Miscellaneous
Welcome to Top of the Morning by Mint.. I’m Nelson John and here are today’s top stories. 90-Day U.S.-China Trade Truce President Donald Trump has extended the tariff suspension with China for another 90 days, keeping U.S. duties capped at 30% and Beijing’s at 10%. Both sides confirmed the move after talks in Stockholm, avoiding hikes that would have kicked in on August 12. The reprieve calms markets but sets up another tense deadline before year-end. H-1B Interview Rule Returns From Sept 2, 2025, all nonimmigrant visa renewals—including H-1Bs—will require in-person interviews in applicants’ home countries. This will hit Silicon Valley hardest, where over 39,000 H-1B approvals were issued in 2024, mostly to Indian and Chinese tech workers. Experts warn of costly delays and workflow disruptions at firms like Google, Meta, and Apple, as employees and families must travel abroad for renewals. Trump Seizes Control of D.C. Police In a rare move, Trump is invoking the D.C. Home Rule Act to place the Metropolitan Police under federal control and deploy National Guard troops to tackle violent crime and homelessness. Attorney General Pam Bondi will oversee the takeover. The Guard will handle logistics and support, freeing police for arrests. D.C.’s mayor has voiced concern over Guard patrols, as federal agents from the FBI, ICE, DEA, and ATF already operate in the city. India’s 50-Market Export Pivot With U.S. tariffs on Indian goods now at 50%, Delhi is targeting 50 priority markets across the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia—covering 90% of current exports. Focus sectors include textiles, engineering goods, gems & jewellery, seafood, agriculture, and chemicals, some at risk of a 40% export drop. Plans include redirecting shipments, reviving the Interest Equalization Scheme, and using a ₹20,000 crore export promotion mission. No Pause in Defence Deals India will continue defence ties with the U.S. despite the tariff dispute, foreign secretary Vikram Misri told Parliament’s external affairs panel. He stressed the “multi-dimensional” relationship, citing U.S. cooperation on security, including extraditing 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana and designating The Resistance Front as a terror group. Commerce secretary Sunil Barthwal confirmed the sixth round of trade talks is still on. India is also leveraging existing trade pacts and working to finalise deals with the UK and EU. Misri dismissed Pakistani army chief Asim Munir’s Indus River comments as routine sabre-rattling. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices