During a session with reporters, President Trump expressed confidence that the elevated tariff rates currently applied to Chinese imports would be reduced through upcoming negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping, signaling progress toward a potential agreement.
“145 percent is very high. It won’t be that high, it’s not going to be that high … it won’t be anywhere near that high,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “It will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.”
The current 145 percent tariff on Chinese goods was maintained after Trump granted a 90-day delay on new “reciprocal” tariffs aimed at other trade allies, with those rates temporarily lowered to 10 percent.

NEW YORK (AP) — The woman who was able to sneak onto a New York-to-Paris flight without a boarding pass late last year was able to get on the plane by glomming onto a group of tic

A fast-moving wildfire engulfing part of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens has not resulted in any injuries, officials said, though it’s expected to continue to grow before forecast rain later this week. The fire in southern New Jersey’s Lacey and Ocean townships grew to roughly 18 square miles (47 square kilometers) and could continue to burn for days, officials said during an update on Wednesday. No one has been injured so far in the blaze, and 5,000 residents were evacuated but have been permitted to return home. A single commercial building and some vehicles were destroyed in the fire. “This is still a very active fire,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.

In the wake of a major counterterrorism breakthrough in Jordan, the country’s Interior Minister, Mazen Al-Faraya, announced a sweeping move against the Muslim Brotherhood, declaring the group’s operations illegal within the kingdom.
“It has been proven that members of the Muslim Brotherhood are engaged in activities that undermine stability and undermine security. This is something that no country can accept,” he said.

Karolina Leavitt: “There will be no unilateral reduction in tariffs against China. The President has made it clear that China needs to make a deal with the United States of America.”

The richest 19 American households saw an astonishing $1 trillion wealth increase in 2024. That is the largest 12-month surge on record, according to one economist. The small group—which makes up just 0.00001 percent of the population—commands a 1.8 percent share (around $2.6 trillion) of America’s total household wealth (around $148 trillion). Their share is therefore worth more than the total value of Switzerland’s economy, according to the Wall Street Journal. 
In 2023, the 0.00001 percent’s share of total U.S. household wealth stood at 1.2 percent, making the jump to 1.8 percent the largest on record for a single 12-month period, said Gabriel Zucman, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Paris School of Economics.

Ben Shapiro traveled to Ukraine to interview President Zelensky. Part 1 of their conversation releases tomorrow on The Ben Shapiro Show.

The US Navy Carl Vinson aircraft carrier remains positioned to counter threats from Iran-backed Houthi forces.