Politicians, the media, and the markets have all responded negatively to President Trump’s proposed tariffs on steel and aluminium.
But Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) has a different perspective. The trade war concerns won’t materialize “if you have a good agreement,” she told Cheddar. “We need trade parity, we need reciprocity in trade.”
She pointed out that China churns out 2.3 billion metric tonnes of steel every year when the world only uses 1.5 billion.
“You’ve got this enormous overhang on the global market...so America ends up being the dump market and our workers get put out of work.”
However, China’s steel manufacturing muscle doesn’t necessarily impact the U.S. market. In 2017, the U.S. got most of its steel from Canada and Mexico, according to the [Commerce Department](https://www.trade.gov/steel/countries/pdfs/imports-us.pdf).
On Wednesday, the White House announced certain markets, such as Canada and Mexico, may be exempt from the proposed 25 percent tax on steel imports and 10 percent tariffs on aluminium. The administration is expected to make the official announcement on them later this week.
President Donald Trump said that he will sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States” because of the coronavirus.
A chorus of governors from both parties pushed back hard Monday after President Donald Trump accused Democrats of playing “a very dangerous political game” by insisting there is a shortage of tests for coronavirus. The governors countered that the White House must do more to help states do the testing that's needed before they can ease up on stay-at-home orders.
Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif. 7th District), a doctor himself, added his voice to the chorus of experts on Monday, giving the commander-in-chief a C-minus.
Oil prices plunged below zero on Monday as demand for energy collapses amid the coronavirus pandemic and traders didn’t want to get stuck owning crude oil with nowhere to store it. A barrel of benchmark U.S. oil for May delivery fell to negative $3.70 per barrel.
Shake Shack, one of the chains that received money, said Monday it will return its loan to give smaller restaurants a chance to get government money. Congress and the White House are close to an agreement that would add $300 billion to the program.
Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Cheddar Monday that the countries that drew the most concerns could take this opportunity to build better health systems going forward.
New York City won’t allow public events in June, including three of the city’s major annual celebrations: the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, the Celebrate Israel parade, and the Pride parade on its 50th anniversary.
Stocks are falling in early trading on Wall Street as oil prices collapse and momentum from a recent rally faded. Crude prices are plummeting amid concerns that storage facilities are close to being full.
The United States is struggling to test enough people for the novel coronavirus so officials can track and control the spread of the disease.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
