Trump consolidates metals tariffs… The White House announced yesterday it was updating the way it calculates aluminum, copper, and steel tariffs. Goods made with those metals will receive either a flat 50 percent or 25 percent tariff depending on their metal content, and be tariff-free if the metals constitute less than 15 percent of the product. Previously, metals products were also subject to additional tariffs based on the source countries of their ingredients other than aluminum, copper, and steel.
…and announces new drug tariffs. A new 100 percent tariff on patented drug products will take effect in either 120 or 180 days depending on the size of importing companies, the White House announced separately. It added that companies can avoid the tariff by pledging to increase manufacturing in the United States or negotiating deals with the U.S. government to lower prices. Generic drugs, which make up the majority of pharmaceutical imports to the United States, are exempt. Some countries with existing U.S. trade deals will see a lower 15 percent tariff rate.
Trump removes Attorney General. Bondi is leaving her post, Trump announced on social media yesterday without an explanation. She is the second cabinet member fired by Trump in under a month and will be temporarily replaced by her deputy. Trump had complained to aides that Bondi did not move fast enough to prosecute his political adversaries, multiple news outlets reported. Trump hailed Bondi’s tenure as “tremendous,” while she called it “the honor of a lifetime.”
Cuba prisoner release. Havana announced yesterday it will free 2,010 prisoners, as the island contends with a U.S. pressure campaign that seeks economic and political liberalization. If completed, it would be Cuba’s largest prisoner release in years. The government did not mention the United States in its announcement, saying that the move was linked to the Holy Week ahead of Easter. The Vatican has historically helped broker agreements between Washington and Havana.
Russia’s battlefield stagnation. Russia did not make any territorial gains in Ukraine in March, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Its researchers said Ukrainian counteroffensives, Russia’s loss of access to Starlink’s satellite internet data, and Russia’s own ban on the use of Telegram in favor of a government-run alternative all limited Russian advances in recent months.
Austria’s stance on overflights. Austria has denied U.S. requests to use its airspace during the Iran war, a defense ministry spokesperson told Politico yesterday. Austria’s vice chancellor wrote on social media yesterday that the non-NATO country wants “nothing to do with Trump’s chaotic policies and his war.”
Italy-Japan-UK jet program. Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom (UK) said yesterday they had signed a first international contract with defense firms related to their joint pact to develop next-generation fighter jets. The approximately $900 million contract covers three months of work, and the program aims to deliver the first fighter jet by 2035.
Astronauts power toward the moon. The Artemis II mission fired a thruster engine yesterday that will propel the astronauts out of Earth’s orbit and toward the moon. They spent the first part of their ten-day trip circling the Earth and testing equipment. Now that the thruster is fired, they will be largely propelled by orbital forces for the rest of the mission.
