Today in one sentence: Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on all semiconductor and chip imports unless companies shift production to the U.S. or have “committed to build” domestically; hours later, Apple announced an additional $100 billion U.S. investment; Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, citing India’s continued purchases of Russian oil; Trump plans to meet with Putin as early as next week, followed by a separate meeting with Putin and Zelensky; Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled $500 million in funding for 22 mRNA vaccine projects, including work on bird flu, COVID-19, and other viruses; JD Vance will host top Trump officials for dinner to discuss whether to release the transcript of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s interview with Ghislaine Maxwell; Stanford’s student newspaper sued the Trump administration, accusing officials of using federal immigration powers to intimidate noncitizen reporters into silence over Israel and Gaza; and key sections of the U.S. Constitution, including the ban on unlawful detention, disappeared from a government website run by the Library of Congress.

1/ Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on all semiconductor and chip imports unless companies shift production to the U.S. or have “committed to build” domestically. Trump, however didn’t say when the tariff would take effect or define what level of investment qualifies for exemption. “But the good news for companies like Apple is, if you’re building in the United States […] there will be no charge,” Trump said during a meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook. Hours later, Apple announced an additional $100 billion U.S. investment – on top of its earlier $500 billion pledge – and a new domestic manufacturing program that includes plans to produce over 19 billion chips in 24 factories across 12 states. The move followed Trump’s earlier threat to slap a 25% tariff on iPhones, which are still assembled abroad. In 2023, the U.S. imported $64 billion worth of semiconductors while producing only about 10–12% of the global supply. (CNBC / Associated Press / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Reuters / New York Times / Axios / CNN / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Trump raised tariffs on Indian goods to 50%, citing India’s continued purchases of Russian oil. A new executive order adds a second 25% tariff on Aug. 27, on top of the 25% set to take effect this week. Trump said India was “fueling the war machine” and accused it of profiting from reselling Russian oil, adding that “they don’t care how many people in Ukraine are being killed.” India, meanwhile, called the move “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” saying its imports were based on “market factors” and needed for energy security. Trump also ordered officials to identify other countries importing Russian oil for possible trade penalties. (CNBC / Associated Press / Reuters / Wall Street Journal / Axios / NBC News / Washington Post / New York Times)

3/ Trump plans to meet with Putin as early as next week, followed by a separate meeting with Putin and Zelensky. Despite no agreement or commitment from either side, Trump disclosed the plan in a call with European leaders. “There’s a very good prospect that they will,” Trump said when asked if both leaders agreed to the talks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio added that the meetings depend on progress toward a short ceasefire and said “We now have some concrete examples of the kinds of things that Russia would ask for in order to end the war.” (New York Times / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Associated Press / Politico / Washington Post)

4/ Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled $500 million in funding for 22 mRNA vaccine projects, including work on bird flu, COVID-19, and other viruses. Kennedy claimed the technology “poses more risks than benefits” and said the vaccines “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections.” The Department of Health and Human Services said future investments would go toward older vaccine methods that use weakened or inactivated viruses instead of mRNA. Scientists disputed Kennedy’s claims, noting that mRNA vaccines helped slow the COVID-19 pandemic, saved millions of lives, and remain effective at preventing severe illness and death. Vaccine experts called the move “a huge strategic failure” and warned it would weaken U.S. readiness for future pandemics. (Politico / New York Times / NBC News / BBC / Semafor / Associated Press / Axios / Reuters / NPR / Washington Post)

5/ JD Vance will host top Trump officials for dinner to discuss whether to release the transcript of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s interview with Ghislaine Maxwell. The meeting will include White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Blanche. Although the White House called the report “pure fiction,” Vance said, “We’re not meeting to talk about the Epstein situation.” Trump, meanwhile, defended Blanche’s interview, saying, “We’d like to release everything, but we don’t want people to get hurt that shouldn’t be hurt.” Maxwell, who is appealing her 2021 sex trafficking conviction, reportedly told Blanche that Trump “never did anything” concerning in her presence. The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the Justice Department and several former officials Tuesday for Epstein-related files and testimony. (CNN / ABC News / The Guardian)

6/ Stanford’s student newspaper sued the Trump administration, accusing officials of using federal immigration powers to intimidate noncitizen reporters into silence over Israel and Gaza. The lawsuit, filed by the Stanford Daily and two international students, names Secretary of State Marco Rubio and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem as defendants and challenges policies that let them cancel visas if they decide someone’s views threaten U.S. foreign policy. The plaintiffs say reporters pulled articles, turned down assignments, and quit out of fear of retaliation. DHS called the lawsuit “baseless” and said it “doesn’t arrest people based on protected speech.” DHS, however, added: “There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers.” (The Mercury News / USA Today / New York Times / Bloomberg)

7/ Key sections of the U.S. Constitution, including the ban on unlawful detention, disappeared from a government website run by the Library of Congress. The deleted text included all of Article I Sections 9 and 10, which limit congressional and state power, and the line, “The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended.” The Library blamed a “coding error” and said the issue had been fixed. Screenshots and archives confirmed the deletions, which also removed the foreign emoluments clause. The sections remained online through mid-July, weeks after Trump officials publicly pushed to suspend habeas corpus. (Axios / Washington Post / TechCrunch / 404 Media)

The midterm elections are in 454 days.

Last year today: Day 1295: "It’s personal."
Four years ago today: Day 199: Extended.
Five years ago today: Day 1295: "It wouldn't hurt."
Seven years ago today: Day 564: A complete fabrication.