Trump overturned decades of US trade policy in 2025. See the impact of his tariffs, in four charts

posted in: All news | 0

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and PAUL WISEMAN, Associated Press

Since returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump has overturned decades of U.S. trade policy — building a wall of tariffs around what used to be a wide open economy.

His double-digit taxes on imports from almost every country have disrupted global commerce and strained the budgets of consumers and businesses worldwide. They have also raised tens of billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury.

Related Articles


Virginia offshore wind developer sues over Trump administration order halting projects


What to know about the militants targeted by US airstrikes in northwest Nigeria


US launches strikes against Islamic State group in Nigeria after attacks target Christians


Trump’s talks with Zelenskyy to address security guarantees and reconstruction, Ukraine leader says


Trump says US struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians

Trump has argued that his steep new import taxes are necessary to bring back wealth that was “stolen” from the U.S. He says they will narrow America’s decades-old trade deficit and bring manufacturing back to the country. But upending the global supply chain has proven costly for households facing rising prices. And the erratic way the president rolled out his tariffs — announcing them, then suspending or altering them before conjuring up new ones — made 2025 one of the most turbulent economic years in recent memory.

Here’s a look at the impact of Trump’s tariffs over the last year, in four charts.

Effective US tariff rate

A key number for the overall impact of tariffs on U.S. consumers and businesses is the “effective” tariff rate — which, unlike headline figures imposed by Trump for specific trade actions, provides an average based on the actual imports coming into the country.

In 2025, per data from the Yale Budget Lab, the effective U.S. tariff rate peaked in April. But it’s still far higher than the average seen at the start of the year. Before finalizing shifts in consumption, November’s effective tariff rate was nearly 17% — seven times greater than January’s average and the highest seen since 1935.

Tariff revenue vs America’s trade deficit

Among selling points to justify his tariffs, Trump has repeatedly said they would reduce America’s longstanding trade deficit and bring revenue into the Treasury.

Trump’s higher tariffs are certainly raising money. They’ve raked in more than $236 billion this year through November — much more than in years past. But they still account for just a fraction of the federal government’s total revenue. And they haven’t raised nearly enough to justify the president’s claim that tariff revenue could replace federal income taxes — or allow for windfall dividend checks for Americans.

The U.S. trade deficit, meanwhile, has fallen significantly since the start of the year. The trade gap peaked to a monthly record of $136.4 billion in March, as consumers and businesses hurried to import foreign products before Trump could impose his tariffs on them. The trade gap narrowed to $52.8 billion in September, the latest month for which data is available. But the year-to-date deficit was still running 17% ahead of January-September 2024.

Import shifts with America’s biggest trading partners

Trump’s 2025 tariffs hit nearly every country in the world — including America’s biggest trading partners. But his policies have had the biggest impact on U.S. trade with China, once the biggest source of American imports and now No. 3 behind Canada and Mexico. U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports now come to 47.5%, according to calculations by Chad Bown of the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

The value of goods coming into the U.S. from China fell nearly 25% during the first three-quarters of the year. Imports from Canada also dropped. But the value of products from Mexico, Vietnam and Taiwan grew year-to-date.

Market swings

For investors, the most volatile moments on the stock market this year arrived amid some of the most volatile moments for Trump’s tariffs.

The S&P 500, an index for the biggest public companies in the U.S., saw its biggest daily and weekly swings in April — and largest monthly losses and gains in March and June, respectively.

Need a recap of how Trump’s trade actions unfolded in 2025? See a timeline here.

A beginner’s guide to Kwanzaa

posted in: All news | 0

By GRAHAM LEE BREWER, Associated Press

Kwanzaa has become a nationally recognized celebration of African culture and community in the United States since its founding in 1966 and also is celebrated in countries with large African descendant populations.

The holiday, which serves as a nationwide communal event reinforcing self-determination and unity in the face of oppression, spans seven days from the day after Christmas through New Year’s Day. It is observed in large, city-sponsored events as well as in smaller communities and homes across the nation.

Kwanzaa has grown in popularity in the decades since its founding and is celebrated by 3% of the country, according to a 2019 AP-NORC survey. Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all released statements commemorating the holiday, and in 1997, the U.S. Postal Service began issuing Kwanzaa stamps. It is not recognized as a federal holiday.

Kwanzaa’s origins

Kwanzaa emerged during the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s as a way to reconnect Black communities in the U.S. with important African cultural traditions that were severed by the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It also promotes unity and liberation.

“It was also shaped by that defining decade of fierce strivings and struggles for freedom, justice and associated goods waged by Africans and other peoples of color all over the world in the 1960s,” Maulana Karenga, the holiday’s founder, wrote in his annual Kwanzaa address in 2023. “Kwanzaa thus came into being, grounded itself and grew as an act of freedom, an instrument of freedom, a celebration of freedom and a practice of freedom.”

Karenga, an African American author, activist and professor, founded Kwanzaa following the Watts Riots, also known as the Watts Rebellion, in Los Angeles in 1965.

Karenga described Kwanzaa as a “political-motivator holiday” in an interview with Henry Lewis Gates Jr. for PBS.

“The idea is for African and African descended people to come together around family, community and culture so we can be in spaces where, in Dr. Karenga’s words, we feel fully African and fully human at the same time,” said Janine Bell, president and artistic director at the Elegba Folklore Society in Richmond, Virginia.

Related Articles


US stocks hover at record highs in quiet trading; gold, silver jump


Why your holiday gift returns might go to a landfill and what you can do about it


Times Square to feature patriotic crystal ball for New Year’s Eve, kicking off US’s 250th birthday


Rain-soaked California still at risk of floods and high surf


Today in History: December 26, Jack Johnson wins world heavyweight championship

The basics

Many people who observe Kwanzaa, which is a secular holiday, celebrate it alongside religious festivals such as Christmas. People of any faith, race or ethnic background can participate.

The name Kwanzaa derives from “mutanda ya kwanza” a Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits” or “first harvest.” The final “a” was added to the name to accommodate the seven children present at the first Kwanzaa, each of whom was given a letter to represent.

The holiday is governed by seven principles, known collectively as the Nguzo Saba, and a different principle is celebrated each day: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity) and Imani (Faith).

The Nguzo Saba is represented by a candleholder with seven candles called a kinara. Each night, one of those candles is lit. The candles are the same colors as the Kwanzaa flag: Black representing the people, red their struggle and green their hope.

Large Kwanzaa celebrations happen across the country every year in cities including Los Angeles, Atlanta and Detroit. These events often feature storytellers, music and dance.

The holiday is also observed in individual homes, often focusing on children because they are key to the survival of culture and the development of community. This concept of children and the future they embody is often represented symbolically by corn.

“The intention is that it’s 365 (days a year),” Bell said. “The need for the principles and the strengthening value of the principles don’t go away on January 2nd.”

Family celebrations also involve giving gifts and sharing African American and Pan African foods, culminating in the Karamu, a feast featuring dishes from across the African diaspora. Typical meals include staples of Southern cuisine like sweet potato pie or popular dishes from Africa like jollof rice.

Activities over the seven days are geared toward reaffirming community bonds, commemorating the past and recommitting to important African cultural ideals. This can include dancing, reading poetry, honoring ancestors and the daily lighting of the kinara.

PFF grades from the Vikings’ win over the Lions: Max Brosmer struggles again

posted in: All news | 0

What did Pro Football Focus think of how the Vikings performed on Thursday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium? Here’s a look at the player grades from the Vikings’ 23-10 win over the Detroit Lions:

Top 3 on offense (minimum 20 snaps)

Blake Brandel … 68.0

Jordan Addison … 67.6

Justin Jefferson … 65.0

Analysis: It’s honestly surprising that any of the grades were even this high with how much the Vikings failed to move the ball on offense. The pass blocking of Brandel was deemed to be a bright spot, as was the splash play from Addison, who took a jet sweep 65 yards to the house. The consistency of Jefferson was also on display despite the fact that he didn’t get many opportunities.

Bottom 3 on offense (minimum 20 snaps)

Max Brosmer … 38.3

Will Fries … 45.3

Josh Oliver … 50.5

Analysis: It looked like Brosmer might finish the game with negative net passing yards until a late completion that helped the Vikings put the game away for good. He completed 9 of 16 passes for 51 yards while taking sacks that amounted to a loss of 48 yards. The grade that Brosmer received reflected his struggles. As for Fries, he once again was leaky in pass protection, which brought his grade down near the bottom of the list.

Top 3 on defense (minimum 20 snaps)

Dallas Turner … 83.6

Blake Cashman … 81.2

Harrison Smith … 79.7

Analysis: The story of the game was how Smith turned back the clock with a vintage performance that paced the Vikings to a win. He was actually outperformed by Turner and Cashman, however, when it came to the grade he received. That’s because Turner was a beast rushing the passer and Cashman was a tackling machine that couldn’t be stopped. That said, Smith still ended up near the top of the list, which was very much deserved given the impact he made on the game.

Bottom 3 on defense (minimum 20 snaps)

Levi Drake Rodriguez … 50.4

Eric Wilson … 55.2

Fabian Moreau … 62.2

Analysis:  There wasn’t much to critique with how well the Vikings played on defense. There were a few missed tackles from Rodriguez and Wilson that group their grades down. As for Moreau, he only played in spot minutes, so his lone mistake was heavily weighted against him.

Related Articles


The Loop NFL Picks: Week 17


Takeaways from the Vikings’ 23-10 win over the Lions


Frederick: Shame on the Vikings for wasting this dominant defense


Harrison Smith leads dominant defensive display as Vikings upset Lions


The Loop Fantasy Football Update Week 17: Last-minute moves

Virginia offshore wind developer sues over Trump administration order halting projects

posted in: All news | 0

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The developers of a Virginia offshore wind project are asking a federal judge to block a Trump administration order that halted construction of their project, along with four others, over national security concerns.

Related Articles


What to know about the militants targeted by US airstrikes in northwest Nigeria


US launches strikes against Islamic State group in Nigeria after attacks target Christians


Trump’s talks with Zelenskyy to address security guarantees and reconstruction, Ukraine leader says


Trump says US struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians


Trump warns against infiltration by a ‘bad Santa,’ defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids

Dominion Energy Virginia said in its lawsuit filed late Tuesday that the government’s order is “arbitrary and capricious” and unconstitutional. The Richmond-based company is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, a project it says is essential to meet dramatically growing energy needs driven by dozens of new data centers.

The Interior Department did not detail the security concerns in blocking the five projects on Monday. In a letter to project developers, Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management set a 90-day period — and possibly longer — “to determine whether the national security threats posed by this project can be adequately mitigated.”

The other projects are the Vineyard Wind project under construction in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind in Rhode Island and Connecticut and two projects in New York: Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. Democratic governors in those states have vowed to fight the order, the latest action by the Trump administration to hobble offshore wind in its push against renewable energy sources.

Dominion’s project has been under construction since early 2024 and was scheduled to come online early next year, providing enough energy to power about 660,000 homes. The company said the delay was costing it more than $5 million a day in losses solely for the ships used in round-the-clock construction, and that customers or the company would eventually bear the cost.

Dominion called this week’s order “the latest in a series of irrational agency actions attacking offshore wind and then doubling down when those actions are found unlawful.”

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker set a hearing for 2 p.m. Monday on Dominion’s request for a temporary restraining order.

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.