Sen. Lindsey Graham offered this comment outside the White House after a deal between President Trump and Ukraine's Zelensky blew up on the launchpad:
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: What do I think? Complete and utter disaster.
I've been to Ukraine 8 or 9 times since the war started. I understand the consequences of Putin's actions against Ukraine. I appreciate what the Ukrainian people have done. They fought like tigers.
At the end of the day, I was hoping that this minerals deal, which would be transformative in the relationship, would go over well.
I talked to Zelensky this morning, son't take the bait, President Trump was in a very good mood last night.
Somebody asked me, am I embarrassed about Trump? I have never been more proud of the president. I was very proud of JD Vance for standing up for our country.
We want to be helpful. What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful, and I don't know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again. I don't -- I think most Americans saw a guy that they would not want to go in business with the way he handled the meeting, the way he confronted the president was just over the top.
So I think the relationship between Ukraine and America is important, vitally important, but can Zalensky do a deal with the United States after what I saw? I don't know.
REPORTER: What did he say to you about his interactions and--
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: He was shocked. He was very upbeat.
I told Zelensky we'll talk about security guarantees.
1:38 We'll talk about ceasefires and how the war ends. This is a process. You have a new relationship with America, a $500 billion, half trillion, dollar deal that President Trump is proud of that gives us an interest worth defending. Let's talk about the positive, but he was terrible at Munich, Zelensky, and I think he has made it almost impossible to sell to the American people that he's a good investment, that is.
REPORTER: Do you think President Zelensky needs to resign to resume these peace talks?
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM: He either needs to resign and send somebody over that we can do business with, or he needs to change.
Vietnam’s booming trade relationship with the US is under increasing threat as former US President Donald Trump signals sweeping tariffs that could impact nearly all of the country’s exports to its largest market.
This comes as Trump’s trade policies take a sharply protectionist turn, raising concerns among Vietnamese officials and foreign companies about potential economic disruption.
Vietnam had been a major beneficiary of the US-China trade war during Trump’s first term, attracting manufacturers looking to sidestep tariffs on Chinese goods. Its high trade surplus with the US has made it a target for reciprocal tariffs.
Vietnam now faces an urgent need to recalibrate its trade strategy to protect its economy from potential sanctions, as US trade officials scrutinise the country’s tax policies, energy partnerships, and role in global supply chains.
Vietnam’s trade policies under scrutiny
Vietnam’s trade policies, including import duties and non-tariff barriers, are now in focus as the US weighs retaliatory tariffs.
Vietnam applies higher average levies on imports compared to US duties, and its value-added tax system further raises costs for foreign goods. Some economists argue that Vietnam’s effective bilateral tariff rates remain lower than those of the US.
A major concern is how Washington will determine the new tariff rates. The US Trade Representative’s 2024 report outlined a long list of non-trade barriers Vietnam imposes, including strict registration requirements and import bans.
These barriers are now under review as part of broader US scrutiny, with potential implications for Vietnam’s export-dependent economy.
Vietnamese officials have shown willingness to negotiate and even consider lowering tariffs on US goods, but this could trigger a wider trade policy shift requiring reductions for other trading partners as well.
Such a move would complicate Vietnam’s broader trade relationships, making it a challenging balancing act for policymakers.
Energy deals as leverage
Vietnam is exploring ways to mitigate the impact of tariffs by increasing US energy imports, according to a Reuters report.
The country has held discussions with US officials about purchasing liquefied natural gas (LNG), a sector Vietnam is keen to expand as it works towards a more diversified energy mix. These talks have yet to materialise into concrete agreements.
A more ambitious move is Vietnam’s planned revival of its nuclear power programme.
The country is looking for suppliers of nuclear technology, and US firms could be potential partners.
If Vietnam commits to large-scale energy deals with the US, it could provide leverage in trade negotiations and potentially ease tariff tensions.
Agriculture and transhipment concerns
Vietnam has signalled openness to increasing imports of US agricultural products, but the scale of potential purchases is unlikely to significantly offset trade imbalances.
In 2023, Vietnam imported just $3.4 billion worth of US farm goods—only a fraction of its overall trade surplus. While increased agricultural imports might help in trade discussions, they are unlikely to be a sufficient countermeasure against sweeping tariffs.
Meanwhile, the US remains concerned about Vietnam’s role in transhipping Chinese goods to bypass tariffs. Vietnam has long been suspected of serving as a transit hub for Chinese products destined for the US.
In sectors such as solar panels, Vietnamese firms have already faced penalties for facilitating Chinese exports.
Vietnam is now attempting to avoid further scrutiny by imposing temporary anti-dumping duties on Chinese steel imports.
This is a defensive move aimed at reducing the risk of the US slapping additional 25% tariffs on Vietnamese steel exports, which are already subject to anti-dumping duties.
The country’s reliance on the US market has made it particularly vulnerable to protectionist policies, forcing officials to reassess their trade and economic strategies.
While Vietnam is exploring multiple avenues—ranging from energy deals to tariff negotiations—the effectiveness of these measures remains uncertain.
As Trump pushes ahead with his aggressive trade agenda, Vietnam must move quickly to protect its export-driven economy from escalating trade tensions with its biggest customer.
Chinese authorities are instructing the country's top artificial intelligence entrepreneurs and researchers to avoid travel to the United States, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The authorities are concerned that Chinese AI experts traveling abroad could divulge confidential information about the nation's progress, the newspaper said.
Authorities also fear that executives could be detained and used as a bargaining chip in U.S.-China negotiations, the Journal said, drawing parallels to the detention of a Huawei executive in Canada at Washington's request during the first Trump administration.
The White House and China's State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to requests from Reuters for comment.
Executives at leading Chinese companies in AI and other strategically sensitive industries, such as robotics, are being discouraged from traveling to the U.S. and its allies unless absolutely necessary, the Journal report said.
Executives who choose to travel are instructed to report their plans before leaving and, upon returning, to brief authorities on what they did and whom they met, the report said.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng declined an invitation to attend an AI summit in Paris in February, according to the report. Another founder of a major Chinese AI startup canceled a planned U.S. trip last year following instructions from Beijing, the Journal added.
U.S. and China are locked in a global AI race, with DeepSeek recently launching AI models that it claims rival or surpass U.S. industry leaders like OpenAI and Google, at significantly lower cost.
In February, President Xi Jinping held a rare meeting with some of the biggest names in China's technology sector, urging them to "show their talent" and be confident in the power of China's model and market.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on Saturday he had directed authorities to quickly grant a license to Elon Musk's Starlink to provide satellite internet services in the country under a pilot scheme.
Chinh also told U.S. businesses in a meeting in Hanoi that the Southeast Asian nation was taking measures to rebalance its trade surplus with the United States, the government said on its website, amid threats of tariffs from President Donald Trump.
A Washington-based Muslim nonprofit, which is one of the largest operating across the US, agreed this week to settle a case brought by a former board member and employee rather than open its books to reveal sources of foreign funding, The Post has learned.
Evidence in past court proceedings has shown links between The Council on American-Islamic Relations Foundation Inc. and both Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
CAIR Inc. settled with Lori Saroya Thursday, months after US Magistrate Judge David Schultz ruled any assets owned by the group are all within the “scope of permissible discovery” as part of the former Minnesota chapter leader’s lawsuit against the controversial Muslim rights group.
The Post learned this week that Washington-based Muslim nonprofit CAIR Inc. agreed to settle a case brought by a former board member and employee rather than open its books to reveal sources of foreign funding.Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Saroya filed her federal defamation complaint against CAIR last year after the group dropped a lawsuit against her, which accused her of embarking on a “defamation campaign” against the organization.
Call for federal probe
Lawmakers are demanding a federal investigation into the nonprofit, which took in more than $5.3 million in contributions and grants in 2022, the last year for which public filings are available.
“CAIR’s leadership has a long history of spewing vile antisemitism and anti-Zionist rhetoric, including openly praising the Hamas terrorists that brutally attacked Israel, murdering, raping, and kidnapping more than 1,200 people on October. 7 [2023],” said Josh Gottheimer, a Democratic Congressman from New Jersey.
Referring to court proceedings which showed the links, he added: “The allegations that CAIR receives funding from Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, if true, are deeply concerning and require an immediate investigation.”
CAIR, which was founded in 1993, was linked to Hamas in 2008 when US authorities successfully prosecuted five leaders at the Holy Land Foundation For Relief and Development, a now-defunct Texas-based nonprofit, for giving more than $12 million from the US to the terror group.
Lori Saroya and CAIR Inc. settled on Thursday, months after US Magistrate Judge David Schultz ruled any assets owned by the group are within the “scope of permissible discovery.”CAIR Washington
Once the HLF werewas compromised, a new group with no obvious ties to Hamas had to become the funnel for cash; US Authorities concluded that was CAIR during its prosecution of the earlier group, as cited in a report by The Program on Extremism at George Washington University.
Evidence in the trial against HLF showed that Ghassan Elashi, the treasurer of the charity, became the founding board member of CAIR’s Texas chapter and that HLF transferred funds to CAIR for “consulting services.”
The prosecution also presented evidence that Hamas provided “seed money” for CAIR, according to a congressional hearing.
Undisclosed amount
“The history is very clear,” said Lorenzo Vidino, director of the Program on Extremism at GWU.
“CAIR was created by this core group of Hamas leaders in the US in the early 1990s. There are FBI wiretaps of a workshop given by the group’s leaders on how to deal with the media and create a veneer of respectability and use the language of civil rights.”
CAIR is the now the largest Muslim civil rights group in the country, and includes 33 chapters, including two in California.
Saroya filed the defamation complaint last year against the nonprofit after they previously dropped a lawsuit against her.AFP via Getty Images
Following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas strike on Israel that left 1,200 Israelis dead, CAIR’s executive director and co-founder Nihad Awad was seen on a video celebrating the attack.
“The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp, on Oct. 7,” he said at a Chicago conference for the American Muslims for Palestine.
“And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their land that they were not allowed to walk in.”
“And yes,” he continued, “the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense, have the right to defend themselves, and yes, Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense.”
The Biden administration broke ranks with the group, which it had tapped along with other nonprofits to create a national antisemitism strategy, following Awad’s comments.
“CAIR is part of a family of organizations, including SJP [Students for Justice in Palestine] that are deeply connected and share the same ideology,” said Lorenzo Vidino, the director of the Program on Extremism at theGeorge Washington University.
“There’s been plenty of Congressional scrutiny of SJP, and now we definitely need a Congressional investigation, especially when you have the director of CAIR saying that Oct. 7 was a good thing.”
Saroya, a former Blaine City councilwoman worked as director of CAIR’s Minnesota branch from 2007 to 2016 then moved on to become National Chapter Development Director and a member of its board.
She resigned two years later, citing a culture of sexual harassment and raising questions about foreign funds the group was receiving, in her lawsuit.
When approached for comment Thursday, CAIR sent links to two of their webpages, titled Dispelling Rumors About CAIR and “CAIR: A Principled and Consistent Force Against Antisemitism,” but didn’t address the lawsuit directly.
An attorney for Saroya, whose settlement amount wasn’t disclosed, declined comment Thursday.
The amount of the settlement to Saroya was not disclosed.
“The parties have reached a monetary settlement to resolve Saroya’s claims against CAIR,” said a statement approved by both sides.
“The amount of CAIR’s payment to Saroya is confidential. In addition, CAIR retracts and has removed from its website its statement regarding Saroya and the 2021 lawsuit, which it regrets.”
Align Technology Inc. suffered another setback in its bid to settle antitrust claims that the company colluded to raise prices of its popular Invisalign products, as a judge denied the company’s renewed motion for a $27.5 million settlement with buyer plaintiffs.
South Korea's industry minister requested a tariff exemption in talks with the U.S. administration, Seoul's industry ministry said on Saturday, as Washington moves forward with plans to impose new tariffs.
Ahn Duk-geun met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington this week, seeking tariff exemptions from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and discussing ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries, the ministry said in a statement.
"Minister Ahn discussed strengthening partnerships in strategic industries such as shipbuilding and advanced industries with commerce secretary Lutnick. At the same time, he conveyed South Korean companies' concerns regarding the U.S. government's tariff measures and requested tariff exemptions," the industry ministry said.
South Korea and the U.S. have also agreed to set up a working-level channel to discuss tariff-related issues and cooperation in the shipbuilding sector, Seoul's industry ministry said.
Ahn's meeting with Lutnick marked the first ministerial-level trade talks between the countries in Trump's second term, taking place amid a diplomatic vacuum as impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol is suspended from duties over his short-lived imposition of martial law.
Ahn travelled to Washington, D.C. earlier this week to push for an exemption from U.S. steel tariffs and discuss ways to cooperate in energy and shipbuilding.
The trip came less than a week after Deputy Trade Minister Park Jong-won led the first major South Korean government delegation to visit Washington since Trump took office, asking his administration to exempt Seoul from steel and aluminium tariffs.
As a major global exporter and top trading partner with the United States, South Korea has viewed Trump's measures with increasing concern.
Asia's fourth-biggest economy is among 20 countries that have comprehensive free trade pacts with the United States. In the Asia-Pacific region, these include Australia and Singapore, while Japan has an agreement that focuses on critical minerals.
While the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) allows most goods to be traded without tariffs, Trump this month announced plans to impose a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium globally, including on South Korea. The new tariffs are set to take effect in March, while the U.S. president has also announced reciprocal tariffs on trading partners from April.
South Korea's acting President and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok urged U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a video call on Friday to pay attention to South Korea's contributions to the U.S. economy in Washington's policymaking.
