From clothes to cars, what Trump’s new tariffs could cost you: Unbiased Updates, Aug. 7, 2025
After months of delays, President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs are now in place, hitting thousands of everyday goods. What’s affected, what’s exempt and how much more could Americans end up paying?
Plus, the Kremlin said it was the U.S. who asked for the summit. The White House said it was Moscow. Either way, a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is now in the works, possibly as soon as next week. Will Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy be invited to join?
And a U.S. soldier is in custody Thursday morning after allegedly opening fire on his own unit at Fort Stewart in Georgia. We’re digging into who the suspect is and how the attack unfolded.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025.
Trump’s tariffs officially take effect worldwide
After months of delays, President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs are now officially in effect. The implementation could potentially impact prices on everything from cars to clothes.
Trump marked the moment on Truth Social posting: “Billions of dollars in tariffs are now flowing into the United States of America!”
The new tariffs range from 10 to 41% across 70 countries, with the average effective rate now above 17%, according to the nonpartisan Yale Budget Lab.
Thousands of everyday items will be impacted, from appliances and cars to food, furniture and toys.
Some items are exempt, thanks to existing trade agreements with Canada and Mexico. This includes certain oil and gas imports and some smartphones.
Yale estimates the new tariffs will cost the average U.S. household up to $2,400 this year, with the biggest price hikes on clothing and footwear. Consumers could see clothing prices increase by 38% and shoe prices rise by 40%.
And Trump’s not done yet. On Wednesday, he announced a 100% tariff on computer chips and semiconductors, a move likely to drive up costs on electronics, cars and appliances.
However, there are some exceptions.
“We’ll be putting a tariff on of approximately 100% on chips and semiconductors. But if you’re building in the United States of America, there’s no charge, even though you’re building and you’re not producing yet.”
The Associated Press reported big tech firms have already committed about $1.5 trillion in U.S. investments since Trump returned to office in January.
Trump-Putin meeting confirmed as sides dispute who proposed it
Trump and President Vladimir Putin have agreed, in principle, to meet face-to-face, possibly next week. The Kremlin confirmed the news on Thursday, Aug. 7. The confirmation is a significant development in Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine.
Russia said the U.S. proposed the meeting. However, the White House claimed Moscow did. Either way, both sides agree a summit is in the works, with a date and location to be announced soon.
Putin’s team is now downplaying the chances of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joining the meeting. However, Trump continues to push for a 3-way meeting.
The proposal comes after Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. After the visit, Trump said the meeting was “highly productive.”
Trump later updated European leaders, including Zelenskyy. He told them “great progress” was made and that it’s time to end the war.
Zelenskyy confirmed that call, saying Russia now seems more inclined to agree to a ceasefire, but warned it’s crucial that Russia doesn’t deceive everyone.
So far, there’s no sign Zelenskyy has been officially invited to join Trump and Putin’s upcoming meeting. The Kremlin said its focus is on making sure the bilateral Trump-Putin meeting is “successful and productive.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s Friday noon deadline for Russia to stop the war remains in effect. If Russia does not comply, Moscow could face new sanctions. These sanctions include penalties for countries still purchasing Russia’s oil.
On Wednesday, Trump implemented an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, one of Moscow’s biggest oil customers. This move brings the total tariff to 50%.
Motive still unclear in Army base shooting that left 5 soldiers wounded
Military investigators continue to piece together Thursday morning why a U.S. Army sergeant opened fire on his own unit. The sudden attack on Wednesday left five soldiers wounded at Fort Stewart in Georgia.
The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Sgt. Quornelius Radford, an automated logistics specialist stationed at Fort Stewart-Hunter Army Airfield. Officials said he used a personal handgun to shoot five of his coworkers.
The incident happened just before 11 a.m. ET, triggering an immediate lockdown across the base.
The suspect was taken into custody roughly 30 minutes later, thanks to a fellow solider who tackled him at the scene.
Fort Stewart Senior Commander Army Brig. Gen. John Lubas said Radford had never been deployed to combat and confirmed all five victims are expected to recover.
In a post on X, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth promised “swift justice” for the shooter and “anyone else found to be involved.”
So far, officials say Radford acted alone. Investigators are looking into how he brought a personal firearm onto the base, despite strict rules banning them.
White House denies Epstein strategy meeting at JD Vance residence
The White House has dismissed reports of a high-level meeting about the Epstein fallout, even as pressure builds to release a prison interview with Ghislaine Maxwell.
At an event Wednesday with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Trump was asked if his top advisors were meeting that night at Vice President JD Vance’s residence to discuss whether to make Maxwell’s audio public. CNN first reported news of the meeting.
Trump denied knowing anything about it, then punted the question over to the VP.
“I saw the report today, and it’s completely fake news. We’re not meeting to talk about the Epstein situation, and I think the reporter who reported it needs to get better sources,” Vance said.
Trump followed up with reporters after Vance’s response, saying, “Look, the whole thing is a hoax, it’s put out by the democrats because we’ve had the most successful six months in the history of our country. And that’s just a way of trying to divert attention to something that’s total b——-.”
The meeting, which officials now insist wasn’t about Epstein, was said to involve four of Trump’s top officials. This includes Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.
Blanche recently met with Maxwell twice in prison, where she supposedly claimed she never saw Donald Trump do anything improper with Epstein.
The Justice Department has a noon deadline on Friday to address victim privacy concerns before grand jury material can be released.
Tech issue forces United to halt flights at major hubs
United Airlines is working to resume flights and recover from a difficult night of delays and cancellations.
After announcing a ground stop at several major airports across the country, United Airlines is telling passengers their computer issues are now “fixed.” On Wednesday evening, United announced a ground stop for flights at several major airports – including Chicago, Denver, Newark, Houston and San Francisco – due to a widespread computer system outage, the airline told Straight Arrow News.
United CEO Scott Kirby briefed U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy about the ground stop. Duffy confirmed that the outage was an internal tech outage at United.
“The issue was specific to United’s operations, and is unrelated to the broader air traffic control system,” Duffy said. “The team at @FAANews is in close contact with their systems operations team, and we’ve offered our full support to help them clear up the flight backlog.”
By 9:30 p.m. ET, planes were cleared to fly again, but the damage was already done. The problem caused major delays, with passengers stranded on the ground and in terminals across the country. Many travelers had to stay in hotels and rebook for Thursday.
Late Wednesday night, a United spokesperson said the tech issue had been resolved. While residual delays remain, the airline works to restore normal operations.
MLB to call up Jen Pawol, league’s first female umpire
She’s out of the minors and into the history books: Umpire Jen Pawol is scheduled to make Major League Baseball history Saturday, Aug. 9. She will become the first woman to umpire in an MLB game when she takes the field at Truist Park in Atlanta for the series between the Braves and Miami Marlins.
Like most players and umpires, Pawol worked her way up through the ranks. She was a three-time all-conference softball player at Hofstra University. After her playing career ended, she pursued her master’s degree and took teacher certification classes in Binghamton, New York. She missed being a part of the game.
And now, at 48 years old, she’s making her major league debut.
More from Straight Arrow News:
Exclusive: SAN reporter’s inquiry into Texas’ Bitcoin mines triggers lawsuit
The Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Texas wants to block the release of data on cryptocurrency mining, due to concerns that public disclosure could lead to acts of terrorism. In a June lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the utility commission disputed a ruling from Paxton’s office that would have released some cryptocurrency mining information to reporters at several media outlets, including Straight Arrow News.
Texas is a hub of cryptocurrency mining — that much is clear. What is unclear: the exact scale of cryptocurrency operations and their impact on the electric grid, largely due to a lack of comprehensive data.
In June 2024, a senior vice president of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas told lawmakers that cryptocurrency mining could draw an estimated 2,600 megawatts of power from the grid, which is about as much electricity demand as the city of Austin on an above-average day. But exact data, which could reveal how many facilities are located in Texas and how they affect grid operations, has never been provided to the public.
SAN energy reporter Keaton Peters and business correspondent Simone Del Rosario examine the lawsuit and provide a detailed breakdown here. Read the full story now >
Editor’s Note: This story’s author, Keaton Peters, is named in the lawsuit between the Public Utility Commission of Texas and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton because he submitted a Texas Public Information Act request seeking data about cryptocurrency mining’s effect on the Texas power grid. Our editors believe the information Peters received regarding the lawsuit is of immediate public interest to our readers.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
