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By ELAINE KURTENBACH, Associated Press Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump has announced trade deals with Japan and a handful of other Asian countries that will relieve some pressure on companies and consumers from sharply higher tariffs on their exports to the United States.

A deal with China is under negotiation, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying an Aug. 12 deadline might be postponed again to allow more time for talks.

Steep tariffs on U.S. imports of steel and aluminum remain, however, and many other countries, including South Korea and Thailand, have yet to clinch agreements. Overall, economists say the tariffs inevitably will dent growth in Asia and the world.

The deals reached so far, ahead of Trump’s Aug. 1 deadline

Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced a deal Wednesday that will impose 15% tariffs on U.S. imports from Japan, down from Trump’s proposed 25% “reciprocal” tariffs.

It was a huge relief for automakers like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda, whose shares jumped by double digits in Tokyo. Trump also announced trade deals with the Philippines and Indonesia. After meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., Trump said the import tax on products from his country would be subject to a 19% tariff, down just 1% from the earlier threat of a 20% tariff. read more

As SpaceX prepares to send up its 19th Dragon spacecraft with humans on board, the Boeing Starliner — which has only completed half of a crewed mission to date — remains in fix-it mode.

Its next launch is scheduled for no earlier than 2026, and then maybe not even one with crew, according to NASA.

In a press conference for the SpaceX Crew-11 launch earlier this month, NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich updated progress on getting Starliner back up and running as the second of NASA’s two commercial launch providers that are supposed to share duties of ferrying astronauts to and from the International Space Station.

“We really are working toward a flight as soon as early next year for Starliner,” he said. “And then ultimately, our goal is to get into crew rotation flights with Starliner, and those would start no earlier than the second rotation slot at the end of next year.”

At issue was that when Starliner launched on the Crew Flight Test (CFT) on June 5, 2024 from Cape Canaveral, it developed several helium leaks and thruster failures in the propulsion system before docking with the space station the following day. What was supposed to be an eight-day stay on board stretched into the summer with NASA ultimately electing to fly Starliner home without crew in September. read more

Once upon a time, five historic homes made up Honeymoon Row on Lake Cherokee.

Most are gone but one of the remaining homes is listed for sale at $3.75 million, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

“It’s a Queen Anne Victorian and is completely as it was in the front,” says listing agent Tom Buitenhuis with Olde Town Brokers, who owns the house with his husband. “It’s an amazing, beautiful home and the historic part of it is just amazing.”

They bought the place in 2022 and have done a lot of work to bring the five-bedroom, four-bathroom house back to its original 1880s glory.

“I would say most of the original woodwork and everything we left, and we added here and there some modern touches like lighting fixtures and those kinds of things,” he said. “But we still tried to be as honest to the original builder, trying to somehow bring it a little bit to the modern times, but really keeping that original antique feel inside of the house.”

The 6,261-square-foot house has most of the original 19th-century millwork, pocket doors, floors, clawfoot tubs, and more. read more

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As California’s much-loved hamburger chain In-N-Out Burger expands across the country into Tennessee, billionaire owner and CEO Lynsi Snyder has announced she and her family are going with it and heading east, too.

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“There are a lot of great things about California, but raising a family is not easy here,” Snyder announced last week on the “Relatable” podcast, hosted by conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey. “Doing business is not easy here.”

Snyder said the corporate headquarters will remain in California. The company announced in 2023 that it planned to open a corporate office in Tennessee, along with restaurants in and around Nashville. read more

By CORA LEWIS

NEW YORK (AP) — Amid a federal overhaul of student loan plans, many borrowers have been left wondering what it means for their hopes of loan forgiveness. In particular, those who are enrolled in a repayment plan known as income-based repayment, or IBR, have wondered if forgiveness will still be available to them.

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• 
  Magnificent Queen Anne Victorian on Orlando’s Honeymoon Row hits the market

• 
  With delay until 2026, Boeing Starliner next flight may not carry humans, NASA says

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• 
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A recent update from the Education Department said forgiveness through the IBR plan is paused while systems are updated. “IBR forgiveness will resume once those updates are completed,” the agency said.

IBR is not affected by a federal court’s injunction blocking former President Joe Biden’s Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan. The IBR plan was created by Congress separately from other existing repayment plans, including those known as PAYE and ICR. It’s also exempt from some changes coming from President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill. read more