President Donald Trump’s trade war has already begun to make itself felt across the broader US economy, with inflation beginning to edge up again. But many consumers may soon get a more direct version of sticker shock. 

That’s because parcels entering the country will now be assessed duties based on the country-of-origin tariff rate Trump imposed (perhaps illegally) using emergency powers. Alternatively, packages shipped via international post could be assessed with a temporary flat fee of $80 to $200 per item, but only for the next six months.

Trump’s decision to try and scrap the de minimis exception means that surprise bills will increasingly accompany deliveries that have become a staple of modern life. The looming expiration has already sown chaos with logistics companies, sellers and postal services attempting to sort through a complicated and costly process with what they say are limited instructions from US authorities.

Many countries have decided to just cut off America entirely. Postal services around the globe have halted shipments to the US until additional clarity emerges, further confounding the global shipping apparatus. For companies that rely on those networks—often small businesses looking to save money—the choice they face is to either shut off orders to US customers or opt for pricier express carriers such as UPS and FedEx.

How it plays out is anyone’s guess, but one thing that seems certain is Americans will pay more for some goods than they used to. Starting tomorrow. —David E. Rovella

What You Need to Know Today

New numbers from the Trump administration said the US economy expanded in the second quarter at a slightly faster pace than initially estimated and that applications for US unemployment benefits edged down last week.

Inflation-adjusted gross domestic product, which measures the value of goods and services produced in the US, increased at a 3.3% annualized pace, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, part of the Department of Commerce. That compared with its initially reported 3% increase. Another upward revision by the BEA pegged business investment expansion now at a 5.7% pace.

The “revisions do not change the story that underlying demand is slowing outside of a few specific parts of the economy,” Citigroup economists Veronica Clark and Andrew Hollenhorst wrote in a note. “We expect underlying growth will slow further as the labor market weakens and tariff costs increasingly weigh on activity.”

But that’s later. For now, Wall Street is in a good mood, hitting a new record on Wednesday. Here’s your markets wrap.

The US government’s energy statistics agency has delayed a key uranium report and suspended an annual solar analysis, marking some of the first impacts on industry data as Trump administration staff cuts take hold.

The disruption to what used to be routine Energy Information Administration reports is said to stem directly from sweeping staff cuts. The independent Energy Department unit lost more than 100 of its roughly 350-person workforce amid buyouts and firings across the government spearheaded by Trump and Elon Musk.

“It’s really concerning,” said Ben Cahill, director for energy markets and policy at the University of Texas at Austin. “The EIA produces data that drives really important decisions throughout the industry and government, so these jobs and the data are really significant.”

Though awash in controversy as its leader fights her firing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has scheduled a meeting of its controversial vaccine panel to review shots that are currently the bedrock of America’s immunization schedules.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a vaccine skeptic with no professional medical background, has in some cases sought to fill advisory roles with individuals who have advocated debunked medical theories or made false statements about vaccination and other widely accepted medical practices.

One year-old River Jacobs is held by his mother, Caitlin Fuller, while he receives an MMR vaccine at a clinic in Lubbock, Texas. Cases of measles are on the rise across the US as vaccination rates decline. Photographer: Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images North America

The CDC’s Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices is set to discuss the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella shot, plus vaccines to prevent respiratory syncytial virus and Covid. Votes may be conducted on Covid vaccines, MMRV, hepatitis B vaccines and RSV. The panel helps decide which immunizations are covered by insurance or offered for free under the Vaccines for Children Program.

What You’ll Need to Know Tomorrow