US tariffs

President Donald Trump welcomed China's President Xi Jinping with full ceremonial honors, in a warm reception that drew wide attention. Observers are weighing what the gesture signals for US-China relations, with trade, tariffs and strategic competition likely at the center of talks between the two leaders.

Fast Company examines why the iPhone cannot be manufactured in the United States, despite Apple being an American company. The piece highlights how advanced smartphone production depends on vast supplier networks, specialized components and manufacturing expertise concentrated almost entirely in Asia, particularly China. The article is fuelling ongoing debate about reshoring high-tech manufacturing, US industrial policy and whether America could realistically rebuild the supply chains needed to make devices like the iPhone domestically.

An agricultural retail policy roundup examines several developments affecting US farmers and agribusiness: a proposed major railroad merger, tariffs on Russian fertilizer, the status of the federal Farm Bill, and how the midterm elections could reshape agricultural policy. The items matter to the farm supply sector because rail rates, input costs and federal farm programs directly shape profitability and planting decisions.

The New York Times reports that President Trump's tariff dispute with Canada has caught up the Can-Am Spyder, a three-wheeled motorcycle built by Canada-based BRP. The story highlights how cross-border tariffs are affecting a specific vehicle plant and supply chain, illustrating the wider impact of the trade conflict on manufacturers and consumers on both sides of the border.