Hello!🐦⬛
A raven has landed with your weekly intelligence briefing. We've sifted through the global noise to bring you only what matters. Prepare for this week's essential developments—distilled, unbiased, and delivered in one swift flight.
U.S. Announces Widespread Tariffs on Global Imports 🇺🇸 💰 🌏
President Donald Trump announced new 30% tariffs on goods from the European Union and Mexico, set to begin on August 1.
Trump warned both the EU and Mexico that any retaliatory tariffs they impose would be added on top of the U.S. 30% charge.
The EU was given an option to avoid these tariffs if its members or companies decide to build or manufacture products within the United States.
Trump also announced a 35% tariff on Canadian imports starting August 1, citing issues like fentanyl flow and retaliatory duties from Ottawa.
Canada is already subject to other sector-specific tariffs, including 50% on steel and aluminum, 25% on autos, and faces a 50% levy on copper shipments.
New blanket tariffs ranging from 25% to 40% were announced for 14 other countries, including Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand, also effective August 1.
Trump separately announced a 50% tariff on copper imports and suggested future tariffs as high as 200% on pharmaceutical imports to encourage domestic production.
These recent tariff announcements follow an earlier "liberation day" tariff announcement on April 2, which imposed a baseline 10% tariff, but higher rates were later paused until August 1.
The Trump administration frames these tariffs as necessary to achieve a more "reciprocal" global trade landscape and address trade deficits.
Russia's Diplomatic Visit to North Korea and Regional Security Warnings 🇷🇺 🇰🇵
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov undertook a three-day visit to North Korea, starting on Friday, July 11, 2025.
During his trip, Lavrov engaged in the second round of "strategic dialogue" with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui.
Lavrov also met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Wonsan, conveying greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kim Jong Un reaffirmed North Korea's commitment to unconditionally support all measures taken by Russia in its conflict with Ukraine.
Russia's foreign minister issued a warning to the U.S., South Korea, and Japan against establishing a security alliance targeting North Korea.
Lavrov stated that Russia understands and respects North Korea’s aspirations and reasons for pursuing nuclear development.
Relations between Russia and North Korea have been flourishing, with North Korea supplying troops and ammunition for Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The U.S., South Korea, and Japan have expanded their trilateral military exercises in response to North Korea's advancing nuclear program.
Source: Associated Press.
Raven Bites🐦⬛
News/Events/Politics
Economics/Business/Crypto
$HOOD ( ▼ 0.31% ) Robinhood stock hit an all time high on Friday, increased 160% in 2025. (more)
$BTC.X ( ▼ 1.69% ) Bitcoin reached a new all time high at $118,872. on Friday after a few days of rally. (more)
Technology
Samsung launched Z Fold7, Z Flip7, and Z Flip7 FE (cheaper) to its foldable lineup. (more)
Google hires Windsurf’s CEO Varun Mohan and others in a $2.4 billion AI talent deal. (more)
xAI released Grok 4 and Grok 4 Heavy, winning in most categories compared to the competition alongside a $300 monthly subscription. (more)
Jack Dorsey (Twitter) created Bitchat, an encrypted bluetooth messaging app. (more)
Perplexity launched Comet, a web browser powered by AI. (more)
Chinese Start-up Moonshot AI launched an open-source model named Kimi K2 which excels in frontier knowledge, maths, coding and general agentic tasks. (more)
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