The White House's preferred economic tools are hitting snags

NPR | By Emily Feng

Published August 26, 2026 at 4:29 PM EDT

Tariffs and export controls have been the Trump administration's main economic security tools. Neither is working very well right now.

Emily Feng

Emily Feng is a White House correspondent at NPR. Previously, she was a foreign correspondent for NPR covering China, Taiwan and beyond.

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

What we know about the deadly flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border

Diaa Hadid

Nearly 100 people are dead, and many more are missing, after an avalanche of ice and rock blocked a Himalayan river valley, triggering massive flash floods in Nepal.
NPR News

Drugstores say Medicare's $50 obesity drug program is catching on

Sydney Lupkin

The Bridge program, which began July 1, makes some Medicare beneficiaries eligible for obesity drugs for $50 a month. CVS and Walgreens say they've each already filled 100,000 such prescriptions.
Why many Black Americans feel a special kinship with Dolly Parton

Jordan-Marie Smith, Justine Kenin, Adrian Florido

The late superstar Dolly Parton had an incredible legacy in American culture. That was even true from a Black American viewpoint. The Black Wall Street Times' Nehemiah Frank describes Parton's impact.
Amid rising threats, a WNBA team calls in experts on violent extremism

Odette Yousef

The WNBA's popularity has risen in recent years, but so have threats and abuse directed at its players. One team is taking a novel approach to this, by partnering with national security specialists.
Dolly Parton's Tennessee hometown remembers their hero

Katie Myers

People in Sevierville, Tenn., remember their hometown girl, Dolly Parton — not only for her songs, but for her lifetime of generosity to the place she came from.