Hard Numbers: Trump tariffs drugs, WarSec calls unusual meeting, Argentina’s poverty plummets, Oz man fined in deepfake porn case
100: Donald Trump has announced a 100% tariff on branded pharmaceuticals for any company that is not already building new facilities in the US. However, the measure excludes generic drugs – which make up 90% of US imports. European pharma companies are awaiting clarification on whether this breaks the recently agreed-upon 15% tariff ceiling for all EU imports.
800: US Secretary of Defe–, we mean Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has abruptly summoned many of the US military’s 800 generals and admirals to an IRL meeting at a military base in Virginia next week. The purpose of the sudden, massive meeting is unknown but experts say a gathering of this kind is extremely unusual. Since taking office, Hegseth has fired a number of top officials, and ordered a 20% downsizing of senior brass.
31.6: Argentina’s poverty rate dropped to 31.6% — its lowest since 2018 — as President Javier Milei’s austerity, currency controls, and tight monetary policy curbed triple-digit inflation. Despite IMF support and easing inflation, economic stagnation, high unemployment, and rising informal work threaten Milei’s momentum ahead of the Oct. 26 midterm elections.
343,500: An Australian man was fined $343,500 in Australia’s first deepfake porn case after posting explicit images of prominent women on a now-defunct site. The federal court cited serious Online Safety Act breaches, setting a strong precedent against non-consensual deepfake abuse.