By THOMAS BEAUMONT and LINLEY SANDERS, Associated Press

A small but fast-growing group of people in the United States have soured somewhat on President Donald Trump this year, as they worry about high costs and fear new tariff policies will further raise their personal expenses, a new poll finds.

The percentage of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders with an unfavorable opinion of Trump rose to 71% in July, from 60% in December, according to a national survey by AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Notably, AAPI adults who describe themselves as independent are especially likely to have cooled on Trump. About 7 in 10 AAPI independents have a “very” or “somewhat” unfavorable opinion of the Republican president, up roughly 20 percentage points since December.

Related Articles

From tech podcasts to policy: Trump’s new AI plan leans heavily on Silicon Valley industry ideas

Flurry of trade deals offers relief for some Asian countries, while others wait

Trump likes renaming people, places and things. He’s not the first to deploy that perk of power

Trump says a China trip is ‘not too distant’ as trade tensions ease

Columbia University says it has suspended and expelled students who participated in protests

The poll is part of an ongoing project exploring the views of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, whose views are usually not highlighted in other surveys because of small sample sizes and lack of linguistic representation.

AAPI independents’ unfavorable view of Trump is higher than his unfavorable rating among independent adults overall, which was 52% in a June AP-NORC poll, having nudged slightly higher from 44% in December.

Economic concerns could be playing a central role. About 8 in 10 AAPI adults expect Trump’s tariff policies will increase the cost of consumer goods, the poll found, while only about 4 in 10 think those policies will boost domestic manufacturing and just 2 in 10 anticipate more U.S. jobs as a result.

“To me, it seems like a lot of not-really-well-thought-out things that are happening,” said Michael Ida, a 56-year-old independent in Hawaii who teaches high school advanced-placement calculus. “In the process, there’s a lot of collateral damage and fallout that’s hurting a lot of people.” Ida was referring specifically to government spending cuts, including for education.

AAPI adults represent a small segment of the U.S. population, making up about 7% of the nation’s residents in 2023, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of government data. Likewise, they are hardly a pro-Trump voting bloc generally. In last year’s election, English-speaking Asian U.S. voters shifted slightly toward Trump, but with only about a third supporting him, up from 29% in 2020, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of the American electorate conducted in all 50 states.

The new poll also suggests that they are especially likely to be worried about the economy’s trajectory, and remain anxious about high costs.

About two-thirds of AAPI adults, 65%, say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the possibility of the U.S. economy going into a recession, higher than the 53% of the Americans generally who said the same in an April AP-NORC survey.

“On the economy, you saw AAPI voters shift — not in a big way, but shift nonetheless — toward Trump” in the 2024 election, said Karthick Ramakrishnan, executive director of AAPI Data and researcher at the University of California, Berkeley. “They are not seeing big economic benefits pan out. Quite the contrary, they are seeing big economic risks on the horizon based on Trump’s action on tariffs.”

Shopan Hafiz, a 39-year-old independent and engineer at Intel in Oregon, described his view of Trump as “very unfavorable,” and bemoaned the Republican president’s tariff policy, which he expected to hit American consumers harder in the coming months.

“With all the tariffs, I don’t think it’s going to help,” Hafiz said. “All the tariffs will ultimately be paid by U.S. nationals, and inflation is going to get worse.”

The poll comes in the midst of Trump’s on-and-off threats to impose tariffs for what he says is his goal of leveling the nation’s trade imbalance. Inflation rose in June to its highest level since February as Trump’s tariffs pushed up the cost of household goods, from groceries to appliances.

Consumer prices rose 2.7% in June from a year earlier, the Labor Department said last week, up from an annual increase of 2.4% in May. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.3% from May to June, after rising just 0.1% the previous month.

Like Hafiz, Ida, the teacher in Hawaii, did not vote for Trump last year. Instead, both voted for Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver. Hafiz’s decision was in opposition to the two major U.S. parties’ support for Israel in its war in Gaza. Ida said the two major parties had become “too extreme.”

Ida is among the roughly two-thirds of AAPI adults who say they are at least “very concerned” about the cost of groceries. He’s noticed fear of higher prices in his Pacific island state, and even more within the ethnic businesses, in light of Hawaii’s reliance on shipped goods.

“Here in Hawaii, because we’re so isolated, everything comes on a ship or a plane,” he said. “We’re especially vulnerable to prices rising and disruptions in the supply chain. There’s definitely some anxiety there.”

The poll of 1,130 U.S. adults who are Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders was conducted June 3-11, 2025, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based Amplify AAPI Panel, designed to be representative of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander population. Online and telephone interviews were offered in English, the Chinese dialects of Mandarin and Cantonese, Vietnamese and Korean. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are rising toward another record following a trade deal between the world’s No. 1 and No. 4 economies, one that would lower proposed tariffs on Japanese imports to the United States.

The S&P 500 was 0.3% higher in early trading Wednesday, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 219 points, and the Nasdaq composite was up 0.2%.

The Nikkei 225 rallied 3.5% in Tokyo after President Donald Trump announced a trade framework that would place a 15% tax on imports from Japan. That’s lower than the 25% rate Trump had earlier threatened.

By MOLLY QUELL, Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top United Nations court has opened a hearing to deliver an advisory opinion in a landmark case about nations’ obligations to tackle climate change and consequences they may face if they don’t.

The president of the International Court of Justice is expected to read the non-binding opinion that is seen as a potential turning point in international climate law. The decision could serve as the basis for other legal actions, including domestic lawsuits, and legal instruments like investment agreements.

The case is led by the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu and backed by more than 130 countries.

Activists demonstrate outside the International Court of Justice ahead of an advisory opinion on what legal obligations nations have to address climate change and what consequences they may face if they don’t, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

All U.N. member states including major greenhouse gas emitters like the United States and China are parties to the court.

Outside the court, climate activists gathered. They held a banner that read: “Courts have spoken. The law is clear. States must ACT NOW.” The courtroom, known as the Great Hall of Justice, was packed.

After years of lobbying by vulnerable island nations who fear they could disappear under rising sea waters, the U.N. General Assembly asked the ICJ in 2023 for an advisory opinion, an important basis for international obligations.

A panel of 15 judges was tasked with answering two questions: What are countries obliged to do under international law to protect the climate and environment from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? Second, what are the legal consequences for governments when their acts, or lack of action, have significantly harmed the climate and environment?

“The stakes could not be higher. The survival of my people and so many others is on the line,” Arnold Kiel Loughman, attorney general of the island nation of Vanuatu, told the court during a week of hearings in December.

In the decade up to 2023, sea levels rose by a global average of around 1.7 inches, with parts of the Pacific rising higher still. The world has also warmed 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit since preindustrial times because of the burning of fossil fuels.

A sea turtle nibbles on what remains of the once vibrant reef at Havannah Harbour, off the coast of Efate Island, Vanuatu, on Sunday, July 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)

Vanuatu is one of a group of small states pushing for international legal intervention in the climate crisis but it affects many more island nations in the South Pacific.

“The agreements being made at an international level between states are not moving fast enough,” Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s minister for climate change, told The Associated Press.

Any decision by The Hague-based court would be unable to directly force wealthy nations into action to help struggling countries. Yet it would be more than just a powerful symbol, since it could serve as the basis for other legal actions, including domestic lawsuits.

“What makes this case so important is that it addresses the past, present, and future of climate action. It’s not just about future targets — it also tackles historical responsibility, because we cannot solve the climate crisis without confronting its roots,” Joie Chowdhury, a senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law, told AP.

Related Articles

Zelenskyy faces backlash as Ukrainians protest new anti-corruption law

Today in History: July 23, the 1967 Detroit riot begins

Photos: Filipino couple marry in typhoon-flooded church

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff to visit the Middle East in push for a ceasefire in Gaza

Lawyers say Venezuelan migrant ordered returned to US sent to home country under prisoner exchange

Activists could bring lawsuits against their own countries for failing to comply with the decision and states could return to the International Court of Justice to hold each other to account. And whatever the judges say will be used as the basis for other legal instruments, like investment agreements, Chowdhury said.

The United States and Russia, both of whom are major petroleum-producing states, are staunchly opposed to the court mandating emissions reductions.

Simply having the court issue an opinion is the latest in a series of legal victories for the small island nations. Earlier this month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found that countries have a legal duty not only to avoid environmental harm but also to protect and restore ecosystems. Last year, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that countries must better protect their people from the consequences of climate change.

In 2019, the Netherlands’ Supreme court handed down the first major legal win for climate activists when judges ruled that protection from the potentially devastating effects of climate change was a human right and that the government has a duty to protect its citizens.

Associated Press writer Annika Hammerschlag in Vanuatu contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By ILLIA NOVIKOV, Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian activists called for more protests Wednesday against a law they say weakens the country’s anti-corruption watchdogs, following the first major demonstration against the country’s government in more than three years of war. The legislation has also drawn rebukes from European Union officials and international rights groups.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, under pressure as the change threatened to endanger his public support at a critical time in the war, convened the heads of Ukraine’s key anti-corruption and security agencies Wednesday morning in a response to the outcry against his decision to approve the new law that was passed by Parliament.

“We all hear what society says,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram after the meeting. But he insisted the new legal framework was needed to crack down harder on corruption.

A man waves a flag during a protest against a law targeting anti-corruption institutions in central Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

“Criminal cases should not drag on for years without verdicts, and those working against Ukraine must not feel comfortable or immune from punishment,” the Ukrainian leader said.

He said all government agencies agreed to work constructively and respond to public expectations for fairness and effectiveness. A detailed joint action plan is expected within two weeks, aimed at addressing institutional weaknesses, removing legal hurdles, and ensuring justice across the board, he said.

Thousands of people gathered in the capital and other cities across Ukraine on Tuesday evening to urge Zelenskyy to veto the controversial bill. After Zelenskyy approved it, activists called on social media for another demonstration in the center of Kyiv at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The legislation tightens government oversight of two key anti-corruption agencies. Critics say the step could significantly weaken the independence of those agencies and grant Zelenskyy’s circle greater influence over investigations.

EU officials warn of possible setback to joining bloc

Fighting entrenched corruption is crucial for Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU and maintain access to billions of dollars in Western aid in its fight against Russia’s three-year invasion.

“Limiting the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agency hampers Ukraine’s way towards the EU,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul warned Wednesday in a post on X.

Related Articles

Today in History: July 23, the 1967 Detroit riot begins

Photos: Filipino couple marry in typhoon-flooded church

Trump envoy Steve Witkoff to visit the Middle East in push for a ceasefire in Gaza

Lawyers say Venezuelan migrant ordered returned to US sent to home country under prisoner exchange

Swarms of Russian drones attack Ukraine nightly as Moscow puts new emphasis on the deadly weapon

EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, also on X, noted: “In war trust between the fighting nation and its leadership is more important than modern weapons — difficult to build and to keep, but easy to lose with one significant mistake by the leadership.”

The Ukrainian branch of Transparency International criticized Parliament’s decision, saying it undermines one of the most significant reforms since what Ukraine calls its Revolution of Dignity in 2014, and damages trust with international partners. It accused authorities of “dismantling” the country’s anti-corruption architecture.

Zelenskyy has been the international face of Ukraine’s determination to defeat Russia’s all-out invasion, and his domestic troubles are an unwelcome diversion from the war effort.

Zelenskyy said the new law clears out “Russian influence” from the fight against corruption and ensures punishment for those found guilty of it, after what he said were yearslong delays in criminal proceedings involving huge amounts of money.

“The cases that have been lying dormant must be investigated,” Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post after midnight Wednesday. “For years, officials who have fled Ukraine have been casually living abroad for some reason – in very nice countries and without legal consequences – and this is not normal,” he said.

He didn’t provide examples of what he said was Russian interference.

Russian officials relished Zelenskyy’s difficulties. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova mocked Zelenskyy’s claim of Russian infiltration into the anti-corruption agency, noting sarcastically that “they might just as well pull a couple of bears out of the corner.”

Russia and Ukraine plan talks in Istanbul

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine were set to meet in Istanbul on Wednesday for their third round of direct talks in two months, the Kremlin and Ukrainian officials said. The meeting wasn’t expected to make progress on ending the war and would likely focus on exchanges of prisoners of war.

The legal changes in Ukraine would grant the prosecutor general new authority over investigations and cases handled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).

The mood of anger and frustration among the war-weary Ukrainians prevailed in the crowd Tuesday. Some protesters accused Ukraine’s leadership of prioritizing loyalty and personal connections over the fight against corruption.

“Those who swore to protect the laws and the Constitution have instead chosen to shield their inner circle, even at the expense of Ukrainian democracy,” said veteran Oleh Symoroz, sitting in a wheelchair because both his legs were amputated after he was wounded in 2022.