Trump’s 100% film tariff plan ‘not in the interests of American businesses’ – US politics live
Trump film tariff plan ‘not in the interests of American businesses’, UK lawmaker warns
There has been more reaction to Trump’s plan for 100% tariffs on films made in “foreign lands”, with a UK lawmaker warning it “is not in the interests of American businesses”.
Dame Caroline Dinenage is a member of the right-leaning Conservative opposition party who chairs the UK parliament’s culture committee. She said members of the committee had warned “against complacency on our status as the Hollywood of Europe” in their report on British film and high-end TV, published last month.
She added:
President Trump’s announcement has made that warning all too real. Making it more difficult to make films in the UK is not in the interests of American businesses. Their investment in facilities and talent in the UK, based on US-owned IP (intellectual property), is showing fantastic returns on both sides of the Atlantic. Ministers must urgently prioritise this as part of the trade negotiations currently under way.
Key events
The White House said in a clarifying statement Monday that “no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made” after President Trump abruptly announced on his Truth Social platform Sunday a 100% tariff on all movies “produced in Foreign Lands,” sparking widespread concern across the film industry.
“Although no final decisions on foreign film tariffs have been made, the Administration is exploring all options to deliver on President Trump’s directive to safeguard our country’s national and economic security while Making Hollywood Great Again,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told The Hollywood Reporter.
President Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform this morning that he had just had a “very good and productive” phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Their conversation covered “many subjects, including the War with Russia/Ukraine, all things Syria, Gaza, and more,” Trump wrote. “The President invited me to go to Turkey at a future date and, likewise, he will be coming to Washington, D.C. During my four years as President, my relationship with President Erdoğan was excellent,” he added.
“In any event, I look forward to working with President Erdoğan on getting the ridiculous, but deadly, War between Russia and Ukraine ended — NOW!” Trump wrote.
Scott Bessent, the US secretary of the treasury, referred to a “trade puzzle” and said “China is the biggest piece” when asked about Trump’s “goal of reindustrialization” with tariffs and the risk of isolating the US.
“If we want more manufacturing, and everyone agrees that [China] needs more consumption, we could actually do that together,” he said during a global conference in California on Monday morning. “Trade is not always a straight line. It’s not always a pleasant process, but I think at the end, the trading relationships will be stronger. Our security and values ties will still be there.”
President Trump’s trade war has continued to escalate, especially with China, driving up tariff costs. Beijing said on Friday it was “evaluating” an offer from the US to engage in trade negotiations, though Donald Trump had claimed a week earlier that talks were already under way.
The Trump administration says it’s going to pay $1,000 to immigrants who have returned to their home country voluntarily after being in the US illegally, reports the Associated Press.
The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that it was also paying for travel assistance and that people who use their CBP Home app (the Customs and Border Protection app) to tell the government they plan to return home will be “deprioritized” for detention and removal by Ice.
As the mass deportation agenda continues, the Trump administration is seeking cost-saving measures such as pushing people to “self-deport”.
“If you are here illegally, self-deportation is the best, safest and most cost-effective way to leave the United States to avoid arrest. DHS is now offering illegal aliens financial travel assistance and a stipend to return to their home country through the CBP Home App,” the DHS secretary, Kristi Noem, said.
Maga lawmakers defend right to boycott Israel, leading to pulling of House vote on bill to criminalize such boycotts
Prominent figures in the Maga movement came out against the bipartisan IGO Anti-Boycott Act, House Resolution 867 saying it would criminalize boycotts and free speech against Israel, after which a scheduled vote on the legislation today was canceled, Newsweek reports.
According to the lawmakers who introduced the bill, Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, and Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, it would have amended “the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 to include international governmental organizations (IGOs) in existing anti-boycott laws”. The change, they said, “targets harmful and inherently antisemitic” boycott efforts undertaken at IGOs while also “extending protections already in place for boycotts instigated by foreign countries”.
Critics warned the bill threatened the constitutional rights of Americans to free speech. The penalties under the legislation included civil penalties, criminal fines of up to $1m and imprisonment of up to 20 years for supporting calls to boycott Israel or its settlements.
Revealing an interesting split on the American right regarding criticism of Israel, after public backlash to the bill a number of prominent Maga lawmakers said on Sunday that they planned to vote against the legislation. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, wrote on X yesterday evening that the vote had been pulled.
She had posted on X in opposition to the bill: “I will be voting NO. It is my job to defend American’s rights to buy or boycott whomever they choose without the government harshly fining them or imprisoning them. But what I don’t understand is why we are voting on a bill on behalf of other countries and not the President’s executive orders that are FOR OUR COUNTRY???”
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, wrote on X in response to Greene’s post: “I agree with @RepMTG. I’ll be voting No on this bill as well.”
And Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, wrote on X: “H.R. 867, up for a vote tomorrow, aims to curb antisemitism but threatens First Amendment rights. Americans have the right to boycott, and penalizing this risks free speech. I reject and vehemently condemn antisemitism but I cannot violate the first amendment.”
Trump to meet US-Russian ballerina who was jailed in Russia over charity donation
Trump is scheduled to meet at the White House today with Russian American ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a White House official has told NBC News.
Karelina was released from a Russian prison last month after spending more than a year in custody following allegations of financially supporting Ukraine’s military.
She was arrested in Russia in February 2024 and sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony after she donated $52 to a charity that sends aid to Ukraine.
Donald Trump has two crypto-focused dinners on the calendar this month — one aimed at deep-pocketed political donors, the other at meme coin millionaires. Both are poised to help him raise millions.
The first event, a $1.5m-per-plate Maga Inc fundraiser set to take place tonight, is among the most expensive ticketed dinners in presidential history. Attenders are promised the chance to network with Trump’s inner circle, including David Sacks, the White House’s crypto policy architect.
The second, on 22 May, offers the opportunity to win a private dinner with the self-proclaimed “crypto president” for the top 220 investors in the $TRUMP meme token. For the top 25 coin holders at the gala dinner, which will be held at the Trump National golf club in Washington DC, there will be “an-ultra exclusive private VIP reception with YOUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT!” plus a “special VIP tour” of the White House, the coin’s website said.
But the terms and conditions dutifully state: “President Trump may not be able to attend the $TRUMP Gala Dinner, and the $TRUMP Gala Dinner may be cancelled for any reason (including, but not limited to, a force majeure event). In the event President Trump is unable to attend the $TRUMP Gala Dinner, or if the $TRUMP Gala Dinner does take place, then in our sole discretion, the $TRUMP Gala Dinner may be rescheduled to another date, or $TRUMP Meme holders who are qualified for the Gala Dinner and/or reception will receive a limited edition TRUMP NFT in lieu thereof.”
The offer of access to the president for those who invest in an organization that funds Trump’s personal fortune has sparked bipartisan scrutiny and criticism, NBC News reports. “This is my president that we’re talking about, but I am willing to say that this gives me pause,” said Senator Cynthia Lummis, of Wyoming, who has been spearheading a legislative push on cryptocurrency regulation in the Senate.
A staunch ally of the president, Lummis said on Wednesday that she thought Congress needed to regulate standards around the use of digital assets like meme coins. “This is the wild west, and so when I hear things like this, my reaction is, we need to legislate so there are rules,” she told NBC News.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, who often bucks her party, expressed uneasiness about the event, though she noted she didn’t have all of the details. “I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to charge people to come into the Capitol and take a tour,” Murkowski told NBC News on Thursday. “[Trump’s] got to remember that he’s living [at the White House], but it’s the people’s house, right?”
‘I did my duty that day’: Mike Pence receives JFK Profile in Courage Award for his actions on January 6
Donald Trump’s former vice-president Mike Pence received a John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Sunday for his actions on January 6, when he defied Trump’s demands to overturn the 2020 election. After rightwing extremists stormed the US Capitol, some chanting “Hang Mike Pence”, the former vice-president remained in the Capitol and later oversaw the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
“Vice-President Pence put his life, career and that of his family on the line to execute his constitutional responsibilities. His actions preserved the fundamental democratic principle of free and fair elections and we are proud to honor him,” former ambassador Caroline Kennedy, John F Kennedy’s daughter, said in presenting Pence with the award.
She added that “political courage is not outdated in the United States”.
In accepting the annual award, Pence, 65, said it was a “distinction that I will cherish for the rest of my life”. Pointing to his actions on 6 January 2021, he said to a standing ovation:
I will always believe by God’s grace that I did my duty that day.
Pence went on:
January 6 was a tragic day. But it became a triumph of freedom. And history will record that our institutions held.
Speaking after the ceremony of public response to his actions, he told Fox News Digital: “It convinces me that the American people know that what ever differences we may have, the Constitution is the common ground on which we stand.”
Trump says he will call CEOs when he disagrees with their business decisions following call to Jeff Bezos
Donald Trump on Friday reflected on his phone call earlier in the week with Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos, telling NBC News that he would use the same tactic with other CEOs if necessary.
Trump called Bezos after it was reported that Amazon would list the cost of tariffs on certain purchases for consumers. The White House had earlier called the reported move a “hostile and political act”.
In an interview that aired on Sunday, Trump said of Bezos:
He’s just a very nice guy. We have a relationship. I asked him about [the tariff charge language Amazon considered including in listings]. He said, ‘Well, I don’t want to do that,’ and he took it off immediately.
Trump and Bezos have developed a cozier relationship in recent months, with Amazon donating $1m to Trump’s inauguration fund and Bezos attending his swearing in ceremony. In the days before the presidential election, the Washington Post, owned by Bezos, did not endorse a candidate for the first time in over three decades, and in February went a step further in overhauling the newspaper’s opinion section to focus its output “in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets”.
Following the call, Tim Doyle, Amazon spokesperson, said: “The team that runs our ultra-low-cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen.”
Asked whether he would use the same tactic with CEOs of other major retailers, Trump told NBC News:
Sure. I’ll always call people if I disagree with them.
If I think that somebody’s doing something that’s incorrect, wrong or maybe hurtful to the country, I’ll call. Wouldn’t you want me to call? [former president Joe] Biden wouldn’t call because he didn’t know what was happening, but I do.
Trump visit offers ‘window of opportunity’ for hostage deal, says Israeli official, as Israel unveils plan to ‘conquer’ Gaza
A senior Israeli defence official said on Monday there was a “window of opportunity” for a hostage deal in Gaza during Donald Trump’s visit to the region next week.
However, Reuters reports, if no deal is agreed Israel would begin its new operation in the enclave.
“If there is no hostage deal, Operation ‘Gideon Chariots’ will begin with great intensity and will not stop until all its goals are achieved,” the official said, following a decision by the security cabinet to approve an expanded operation.
It comes as Israel’s security cabinet voted unanimously on Monday to approve a plan to expand its military operations in Gaza in the coming weeks, with the aim of “conquering” the territory and establishing a “sustained presence” there.
The plan is part of Israel’s efforts to negotiate a ceasefire on Israel’s terms and increase pressure on Hamas to free the remaining hostages. Israeli officials said the plan also includes the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, “continues to promote” Trump’s proposal from January to displace the millions of Palestinians living in Gaza to neighbouring countries such as Jordan or Egypt, to allow its reconstruction, the officials also said.
Trump’s scheduled visit later this month to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE may provide an additional incentive to the Israeli government to conclude a new ceasefire deal and allow aid into Gaza. Trump, who recently said he wanted Netanyahu to be “good to Gaza”, is likely to come under pressure from his hosts to push Israel to make concessions to end the conflict.
