The Latest: Key US trading partners and global officials react to Trump's new tariffs

Sweeping new tariffs announced Wednesday by U.S. President Donald Trump provoked dismay, threats of countermeasures and calls for further negotiations to make trade rules fairer. But responses were measured, highlighting a lack of appetite among key trading partners for an outright trade war with the world’s biggest economy. Trump said the import taxes, ranging from 10% to 49%, would do to U.S. trading partners what they have long done to the U.S. He maintains they will draw factories and jobs back to the United States.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said they are a “major blow to the world economy,” while a Japanese official called them “extremely regrettable” and Korea’s prime minister called for emergency measures to support industries affected by the tariffs.

Trump announces sweeping new tariffs to promote US manufacturing, risking inflation and trade wars

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced far-reaching new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners — including a 34% tax on imports from China and 20% on the European Union, among others. Trump placed the elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the United States, while imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries. The president used aggressive rhetoric to describe a global trade system that the United States helped to build after World War II, saying “our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered” by other nations. The action kickstarts what could be a painful transition for many Americans, who could find middle-class essentials such as housing, autos and clothing more costly.

Stock market today: Trump's tariff hikes pull Asian shares, US futures sharply lower

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian markets and U.S. futures have tumbled following U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of big increases in tariffs on imports of goods from around the world. The double-digit tariff hikes sent shivers across world markets, as economists warned it sharply raises the risk of recession. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index dipped 4% briefly, with automakers and banks taking big hits. U.S. futures were down more than 2%. On Wednesday, U.S. stocks whipped through another dizzying day before Trump’s unveiling of his “Liberation Day” tariffs. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% and the Dow gained 0.6%. The Nasdaq composite surged 0.9%.

Myanmar earthquake death toll rises to 3,085 as more bodies found

BANGKOK (AP) — The death toll from the massive earthquake that hit Myanmar nearly a week ago rose Thursday to 3,085 as more bodies were found by search and rescue teams, the military-led government said. In a short statement, the military said another 4,715 have been injured and 341 are missing. Last Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake had an epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, and brought down thousands of buildings, buckled roads and destroyed bridges.

Netanyahu is rocked by a new scandal linking his close advisers to Qatar

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is once again ensnared in scandal after police arrested two of his close associates this week on suspicion of accepting money from Qatar to promote a positive image of the Gulf Arab state in Israel. The affair has gripped Israelis because Qatar, a country that many view as a patron of Hamas, and which has no formal diplomatic ties to Israel, appears to have penetrated the highest corridors of power. Netanyahu is not a suspect in the case, which he said is baseless and part of a wider political witch hunt against him. When reached by the AP, a Qatari government official did not directly respond to the alleged links to Netanyahu’s advisers.

Violent storms cut through the South and Midwest, spawning tornadoes and killing 1 person

Violent storms have cut through a wide swath of the South and Midwest, spawning tornadoes and killing at least one person, knocking down power lines and trees and ripping roofs off homes. Dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were posted in several states as violent storms hit the region Wednesday. At least one tornado emergency was issued in Arkansas. Forecasters say it is the opening act for a week of wild weather as daytime heating combines with an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming in from the Gulf.

Journalists in Haiti defy bullets and censorship to cover unprecedented violence

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Journalists in Haiti are under attack like never before. They are dodging bullets, defying censorship and setting personal struggles aside as they document the downfall of Haiti’s capital and the surge in violence blamed on powerful gangs that control 85% of Port-au-Prince. Heavily armed gangs attacked at least three TV and radio stations in March. Two of the buildings were already abandoned because of previous violence, but gunmen stole equipment that had been left behind. Gangs sent an even deadlier message on Christmas Eve: they opened fire on journalists covering the failed reopening of Haiti’s largest public hospital, saying they had not authorized its reopening.

Musk could be headed for a Washington exit after turbulent times at Trump's DOGE

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have recently suggested that the billionaire entrepreneur's time in the administration might be running out. Musk says he could be done with his work at the Department of Government Efficiency in the near future. Trump has told reporters that Musk will go back to running his companies and that DOGE “will end” at some point. All of that talk came before Musk faced a setback on Tuesday in Wisconsin, where voters rejected his choice for a closely contested state Supreme Court candidate. DOGE was never supposed to become a permanent fixture in Washington. But it could be reaching a conclusion faster than anticipated.

Amazon's last-minute bid for TikTok comes as a US ban on the platform is set to take effect Saturday

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amazon has put in a bid to purchase TikTok. A Trump administration confirmed the eleventh-hour pitch as a U.S. ban on the platform is set to go into effect Saturday. The official wasn't authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The official says the offer came in a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The existence of an Amazon bid surfaced as Trump was scheduled on Wednesday to meet with senior officials to discuss the coming deadline for a TikTok sale.

Val Kilmer, 'Top Gun' and Batman star with an intense approach, dies at 65

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Val Kilmer has died at age 65. The versatile actor played flying ace Iceman opposite Tom Cruise in “Top Gun,” Batman in “Batman Forever” and singer Jim Morrison in the biopic “The Doors.” Kilmer's daughter says he died Tuesday in Los Angeles from pneumonia. He had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. The Los Angeles-born Kilmer studied acting at the elite Juilliard School and had his big break in the 1984 spy spoof “Top Secret.” He was sometimes regarded as a difficult presence on film sets but said in his memoir that he always put the art first.