U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the removal of reciprocal tariffs on certain agricultural imports, a move aimed at easing grocery price burdens ahead of Thanksgiving.
The Trump administration released an executive order last Friday detailing the exemptions, which include coffee and tea, tropical fruits and juices, cocoa and spices, bananas, oranges, tomatoes, beef, and certain fertilizers.
According to a fact sheet, these changes are intended to address rising food costs, which have climbed nearly 30 percent above pre-pandemic levels. While overall inflation hovers around three percent, specific grocery items have surged, coffee is up nearly 19 percent over the past year, and bananas nearly 7 percent.
U.S. grocery prices have risen to nearly 30 percent higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
While overall inflation in the U.S. is at about 3 percent, prices of some groceries have soared, with coffee up nearly 19 percent and bananas up nearly 7 percent over the last year.
Trump said he is not walking away from his approach to trade and but admited that his tariffs are leading to higher prices.
Trump and other Republicans are facing pressure after recent elections saw Democrats like New York City's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani win after running on the issue of affordability.
Polling suggests two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump's tariff policies, and more than six in 10 disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy.
These numbers have added to the challenges the Republicans must contend with in next year's congressional midterm elections.
US cuts tariffs on food items amid rising inflation, soaring grocery prices
The successful election of the eighth-term Legislative Council (LegCo) of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) marked an important achievement in further consolidating and developing high-quality democracy in the region, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on Monday.
The spokesperson said that the election was successfully held on Sunday in a safe, orderly and smooth manner, adding that voter turnout in the Election Committee subsectors, functional constituencies, and geographical constituencies all recorded significant increases from the previous election, fully reflecting public sentiment in Hong Kong.
The spokesperson noted that as the election entered the campaigning stage, a sudden fire incident in Tai Po inflicted serious trauma on Hong Kong. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the HKSAR government, various sectors of society and the broad electorate, the election was carried out with complete success.
It fully demonstrated Hong Kong society's unity, resilience, and determination to overcome difficulties, and highlighted the advancement and strengths of the new electoral system under the full implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong," the spokesperson added.
The spokesperson said the newly elected members of the Legislative Council are all patriots who love the country and Hong Kong, and are capable, committed and dedicated to serving the community. They have won broad recognition and support from voters.
The spokesperson added that it is hoped and believed that the new-term legislators will fully, faithfully and unswervingly implement the "one country, two systems" policy, always uphold national sovereignty, security and development interests as the top priority, and promote Hong Kong's better integration into and contribution to the country's overall development.
Successful election of HKSAR's 8th-term LegCo of milestone significance: State Council spokesperson
