US auto rates have raised risks for the world trade war
President Trump’s plan to impose a 25% tariff on cars and parts has sent a shudder through the global automotive industry. Markets in Asia, Europe and the US were surged yesterday as stock prices of many automakers fell. Trump threatened to target the EU and Canada if they united and retaliated.
Customs duties on all cars exported to the US, as well as some auto parts, are expected to take effect next Thursday. Mexico, Japan, South Korea and Canada account for around 75% of US vehicle imports. Here are how major auto companies will be affected:
Tariffs tested Trump’s unorthodox trade theory. For the president, tariffs encourage businesses to move factories to the US and create more American jobs. Economists say their effects are more complicated and can cause serious collateral damage.
Reaction: Canadian leader Mark Carney said the US is “no longer a reliable partner,” and that his country will announce retaliatory tariffs next week. In Germany, where the automotive industry is a massive exporter to the US, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said “it is important for the EU to take a decisive response to tariffs,” adding “it must be clear that we will not retreat.”
A vague vision of post-war Ukraine
European leaders in Paris yesterday discussed France’s proposal to send “power of security” to protect Ukraine’s ultimate peace. However, French leader Emmanuel Macron said details of such forces are still being resolved. Russia called the proposal unacceptable.
The meeting brought warnings and deals between Russia and Ukraine to halt the attacks on energy infrastructure and the fight in the Black Sea following a three-day US-brokered talk in Saudi Arabia this week.
Russia’s Purpose: Moscow wants relief from shipping, insurance and banking restrictions that complicate agricultural exports. “Russia also hopes that sanctions will be lifted at the state’s agricultural banks and that it will be reconnected to Swift, the international payments system,” my colleague Paul Sonne covers Russia. “But that would require agreement from European allies separated from consultation.”
Front: Journalists of the era were embedded in the Ukrainian troops in eastern and southern Ukraine. With drones, mines and snipers, peace negotiations looked like the world.
Anti-Hama protests in Gaza have grown
Rare protests in Gaza have spread across many towns over the past three days to end Hamas’ rule and end the war. Most of the demonstrations were small, but represent the boldest challenge to Hamas’ authority since the war began in 2023.
Hamas has cruelly cracked down on protests in the past. This time, the security forces were largely absent, probably due to the group’s sensitive position with Gazan and the difficulty of mobilization under the threat of Israeli airstrikes.
Quantible: “Hamas needs to leave,” said Ahmad al-Masri, who helped to ask for a demonstration. “If that’s the case, bloodshed, war and destruction will never cease.”
Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has resumed the judicial overhaul that divided the country before the war, giving more power to choose judges.
Yemen: Middle Eastern experts said Iran-backed Houtsis would not be easily defeated despite the intentions revealed by US officials in signal chats.
More top news
The whale sings. The groans of fish. However, the sharks remained silent in our ears until New Zealand scientists recently heard a rig shark clicking by cutting open teeth. Listen to the recording.
Living: David Childs, the architect who sparkled the New York City skyline, died 83 on Wednesday, replacing the Twin Towers, which was destroyed on 9/11.
Conversation starter
Arts and ideas
Ruins of the Third Reich
Europe is scattered with the remains of two world war human beings that killed tens of millions of people. Many simply disappeared into tile rubs, while others were rushed to unmarked graves.
In Germany, where memory and forgetting are bound by vast guilt, the question of how to deal with these bodies is particularly difficult. It is the Volksband that faces the problem head-on. This is an organisation tasked with finding the graves of all the Germans who died in many wars in the country, each one tasked with giving each a decent burial no matter who they were or what they did. (auf deutsch lesen.)
That’s for today’s briefing. See you next week. And thank you to anyone who let us know that yesterday’s subject was Monday incorrectly suggested.
Have a happy Friday and a great weekend. – Natasha
Reach Natasha and your team and reach Briefing@nytimes.com.
