million rather than $30 billion, and wanted his ally, President Donald Trump, to help.
In March, the Facebook founder called the head of the FTC to see if he could work out a deal to avoid a trial over what the FTC alleges was a breach of antitrust laws when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Zuckerberg reportedly offered $450 million, though the FTC wanted $30 billion.
Ariana Baio has the details.
'Smug, self-assured bulls***': JD Vance rants online about deportation critics
Wednesday 16 April 2025 19:33
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Oliver O'Connell
Vice President JD Vance has lashed out on X at critics of the Trump administration’s mass deportation plan.
After journalist Jesse Singal accused him of having “mortgaged his morality and his legacy” for “joining the Trump bandwagon,” Vance said: “I hate this smug, self-assured bulls***.”
Vance parodied arguments against him as: “’I know I'm right, and people must be dumb or immoral to disagree with me.’”
The vice president continued: “It's an easy way to go through life, because then you never have to think seriously about why your worldview is a justification for the mass invasion of the country my ancestors built with their bare hands.”
He continued in a separate tweet:
None of these people can articulate a deportation standard that:
1) would satisfy left-wing critics of the administration's immigration policy;
2) would satisfy their intuitions about what "due process" is required;
3) would be workable given resource constraints; and
4) would permit deportation of most of the illegal immigrants allowed under Joe Biden's administration.
They want to nullify the results of a democratic election. It's that simple.
Here are the posts:
None of these people can articulate a deportation standard that:
— JD Vance (@JDVance) April 16, 2025
1) would satisfy left-wing critics of the administration's immigration policy;
2) would satisfy their intuitions about what "due process" is required;
3) would be workable given resource constraints; and
4) would…
Texas Democrat pleads guilty to posting fake racist comments in order to garner sympathy
Wednesday 16 April 2025 19:20
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Oliver O'Connell
A former Democratic political candidate from Texas has pleaded guilty after being accused of using fake social media accounts to hurl racist abuse at himself and his boss to gain voter sympathy in their respective races.
Taral Patel, 31, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of misrepresentation of identity by a candidate, according to the Fort Bend County District Attorney's Office. He agreed to a two-year probation and to complete 200 community service hours.
James Liddell has the story.
Watch: The Independent's Eric Garcia grills RFK Jr about claims of autism 'epidemic'
Wednesday 16 April 2025 19:07
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Oliver O'Connell
Biden condemned Trump’s Social Security cuts but what are the president’s plans?
Wednesday 16 April 2025 19:00
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Oliver O'Connell
Even as President Donald Trump has claimed there will be no cuts to Social Security payments, there are widespread fears among recipients and Democrats that the retirement and disability program will be slashed.
More than 70 million people receive benefits via the Social Security Administration (SSA), with more than 20 percent of the federal budget for the 2024 fiscal year being spent on the program, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities found.
The agency is being scrutinized by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, who claims that his team has found billions of dollars worth of waste and fraud in the federal government. He has frequently made the assertion that dead people are receiving Social Security benefits.
In his first major speech since leaving the White House, former President Joe Biden slammed the Trump administration’s efforts to cut down the SSA on Tuesday night.
Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, D.C.
Trump officials blocking court testimony from Social Security head over program’s ‘death list’
Wednesday 16 April 2025 18:40
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Oliver O'Connell
The acting head of the Social Security Administration rebuffed a federal judge’s request to appear at a hearing to “clarify” reports alleging that the Trump administration is placing thousands of immigrants on the agency’s “death master file” to harass them out of the country.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander heard arguments on Tuesday over whether to extend her temporary restraining order blocking the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from obtaining access to identifying records at the Social Security Administration. The order is set to expire on Thursday.
Kelly Rissman has the details.
Angry voters ask Senator Grassley if they can ignore court orders like Trump
Wednesday 16 April 2025 18:20
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Oliver O'Connell
Angry voters pelted Iowa’s Republican Senator Chuck Grassley Tuesday with complaints and questions about the Trump administration’s apparent defiance of an order from the Supreme Court.
“If I get a court order to pay $1,200, can I just say no? Because he [Trump] just got an order from the Supreme Court and he just said NO!” said a very perturbed gentleman in the crowd of about 100 at a packed town hall meeting in Fort Madison, Iowa.
Mary Papenfuss has the story.
Watch: RFK Jr claims autistic children will never go on dates or pay taxes
Wednesday 16 April 2025 18:19
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Oliver O'Connell
Stefanik considering bid to be New York governor, report says
Wednesday 16 April 2025 18:00
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Oliver O'Connell
Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is exploring a bid for governor of New York, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.
One of the sources said that Stefanik is seriously considering a run after receiving encouragement from people in New York, members of the Trump world, and Republican donors.
Stefanik was recently given a new leadership role in the House after President Donald Trump withdrew her nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and asked her to stay in Congress instead. The party is. concerned about its narrow majority in the lower chamber.
Stefanik has $10 million cash on hand, according to campaign finance filings, and has previously outrun Trump in her district.
Fellow New York Republican lawmaker Mike Lawler is also considering a gubernatorial bid.
New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul is up for reelection in 2026.
Perhaps an indication of support, earlier today, the president posted on Truth Social: “Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is GREAT!!!”
Jesse Watters: ‘Everyone knows’ wearing a Chicago Bulls hat ‘means you’re MS-13’
Wednesday 16 April 2025 17:50
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Oliver O'Connell
Fox News star Jesse Watters backed the Trump administration’s claim that an illegally deported Maryland man is a dangerous terrorist, arguing on Tuesday night that Kilmar Abrego Garcia wearing a Chicago Bulls hat “means you’re MS-13” and you “hang around with high-ranking gangsters.”
Justin Baragona has the story.
