Commerce Department Posts New Steel and Aluminum Derivative Inclusion Requests – Comments Due October 21 - Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt LLP
The Department of Commerce has received 95 requests to include additional products on the list of steel and aluminum derivatives subject to the assessment of 50% ad valorem tariffs under Section 232. A list of the inclusion requests and covered products have been posted to the regulations.gov portal, and can be accessed here. Comments supporting or opposing the inclusion requests must be submitted through regulations.gov no later than October 21.
Pursuant to regulations, Commerce is to post a decision to approve or deny the inclusion requests within 60 days of receiving the request. The inclusion requests, if accepted, would result in the listed products becoming subject to 232 tariffs shortly after the determinations are posted. If you have questions about the inclusion process or how to submit comments in opposition, please feel free to contact one of our attorneys.
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90 FR 48320 - Notice of Modification and Proposed Modification of Section 301 Action: China's Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance -GovInfo
Publication Title: Federal Register Volume 90, Issue 198 (October 16, 2025)
Category: Regulatory Information
Collection: Federal Register
SuDoc Class Number:
AE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
Publisher: Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section: Notices
Action: China's Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance
Dates: April 17, 2025: The removal of Annex IV, paragraph (j), is effective as of this date.
Contact: Philip Butler, Chair of the Section 301 Committee; Thomas Au, Associate General Counsel; or David Salkeld, Assistant General Counsel at (202) 395-5725.
Summary: In notices published on April 23, 2025, and June 12, 2025, the U.S. Trade Representative proposed certain modifications to the actions being taken in this investigation. This notice announces a determination by the U.S. Trade Representative to modify the action by: altering the fee basis and rate for vehicle carrier vessels as provided in Annex III of the April 23 notice, and by exempting operators of vessels in the Maritime Security Program; eliminating paragraph (j) of Annex IV of the April 23 notice, which provided that USTR could direct the suspension of licensing for liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments if the schedule of restrictions set forth in Annex IV was not met; and imposing additional duties of 100 percent on ship-to-shore (STS) cranes and duties of 100 percent on certain cargo handling equipment of China as described in Annex V.A of this notice. In addition, the U.S. Trade Representative is proposing further modifications to certain aspects of the responsive action. This notice announces the opening of a public comment docket for interested parties to comment on the proposed further modifications. This notice also sets forth ministerial clarifications to provide greater certainty on the operation of the action being taken in this investigation.
Agency Name: OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
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In the News
• Improving transparency focus of discussions at import licensing committee meeting - [WTO]
• US-China trade tensions back as port fees take effect - [BBC]
• Criminal gangs in China have made more than $1 billion by targeting Americans with annoying texts: report - [BBC]
• China's sanctions against US-linked Hanwha units seen as warning gesture, analysts say - [Yahoo Finance/Reuters]
• If Trump’s tariffs are ruled illegal, businesses expect refund chaos = [York Dispatch]
• UPS is 'disposing of' U.S.-bound packages over customs paperwork problems - [NBC News]
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Import Alerts (FDA):
• [10/15/2025] "Detention Without Physical Examination of Drugs From Foreign Establishments Refusing FDA Inspection"
• [10/15/2025] "DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF LOW-ACID CANNED FOODS AND ACIDIFIED FOODS WITHOUT FILED SCHEDULED PROCESSES"
• [10/15/2025] Detention Without Physical Examination of Unapproved New Drugs Promoted In The U.S.
• [10/15/2025] "Detention Without Physical Examination and Guidance of Foods Containing Illegal and/or Undeclared Colors."
• [10/15/2025] "Detention Without Physical Examination of Seafood Products Due to Nitrofurans"
• [10/15/2025] Detention Without Physical Examination of All Seafood Due to Chloramphenicol
• [10/15/2025] "Detention Without Physical Examination of Fish/Fishery Products from Foreign Processors (Mfrs.) Not in Compliance with Seafood HACCP"
• [10/14/2025] Detention Without Physical Examination of Imported Food Products That Appear to Be Misbranded
• [10/09/2025] - "Detention Without Physical Examination Of Cosmetics That are Adulterated and/or Misbranded Due to Color Additive Violations"
• [10/09/2025] -"Detention Without Physical Examination and Guidance of Foods Containing Illegal and/or Undeclared Colors."
• [10/08/2025] -Detention Without Physical Examination of Certain Regulated Tobacco Products Lacking Labeling Requirements Specified in Section 903(a)(2) of the FD&C Act
• [10/08/2025] -"DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF LOW-ACID CANNED FOODS OR ACIDIFIED FOODS DUE TO INADEQUATE PROCESS CONTROL"
• [10/08/2025] -"Detention Without Physical Examination of Devices without Approved PMA's or IDE's and Other Devices Not Substantially Equivalent or Without a 510(k)"
• [10/09/2025] -Detention Without Physical Examination Of Medical Instruments from Pakistan
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Additions to the Entity List - Department of Commerce/Bureau of Industry and Security
AGENCY: Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Final rule.
SUMMARY: In this rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding 29 entries (26 entities and 3 addresses) to the Entity List under the destinations of People's Republic of China (China) (19), Turkey (9), and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (1). These entities have been determined by the U.S. Government to be acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States.
DATES: This rule is effective October 8, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chair, End-User Review Committee, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Export Administration, Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Commerce, Phone: (202) 482-5991, Email: ERC@bis.doc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces Second Deal to Bring Most-Favored-Nation Pricing to American Patients - The White House (October 10, 2025)
ADVANCING MOST-FAVORED-NATION PRICING: Today, President Donald J. Trump announced the second agreement with a major pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, to bring American drug prices in line with the lowest paid by other developed nations (known as the most-favored-nation, or MFN, price).
• The agreement will provide every State Medicaid program in the country access to MFN drug prices on AstraZeneca products, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in savings and continuing President Trump’s historic efforts to strengthen the program for the most vulnerable.
• The agreement ensures foreign nations can no longer use price controls to freeride on American innovation by guaranteeing MFN prices on all new innovative medicines AstraZeneca brings to market.
• The agreement requires AstraZeneca to repatriate increased foreign revenue on existing products that AstraZeneca realizes as a result of the President’s strong America First U.S. trade policies for the benefit of American patients.
• The agreement requires AstraZeneca to offer medicines at a deep discount off the list price when selling directly to American patients.
DELIVERING REDUCED COSTS: Today’s actions will result in tangible cost savings to American patients and the healthcare system as a whole.
• 9 million American patients are treated by AstraZeneca medicines and will benefit from the President’s successful negotiation to lower prices.
• The 25 million Americans who suffer from asthma, and the 16 million Americans who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), one of the top ten leading causes of death in the United States, could benefit from these price reductions.
o BEVESPI AEROSPHERE, an inhaler used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), will be made available to patients purchasing directly at a discount equal to 654% of the deal price.
o BREZTRI AEROSPHERE, an inhaler used to treat COPD, will be made available to patients purchasing directly at a discount equal to 98% of the deal price.
o AIRSUPRA, an inhaler used to treat asthma symptoms and attacks, will be made available to patients purchasing directly at a discount equal to 96% of the deal price.
INVESTING IN AMERICA TO SECURE PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPLY CHAINS: AstraZeneca is also announcing that it will invest $50 billion in U.S. manufacturing and research and development by 2030.
• The company is building a new facility in Charlottesville, Virginia, which will produce advanced pharmaceutical ingredients to support their chronic disease and oncology pipelines.
• The Virginia facility will create 3,600 highly skilled jobs.
ENDING GLOBAL FREELOADING ON AMERICAN PHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATION: President Trump is taking decisive action to rebalance a system that allows pharmaceutical manufacturers to offer low prices to other wealthy nations while charging Americans significantly higher prices.
• According to recent data, the prices Americans pay for brand-name drugs are more than three times the price other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations pay, even after accounting for discounts manufacturers provide in the U.S.
• The United States has less than five percent of the world’s population, yet roughly 75% of global pharmaceutical profits come from American taxpayers.
• Drug manufacturers benefit from generous research subsidies and enormous healthcare spending by the U.S. Government. Instead of passing that benefit through to American consumers, drug manufacturers then discount their products abroad to gain access to foreign markets and subsidize those discounts through high prices charged in America. Americans are subsidizing drug-manufacturer profits and foreign health systems, both in development and once the drugs are sold.
DELIVERING ON PROMISES TO PUT AMERICAN PATIENTS FIRST: President Trump is delivering on promises for American patients that the political establishment did not believe were possible.
• On May 12, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled: “Delivering Most-Favored-Nation Prescription Drug Pricing to American Patients” directing the Administration to take numerous actions to bring American drug prices in line with those paid by similar nations.
• On July 31, 2025, President Trump sent letters to leading pharmaceutical manufacturers outlining the steps they must take to bring down the prices of prescription drugs in the United States to match the lowest price offered in other developed nations.
• On September 30, 2025, President Trump announced an agreement with Pfizer to bring MFN prices to American patients.
• President Trump has been relentless in his effort to address the unfair and outrageous prices Americans pay for prescription drugs:
o President Trump: “In case after case, our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory, effectively subsidizing socialism aboard [abroad] with skyrocketing prices at home. So we would spend tremendous amounts of money in order to provide inexpensive drugs to another country. And when I say the price is different, you can see some examples where the price is beyond anything — four times, five times different.”
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BBB Scam Alert: Fake relief check phone calls claim you have money waiting - Better Business Bureau
BBB warns of fake relief check phone calls directing people to a phishing site. Learn how the scam works and how to protect your identity.
BBB is warning people about a new phishing phone scam where callers claim you have an unclaimed “relief check” waiting.
In order to claim your check, you have to visit a website to collect it. The message sounds official, but it is a trick to steal your personal and financial information. BBB Scam Tracker has received over 800 reports in less than two months about this scheme.
On BBB Scam Tracker, one person shared the message they received, “Hey, it's Dan from www.myreliefcheck.com. Our records show you may have $5286 waiting in a relief check that's already been issued in your name, but has not yet been collected. This could be from past relief programs or federal assistance payments. visit www.myreliefcheck.com. Search your name and collect it before it's returned.”
Read entire article here
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U.S. and U.K. Take Largest Action Ever Targeting Cybercriminal Networks in Southeast Asia - Department of Treasury
Treasury Designates One Scam Network As A Transnational Criminal Organization; Cuts Another Off from U.S. Financial System
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), in close coordination with the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), took complementary actions against criminal networks responsible for targeting citizens of the United States and other allied nations through online scams and the laundering of stolen funds.
OFAC has imposed sweeping sanctions on 146 targets within the Prince Group Transnational Criminal Organization (Prince Group TCO), a Cambodia-based network led by Cambodian national Chen Zhi that operates a transnational criminal empire through online investment scams targeting Americans and others worldwide. In addition, FinCEN finalized a rule under section 311 of the USA PATRIOT Act to sever the Cambodia-based financial services conglomerate, Huione Group, from the U.S. financial system. For years, Huione Group has laundered proceeds of virtual currency scams and heists on behalf of malicious cyber actors.
“The rapid rise of transnational fraud has cost American citizens billions of dollars, with life savings wiped out in minutes,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury is taking action to protect Americans by cracking down on foreign scammers. Working in close coordination with federal law enforcement and international partners like the United Kingdom, Treasury will continue to lead efforts to safeguard Americans from predatory criminals.”
OVER $16 BILLION LOST TO ONLINE SCAMS SPURS U.S.–U.K. ACTION