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Japan slammed Thursday as “extremely regrettable” US President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs, saying they may break WTO rules and the two countries’ trade agreement.Japanese firms are the biggest investors into the United States but Tokyo has failed to secure an exemption, with Trump announcing a hefty 24-percent levy on Japanese imports.”I have conveyed that the unilateral tariff measures taken by the United States are extremely regrettable, and I have again strongly urged (Washington) not to apply them to Japan,” Yoji Muto, trade and industry minister, told reporters.He said he spoke to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick before Trump’s announcement of a new 10-percent baseline tariff and extra levies on selected countries — including close strategic ally Japan.”Japan (are) very very tough. Great people…. They would charge us 46 percent, and much higher for certain items,” Trump said. “We are charging them 24 percent.”Muto said he had explained to Lutnick “how the US tariffs would adversely affect the US economy by undermining the capacity of Japanese companies to invest”.”We had a frank discussion on how to pursue cooperation in the interest of both Japan and the United States that does not rely on tariffs,” Muto said.Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi also said that the US measures may contravene World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and the two countries’ trade treaty.”We have serious concerns as to consistency with the WTO agreement and Japan-US trade agreement,” he told reporters.Asked if Japan will impose retaliatory tariffs or is considering filing a suit to the WTO, Hayashi said: “We decline to disclose details of our considerations.”- Abe exception -In Trump’s first term, then prime minister Shinzo Abe, who had warm relations with Trump, managed to secure an exemption from tariffs.In February, Trump hosted Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for apparently friendly and fruitful talks, hailing a “new golden age for US-Japan relations”.Ishiba promised a trillion dollars in investments and to import what Trump called “record” imports of US natural gas.Japan, together with South Korea, would also partner on a “gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska”, Trump said.Japan has also failed to win exclusion from 25-percent tariffs on imports into the United States by its massive auto sector that came into force on Thursday.Last year, vehicles accounted for around 28 percent of Japan’s 21.3 trillion yen ($142 billion) of US-bound exports, and roughly eight percent of all Japanese jobs are tied to the sector.Japanese carmakers ship about 1.45 million cars to the United States from Canada and Mexico, where they operate factories, Bloomberg News reported.By comparison Japan exports 1.49 million cars directly to the United States, while Japanese automakers make 3.3 million cars in America.

Hollywood studio Universal Pictures on Wednesday teased new movies from Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, while showcasing footage from its upcoming sequels “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “Wicked: For Good” at the CinemaCon event.Spielberg “is currently shooting a film that promises to be a return to form, in the spirit of his monumental classics,” said Universal executive Jim Orr, at the movie theater industry summit in Las Vegas.The untitled film, out June 2026, is widely rumored to be a blockbuster sci-fi. Orr promised it would contain “a propulsive, modern, out-of-this-world twist,” without sharing further details.Meanwhile, Nolan is in the Mediterranean shooting his star-studded version of “The Odyssey,” based on the millennia-old Ancient Greek epic saga written by Homer.It is due July 2026, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, alongside Tom Holland, Zendaya and Anne Hathaway.In a prediction bold even by the standards of Hollywood marketing, Orr suggested the film “will be a once-in-a-generation cinematic masterpiece that Homer himself would, quite frankly, be very proud of.”The comments came at CinemaCon, an annual week-long summit at which Hollywood studios present their biggest upcoming movies to theater owners and press.A theme of this year’s event has been a drive to get studios to commit to keeping new movies in US theaters for at least 45 days before they appear on streaming.A source with knowledge of the talks told AFP Wednesday that three of Hollywood’s six biggest studios have committed.Universal, which has in recent years brought many of its films to on-demand streaming very soon after they debut in theaters, has not yet agreed to the new 45-day “window,” the source said. The studio did not immediately comment.But its efforts to court movie theater owners Wednesday included showing extended new footage and A-list stars from the next Jurassic movie — out this July.It comes from the writer of the original 1993 “Jurassic Park.” The action returns to that film’s island setting.Unlike the “Jurassic World” films where dinosaurs freely roamed the globe, the fearsome reptiles are now once again scarce, surviving in a few remote spots.Star Scarlett Johansson said the film would “put the scares back into Jurassic” by keeping the dinosaurs hidden and ratcheting up the suspense.Universal’s presentation ended with surprise appearances from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, whose second and final “Wicked” film will hit theaters November.CinemaCon concludes Thursday with presentations from Paramount and Disney.

Rattled US allies will press Secretary of State Marco Rubio Thursday to lay out Washington’s plans for NATO and Ukraine, but his first visit to the alliance risks being overshadowed by a growing trade war.President Donald Trump has rocked the foundations of Western security by casting doubt on NATO’s collective defence vow, reaching out to Europe’s nemesis Russia, and threatening the territory of Canada and Denmark.In a further stoking of transatlantic tensions on Wednesday, the mercurial leader announced tariffs that will buffet allies and look set to draw retaliation. “I know that there have been allies, for example, on this side of the pond being worried about the long-term commitment of the US to NATO,” alliance head Mark Rutte said.”But I’m absolutely convinced this alliance is there to stay with the US. Their commitment is absolutely clear.”NATO’s 31 other members will be desperate to separate the trade row from their two days of talks on the alliance’s future and the war in Ukraine, whose foreign minister will also attend.Ahead of a June summit in The Hague, they’re looking for details from Rubio on Trump’s demands for allies to hike defence spending, warnings the United States could pull back forces from Europe, and intentions for Russia and Ukraine.”Obviously Rubio will keep pushing us to do more,” one European diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.”But we need some sort of additional reassurance from the US as well, and would be happy if he says ‘we’ll stand by you’.”On Ukraine, Washington has left its allies in the dark as it engages in a head-spinning rapprochement with Russia aimed at convincing President Vladimir Putin to stop his three-year war.Nervous European countries are pleading with Trump to stand strong against Moscow as the US leader pushes for a partial ceasefire despite the warring sides trading accusations of ongoing strikes.The president has cheered allies by menacing Putin with sanctions for dragging his feet  — but there are fears Trump ultimately may want to draw close to a country viewed as NATO’s number one enemy.Meanwhile, Britain and France are spearheading talks on sending troops to Ukraine to shore up any deal Trump may strike.While Kyiv’s future is seen as a key issue for Europe, there are also fundamental questions over the future of the NATO alliance that has underpinned Europe’s security for seven decades.Trump has long berated members for not spending enough on their own defence and is pushing them to show their commitment by massively hiking expenditure to five percent of GDP — more than any member, including the United States, now spends.In a bid to ratchet up pressure he has threatened to only protect those countries that cough up enough in his eyes.NATO is looking to thrash out a new spending pledge for the Hague summit, with diplomats saying internal estimates say at least 3.5-3.7 percent of GDP needs to be spent on average to fill plans aimed at deterring Russia.- ‘Therapy session’ -Allies are scrambling to show they are doing more for their own protection as Washington warns it could look to shift assets from the continent to focus on other threats like China.In a blistering debut at NATO in February US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Europe it would now have to “take ownership of conventional security on the continent”.Diplomats and officials are calling for the United States to give them plenty of time to coordinate any drawdown so no gaps are left in Europe’s defences.So far though Washington has provided no further details on any plans to pull out its roughly 100,000 troops or the key weaponry that others would struggle to replace.After Hegseth’s shock-and-awe approach last time round, allies hope Rubio could adopt a softer tone — albeit still insisting on Trump’s priorities.”If he doesn’t say stuff to patch up our concerns then we may need a therapy session,” said one NATO diplomat.

President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement on Wednesday was widely panned by US business lobbying groups, who voiced concern about the impact of the sweeping new duties on their operations. During a speech in the White House’s rose garden, Trump unveiled a baseline 10 percent tariff against almost all US trading partners in the world from April 5, and an additional top-up rate from April 9 for other countries currently imposing tariff and non-tariff barriers against US companies. Trade groups reacted with dismay to the measures, which would see most goods imported from China, for example, facing an additional tariff totaling 34 percent on top of existing levies. “Applying new tariffs at this scale will create change and disruption that restaurant operators will have to navigate to keep their restaurants open,” the National Restaurant Association said in a statement. “The stakes for manufacturers could not be higher,” said Jay Timmons, the president of the National Association of Manufacturers. “The high costs of new tariffs threaten investment, jobs, supply chains and, in turn, America’s ability to outcompete other nations and lead as the preeminent manufacturing superpower,” he added. Alongside China, the European Union, India, and several other top US trading partners will also face new tariffs of at least 20 percent from April 9. “These broad tariffs are a tax increase that will raise prices for American consumers and hurt the economy,” US Chamber of Commerce chief policy officer Neil Bradley said in a statement before the tariffs were unveiled.In a recent analysis, Yale University’s Budget Lab estimated that a 20 percent across-the-board tariff on imports could cost the average US household at least $3,400 — a painful cost-of-living adjustment for most Americans. “President Trump’s sweeping global and reciprocal tariffs are massive tax hikes on Americans that will drive inflation, kill jobs on Main Street, and may cause a recession for the US economy,” Consumer Technology Association chief executive Gary Shapiro said in a statement. “These tariffs will raise consumer prices and will force our trade partners to retaliate,” he said. Other reactions came from National Association of Home Builders chairman Buddy Hughes, who said Trump’s tariff announcement would “undoubtedly” raise some construction costs, and from the US wine Trade Alliance, which said in a statement that the measures on imported wines would harm US businesses “far more” than their foreign counterparts.”Damage to the U.S. economy will increase the longer the tariffs are in place and may be exacerbated by retaliatory measures,” the Business Roundtable, which represents the interests of chief executives, said in a statement. Despite the widespread condemnation, some lobbying groups were more positive about the announcement. “Today’s trade action prioritizes domestic manufacturers and America’s workers,” said Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing. “These hardworking men and women have seen unfair trade cut the ground from beneath their feet for decades,” he continued, calling Trump’s announcement “a necessary step in the right direction.”

Global financial markets were rocked on Wednesday by Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs, targeting China and the European Union in particular, with the risk of undermining the international economy.The US president laid out the new measures after Wall Street stock markets had closed. But his announcement still rippled through the markets that were open at the time, sending stock futures and bond yields lower, while gold surged to a new record high.- Stocks struggle -As the evening progressed, US futures fell sharply, with the Dow Jones dropping 2.4 percent at around 2345 GMT, the Nasdaq index plunging 4.2 percent, and the broader futures index for the S&P 500 falling 3.5 percent. Wall Street has largely suffered from Trump’s various trade announcements in recent weeks.”The silver lining for investors could be that this is only a starting point for negotiations with other countries and ultimately tariff rates will come down across the board,” Northlight Asset Management’s Chris Zaccarelli wrote in a note to clients.”But for now traders are shooting first and asking questions later,” he added. The share price of technology companies whose components are produced abroad also fell sharply, with Apple losing 7.4 percent after-hours, Nvidia falling 5.2 percent and TSMC declining 5.9 percent. Futures markets are typically much more volatile than the regular indices. The clothing sector was also hit especially hard, with a particularly heavy bill for China, where products will be hit by an additional duty of 34 percent from April 9, and Vietnam, where the new “reciprocal” rate will be 46 percent.Brands whose clothes are partly made in China or Vietnam were sharply lower, with Gap down 8.5 percent after hours, Ralph Lauren falling 7.3 percent, and Nike losing 7.1 percent.- Safe-haven assets in demand -Investors flocked to gold, which has been setting new records in the face of trade uncertainties.The yellow metal blew past its previous day’s record high after Donald Trump’s new announcements, and was trading at roughly $3,160 an ounce at around 2345 GMT. The price of gold has jumped by close to 20 percent since the start of 2025. The bond market also played its role as a safe haven, with the yield on the benchmark ten-year US Treasury, easing to 4.10 percent after Donald Trump’s announcement. Bond yields move in the opposite direction to prices, with yields typically falling in the face of increased demand for bonds. – Weaker dollar -Within minutes of Trump’s first words on Wednesday, the dollar plunged by over one percent against the euro.”The increased tariffs have been a negative factor for the US dollar,” Forex.com’s Matthew Weller told AFP.One euro was equivalent to 1.04 dollars on the day Trump was inaugurated to his second term. By 2345 GMT on Wednesday, it was worth around 1.09 dollars. Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, also suffered from the White House announcements, falling more than three percent on Wednesday evening.

Starbucks was facing two new lawsuits over spilled hot drinks Wednesday, just weeks after a court ordered the coffee giant to pay $50 million to a man who was injured by a cup of tea.Both suits were lodged in California, and seek damages over what they say are problems caused by scalding liquids slopped over customers at drive-throughs.One case filed last week claims Sabrina Michelle Hermes was seriously hurt when hot liquid tipped into her lap at a branch in Norwalk, near Los Angeles, two years ago.The suit says one of the cups in her order was not properly secured when it was handed to her, and the drink sloshed onto her legs, a hip, a knee and her feet, causing severe injuries.Starbucks “owed a duty to exercise reasonable care with respect to the preparation, handling and service of hot beverages so as to prevent them from spilling onto and injuring customers such as plaintiff,” the suit says.The negligence suit seeks unspecified general and special damages, including reimbursement for past and future medical costs and lost earnings.A spokesperson for Starbucks told AFP on Wednesday the company would be contesting the claim.”We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks,” the spokesperson said.”We are aware of Ms. Hermes’ claims and firmly believe they are without merit. We look forward to presenting our case in court.”In nearby Alhambra Superior Court, lawyers for Ernesto Vladimir Sanchez Avendano were also seeking unspecified damages for negligence.Their suit, filed Wednesday, says Avendano was handed a drink at a North Hollywood drive-through, with a lid that was not properly fastened.The drink spilled onto his lap, leaving him with “severe burns, disfigurement and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals and buttocks,” the suit says.The Starbucks spokesman said the company had not yet been served with the suit “but will carefully review Mr. Avendano’s claims.”Last month a jury in Los Angeles ordered the firm to pay $50 million to delivery driver Michael Garcia, who suffered burns when a super-sized drink spilled in his lap at a drive-through.Garcia’s lawyers claimed the server who handed him three large drinks in February 2020 did not push one of them into the cardboard cupholder properly.Starbucks said at the time of the ruling that it would appeal the award, which it said was “excessive.”A landmark legal ruling against McDonalds in New Mexico in 1994 established something of a precedent for Americans suing fast food companies when 79-year-old Stella Liebeck was awarded over $2.8 million after spilling hot coffee on herself.Although the award was reduced on appeal, the case was often cited as an example of the need to reform US tort law.

US President Donald Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on Wednesday, sending fears of a trade war ricocheting around the world.In a closely watched speech in the White House Rose Garden, the billionaire businessman said April 2, 2025 would “forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn,” insisting that domestic manufacturing would surge with companies flocking to the United States to make their products.That has yet to be seen, but Trump made clear he was no longer allowing imports into the United States without an appropriate tariff — and said countries should embrace “a little tough love.””Foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories, and foreign scavengers have torn aport our once-beautiful American Dream,” Trump warned. “But it is not going to happen anymore.”Here are the other highlight quotes from his remarks.- ‘Independence’ -“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said, stressing that trade abuse by allies was often more intense than that committed by rivals.”This is one of the most important days, in my opinion, in American history. It’s our declaration of economic independence.””Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country, and you see it happening already. We will supercharge our domestic industrial base. We will pry open foreign markets and break down foreign trade barriers, and ultimately, more production at home will mean stronger competition and lower prices for consumers.”- Benevolence? -Despite unveiling “minimum baseline” tariffs of 10 percent on trading partners, Trump sought to spin his move as a positive for global trade.”We are being very kind,” the president said. “We will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us.”And if countries recoil? “If they complain, if you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America.”- China hit hard -The world’s second largest economy, China, appeared at the top of the tariffs list Trump held up at the podium, with the president claiming that total tariffs on US goods charged by Beijing — with currency manipulation factored in — amounted to 67 percent.”So we’re going to be charging a discounted reciprocal tariff of 34 percent” on China imports, Trump said. “They charge us, we charge them, we charge them less. So how can anybody be upset? They will be, because we never charged anybody anything. But now we’re going to charge.”Trump said China’s President Xi Jinping was among several world leaders who “understand” the need for the tariffs, such as the ones he slapped on Chinese steel and other products during his first term as president. “They all understand we’re going to have to go through a little tough love, maybe. But they all understand. They’re ripping us off and they understood it.”- Way back when -“From 1789 to 1913 we were a tariff-backed nation, and the United States was proportionately the wealthiest it has ever been,” said Trump, who has repeatedly elevated 1890s protectionist president William McKinley as one of his heroes who also slapped tariffs on imports.”In 1913 for reasons unknown to mankind, they established the income tax so that citizens, rather than foreign countries, would start paying the money necessary to run our government,” Trump said. “Then in 1929 it all came to a very abrupt end with the Great Depression. And it would have never happened if they had stayed with the tariff policy,” Trump said, conveniently ignoring the multiple factors — including global economics, bank troubles, and the stock market crash — that led to the Great Depression.- No surrender -In addition to highlighting tariffs on China, other Asian powers and the European Union, Trump turned his ire closer to home. “The United States can no longer continue with the policy of unilateral economic surrender,” he said. “We cannot pay the deficits of Canada, Mexico and so many other countries. We used to do it. We can’t do it anymore.”

US President Donald Trump ignited a potentially ruinous global trade war Wednesday as he slapped 10 percent tariffs on imports from around the world and harsh extra levies on key trading partners.Holding up a chart of the sweeping measures in the White House Rose Garden, Trump unveiled particularly stinging tariffs on major trade partners China and the European Union on what he called “Liberation Day.””This is one of the most important days, in my opinion, in American history,” said Trump. “It’s our declaration of economic independence.”The announcement triggered immediate anger — with US ally Australia blasting the tariffs as “not the act of a friend” — and threats of retaliation from around the world.Stock markets looked set for major volatility on reopening Thursday. US futures plummeted and safe haven gold hit a new record as investors took fright.Trump reserved some of the heaviest blows for what he called “nations that treat us badly,” including 34 percent on goods from superpower rival China, 20 percent the European Union and 24 percent on Japan.For the rest, Trump said he would impose a “baseline” tariff of 10 percent, including another key ally, Britain.The 78-year-old Republican brushed off fears of turmoil, insisting that the tariffs would restore the US economy to a lost “Golden Age”.”For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said.- ‘Make America wealthy again’ -A hand-picked audience of cabinet members, as well as workers in hard hats from industries including steel, oil and gas, whooped and cheered as Trump said the tariffs would “make America wealthy again.”Sweeping auto tariffs of 25 percent that Trump announced last week were due to take effect at 12:01 am (0401 GMT) Thursday.Trump labelled Wednesday’s tariffs “reciprocal” but many experts say his administration’s estimates for levies placed on US imports by other countries are wildly exaggeratedThe US president had telegraphed the move for weeks, sparking fears of a recession at  home as costs are passed on to US consumers, and a damaging trade war abroad.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned nations not to impose countermeasures, saying on Fox News: “If you retaliate, there will be escalation.”Some of the worst hit trading partners were in Asia, including 49 percent for Cambodia, 47 percent for Vietnam and 44 percent for military-ruled Myanmar, which was recently hit by a devastating earthquake.Russia was not affected because it is already facing sanctions over the Ukraine war “which preclude any meaningful trade,” a White House official said.The tariffs will also reinforce fears that Trump is backing even further away from US allies towards a new order based on a vision of American supremacy.- ‘Fight’ -Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday said the tariffs were “totally unwarranted”.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a close Trump ally, said the levies on the EU were “wrong” but pledged to work with Washington for a deal.Britain escaped relatively lightly after a diplomatic offensive that included Prime Minister Keir Starmer turning up to the White House with an invitation from King Charles III for a state visit, but said it still wanted to “mitigate” the tariffs.Canada and Mexico are not affected by the new levies as Trump has already punished the two US neighbors for what he says is their failure to crack down on trafficking of the drug fentanyl and illegal immigration.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to “fight” the existing levies on steel, aluminum and automobiles and to impose “countermeasures.”Brazil’s Congress reacted by approving a law allowing the executive in Latin America’s largest economy to respond to trade barriers.Trump’s announcement less than three months into his second term is culmination of a long love affair with tariffs, which he has seen for decades as a cure-all for America’s trade imbalances and economic ills.

The world’s remotest corners couldn’t hide from US President Donald Trump’s global tariffs onslaught Wednesday — even the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands.The Australian territory in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean was slapped with 10 percent tariffs on all its exports, despite the icy archipelago having zero residents — other than many seals, penguins and other birds.Strings of ocean specks around the globe, including Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands and the Comoros off the coast of Africa, were likewise subjected to 10 percent new tariffs.Another eye-catching inclusion in the tariffs list was Myanmar, which is digging out from an earthquake that left nearly 3,000 people dead, and whose exports to the United States will now face 44 percent in new levies.Britain’s Falkland Islands — population 3,200 people and around one million penguins — got particular punishment.The South Atlantic territory — mostly famous for a 1982 war fought by Britain to expel an Argentinian invasion — was walloped with tariffs of 41 percent on exports to the United States.The Falklands’ would-be ruler Argentina only faces 10 percent new tariffs.According to the Falklands Chamber of Commerce, the territory is ranked 173 in the world in terms of global exports, with only $306 million of products exported in 2019. This included $255 million in exports of mollusks and $30 million of frozen fish.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio headed Wednesday to a NATO meeting in Europe as transatlantic tensions soar, with President Donald Trump unleashing a trade war and challenging Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland.Rubio flew out of Andrews Air Force Base shortly after Trump made his long-awaited announcement of sweeping global tariffs, part of an effort to remake the world’s economic order and shatter decades of efforts toward freer trade.European allies have warned they will respond in kind, although Britain, which has left the European Union, said Wednesday it would take its time as it seeks a trade deal with Washington.Rubio, as the top US diplomat, has used more delicate language than Trump. But ahead of his trip, he said Trump was right “that the state of global trade is completely unfair to America.””So I get why all these countries are unhappy, because they got a great deal going on and they want to keep it going,” Rubio said in a Fox News Radio interview in March.Rubio will be taking part in two days of talks among NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, which will prepare for a June leaders’ summit in The Hague.The new US administration has quickly shown itself ideologically at odds with much of Europe. Vice President JD Vance made the Trump team’s European debut in February by calling on Germany to stop shunning the far right.Other than Canada, which Trump has mocked as the 51st US state, perhaps no ally has come under as much fire as Denmark.Trump covets its Arctic territory Greenland, which is rich in resources and strategically located.Vance flew last week to an American space base there and said: “Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.”Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who hopes to meet Rubio in Brussels, said that Denmark did “not appreciate the tone” of Vance.”This is not how you speak to your close allies, and I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies,” Rasmussen said on X after Vance’s trip.- Swings on Ukraine -The talks come a month after Trump stunned Europeans by dressing down Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a White House meeting, with Vance calling him ungrateful for the billions of dollars of US weapons sent to repel a Russian invasion.The White House showdown prompted European allies to reconsider US commitments to the continent as never before.Germany changed its constitution to ramp up defense spending and France redoubled calls for European-led collective defense.Since then, however, diplomacy has shifted, with Rubio meeting senior Ukrainian officials who backed a US-led proposal of a 30-day ceasefire.Putin rejected the truce proposal and instead has stepped up calls to remove Zelensky, prompting annoyance from Trump.Rubio is expected to hear calls in Brussels from Eastern European nations that want the United States to push forward on sanctions against Russia unless it budges.The Trump administration has sought to reprioritize US defense strategy to focus on China, as tensions rise over Taiwan, and to let Europeans handle more of their own security.The sentiment was laid bare in a text exchange on US strikes on Yemen, to which a journalist of The Atlantic was inadvertently added. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, backing up assertions to Vance, described “European freeloading” as “PATHETIC.”Ahead of the summit in The Hague, Trump is pushing NATO members to show their commitment by raising defense expenditure to five percent of GDP — more than any, including the United States, now spends.