Trump Finalizes Trade Deal With Japan; RFK Jr. Defends HHS Firings, Vaccine Comments | NTD Good Morning (Sept. 5)

President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a 15 percent tariff on most Japanese imports, while Japan is committing $550 billion in U.S. investments. The deal lowers duties on Japanese cars and opens Tokyo’s markets to more American agricultural produce, pledging a 75 percent increase in rice imports and $8 billion in purchases of U.S. farm goods each year.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended recent firings at the Department of Health and Human Services in front of the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday. He said some staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the recently removed director, Susan Monarez, “did not do their job.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said she wants to see Monarez testify to explain her side of the story. Meanwhile, Kennedy also defended his previous comments on vaccines, citing a lack of data on the benefits of the COVID-19 shots.

Trump was joined on a call on Thursday by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to discuss the war in Ukraine. He urged the European allies to stop buying Russian oil and to put economic pressure on China. Several European leaders were gathered in Paris for a Coalition of the Willing meeting to ensure security guarantees for Ukraine. In a series of posts on X, Zelenskyy announced that so far, 26 countries have agreed to provide Ukraine with security guarantees.