EU/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A trade standoff between the U.S. and the European Union went late into Monday [4-30-18], with the Trump administration deferring until the last minute a decision on whether to impose planned tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the bloc’s members and other countries. Just hours ahead of a self-imposed midnight deadline, President Donald Trump met with senior officials at 4 p.m., still debating a range of issues including whether to exempt the European Union from the penalties. A White House official said it was possible the president would extend the temporary exemptions. A previously announced plan to exempt South Korea permanently from the tariffs was close to being finalized, and extended exemptions were expected for Canada and Mexico, according to an administration official ahead of the president’s meeting. Deals with Brazil, Argentina and Australia were also expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, the official said.”
-William Mauldin and Michael C. Bender and Zeke Turner, “Trump’s Steel-Tariff Deadline Looms, With Allies on Edge,” The Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2018 6:17 pm