News Wrap: Trump’s plan to double levies on imported steel draws global reaction

In our news wrap Saturday, global reaction to a surprise tariff announcement from President Trump after he said Friday that was doubling levies on imported steel, Russia launched drone and missile attacks on Ukraine ahead of a fresh round of peace talks and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressed Indo-Pacific allies to increase defense spending as tensions with China rise.

Read the Full Transcript

Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

  • John Yang:

    In tonight's other news, global reaction to a surprise tariff announcement from President Trump. During a rally at a Pennsylvania steel mill Friday night, the president said he was doubling levies on imported steel.

  • Donald Trump, U.S. President:

    We are going to be imposing a 25 percent increase. We're going to bring it from 25 percent to 50 percent the tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will even further secure the steel industry in the United States. Nobody's going to get around that.

  • John Yang:

    Later, Mr. Trump posted on social media that beginning Wednesday he'll also impose tariffs on aluminum. The European Union said it strongly regrets the move and is prepared to impose countermeasures. Canada said tariffs will harm North American security.

    In Ukraine, Russia launched drone and missile attacks ahead of a fresh round of peace talks. The overnight strikes killed at least two people, including a nine year old girl in the frontline Zaporizhzhia region. The deadly attacks came ahead of peace talks set for Monday in Istanbul. It's not clear yet whether a Ukrainian delegation will be there.

    Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday. Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrat Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia, which Graham said he expects Congress to act on next week.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pressed Indo Pacific allies to increase defense spending as tensions with China rise. At an Asia security summit in Singapore, Hegseth said China poses a cyber threat to critical infrastructure in the United States and around the world. And he warned China not to try to take Taiwan militarily.

    Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense: Any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There's no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. We hope not, but it certainly could be.

  • John Yang:

    China's defense minister didn't attend the conference, citing the ongoing U.S.-Chinese trade war.

    Still to come on PBS News Weekend, how lawmakers are making it harder for citizens to get proposed new laws on state ballots. And after nearly two months of rehabilitation, a group of seals heads home.

Listen to this Segment