The Latest: Trump drops tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruit as consumers face high prices
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to get rid of tariffs on a broad swath of commodities, including beef, coffee and tropical fruits. It’s part of a response to pressure from consumers who are struggling with high prices.
In off-year elections this month, voters economic concerns as their top issue, resulting in big wins for Democrats in races in Virginia and New Jersey.
The president signed the order after announcing framework agreements with Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala that are designed to ease import levies on agricultural products from those countries.
Here's the latest:
Indiana Senate won’t vote on redistricting, defying Trump’s push
The body’s Republican leader announced Friday that it will no longer meet in December as planned to vote on redistricting, citing a lack of support from members even after months of White House pressure.
The announcement greatly diminishes the likelihood of redistricting in the Midwest state. Indiana is the second Republican-led state that has recently resisted the president’s push for new congressional maps favoring GOP candidates in 2026 elections.
“Over the last several months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the concept of redrawing our state’s congressional maps,” Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray said in a statement. “Today, I’m announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December.”
▶ Read more about Indiana and redistricting
New USDA data casts doubts on China’s soybean purchase promises touted by Trump after Xi meeting
Released Friday, after the government reopened, the Agriculture Department report shows only two Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans since the summit between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, totaling 332,000 metric tons.
That’s well short of the 12 million metric tons that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said China agreed to purchase by January and nowhere near the 25 million metric tons she said it would buy in each of the next three years.
American farmers were hopeful that their biggest customer would resume buying their crops. But Tanner Ehmke, CoBank’s lead economist for grains and oilseed, said there is not much incentive for China right now because it has plenty of soybeans on hand from Brazil and other South American countries and the remaining tariffs ensure that U.S. soybeans remain more expensive.
“We are still not even close to what has been advertised from the U.S. in terms of what the agreement would have been,” Ehmke said.
How chummy is too chummy? Epstein emails shine light on relationships between journalists, sources
The emails to and from Jeffrey Epstein released this week shine a light on the delicate relationship between reporters and their sources. And, as can be the case, bright light isn’t always flattering.
Messages between Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019, and journalists Michael Wolff and Landon Thomas Jr. are frequently chummy and, in one case, show Wolff giving Epstein advice on how to deal with the media — a line journalists are taught not to cross. Wolff specializes in the “you are there” inside accounts that are possible with intensive reporting, though some of his work has been questioned.
People frequently see journalists in public settings, conducting an interview or asking questions at a news conference. Private phone calls, texts or messages — where reporters try to ingratiate themselves with sources who may not otherwise be inclined to give information — are inherently different. But ethical rules remain and are followed by most in American journalism.
▶ Read more about Epstein’s emails and journalists
US prosecutor in Wyoming promises crackdown on pot in national parks and on other public lands
Getting high around a campfire in a national park, especially in Wyoming, is more likely to get you prosecuted under a new Justice Department policy regarding marijuana use on federal land.
The guidance reverses a policy from the end of Joe Biden’s presidency that “significantly curtailed” federal prosecution of misdemeanor marijuana offenses, according to U.S. Attorney for Wyoming Darin Smith.
Smith has been implementing the policy since it came out in September, he said. His office and the DOJ declined to provide the document or the previous policy to The Associated Press.
Wyoming is home to two busy national parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton, and like many Western states has thousands of square miles of federal land where the policy applies.
How many citations for marijuana are issued among those parks’ more than 8 million visitors each year was not readily available. Smith said his office handles thousands of cases and has not tracked recent minor marijuana prosecutions.
▶ Read more about pot and the parks
How national parks will reopen after government shutdown closures
The country’s national parks largely stayed open with limited staffing. Outside groups and state governments picked up the tab during the shutdown to keep visitor centers running and help with trash cleanup at many parks. And the Trump administration tapped into previously collected entrance fees to pay for cleaning restrooms and other basic services. But the efforts didn’t stop vandals from defacing rock features along Devils Garden Trail in Arches National Park in Utah and toppling a stone wall at Devil’s Den in Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.
What’s next:
National Park Service employees were ordered back to work Thursday. It will take time for rangers to fully assess parks, including backcountry areas, and more damage could yet be discovered, said Kristen Brengel of the National Parks Conservation Association. No fees were collected during the shutdown, costing parks almost $1 million a day in lost revenue.
What will happen to federal workers as the government reopens
About 1.25 million federal workers haven’t been paid since Oct. 1, missing about $16 billion in wages, according to official estimates.
The employees either were furloughed or worked without pay in agencies across the government. Many struggled to make ends meet during that time, and the regional economy around Washington took a hit.
What’s next:
The Office of Personnel Management, which manages the civil service, posted on the social platform X that federal workers are expected to be back Thursday, saying “employees are expected to begin the workday on time. Normal operating procedures are in effect.”
The pay they are owed will come in by Nov. 19 and go out in four separate tranches, depending on the agency, according to a senior administration official.
▶ Read more about how the government is reopening
Trump to welcome the Saudi crown prince with arrival ceremony, deal signings and lavish dinner
It’s not an official state visit, but the White House is preparing to host Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman next week with the pomp and circumstance that is typical of one.
The crown prince’s day at the White House next Tuesday will begin with an arrival ceremony on the sweeping South Lawn and a subsequent greeting on the South Portico, according to a senior White House official.
Then Trump will host him in the Oval Office for a bilateral meeting, followed by a signing and lunch in the Cabinet Room where the U.S. and Saudi Arabia will formalize multiple economic and defense agreements, said the official, granted anonymity to discuss the administration’s planning.
Later in the evening, the White House will hold an East Room dinner hosted and planned by first lady Melania Trump.
His visit is billed as an official working visit because Prince Mohammed is not technically a head of state, the official said.
— Seung Min Kim and Michelle L. Price
Switzerland to boost US investment as deal struck to lower tariffs on Swiss goods to 15%
The country announced plans to invest $200 billion in the United States through 2028 as it finalized a deal to slash U.S. tariffs on Swiss goods.
Economy Minister Guy Parmelin said the Trump administration agreed to cut tariffs on most Swiss goods to 15% — the same level imposed on the neighboring European Union — from 39%, the highest rate on any Western country.
Parmelin hailed the deal as a result of “new momentum generated by the commitment of the American president” and said it would take “several weeks” to take effect.
The White House confirmed the deal Friday, adding that companies from Switzerland and tiny Liechtenstein would invest $67 billion of the $200 billion next year.
It said the investments would create thousands of jobs “in a number of sectors, such as pharmaceuticals, machinery, medical devices, aerospace, construction, advanced manufacturing, gold manufacturing, and energy infrastructure.”
At Trump’s urging, Bondi says US will investigate Epstein’s ties to Clinton and other political foes
Acceding to the president’s demands, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to Trump foes, including former President Bill Clinton.
The announcement caps an eventful week in which congressional Republicans released nearly 23,000 pages of documents from Epstein’s estate and House Democrats seized on emails mentioning Trump.
Trump, who was friends with Epstein for years, did not explain what supposed crimes he wanted the Justice Department to investigate. None of the men he mentioned in a social media post demanding the probe have been accused of sexual misconduct by any of Epstein’s victims.
The demand — and Bondi’s quick acquiescence — is the latest example of the erosion of the DOJ’s traditional independence from the White House under Trump.
It is also an extraordinary attempt at deflection. For decades Trump himself has been scrutinized for his closeness to Epstein — though he, too, has not been accused of sexual misconduct by Epstein’s victims.
▶ Read more about Bondi’s announcement and Trump’s demand
Government will release September jobs report next week after end of shutdown
The Labor Department report will come Thursday, a month and a half late, marking the beginning of the end of the data drought caused by the 43-day federal government shutdown.
The statistical blackout meant that the Federal Reserve, businesses, policymakers and investors have largely been in the dark about inflation, job creation, GDP growth and other measures of economic health since late summer.
Thomas Simons and Michael Bacolas at Jefferies, a financial firm, wrote Friday that over 30 reports from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau were delayed by the political standoff.
The Labor Department did not release its weekly report on unemployment benefits for seven straight weeks. That report is seen as a potential early indicator of where the labor market is headed.
Labor did release its September consumer price index on Oct. 24, nine days late. An exception was made because of its urgency.
Trump drops tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruit as pressure builds on consumer prices
The president signed an executive order Friday to get rid of tariffs on a broad swath of commodities. It’s part of a response to pressure from consumers who complain prices are too high.
The move comes after voters in off-year elections this month cited economic concerns as their top issue, resulting in big wins for Democrats in races in Virginia and New Jersey.
FAA eases flight cuts at 40 US airports, but some restrictions remain
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it plans to roll back some of the restrictions on commercial flights it implemented at 40 major U.S. airports during the shutdown.
The agency says the current mandatory 6% flight cuts are being downgraded to 3% even though the record 43-day shutdown ended Nov. 12. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly said restrictions would remain until staffing at air traffic control facilities stabilizes and safety metrics improve.
The unprecedented order, in place since Nov. 7, has affected thousands of flights. The head of the FAA said troubling data showed the measure was needed to ease pressure on the aviation system as the shutdown entered its second month and controller absences rose. Unpaid for more than a month, many controllers cited financial strain and the need to take on side jobs.
The flight cuts started at 4% and later grew to 6%. The FAA originally had a 10% target, but officials held off on further rate increases because they said more controllers were coming to work amid news that Congress was close to reaching a deal to end the shutdown.
Trump has no issue with phone records provision
The president has no objections to language, tucked into a bill to reopen the government, that would allow senators to sue when a federal official searches their electronic records without their knowledge, according to a senior White House official.
Trump has indicated privately that he does not think that’s a bad provision, according to the official, who was granted anonymity to describe the president’s thinking. The White House had been fully looped in as senators drafted the bill, which Trump signed into law Wednesday night.
But the provision has caused an uproar in the House, where both Democrats and Republicans have decried the language that would allow lawsuits when a senator’s electronic records are searched without prior notification. It would allow senators to sue for up to $500,000 for each violation.
The language seems aimed at helping Republican senators pursue damages if their phone records were analyzed by the FBI as part of an investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he was “very angry about it,” and is planning to bring up legislation to repeal it as early as next week.
“That was dropped in at the last minute, and I did not appreciate that, nor did most of the House members,” the speaker said earlier this week. The senior White House official did not indicate what Trump would do should such legislation reach his desk.
— Seung Min Kim
Rubio calls UAE foreign minister to discuss Gaza and Sudan ceasefire efforts
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates to discuss the U.S.-led plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the deteriorating situation in Sudan, where the UAE has been accused of supporting the main rebel group.
Rubio and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed discussed “collective efforts to implement” President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, which is currently awaiting endorsement by the U.N. Security Council, the State Department said.
During Friday’s call, Rubio “also emphasized the importance of achieving a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan,” it said in a statement.
Rubio on Wednesday had decried the humanitarian situation in Sudan and said “something needs to be done” to cut off weapons and other support from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Asked about allegations that the UAE is backing the RSF, Rubio said the U.S. knows who’s involved and is pushing them to stop. But he did not name any countries.
▶ Read more about the situation in Sudan
US military’s 20th strike on alleged drug boat brings death toll to 80 in South America
The U.S. military’s 20th strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs has killed four people in the Caribbean Sea, a Pentagon official said Friday.
The latest strike happened Monday, according to the official, who wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
It brings the death toll from the strikes that began in September to 80.
The attack comes as the Trump administration expands the U.S. military’s already large presence in the region by bringing in the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier. The nation’s most advanced warship is expected to arrive in the coming days after traveling from the Mediterranean Sea.
— Ben Finley
Air traffic controllers get 70% of back pay from the shutdown
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said air traffic controllers received 70% of their back pay Friday for working during the shutdown.
A number of controllers called out of work during the shutdown as they dealt with the financial pressure from going without pay for so long.
Some controllers even got side jobs to help make ends meet. That led to delays and other flight disruptions when the Federal Aviation Administration ran short of controllers at airport towers and other radar facilities.
Controller staffing improved significantly earlier this week as the shutdown drew to a close. Duffy said earlier this week that controllers would receive the rest of their back pay in the next few paychecks.
Duffy and President Donald Trump have also proposed that controllers who didn’t miss a shift during the shutdown should receive $10,000 bonuses. But the details of exactly who might get those checks haven’t been released.
House Democrats press the FAA and DOT for answers on flight cuts
Democratic members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure asked federal officials for an explanation of the decision to cut up to 10% of flights at 40 major airports during the shutdown, along with details on staffing levels and how airports were chosen.
“It appears that the administration made this decision without adequate coordination with key aviation stakeholders,” Friday’s letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said.
The group requested a briefing and written response by Nov. 20.
The FAA on Wednesday froze reductions at 6%, shortly before a deal was reached to end the shutdown. Requests for comment were sent to the department and FAA.
Trump to attend world economic conference in Davos
The president is planning to attend the World Economic Forum’s meeting in Switzerland in January, according to a senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to share plans that were not yet publicly announced.
The annual meeting in the Swiss Alps draws world leaders, business executives, celebrities and, sometimes, U.S. presidents. Trump attended in his first term in 2018 and 2020.
— Michelle L. Price
ICE recruits state and local agencies to do welfare checks on migrant children
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working with state and local law enforcement agencies to carry out welfare checks on roughly 450,000 migrant children.
They said the program kicked off Nov. 10 in Florida.
The administration launched a similar effort earlier this year, but this one includes state and local law enforcement agencies authorized to work with ICE.
Migrant children traveling alone initially stay in government shelters before being released to sponsors.
Under the Biden administration, officials tried to release children to eligible sponsors within 30 days, reuniting many families quickly.
But there were problems, including some children released to adults who forced them to work illegally.
Migrant advocates are suspicious that the Trump administration’s efforts could end up being a way to deport sponsors or children.
New US political maps spur fears in disparate places
The effects of the rush to redraw U.S. political maps ahead of next year’s midterm elections can be seen in the contrasts between two very different places now in the same Missouri congressional district.
The 18th and Vine area in Kansas City is predominately Black, once known for jazz joints and the meeting that created professional baseball’s National Negro League when the established major leagues barred Black players. Boonville is a small, mostly white town set in an area teeming with cattle and row crops.
People in both areas worry about being ignored in the new district.
The incumbent is Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, who preached about racial justice as a Methodist minister and has worked for decades for federally funded projects in 18th and Vine. Boonville’s decades-long project is a trail favored by cycling enthusiasts.
But their differences are deeper and extend to issues such as health care, education and gun rights.
