The United States and Britain are expected to announce a trade deal Thursday that will lower the burden of President Donald Trump鈥檚 sweeping tariffs and deliver a political victory for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
It鈥檚 the first bilateral trade deal announced since Trump began slapping tariffs on U.S. trading partners.
Here’s the latest:
Trump says release of Jimmy Lai could be part of trade talks with Beijing
In a podcast, President Trump said he would make the release of the prominent Hong Kong businessman a part of his administration鈥檚 trade talks with China.
In an interview with Hugh Hewitt that was aired Wednesday, Trump was asked about his promise to get Jimmy Lai out and said: 鈥淚 think talking about Jimmy Lai is a very good idea. We鈥檒l put it down, and we鈥檒l put it down as part of the negotiation.鈥
Lai is 77 and founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper known for its anti-Beijing stance. He鈥檚 standing trial in Hong Kong on national security charges and could be jailed for life. Before he was elected, Trump had said he would 鈥100 percent鈥 get Lai out.
First lady Melania Trump will host event commemorating Barbara Bush at the White House
She鈥檒l unveil a U.S postage stamp Thursday afternoon featuring Bush, who was married to former President George H. W. Bush, and is the mother of former President George W. Bush.
Barbara Bush died in 2018.
Members of the Bush family are expected to be in attendance.
Melania Trump鈥檚 spokesperson says the first lady and her staff and looking forward to paying tribute to the legacy of Barbara Bush.
Trump gets his first trade deal
When the president retreated from his tariff plans in April, he announced that he would seek individual deals with various countries over the next few months.
The process has been shrouded in mystery since then, and administration officials have said they鈥檙e hard at work behind the scenes.
Now Trump gets to announce the first of what he says will be may trade deals. The agreement with the U.K. will likely be limited in scope to specific sectors, such as car manufacturing.
However, the president says it鈥檚 a sign of things to come. He wrote on Truth Social that there are 鈥渕any other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!鈥
President Trump renews attack on Fed chair, calling him a 鈥楩OOL鈥
Trump criticized Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell early Thursday, a day after Powell said the Fed would keep for the third straight meeting.
Yet Trump did not suggest he would Powell as chair. On Sunday, he said he would let Powell serve out his term, which lasts until next May.
Powell said Wednesday that Trump鈥檚 tariffs, if they remained in place at their current level, could weaken the economy, raise inflation and increase unemployment. Powell emphasized that the Fed is still in 鈥渨ait-and-see鈥 mode as it evaluates the tariffs鈥 effect on the economy.
Trump said 鈥渁lmost all costs鈥 are down, including groceries and eggs, and added that there鈥檚 鈥渧irtually NO INFLATION.鈥
Consumer prices did fall in March, on a monthly basis, for the first time in nearly five years. Yet grocery costs jumped 0.5% just from February to March. The Fed considers inflation in check when it falls to 2%. It was .
The US-UK trade deal was sought for years
When then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was campaigning for Brexit, he told voters that leaving the European Union would allow Britain to negotiate its own trade agreement with the United States. But although talks began at the end of Trump鈥檚 first term, they never came to fruition.
under President Joe Biden, a Democrat and a critic of Brexit.
Now with Trump back in office, the U.S. and the U.K. are poised to announce a trade deal. Although it鈥檚 unlikely to be as 鈥渇ull and comprehensive鈥 as the Republican president has claimed, it鈥檚 expected to ease the burden of his tariffs.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that it will 鈥渃ement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come.鈥
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Ukraine鈥檚 parliament ratifies a minerals deal with the US
Ukraine鈥檚 Parliament unanimously voted in favor of ratifying of a landmark minerals deal with the U.S. on Thursday afternoon, a lawmaker said.
The ratification is a key step in setting the deal in motion. It calls for the creation of a joint investment fund with the U.S.
Parliament approved the agreement with 338 members voting in favor out of the required 226 votes, Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote on his Telegram account. No lawmaker voted against it or abstained.
Trump鈥檚 Thursday schedule, according to the White House
10 a.m.: Trump will deliver his anticipated trade announcement, likely announcing the deal between the U.S. and the United Kingdom
12 p.m.: Trump and the first lady will participate in a celebration of military mothers at the White House
Trump campaign architects are now training their sights on Albania鈥檚 upcoming election
Some of the architects of Trump鈥檚 presidential campaigns have reunited in Albania as they try to help a Trumpian candidate prevail in this weekend鈥檚 elections.
They include Chris LaCivita, who served as co-campaign manager of Trump鈥檚 successful 2024 effort, Trump鈥檚 longtime pollster Tony Fabrizio, and Paul Manafort, who served as chairman of Trump鈥檚 2016 campaign before he was convicted in 2018 of crimes that included secretly lobbying for Ukraine鈥檚 former pro-Russian president.
The trio is working for former prime minister and president Sali Berisha, the head of Albania鈥檚 opposition Democratic Party, who is challenging Prime Minister Edi Rama to return the Democrats to power, even as he awaits trial on corruption charges.
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Trump taps wellness influencer close to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for surgeon general
Trump is tapping Dr. Casey Means, a physician-turned-wellness influencer with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary , as his nominee for surgeon general after withdrawing his initial pick for the influential health post.
Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that Means has 鈥渋mpeccable 鈥楳AHA鈥 credentials鈥 鈥 referring to the 鈥 鈥 slogan 鈥 and that she will work to eradicate chronic disease and improve the health and well-being of Americans.
In doing so, Trump withdrew former Fox News medical contributor from consideration for the job, marking at least the second health-related pick from Trump to be pulled from Senate consideration. Nesheiwat had been scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Thursday for her confirmation hearing.
Means and her brother, former lobbyist Calley Means, served as key advisers to Kennedy鈥檚 longshot 2024 presidential bid and helped broker his last summer.
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States sue the Trump administration for blocking funds for electric vehicle charging
Seventeen states are suing the Trump administration for withholding billions of dollars for building more electric vehicle chargers, according to a federal lawsuit announced Wednesday.
The Trump administration in February directed states to stop spending money for infrastructure that was allocated under President Joe Biden 鈥 part of a broader push by the Republican president to roll back environmental policies advanced by his Democratic predecessor. The EV charger program was set to allocate $5 billion over five years to various states, of which an estimated $3.3 billion had already been made available.
The lawsuit is led by attorneys general from California, Colorado and Washington, and challenges the Federal Highway Administration鈥檚 authority to halt the funding. They argue Congress, which approved the money in 2021 as part of the , holds that authority.
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US and UK expected to announce a trade deal that Trump says will cement their relationship
The United States and Britain are expected to announce a trade deal on Thursday that will lower the burden of Trump鈥檚 and deliver a political victory for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that a deal due to be announced at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) will be a 鈥渇ull and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come.鈥
It鈥檚 the first bilateral trade deal announced since Trump began slapping tariffs on U.S. trading partners. He said: 鈥淢any other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!鈥
Starmer鈥檚 office said the prime minister would give an 鈥渦pdate鈥 about U.S. trade talks later Thursday.
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