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MASERU, Lesotho (AP) — The southern African nation of Lesotho has had its U.S. export tariff reduced from a threatened 50% to 15% but its crucial textile industry still faces massive factory closures, officials said on Friday.

Despite a reduction announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, the country’s textile sector says it remains at a competitive disadvantage and faces ongoing factory closures and job losses.

In April, the Trump administration announced a 50% tariff on imports from Lesotho, the highest among all countries.

The tariffs were paused across the board but the anticipated increase wreaked havoc across the country’s textile industry, which is its biggest private sector employer with over 30,000 workers.

About 12,000 of these workers work for garment factories exporting to the U.S. market, supplying American retailers like Levi’s and Wrangler.

The Associated Press reported this week that clothing manufacturer Tzicc has seen business dry up ahead of the expected tariff increase, sending home most of its 1,300 workers who have made and exported sportswear to American stores, including JCPenney, Walmart and Costco.

The U.S. stock market had its worst day since May on Friday after the government reported a sharp slowdown in hiring and President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on imports from a number of U.S. trading partners.

The S&P 500 fell 1.6%, its biggest decline since May 21 and its fourth straight loss. The index also posted a 2.4% loss for the week, marking a sharp shift from last week’s record-setting streak of gains.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.2%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 2.2%.

Worries on Wall Street about a weakening economy were heavily reinforced by the latest report on job growth in the U.S. Employers added just 73,000 jobs in July. That is sharply lower than economists expected. The Labor Department also reported that revisions shaved a stunning 258,000 jobs off May and June payrolls.

Markets also reacted to the latest tariff news. President Donald Trump announced tariff rates on dozens of countries and pushed back the scheduled effective date to Aug. 7, adding more uncertainty to the global trade picture.

“The market has been felled by a one-two punch of additional tariffs, as well as the weaker-than-expected employment data -— not only for this month, but for the downward revisions to the prior months,” said Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA.

BRUSSELS (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration says it is weighing what to do with family planning supplies stockpiled in Europe that campaigners and two U.S. senators are fighting to save from destruction.

Concerns that the Trump administration plans to incinerate the stockpile have angered family planning advocates on both sides of the Atlantic. Campaigners say the supplies stored in a U.S.-funded warehouse in Geel, Belgium, include contraceptive pills, contraceptive implants and IUDs that could spare women in war zones and elsewhere the hardship of unwanted pregnancies.

U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said Thursday in response to a question about the contraceptives that “we’re still in the process here in terms of determining the way forward.”

“When we have an update, we’ll provide it,” he said.

Belgium says it has been talking with U.S. diplomats about trying to spare the supplies from destruction, including possibly moving them out of the warehouse. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Florinda Baleci told The Associated Press that she couldn’t comment further “to avoid influencing the outcome of the discussions.”

The Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which managed foreign aid programs, left the supplies’ fate uncertain.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A stalemate over the pace of confirmations has delayed the Senate’s yearly August recess, for now, as President Donald Trump declares that his nominees “should NOT BE FORCED TO WAIT” and as Democrats slow the process by forcing procedural votes on almost all of Trump’s picks.

Caught in the middle, Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he will keep the Senate in session over the weekend, at least, to hold confirmation votes while also negotiating with Democrats to speed up consideration of dozens of nominees. The two sides haven’t come to agreement yet, and it’s still unclear if Trump, who has been publicly calling on Republicans to cancel their break, would be onboard with any bipartisan deal.

Thune said Friday he was leaving some of the negotiations to Trump and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

“That’s how this is going to get resolved,” Thune said. “We’ll see where that leads.”

Senators in both parties are eager to leave Washington for their annual break, when many of them tour their states to talk to constituents. Republicans in particular are eager to return home and sell the massive tax and spending cuts package they passed in July as Democrats vow to use it against them in the 2026 midterm elections. The House, which has no role in the confirmation process, fled Washington a week ago.

But Trump has other plans.

“The Senate must stay in Session, taking no recess, until the entire Executive Calendar is CLEAR!!!” Trump posted on social media Thursday night, after a meeting with Thune at the White House. “We have to save our Country from the Lunatic Left. Republicans, for the health and safety of the USA, DO YOUR JOB, and confirm All Nominees.”

Thune said this week that Republicans are considering changing the Senate’s rules when they get back in September to make it easier to quickly approve a president’s nominations — and to try and avoid a similar stalemate in the future. Democrats have blocked more nominees than usual this year, denying any quick unanimous consent votes and forcing roll calls on each one, a lengthy process that takes several days per nominee and allows for debate time.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Friday that Senate GOP leadership was “going back, drafting a specific rule for us to react to” as they try to plot a path forward.

It’s the first time in recent history that the minority party hasn’t allowed at least some quick confirmations. Thune has already kept the Senate in session for more days, and with longer hours, this year to try and confirm as many of Trump’s nominees as possible.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that set new tariffs on a wide swath of U.S. trading partners to go into effect on Aug. 7 — the next step in his trade agenda that will test the global economy and sturdiness of American alliances built up over decades.

The order was issued shortly after 7 p.m. on Thursday. It came after a flurry of tariff-related activity in the last several days, as the White House announced agreements with various nations and blocs ahead of the president’s self-imposed Friday deadline. The tariffs are being implemented at a later date in order for the rates schedule to be harmonized, according to a senior administration official who spoke to reporters on a call on the condition of anonymity.

After initially threatening the African nation of Lesotho with a 50% tariff, the country’s goods will now be taxed at 15%. Taiwan will have tariffs set at 20%, Pakistan at 19% and Israel, Iceland, Norway, Fiji, Ghana, Guyana and Ecuador among the countries with imported goods taxed at 15%. Switzerland would be tariffed at 39%.

Trump had announced a 50% tariff on goods from Brazil, but the order was only 10% as the other 40% were part of a separate measure approved by Trump on Wednesday.

The order capped off a hectic Thursday as nations sought to continue negotiating with Trump. It set the rates for 68 countries and the 27-member European Union, with a baseline 10% rate to be charged on countries not listed in the order. The senior administration official said the rates were based on trade imbalance with the U.S. and regional economic profiles.

On Thursday morning, Trump engaged in a phone conversation with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on trade. As a result of the conversation, the U.S. president said he would enter into a 90-day negotiating period with Mexico, one of the nation’s largest trading partners. The current 25% tariff rates are staying in place, down from the 30% he had threatened earlier.

“We avoided the tariff increase announced for tomorrow and we got 90 days to build a long-term agreement through dialogue,” Sheinbaum wrote on X after a call with Trump that he referred to as “very successful” in terms of the leaders getting to know each other better.

The unknowns created a sense of drama that has defined Trump’s rollout of tariffs over several months. However, the one consistency is his desire to levy the import taxes that most economists say will ultimately be borne to some degree by U.S. consumers and businesses.

DENVER (AP) — Two Colorado deputies have been disciplined for violating state law by helping federal agents make immigration arrests, and their sheriff says officers from other agencies have done the same.

One of the deputies, Alexander Zwinck, was sued by Colorado’s attorney general last week, after his cooperation with federal immigration agents on a drug task force was revealed following the June arrest of a college student from Brazil with an expired visa.

Following an internal investigation, a second Mesa County Sheriff’s Office deputy and task force member, Erik Olson, was also found to have shared information. The two deputies used a Signal chat to relay information to federal agents, according to documents released Wednesday by the sheriff’s office.

Zwinck was placed on three weeks of unpaid leave, and Olson was given two weeks of unpaid leave, Mesa County Sheriff Todd Rowell said in a statement. Both were removed from the task force.

Two supervisors also were disciplined. One was suspended without pay for two days, and another received a letter of reprimand. A third supervisor received counseling.

State laws push back against Trump crackdown

The lawsuit and disciplinary actions come as lawmakers in Colorado and other Democratic-led states have crafted legislation intended to push back against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Since Trump took office, pro-immigrant bills have advanced through legislatures in Illinois, Vermont, California, Connecticut and other states. The measures include stronger protections for immigrants in housing, employment and police encounters.

Trump has enlisted hundreds of state and local law enforcement agencies to help identify immigrants in the U.S. illegally and detain them for potential deportation. The Republican also relaxed longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools, churches and hospitals.

Zwinck was sued under a new state law signed by Gov. Jared Polis about two weeks before the arrest of the student from Brazil. It bars local government employees including law enforcement from sharing identifying information about people with federal immigration officials. Previously, only state agencies were barred from doing that. It’s one of a series of laws limiting the state’s involvement in immigration enforcement passed over the years that has drawn criticism and a lawsuit from the federal government.

The U.S. Department of Justice has also sued Illinois and New York, as well as several cities in those states and New Jersey, alleging their policies violate the U.S. Constitution or federal immigration laws.

Gilbert Arenas, who played for teams including the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors, was arrested Wednesday

A former NBA All-star has been arrested alongside five others over a “high stakes” illegal poker ring at his Los Angeles mansion.

Gilbert Arenas, who played for teams including the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and Golden State Warriors, was arrested Wednesday and faces federal charges over the arrangement at his residence in Encino, California.

The 43-year-old is charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business, and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.

He made his initial appearance and was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Arenas was charged alongside five defendants, who included Yevgeni Gershman, a suspected high-level member of an Israeli transnational organized crime group, according to the California Attorney General’s office.

Conor McGregor has lost his appeal against a civil jury finding in favour of Nikita Hand, who sued him over alleged rape of her in a Dublin hotel.

In its judgment on Thursday afternoon, the three judge Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal “in its entirety”. Ms Hand was in court for the ruling. Mr McGregor was not present.

Mr McGregor, who denied rape and claimed he had consensual and “vigorous” sex with Ms Hand in the Beacon hotel on December 9th 2018, had claimed the trial judge erred in directing the High Court civil jury should be asked to decide whether he “assaulted”, rather than “sexually assaulted”, Ms Hand.

Dismissing that ground of appeal, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore, sitting with Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy and Mr Justice Michael McGrath, said the appeal court had no doubt the overall effect of Mr Justice Alexander Owen’s charge was to tell them the central allegation by Ms Hand against Mr McGregor was he had raped her.

It was “unreal” to suggest that, after the trial judge had framed the issue in the “brutally clear” way he had, that the jury could have been confused.

Speaking outside the Four Courts in Dublin following the judgment, Ms Hand said “today I can finally move on and try to heal”.

A suspect who worked as a teacher in public schools has been arrested in the killings of a couple who were attacked on an Arkansas hiking trail Saturday, state police said Wednesday.

James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale, was arrested at 4:57 p.m. Wednesday at a business in Springdale and is charged with two counts of capital murder, Arkansas State Police said in a statement.

He is accused of killing Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, who were attacked Saturday afternoon in front of their daughters while they were hiking at Devil’s Den State Park, police have said.

He was arrested at a barber shop after a dayslong manhunt, police said.

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has billed its plan to undo U.S. climate regulation as a way to cut costs for industry, but it may backfire by forcing automakers, utilities, and manufacturers into a future of regulatory uncertainty and litigation risk, according to lawyers and trade groups.

Republican President Donald Trump's administration announced on Tuesday a plan to rescind the long-standing finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, removing the legal foundation for U.S. greenhouse gas regulations.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said the move, which would end limits on greenhouse gas pollution from vehicle tailpipes, power plants, smokestacks and other sources, would save companies $52 billion in environmental compliance costs.

But companies that have already invested heavily in reducing emissions to meet government limits, a move also demanded by many shareholders, are worried the proposal will lead into the regulatory and judicial unknown, lawyers said.

"Industries that have GHG standards set by EPA have long been complying with them and don’t want them to be stripped away," said Meghan Greenfield, partner with law firm Jenner & Block and former EPA counsel, who represents auto sector clients. "The stability of the regulatory regime is extremely important for industry as a baseline."

Repealing the endangerment finding could mean that companies would need to comply with a patchwork of different state laws on climate change rather than one federal standard, said Zach Pilchen, senior counsel at Holland & Knight.

"I think what the administration has missed is that most of industry has already retrofitted for regulations," said Camille Pannu, associate law professor at Columbia University. "Industry did want deregulation, but maybe not through this vehicle."

One former Trump administration source said during Trump's first term, the EPA had declined to take on the endangerment finding because of strong resistance from industry and the legal risk associated with undermining federal authority on the matter.

Three sources in the automaker industry told Reuters privately that the EPA’s proposed repeal of vehicle efficiency standards is much broader than anticipated. In addition to tailpipe standards, the proposal would eliminate air conditioning efficiency testing and remove requirements for battery monitoring and battery durability.

Albert Gore, executive director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association, said the EPA action to reverse long-settled law comes as "clean" car sales are growing steadily and powering a U.S. battery and vehicle manufacturing boom.

Over the last decade, manufacturers announced $197.6 billion in investments in U.S. EV and battery manufacturing facilities, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

"Taking backward steps and adding new regulatory uncertainty harms consumers, unsettles markets, and will complicate ongoing business decisions for auto manufacturers," Gore said.

TOKYO, July 31 (Reuters) - Oil prices gained for a fourth straight day on Thursday, as investors worried about supply shortages amid U.S. President Donald Trump's push for a swift resolution to the war in Ukraine and threats of tariffs on countries buying Russian oil.

Brent crude futures for September delivery , which are set to expire on Thursday, rose 27 cents, or 0.4%, to $73.51 a barrel by 0028 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for September gained 37 cents, or 0.5%, to $70.37 a barrel.

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Reuters) - The United States is suspending a "de minimis" exemption that allowed low-value commercial shipments to be shipped to the United States without facing tariffs, the White House said on Wednesday.

Under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, packages valued at or under $800 sent to the U.S. outside of the international postal network will now face "all applicable duties" starting on August 29, the White House said.