Tag Archives: CNBC

Trump Commerce Secretary Lutnick says U.S. auto CEOs are ‘cool with’ higher tariffs than Japan

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick dismissed Detroit automakers’ concerns about President Donald Trump’s new trade deal with Japan. Lutnick said he spoke to U.S. auto manufacturing CEOs and that “they are cool with it.” The agreement Trump announced would see Japan accept a tariff of 15% on cars it exports to the U.S., in addition to Read More…

Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell expected to meet with DOJ on Thursday

Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is expected to meet with the Department of Justice. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said this week he wanted to ask the former British socialite what she knew about potentially other people who sexually abused girls and young women. Blanche previously served as a Read More…

Republican senators join Dems on bill to exempt small businesses from Trump’s Canada tariffs

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has introduced a bill that would exempt millions of U.S. small businesses from President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods. Two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, are cosponsoring the legislation. The bill addresses the tariffs that Trump first announced on Feb. 1, comprising a 25% overall Read More…

French President Macron, wife Brigitte sue Candace Owens for defamation from transgender claim

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, sued right-wing podcaster Candace Owens for repeatedly falsely claiming that Brigitte Macron “is in fact a man.” The Delaware Superior Court civil complaint says that Owens used the “false statement … to promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money. Emmanuel Macron, President of France, arrives Read More…

Trump administration ramps up its campaign against colleges

Both the State Department and the Department of Education announced new investigations into universities. Harvard University, a frequent target of the Trump administration, is the subject of a new evaluation of its eligibility to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program, the State Department said. The University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University Read More…

Sen. Mike Lee posts, deletes fake resignation letter by Fed Chair Powell: Reports

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, reportedly shared a fake, apparently AI-generated letter purporting to show Jerome Powell resigning as chairman of the Federal Reserve. The phony letter — addressed to “The President” — featured a garbled Fed seal with non-English characters and a slightly misshapen depiction of an eagle, as well as some unusual text spacing. Read More…

Trump makes gains on economy, policy with small business owners, even among Democrats

Join us for Small Business Playbook Virtual Event on August 6th! Register now! Small Business Playbook Events Small Business Playbook Event 2025 Concerns about inflation and tariffs are still relatively high on Main Street, but small business owners are more confident in the economy and business outlook than earlier in 2025. President Trump’s approval ratings Read More…

Trump says U.S. struck trade, military deal with the Philippines; Manila has not confirmed

President Donald Trump said the U.S. has “concluded” a trade deal with the Philippines that includes a 19% tariff on goods imported from the southeast Asian country. “In addition, we will work together Militarily,” Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the deal, President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. has “concluded” a Read More…

House speaker starts August recess early to avoid Jeffrey Epstein votes

The House of Representatives will begin its August recess early to avoid Republicans being forced to vote on Democratic-backed motions related to the Jeffrey Epstein files. “There’s no purpose for Congress to push an administration to do something that they’re already doing,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Read More…

Trump’s tax bill could end popular ‘SALT’ deduction workaround for certain business owners

Currently, many pass-through businesses use a workaround — the pass-through entity, or PTE, tax — to bypass the $10,000 limit on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT. The House-approved bill could block certain pass-through businesses from using the popular state-level tax break. However, this provision could still face changes amid Read More…

House Republican budget bill calls for bigger ‘pass-through’ business tax break. Who could benefit

For 2025, the Section 199A deduction for qualified business income, or QBI, is worth up to 20% of eligible revenue, with some limitations. This applies to so-called pass-through businesses, including sole proprietors, partnerships and S-corporations, along with some trusts and estates. The House Republican bill would make the deduction permanent, raise the maximum tax break Read More…

China tariff ‘stacking’ pushes true cost of import taxes well above 30% on many consumer products

The Trump administration trade deal with China which paused the steepest tariffs on Chinese goods is not offering much relief to importers that face “stacking” of multiple import taxes sending the true cost well above 30%. From apparel to footwear, swimsuits to backpacks, tariff bills range from 40%-70%. Walmart said this week that prices will Read More…

Women small business owners are more worried than men about Trump’s tariffs and the economy

Small Business Playbook Events Women business owners express more concern about inflation, the economy, and a potential recession than male counterparts, according to the latest CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey for Q2 2025. Approval ratings of President Trump and his tariffs policy are both much lower among women who own businesses than among male small business Read More…

America’s small businesses preparing for recession with Trump tariffs: CNBC|SurveyMonkey survey

Founding Members CNBC CFO Council Just 30% of small business owners said they would rate the current state of the economy as excellent or good, according to the latest quarterly CNBC|SurveyMonkey Small Business Survey. While inflation and consumer demand continue to roil small business owners, it’s the threat of the potential Trump tariffs that is Read More…

Trump tariffs will lead to abandoned freight at ports as cash-strapped businesses reject orders

President Trump’s new country-specific tariffs, on top of existing trade levies, will raise the cost of imports for U.S. businesses by an exponential amount, though in an announcement during the day Wednesday Trump said some countries, excluding China, would receive a 90-day reprieve. Rick Muskat, president of family-owned shoe retailer Deer Stags which imports its Read More…

Trump’s Canadian tariffs are having a chilling effect on Vermont’s small business owners

President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products, along with the escalating trade war and rhetoric between the two nations, is starting to squeeze some small businesses in Vermont. Concerns for those small businesses include a decline in merchandise shipments to Canadian customers, a drop off in Canadian tourism and higher prices from imported products. “I Read More…

Treasury Department suspends enforcement of ownership information reporting for millions of businesses

The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Sunday said it won’t enforce the penalties or fines associated with the “beneficial ownership information,” or BOI, reporting requirements. Previously, the Treasury set a March 21 deadline for businesses to comply or risk fines of up to $10,000. The Treasury will also propose regulation to apply the BOI Read More…

In wake of Southern California wildfires, a diverse small business community looks to rebuild

Expanding Opportunity While many in Altadena’s entrepreneurial community remain optimistic about a recovery, multiple business owners described lengthy and difficult roads ahead. Some businesses were burned entirely to the ground, while others face long-term displacement due to damage or smoke. For those fortunate enough to have brick-and-mortar properties still standing, they’re surrounded by what some Read More…

Treasury sets March 21 deadline for millions of businesses to report ownership information or risk fines of $10,000 or more

The Treasury Department set a March 21 deadline for businesses to report “beneficial ownership information” or risk civil and criminal penalties. It delayed the prior deadline by 30 days. The delay comes after a Texas district court struck down a nationwide injunction on enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act. The Treasury Department left open the Read More…

Op-ed: Amid DEI retreat, America’s small businesses are not caving like big corporations

Small Business Playbook Events CNBC and SurveyMonkey’s latest quarterly polling of America’s small business owners finds majority support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at a time when many national corporations are scaling back or ending DEI programs. Small business owners say they see positive impacts on the business from DEI goals, such as Read More…