The Trump administration is reportedly drafting yet another round of sweeping tariffs on semiconductors, because apparently the first few rounds weren't enough to convince tech companies that the US truly wants to dominate AI by making its components pricier and harder to source.
According to Politico, citing eight people familiar with the discussions, one tariff approach under consideration would dramatically expand the number of tech products subject to duties - not just chips, but potentially the laptops, gaming consoles, and data center servers that contain them. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick favors a structure that would let foreign companies off the tariff hook if they invest in US chip manufacturing, a sort of "pay to play" that would fuel domestic production. The administration is also mulling a phase-in period, though the framework could still be substantially revised in the coming weeks or months, because why commit to a plan when you can keep everyone guessing?
Meanwhile, across the pond, the UK is dealing with its own flavor of economic chaos: 40 workers at Lockwood Haulage Ltd in West Yorkshire are planning to strike next month over a "miserly" 1% pay increase, which they've rejected with the enthusiasm of someone offered a soggy biscuit after a three-year fast. The workers, Unite members based in Knottingley and South Kirby, are forklift truck drivers and machine operators in Lockwood's glass division. They'll walk out in an all-out strike from 2 September, which could lead to shortages of Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Stella, and Heineken, as well as whiskey bottles for Jameson, J&B, and Johnnie Walker - because nothing says "industrial action" like threatening the nation's supply of booze.
The workers, who transferred from GXO in March 2025 under a TUPE agreement, haven't had a pay rise since October 2023. Lockwood also plans to introduce an attendance-based bonus scheme instead of pay increases - £250 per quarter if they meet attendance criteria, which workers reckon will leave them worse off. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham called the situation "an absolute insult" and "a further kick in the teeth," while regional officer Jessica Sangha noted that "any strike action is completely the fault of Lockwood management." The company has been contacted for comment, presumably to give them a chance to say something like "we value our employees" while doing nothing.
Sticking with UK youth unemployment, the latest figures show 981,000 young people aged 16-24 were not in education, employment, or training (Neets) between April and June - down 30,000 from the first quarter but still 30,000 higher than the same period last year. This comes after the number topped a million earlier this year for the first time in over a decade, prompting the usual round of hand-wringing and think tank statements.
Chris Goulden, deputy chief executive of the Youth Futures Foundation, called it "a stark reminder" of a "large, long-term problem," while Jon Sparkes of Mencap noted that "young people are not work-shy, but it is too often the systems around them that are failing." Sam Tims of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation pointed out that growing up in persistent poverty more than triples the risk of being out of work or learning - because surprise, poverty is bad for your life prospects.
The government's response is the Jobs Guarantee scheme, which promises 90,000 fully funded jobs by 2029 as part of a £2.5bn drive. Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden met some of the first beneficiaries in Nottingham, where recruits were packing boxes and doing admin, and told them that "work is part of the answer" to the mental health crisis - presumably because sitting at home isolated is worse for your mental health than packing boxes for minimum wage.
Ben Harrison of the Work Foundation noted that "there are no quick fixes," and that the number of 'starter' jobs has fallen by 49% over the last decade, leaving only one starter vacancy for every three NEET young people. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak warned that "almost one million young people stuck out of work is a crisis which has been a decade in the making," and called for more good training places and a strong economy - because that's worked so well so far.
Alan Milburn, the Blair-era cabinet minister turned social mobility adviser, published a "record of failure" report, which sounds about right. The government's jobs guarantee is a step forward, but ministers need to "put the turbo boosters on" by expanding places and ending the 18-month wait, according to Nowak. In other words, the UK's youth employment crisis is a lot like the US tariff situation: lots of talk, some action, and a nagging sense that the people in charge are just making it up as they go along.