Main Street Independent

Lutnick stalls U.S.-Mexico tariff talks on metals, autos

Illustration accompanying article: Lutnick stalls U.S.-Mexico tariff talks on metals, autos
  • Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has stalled U.S.-Mexico tariff talks by opposing reductions in the 25% tariff on Mexican automobiles and 50% levies on steel and aluminum, people familiar with the talks told the Wall Street Journal.
  • The U.S. and Mexico had been zeroing in on a deal that would cut U.S. levies on steel, aluminum and autos in exchange for Mexican concessions, the Journal reported on October 16, 2026.
  • A completed deal would have paved the way for further talks on renewing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the Journal reported.
  • Officials on both sides said the talks continue and denied there was any impasse.
  • J.B. Hunt Transport Services plans to raise prices after higher fuel, insurance, medical and driver-investment costs cut quarterly operating income by more than $50 million, the Journal reported.
  • Venture Global agreed to buy equipment from GE Vernova and Baker Hughes Energy Services to build up to 10 gigawatts of gas-fired power for AI data centers, the Journal reported.
 2026-10-16 · 4 MIN READ

Frederiksen urges EU to maintain Ukraine funding through 2027

Illustration accompanying article: Frederiksen urges EU to maintain Ukraine funding through 2027
  • Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told EU leaders at a Brussels summit on October 16 that the bloc must continue funding Ukraine through 2027, citing Russia's intensified strikes and Ukraine's dwindling equipment supplies.
  • Frederiksen said Russia is striking Ukrainian society "much, much harder" because Ukraine cannot produce enough equipment, particularly for air defense.
  • Frederiksen dismissed media reports that some European leaders had asked Zelenskyy to tone down his criticism of Donald Trump: "I haven't heard any European leaders say that."
  • European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged at the summit that the EU would "not lift any sanctions unless Russia stops the war," according to the Guardian's live coverage.
 2026-10-16 · 4 MIN READ
Illustration accompanying article: Trump accuses Cornyn, Rove for working against Paxton