Friday Briefing: Trump orders new global tariffs

February 14, 2025

	By Emmett Lindner

Good morning. We’re covering President Trump’s plan for new global tariffs and Ukraine’s concerns about peace talks.

Plus, “Saturday Night Live” turns 50.

Narendra Modi a walks down the stairs from his plane. In the foreground, an American flag is held by military personnel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India arrived in the United States on Wednesday. Luis M. Alvarez/Associated Press

Trump ordered tariffs that could upend global trade

President Trump yesterday ordered his advisers to calculate new “reciprocal” tariffs that would affect nearly every country around the world. India, Japan and the E.U. could be the hardest hit.

The new tariffs, which could go into effect on or after April 2, would be calculated by taking into account tariffs other countries place on goods from the U.S. as well as other taxes, subsidies given to their own industries and other practices Trump deems unfair. He made clear that his ultimate goal was to force companies to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.

“If you build here, you’ll have no tariffs whatsoever,” Trump said at the Oval Office.

The order came just hours before Trump was to meet at the White House with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, whose country charges the kind of higher levies on U.S. imports that Trump has found problematic. The leaders are scheduled to hold a news conference, and we will have live updates here.

Context: For decades, U.S. tariff levels have been decided in negotiations at international bodies like the World Trade Organization. Trump wants to effectively scrap that system in favor of one determined solely by U.S. officials and based on their own criteria.

Quotable: “These tariff proposals amount to a declaration of an all-out trade war against practically all major U.S. trading partners,” said Eswar Prasad, a trade policy professor at Cornell University. “It is stunning and disappointing to see the country that had been the leading proponent of free trade now engaged in a direct assault on the rules and principles underlying that system.”

More on Trump

As Modi meets with Trump, immigration issues are likely to be a source of tension. A U.S. military flight recently returned shackled migrants to India. A man described the trip as “torture.”

Trump is increasingly trying to impose his will on areas like the arts, sports, news, private business and college education.
At least 70 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration, and judges have issued at least 14 orders blocking actions to tear apart the federal government.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the vaccine skeptic, was confirmed as health secretary.
Manhattan’s acting U.S. attorney and two officials with the public integrity unit quit after the Justice Department ordered them to drop a corruption case against New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams.
Taiwan is preparing for tariffs and a more transactional relationship with the U.S., its primary backer.
The Trump administration deported migrants from several Asian nations to Panama.
The Trump administration has renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. But Mexico controls slightly more of it.
Read the new series on how Elon Musk is reshaping Washington in the On Politics newsletter.
Track Trump’s actions since he took office.

A solder in tactical gear kneels down and covers his ears with his hands as an explosion unfolds in the background.

The front line in eastern Ukraine, in October. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Ukraine and E.U. fear being sidelined in peace talks

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and European leaders yesterday insisted that they must have a seat at the negotiating table after President Trump moved to open talks with Russia on ending the war.

On Wednesday, after speaking with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Trump suggested that Ukraine’s borders could be redrawn and its NATO bid could be withheld. My colleague Steven Erlanger, our chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe, told me that leaders on the continent “are unhappy about concessions made to Putin that seem to have been granted without any negotiation or recompense.”

Some of America’s closest allies, including Britain and Germany, tried to assert a role in the peace effort. Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defense minister, said after a NATO meeting that Europe “will have to live directly” with the consequences of any deal and may have “to play a central or the main role in the peace order.”

Three maps show how Ukraine's borders have changed from 2014 until now.

Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project | By Samuel Granados

“We, as a sovereign country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us,” Zelensky said. The thaw in U.S.-Russia relations has left Ukraine in a tough spot.

What’s next: Trump said that he may meet Putin in Saudi Arabia for talks. For Putin, the call with Trump was a turning point in the three-year war. Ukrainians expressed a mixture of fear and hope over the idea of peace talks.

Trucks passing destroyed structures along a dusty road.

Aid deliveries in southern Gaza, yesterday. Hussam Al-Masri/Reuters

Hamas said hostage releases would continue

Hamas said yesterday that it was ready to release Israeli hostages this weekend as long as Israel upheld its end of the cease-fire agreement. Earlier this week, the militant group said it was indefinitely suspending the next release to protest what it described as Israeli violations of the deal. Israel has not yet commented.

MORE TOP NEWS

An investigator peered into a vehicle, while debris littered the street. Ambulances were parked behind the vehicle.

Michaela Stache/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Germany: An asylum seeker from Afghanistan crashed a car into a union demonstration in Munich, injuring more than two dozen people.
Business: Honda and Nissan scrapped their $50 billion merger, but said they would continue to collaborate on software and electric vehicles.
Taiwan: At least four people were killed in a suspected gas explosion in the food court of a shopping mall in the city of Taichung.
Politics: Between Russian interference and Elon Musk, German voters are facing a torrent of misinformation ahead of federal elections this month.
Australia: Two Australian medical workers were suspended after being caught on video making threats against Israeli patients.
Media: Inside the fight to control Rupert Murdoch’s empire, and six takeaways from nearly 3,000 documents from the court battle that will decide its future.
New York: A human torso found inside a suitcase this month was identified, and the man’s roommate was charged with his murder.
Britain: The country’s economy grew by a sliver toward the end of last year, slightly easing the pressure on the government.
Tech: Elon Musk said in a court filing that he would withdraw his $97.4 billion bid to control OpenAI if it remained a nonprofit.
Crypto: A British man has offered to buy a landfill in South Wales so he can search for a lost Bitcoin wallet that he says is worth around $800 million.

Sports

Soccer: Semi-automated offside technology will be used in competitive English matches for the first time during the FA Cup fifth round in March.
Sailing: The long-term future of the INEOS Group’s sporting portfolio is in doubt.
Cricket: The Hundred has secured over 520 million pounds (about ($649.6 million) in investment after all eight of its franchise stakes were sold to investors.

MORNING READ

A beaver sits in shallow water on a riverbank, shrouded by branches and vegetation.

Bohumil Fiser/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A dam project to protect a river near Prague and the endangered animals living in it was held up for years by negotiations. Then, nature took its course: A group of beavers built the dams themselves practically overnight, creating a wetland twice as large as planned and saving authorities about 1.2 million euros.

Lives lived: David Edward Byrd, who captured the spirit of eras with posters for concerts by Jimi Hendrix, the Who and the Rolling Stones, died at 83.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Children and adults smile as they reach to place pieces of toast on the bare branches of a tree.

Andrew Testa for The New York Times

Folklore and cider: An ancient ritual is making a comeback in rural England. It involves apple trees, toast and a party.
Pet detective: A retired New York State Police investigator uses a thermal-imaging drone to help owners find and rescue their lost dogs.
Healing: A man admits that he was a bad father and lives with regret. He asks our therapy columnist how to stop obsessing over the past.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

Sarah Yenesel/EPA, via Shutterstock

50 years of being funny on American TV

“Saturday Night Live” celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend. The American sketch comedy and satire show has built a reputation of being cool, silly and endlessly quoted. It has also provided a launchpad for stars like Eddie Murphy, Tina Fey and Bill Murray.

Most alumni of the show would agree that one man has anchored it all: its creator, Lorne Michaels. A monumental biography of the impresario of funny digs into how he built the house of “S.N.L.” Read about “Lorne” here.

Losing it: Breaking character isn’t planned, but it’s become an “S.N.L.” signature move.

Lingo: The show’s many catchphrases have become permanent parts of Americans’ daily conversations.

Peak “S.N.L.”: Our chief TV critic thinks this is the greatest episode ever.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A chocolate cheesecake is cut into slices on a round platter.

Linda Xiao for The New York Times

Bake: For Valentine’s Day, consider this chocolate cheesecake with raspberry swirl.

Watch: In “Paddington in Peru,” the gentlemanly bear goes on a journey of self-discovery.

Game: Avowed presents players with weighty choices and an impressive narrative.

Prepare: Here’s how to get ready for your digital afterlife.

Travel: Spend 36 hours in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you next week. — Emmett

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request.

Subscribe to The Times Get The New York Times app

Connect with us on: