“European leaders vowed on Tuesday to retaliate after President Trump raised tariffs on aluminum and steel to 25 percent, even as they held out hope that they would be able to negotiate a deal with the United States,” the New York Times reports.

“European Union officials have argued that Europe and the United States are deeply intertwined and that igniting a trade war would hurt both sides. But they have also been quietly preparing to hit back against possible U.S. tariffs, and have said they are ready to enact countermeasures if no trade solution can be found.”

“King Abdullah II, a close U.S. ally dependent on aid from Washington, is confronting the president’s demands that he take in Palestinians from Gaza, a step the king’s domestic politics will not allow,” the New York Times reports.

Washington Post: Trump to host Jordan’s King Abdullah II as he pushes Middle East overhaul.

“The Trump administration’s dismantling of the US Agency for International Development and its sweeping freeze on foreign assistance has made it more difficult to track potential misuse of US taxpayer-funded humanitarian assistance, meaning it could end up unintentionally going to terrorist groups, according to a new report from the agency’s independent watchdog,” CNN reports.

“The USAID inspector general’s office’s conclusion appears to undermine President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s arguments that their moves to abolish the agency will curtail fraud and waste.”

“President Trump said on Monday that he could cut aid to Jordan and Egypt if they refused his demand to permanently take in most Palestinians from Gaza, substantially increasing the pressure on key allies in the region to back his audacious proposal to relocate the entire population of the territory in order to redevelop it,” the New York Times reports.

Said Trump: “If they don’t agree, I would conceivably withhold aid.”

“Both Jordan and Egypt have rejected any suggestion that Palestinians be relocated to their countries.”