Up First from NPR
Seesawing Tariffs, Trump's Middle East Agenda, Sean 'Diddy' Combs Trial
Tue, 13 May 2025
Companies are rushing to import merchandise while a temporary trade deal between the U.S. and China is in place, but what happens after the 90-day arrangement expires is unclear. As President Trump visits the Middle East, economic opportunities and security issues top the agenda. Jurors hear often graphic testimony on the first day Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial.Want more comprehensive analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.Today's episode of Up First was edited by Carrie Kahn, Jacob Ganz, Rafael Nam, Ally Schweitzer and Alice Woelfle. It was produced by Ana Perez, Nia Dumas and Chris Thomas. We get engineering support from Arthur Laurent, and our technical director is Carleigh Strange. Contributing reporting by Ximena Bustillo.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Chapter 1: What is the impact of the temporary U.S.-China tariff deal on businesses?
A temporary softening of tariffs on Chinese products has investors relieved.
And some business owners are racing to import merchandise, but... We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow.
It's very unpredictable.
I'm Leila Faldin with Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News. President Trump is in Riyadh for his first overseas state visit, and leaders in the region are prepared to make deals with the famously transactional president.
You'll see Mr. Trump's visit. There'll be a whole slew of economic agreements that will be signed, joint ventures, investment agreements.
What do Gulf states want in return?
And jurors heard graphic allegations on day one of Sean Diddy Combs' sex trafficking trial. His defense team argues that Combs is a complicated man, but not a criminal. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
Great conversation makes for a great party. But how do you ask the questions that really make the room come alive? Well, here at Life Kit, we've got you. What is a path you almost took but didn't? On our latest episode, how to ask the magical questions that'll make your party sparkle. Listen to the Life Kit podcast from NPR.
Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life. Powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR.
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Chapter 2: How are importers reacting to the 90-day tariff reprieve?
A temporary trade deal between the U.S. and China has set off a scramble to bring merchandise across the Pacific Ocean while lower tariffs are in place.
No one's sure what's going to happen when the deal expires in 90 days, but a lot of importers aren't taking any chances.
NPR's Scott Horsey is with us now to tell us more about this. Good morning, Scott.
Good morning, Michelle.
You know, so the president's tariffs have made investors and business owners very uneasy these last several weeks. How are they reacting to, I guess we'll call it a temporary reprieve?
Well, investors were thrilled. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared more than 1,100 points yesterday. For the importers I talked to, the reaction was more determination and a feeling that, all right, it's time to get back to work. A lot of importers had been in a holding pattern since those 145% tariffs took effect last month. Now the tariff's been cut to 30%, at least temporarily.
And for Jonathan Silva, who runs a Massachusetts company making high-end board games in China... That was enough to green light nine truckloads of games that had been parked in China to start their journey to the U.S.
We need to get product back on shelves. I think that we're really getting close to the tipping point of starting to see some shortages. At 30%, it's not ideal. You know, there'll be slight price increases.
Silva is hoping to bring a lot more merchandise in before the Christmas season, but he's just not sure how much he'll be able to manufacture and ship before this 90-day window closes.
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Chapter 3: What challenges do businesses face with the uncertainty of future tariffs?
Now, everybody who has goods that are sitting in China that they have not put on a vessel that were ready, now it's going to be a rush because everybody wants it out in the next 90 days. What is going to happen to the freight rates?
Shipping costs could certainly go up, and that's on top of the remaining tariffs, which are still 30%. Ross thinks those costs will be shared by factories, retailers, and in the end, yes, consumers. Forecasters at the Yale Budget Lab say the economic damage from these lower tariffs will be less, but they're still projecting the U.S.
will have higher inflation and slower growth than it would have without this trade war.
Were the people you talked to and the analysts you follow surprised by how much these tariffs came down, at least temporarily?
Yeah, I think the market reaction suggests this was a bigger drop in tariffs than investors had been expecting. And that's just another sign of how unpredictable the tariff landscape is under the Trump administration. Import taxes can go up or down or sideways, and businesses and consumers just have to try to make the best of it.
That uncertainty about future tariffs also makes it hard to decide, is it worth moving a factory out of China or running the expense of building a plant in the U.S.? Board game maker Jonathan Silva says no matter what happens to tariffs, he is going to explore those options. He doesn't want the risk anymore of having all his production in China.
The past 40 days has been the hardest 40 days in all of our business's life. And I'm glad that we're going to be able to come out of it, but we don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. It's very unpredictable.
Silva is still bracing for difficult months ahead, but at least now he thinks his business can survive this year, which was very much in doubt when the triple-digit tariffs were in place.
Wow, that's a lot. That's NPR's Scott Horsley. Scott, thank you.
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Chapter 4: What is President Trump's agenda during his Middle East visit?
Joining us now to talk about what to expect from the visit is NPR international correspondent Aya Bertraui. She's in Riyadh. Aya, good morning. Thanks for joining us. Good morning, Michelle.
So tell us what's happening in Saudi Arabia, where you are today. So it began with Trump's arrival. You know, he was greeted on the tarmac by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. And that's in contrast with Biden's visit here when they only fist bumped and the Crown Prince didn't even go out of his way to meet, you know, the president back then at the tarmac. Now, Trump is different.
You know, he's transactional. And what that means for the Gulf and Gulf leaders here is that they know that if they deliver on big weapons purchases and other investments in the U.S., Trump will give them something in return for their security. Ali Shahabi, a Saudi analyst, says there are huge economic interests on both sides.
You'll see Mr. Trump's visit. There'll be a whole slew of economic agreements that will be signed, joint ventures, investment agreements. That economic side also is very important, but it also upholds the political and military involvement of America.
So what Adi's saying here is that these big business deals, the bulk of them in weaponry and defense sales, are not just about economics. This maintains America's position as the Arab Gulf's main security guarantor at a time when Russia and China also have major inroads in this region.
I just want to go back to that moment where Trump was greeted and received warmly by the crown prince upon his arrival. Trump's personal relationship with Gulf rulers is something that he seems to be proud of. He says it helps him get deals done that benefit the U.S. So can you just tell us more about those ties?
Yeah, those personal ties are linked to his family's business interest in the Gulf. Just less than two weeks ago, his son, Eric Trump, who runs the family business, the Trump Organization, was in the region launching new projects, a Trump hotel tower in Dubai, a Trump golf course in Qatar. There's also money from the Gulf flowing into the Trump family's cryptocurrency venture,
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Chapter 5: How are Gulf states engaging with the U.S. during Trump's visit?
And Qatar has just offered Trump a new Boeing airplane to replace one of the aging Air Force One jets. But also Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has $2 billion invested in his private equity fund from a Saudi fund overseen by the crown prince. So what we're seeing on this trip is a confluence of all these interests coming together.
So Trump's visit is coming at a sensitive time for the Mideast more broadly. There's the war in Gaza, the U.S. nuclear talks with Iran happening. Do we expect Trump to tackle some of these issues on this trip as well?
He has to. I mean, this region is interconnected. And what happens in Gaza is not only deeply emotional for the Arab public here, you know, seeing tens of thousands of Palestinians killed and the population they're starving under Israel's blockade. But it's also drawn in the Houthis from Yemen attacking ships in the Red Sea. And there's also issues concerning Syria, whether the U.S.
will lift sanctions now under a new government there or how much Trump will give Iran nuclear talks time to plan out. I know all this will be raised by Gulf leaders in their conversations. And for Trump, you know, he really wants to cap his presidency with another Abraham Accords deal, the prize being Saudi Arabia and Israel establishing ties.
But Saudis have been clear it's not going to happen without an end to the war, a path towards Palestinian state. But, you know. The U.S. has direct talks with Hamas now, and that led to yesterday's release of the last living American held in Gaza. So Trump is clearly doing things differently. And I think the perception here in the Gulf is that is exactly what's needed right now.
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Chapter 6: What security and economic interests are at play in the Middle East visit?
Chapter 7: What are the key developments in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial?
What do Gulf states want in return?
And jurors heard graphic allegations on day one of Sean Diddy Combs' sex trafficking trial. His defense team argues that Combs is a complicated man, but not a criminal. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
Great conversation makes for a great party. But how do you ask the questions that really make the room come alive? Well, here at Life Kit, we've got you. What is a path you almost took but didn't? On our latest episode, how to ask the magical questions that'll make your party sparkle. Listen to the Life Kit podcast from NPR.
Shortwave thinks of science as an invisible force, showing up in your everyday life. Powering the food you eat, the medicine you use, the tech in your pocket. Science is approachable because it's already part of your life. Come explore these connections on the Shortwave podcast from NPR.
When the Star Wars prequels came out, they were polarizing. Many fans of the original trilogy hated the Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, though many younger fans loved them then and loved them still. So we're re-watching them with fresh eyes 20 years later.
From Jar Jar Binks to the climactic no that broke the internet in half, listen on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast.
A temporary trade deal between the U.S. and China has set off a scramble to bring merchandise across the Pacific Ocean while lower tariffs are in place.
No one's sure what's going to happen when the deal expires in 90 days, but a lot of importers aren't taking any chances.
NPR's Scott Horsey is with us now to tell us more about this. Good morning, Scott.
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