Senate Democrats are imploring President Donald Trump 's administration to intervene as Palestinians suffer and starve in Israeli-controlled Gaza, with more than 40 senators signing onto a letter Tuesday urging the resumption of ceasefire talks and sharply
criticizing an Israeli-backed American organization created to distribute food aid. Trump has been playing more golf Tuesday in Scotland on the White House has called a working trip including meetings with world leaders.
Trump said Israel “has a lot of responsibility” for what’s happening in Gaza and that he’d tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he wants “them to make sure they get the food.” On Russia, he demanded progress in 10-12 days toward a peace deal with Ukraine. And while the EU trade deal staves off for now the far higher import taxes that might have shocked economies around the globe, some European critics see it as a dark day.
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France’s prime minister described it as a “dark day” for the European Union. Commentators said EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen’s handshake with Trump amounted to capitulation. But Europe depends mightily on the United States, and not just for trade: Its security is at stake.
Mirroring Trump, Von der Leyen gushed that the arrangement she endorsed to set U.S. tariffs on most European exports at 15%, which is 10% higher than currently, is “huge.”
A month after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte ingratiated himself with Trump by referring to him as “daddy,” the Europeans again conceded that swallowing the costs and praising an unpredictable president is more palatable than losing America. U.S. allies are convinced that should he win his war against Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to take aim at one of them next.
▶ Read more on Europe’s realpolitik reaction to the EU-Trump trade deal
The Federal Reserve is expected to leave its short-term interest rate unchanged on Wednesday for the fifth straight meeting, likely deepening the divide between how Chair Jerome Powell and his chief critic, Trump, see the economy.
The Fed itself, to be sure, is increasingly divided: Many economists expect two Fed board members appointed by Trump to dissent in favor of cutting rates, the first such vote against the chair since 1993.
Trump says that because the U.S. economy is doing well, the Fed should cut rates, as if the U.S. is a blue-chip company that should pay less to borrow than a risky start-up. But Fed officials — and nearly all economists — see it the other way: A solid economy means rates should be relatively high, to prevent overheating and a burst of inflation.
▶ Read more about Trump and the Federal Reserve
The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose two points to 97.2 in July, up from 95.2 the previous month. That’s in line with analysts’ forecasts.
In April, American consumers’ confidence in the economy sank to its lowest reading since May 2020 amid anxiety over the impact of Trump’s tariffs.
A measure of short-term expectations for income, business conditions and the job market rose 4.5 points to 74.4, however that’s still well below 80, the marker that can signal a recession ahead. And consumers’ assessments of their current economic situation inched down by 1.5 points to 131.5.
Employers posted 7.4 million job vacancies last month as the American job market continues to cool. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that job openings in June were down from 7.7 million in May.
Layoffs were little changed. But the number of people quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects elsewhere — dropped again.
Why? It’s partly because of the lingering effects of 11 interest rate hikes by the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve in 2022 and 2023, and partly because uncertainty about Trump’s trade wars is paralyzing hiring managers.
The economy has been generating 130,000 jobs a month this year, down from 168,000 last year and 400,000 a month on average during the recovery from COVID-19 lockdowns.
▶ Read more about the U.S. jobs picture
Union Pacific would buy Norfolk Southern in a $85 billion deal that could trigger a final wave of rail mergers across the U.S.
The nation was first linked by rail in 1869, when a golden railroad spike was driven in Utah to symbolize the connection of East and West Coasts. Yet no single entity has controlled that coast-to-coast passage that so many businesses rely on.
The railroads said the proposed merger announced Tuesday would streamline shipments by eliminating days of delays during handoffs between competing railroads. The AP first reported the merger talks earlier this month.
Antitrust regulators set a very high bar for railroad deals after previous consolidation led to massive backups and snarled traffic. The Surface Transportation Board is evenly split between two Republicans and two Democrats, but Trump will appoint a fifth member before this deal will be considered.
▶ Read more on the proposed railroad deal
As Trump prepares to announce new tariff increases, a new analysis suggests factory costs could increase by roughly 2% to 4.5% among U.S. firms that depend on global supply chains.
“There’s going to be a cash squeeze for a lot of these firms,” said Chris Bangert-Drowns, the researcher at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth who conducted the analysis. At factories with slim profit margins, that “could lead to stagnation of wages, if not layoffs and closures of plants.”
The analysis released Tuesday points to the challenges Trump might face in trying to sell his tariffs to the public as a broader political and economic win and not just as evidence his negotiating style gets other nations to back down. The success of Trump’s policies ultimately depends on whether everyday Americans become wealthier and factory towns experience revivals, a goal outside economists say his Republican administration is unlikely to meet with tariffs.
▶ Read more about the impact of Trump tariffs on US manufacturing
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng are at it again Tuesday after spending nearly five hours behind closed doors at the Swedish prime minister’s office the day before.
The United States has struck deals over tariffs with some of its key trading partners — including Britain, Japan and the European Union — since Trump announced “Liberation Day” tariffs against dozens of countries in April. China remains perhaps the biggest unresolved case.
“Whether there will be a deal or not, I can’t say,” Greer said on social media late Monday. “The conversations are constructive and they’re going in the right direction.”
Many analysts expect the Stockholm talks at a minimum will result in an extension of current tariff levels that are far lower than the triple-digit rates that sent world markets into a temporary tailspin in April.
▶ Read more about the U.S.-China talks
The Justice Department has filed a misconduct complaint against the federal judge who has clashed with President Donald Trump ’s administration over deportations to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
Escalating the administration’s conflict with U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, Attorney General Pam Bondi on social media accused Boasberg of “making improper public comments about President Trump and his administration.”
The complaint stems from remarks Boasberg allegedly made in March to Chief Justice John Roberts and other federal judges saying the administration would trigger a constitutional crisis by disregarding federal court rulings, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by The Associated Press. The comments were supposedly made during a meeting of the Judicial Conference, the federal judiciary’s governing body, whose meetings are not public.
▶ Read more about Bondi’s complaint against Boasberg
In a post on his social media site, Trump said he trusts law enforcement will “get to the bottom of why this crazed lunatic committed such a senseless act of violence.”
Trump, who is currently in Scotland, said “my heart” is with the families of those who were killed at a Manhattan office building, including a New York City police officer.
Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that the gunman was trying to target the headquarters of the National Football League but took the wrong elevator.
Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar on Tuesday said claims that his government is deliberately subjecting Palestinians in Gaza to starvation is a “distorted campaign of international pressure.”
“This pressure is directly sabotaging the chances for a ceasefire and hostage deal, it is only pushing towards military escalation by hardening Hamas’s stance,” he said.
The U.S. and Israel have both recalled their negotiating teams over the past week as negotiations seem to have stalled.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the attack that sparked the war, and abducted another 251. They are still holding 50 captives, around 20 believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.
The ministry of the Hamas-run government also said Tuesday that another 145,870 people have been wounded since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
It did not say how many were civilians or militants, but has said women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties.
Israel’s offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced around 90% of the population and caused to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with experts warning of a “worst-case scenario of famine.” Israel’s continued air strikes killed at least 77 Palestinians in the past day, according to local hospitals.
▶ Read more on death and famine in Gaza
Support for Israel’s military action in Gaza has declined substantially among U.S. adults. Only a third now approve, according to a new Gallup poll — down sharply from the beginning of the war with Hamas when about half of Americans approved.
Republicans remain largely supportive, but the poll shows about half of U.S. adults now have an unfavorable view of Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, his most negative rating since he was first included in Gallup polling in 1997. The poll was conducted from July 7-21, while reports of starvation in Gaza led to international criticism of Israel’s decision to restrict food aid but before President Donald Trump expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian situation.
▶ Read more about the Gallup poll on US views on Gaza
Senate Democrats are imploring the Trump administration to address the suffering and starvation in Gaza. More than three dozen senators signed a letter Tuesday urging the resumption of ceasefire talks and sharply criticizing an Israeli-backed American organization created to distribute food.
Their letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff says the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation created with backing from the Trump administration has “failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organization’s sites.”
Trump on Monday expressed concern about the worsening humanitarian situation and broke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that people are not starving in the Gaza Strip. But it is unclear how Trump will proceed.
▶ Read more on Democratic pressure on Trump to address Gaza hunger crisis
A French champagne maker warned Tuesday that a newly announced 15% U.S.-EU tariff on wine and spirits could disrupt exports and unsettle importers.
“This implementation of the 15% tariff is obviously problematic for me,” said Antoine Chevalier. “It affects the final price of Champagne. It impacts my importers, who will obviously have to pay more, and that creates uncertainty about future sales. For now, we find this rate extremely high.”
Chevalier said the U.S. accounts for 25% of his business and that many orders have been paused. He called the measure “a burden” and added: “Yes, I would have liked for there to be better, or at least fairer, negotiations.”
Champagne is protected under French AOC rules, meaning it must be produced in the Champagne region. That makes producers more vulnerable to tariffs than other sectors.
Chevalier said he doesn’t believe Americans or Trump “really want to deprive themselves of our French gastronomy products.” If needed, he said, he would pivot to markets in Europe, Japan or South Korea.
The president, when asked Monday if he agreed with Netanyahu’s remarks about hunger in Gaza, said, “I don’t know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry.”
Netanyahu on Sunday said, “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza.”
Starmer, standing next to Trump, said, “We’ve got to get that ceasefire,” in Gaza and called it “a desperate situation.”
Trump is playing with Eric Trump and former champion golfers Rich Beam and Paul McGinley.
Trump was asked by a member of the media about the next steps for Netanyahu, a question that elicited groans from some in the crowd.
Trump said, “We’re going to try and get things straightened out for the world.” He said he has “fires” to put out all over, including wars still raging, and noted his trade deal with the European Union.
Eric Trump, who designed the course according to a fact sheet provided to the media, says the goal of his father's passion project was to “build the greatest 18 holes anywhere in the world.”
And he said his father went on to do “larger things, and that’s saved the free world.”
Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have announced a sweeping trade deal that imposes 15% tariffs on most European goods, warding off Trump’s threat of a 30% rate if no deal had been reached by Aug. 1.
The tariffs, or import taxes, paid when Americans buy European products could raise prices for U.S. consumers and dent profits for European companies and their partners who bring goods into the country.
▶ Read more about the trade deal between the United States and the European Union.
Trump is asking a federal court in Florida to force Rupert Murdoch to give a deposition for the president’s lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal within 15 days, citing the media mogul’s age and physical condition.
Trump sued the Journal, owned by Murdoch, in U.S. District Court in southern Florida on July 18 for its story reporting on the Republican president’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and alleged child sex trafficker who died in a New York jail in 2019 before trial.
The president’s motion to the court on Monday noted Murdoch is 94 years old, is believed to have suffered several health scares in recent years and is presumed to live in New York.
▶ Read more about the Wall Street Journal lawsuit
Trump said Monday that he ended his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and threw the now-disgraced financier out of his private club in Florida after Epstein betrayed him more than once by hiring people who had worked for him.
“He hired help and I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again,’” Trump said at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland. “He stole people that worked for me. I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He did it again, and I threw him out of the place, persona non grata.”
Trump did not say what his employees did or where they worked, and the White House declined further comment.
But the White House had previously offered a different explanation for the falling-out.
Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said in a statement last week: “The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep.”
▶ Read more about Trump’s comments on his connection to Epstein
Two weeks ago, the president said he would give Russia and Ukraine just 50 days to make a deal to end the war. Now Trump said he’s going to reduce that time to a “lesser number.”
“I think I already know the answer, what’s going to happen,” he said, expressing skepticism that Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to reach an agreement.
Trump repeated his criticism of Putin for talking about ending the war, only to continue bombarding Ukraine.
“And I say, that’s not the way to do it,” Trump said. He added that “I’m disappointed in President Putin.”
Among the people in attendance are Scotland’s first minister, former members of Scotland’s national soccer team and several of Trump’s grandchildren.
The White House said Trump met with First Minister John Swinney earlier in the day.
About 50 people have filled the sand trap by the tee box to watch Trump, who is wearing a black windbreaker, matching pants and a white cap as he takes practice swings ahead of the ribbon-cutting for his newest golf course.
Some are dressed for golf, complete with spiked cleats. A similar group of about 50 is watching from the other side in the tall grass growing on sand dunes flanking the first hole. That’s in addition to 200 media and VIPs in the grandstands.
