Trump administration signals broader tariff refunds

April 6, 2026

Summary

A new filing suggested refunds may cover a broad range of tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court.

Why this matters

The filing suggested more importers may be eligible to recover tariff payments, in some cases worth millions of dollars. Companies affected by the ruling will be watching how the administration builds the refund process and whether it includes fully liquidated entries.

A new court filing indicated the Trump administration could allow refunds for a broad range of tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977.

The filing focused on the distinction between liquidated and unliquidated tariffs, a legal issue that could affect whether importers recover duties that the Supreme Court later ruled unlawful when it struck down Trump’s blanket IEEPA tariffs in February.

Greg Husisian of Foley & Lardner said the administration’s amended order “effectively places the entire population of IEEPA entries within the Court’s refund framework.”

That could include tariffs in three categories: unliquidated entries, liquidated entries still within a protest window, and entries where liquidation has been deemed final.

In trade cases, liquidation is the final calculation of tariffs owed. It must occur within a year of importation and assessment of the duty, though it often happens after 10 to 11 months.

The liquidation question prompted some companies to file lawsuits as early as 2025, before the Supreme Court confirmed that tariff refunds would be available.

The government’s filing also said work continued on a four-step refund process that, once operating, could take about 45 days to review and process applications.

Trade lawyers said the filing suggested that refunds could extend to fully liquidated tariffs, though questions remain about how the process will be carried out.

Erik Smithweiss, a partner at GDLSK who represents clients seeking refunds, said the filing eased some concerns. “If the government were going to fight over that issue, I would have expected them to state as much in this filing,” he said.

He added that the filing “doesn’t preclude the Department of Justice from one day down the road saying ‘we’re not building this process, we don’t think it’s legally authorized,’ and force that issue to be litigated.”

More top news

Military & National Security

Soldier’s wife released by ICE, deportation case goes on

ICE released a U.S. soldier’s wife detained at Fort Polk, but removal proceedings against her are continuing.

Full story +

Annie Yaritza Ramos Alvarado, the wife of a U.S. soldier who was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week, was released Tuesday as the Trump administration continued efforts to deport her.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said Ramos was arrested April 2 and “has no legal status to be in this country.” A department spokesperson said ICE detained her “after she attempted to enter a military base.”

Ramos was at Fort Polk, Louisiana, with her husband and relatives to register as a military spouse and move in, Blank’s mother, Jen Rickling, told ABC News. Rickling said ICE agents entered the facility and detained her.

The DHS spokesperson said Ramos, who was born in Honduras, entered the United States in early 2005 when she was less than 2 years old and was in the country illegally. Attorney Jessie Schreier told ABC News that Ramos was 20 months old when she was issued an order of removal. Schreier did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DHS said Ramos was released under an order of supervision with a GPS monitor while she undergoes further removal proceedings and that she would receive full due process.

ICE has been central to Trump’s immigration enforcement and deportation efforts. Rights groups have criticized those efforts, saying they violate free speech and due process rights and raise concerns about racial profiling. Trump has said the actions are intended to curb illegal immigration and improve domestic security. The effort has faced court challenges.

“All I have ever wanted is to live with dignity in the country I have called home since I was a baby,” Ramos said.

“I never imagined that trying to do the right thing — registering my wife so she could receive her military ID, access the benefits she is entitled to as my spouse, and begin the process toward her green card — would lead to her being taken away from me,” her husband said after her arrest.
Military & National Security

2 Marines indicted in alleged Japan theft cases

U.S. military and Japanese authorities said two Marines were indicted in several alleged theft cases in Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Hiroshima.

Full story +

Two Marines assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni were indicted on charges tied to multiple alleged thefts in Japan, according to U.S. military and Japanese authorities.

Prosecutors in “various prefectures” charged Cpl. Malik Lewis and Lance Cpl. Damien Helms with offenses including trespassing, larceny, attempted larceny, and being an accomplice to larceny, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing spokesman Maj. Joseph Butterfield said.

Lewis, 26, and Helms, 20, are flight equipment technicians with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12, part of Marine Aircraft Group 12. They are in Marine Corps custody, Butterfield said.

According to a Feb. 17 news release from Iwakuni city, prosecutors alleged the Marines used a stolen key to enter businesses in Kabukicho, a nightlife district in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward, and stole about $170 in cash between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Dec. 24. Tokyo police referred the case to prosecutors on Feb. 13, the release said.

The Fukuoka District Public Prosecutors Office also indicted both men on March 24 on charges of trespassing, larceny, and attempted larceny, a spokeswoman said Wednesday. She declined to provide details.

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that prosecutors alleged the pair broke into six restaurants in Nakasu, a nightlife district in Fukuoka city, on the morning of Dec. 20 and stole cash worth about $2,652.

Lewis was also indicted March 5 by the Hiroshima District Public Prosecutors Office, according to Sankei Shimbun. Authorities alleged he broke into a business in Hiroshima city’s Naka ward on Dec. 18 and stole about $1,452 in cash. He also allegedly tried to steal items from another business but fled after a security alarm sounded, Sankei reported.

Yomiuri Shimbun reported March 17 that police in Yamaguchi prefecture referred a case against Lewis for allegedly breaking into a business and attempting to steal cash on the night of Dec. 18. As of Tuesday, prosecutors had not decided whether to indict in that case, a spokesman said.

Butterfield said the Marines were “actively working” with Japanese authorities.

“Under our Status of Forces Agreement, the Government of Japan has primary criminal jurisdiction. We will continue to make the Marines available for all required judicial process proceedings and will closely monitor the proceedings without interfering in the Japanese judicial process,” he wrote.
Military & National Security

Marine Corps raises family separation pay to $300

Marine Corps family separation pay rose to $300 a month, retroactive to Dec. 18, 2025, with most adjustments made automatically.

Full story +

The Marine Corps said monthly Family Separation Allowance rose from $250 to $300 under MARADMIN 150/26, released April 1, 2026.

The increase stemmed from the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act and applied retroactively to Dec. 18, 2025, when the law took effect. The Marine Corps said the Marine Corps Total Force System made the change automatically, so eligible Marines did not need to file additional paperwork.

The higher rate covered all three categories of the allowance: restricted movement, shipboard, and temporary duty. Service members qualified when orders kept them away from dependents for more than 30 days and prevented family travel at government expense. The allowance was prorated daily after that threshold, or about $10 a day at the new rate.

Marines married to other service members could receive the allowance if the couple lived together before the separation. The payment was in addition to basic pay, housing allowance, and other entitlements.

For a six-month deployment, the increase amounted to $300 more than under the previous rate. Over a full year of qualifying service, the difference totaled $600.

The change could affect Marines on deployments, ship rotations, and extended training assignments, including those in the Pacific. It could also apply more often in some Exceptional Family Member Program cases, when dependents cannot relocate and restricted-movement eligibility is triggered.

The Marine Corps said disbursing offices and administrative sections would verify payments for periods on or after Dec. 18, 2025. Marines who believed they qualified during the retroactive period but had not received the adjustment were advised to contact their unit administrative office or the Manpower Plans and Policy point of contact listed in the MARADMIN.

For new separations, Marines will submit DD Form 1561 through their chain of command after the 30-day mark, and the payment will process at the higher rate.

The article said Congress had authorized a larger increase to $400 two years earlier, but the Defense Department kept the rate at $250 until the 2026 NDAA required the $300 amount. The new rate will remain in effect unless future legislation or Defense Department policy changes it.
\top\

US, Israel agree to two-week ceasefire with Iran

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says it achieved a great victory and forced the U.S. to accept its 10-point plan.

Full story +

President Donald Trump said he agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran less than two hours before his 8 p.m. deadline to destroy a “whole civilization.”

The ceasefire is dependent on the condition that Iran agrees to reopen the critical Strait of Hormuz.

Israel also agreed to the ceasefire.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says it achieved a great victory and forced the U.S. to accept its 10-point plan. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Iran’s armed forces will coordinate safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Pakistan mediated the agreement.
World

Kidnapped U.S. journalist freed in Baghdad

Iraqi officials said kidnapped U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson was released in Baghdad on Tuesday.

Full story +

American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped from a Baghdad street corner last week, was released Tuesday, an Iraqi official with direct knowledge of the case said.

The official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said Kittleson was freed in the afternoon. He did not disclose her whereabouts, but said she had been held in Baghdad before her release.

Earlier Tuesday, the Iran-backed Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement that it would release Kittleson. The group said its decision came “in appreciation of the patriotic stances of the outgoing prime minister,” Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, without elaborating. It added that “this initiative will not be repeated in the future” and said Kittleson must “leave the country immediately” after her release.

The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kataib Hezbollah had not previously acknowledged responsibility for Kittleson’s abduction, though U.S. and Iraqi officials had blamed the group.

Two Kataib Hezbollah officials, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, told the AP that several members of the group detained by Iraqi authorities would be released in exchange for Kittleson’s freedom.

Kittleson, 49, is a freelance journalist who has reported across the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria. U.S. officials have said they warned her several times about threats against her, but she did not want to leave Iraq.

Iraqi officials have said two cars were involved in the kidnapping. One crashed while being pursued near al-Haswa in Babil province, southwest of Baghdad, and Kittleson was transferred to a second car.

Earlier Tuesday, three Iraqi officials said efforts to negotiate her release had faced obstacles. One security official said a Popular Mobilization Forces official had been tasked with contacting the abductors, but had difficulty reaching Kataib Hezbollah’s leadership.

“The primary challenge is that the leaders of the Kataib armed group — specifically, the commanders of the battalions — are nowhere to be found. No one knows their whereabouts, and the process of establishing contact with them is extremely complex,” the official said.

“These leaders have gone underground, maintaining no active lines of communication, out of fear of being targeted.”

Kataib Hezbollah has previously been accused of kidnapping foreigners. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student with Israeli and Russian citizenship who disappeared in Baghdad in 2023, said after her release in September 2025 that she had been held by the group.
World

Macron says Iran let French detainees leave

Macron said Iran allowed French former detainees Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris to leave after more than three years.

Full story +

Iran allowed two French former detainees, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, to leave the country, French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday.

“Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are free and on route toward French territory, after three and a half years of detention in Iran,” Macron wrote on X.

Macron thanked Oman for mediating their release. “It’s a relief for us all and obviously for their families,” he wrote.

Iranian authorities released Kohler and Paris from prison in November, but did not allow them to leave the country. French officials said they were then kept at the French Embassy in Tehran.

A source at the French Foreign Ministry said they left Iran at dawn Tuesday in a diplomatic convoy with the French ambassador and “are currently in Azerbaijan.”

Kohler, a 40-year-old literature teacher from eastern France, and her partner, Paris, who is in his 70s, were arrested May 7, 2022, on the last day of a tourist trip to Iran.

They were held for more than three years on spying charges, which Paris said were unfounded. They were detained in Section 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison, which is seen as reserved for political prisoners.

Their departure came after France had long sought permission for them to leave Iran. The move also came as Macron distanced France from the conflict involving Iran, saying France was not consulted in advance about the U.S.-Israel strikes and did not want the war.
Asia

Afghanistan says China-hosted Pakistan talks useful

Even as the talks continued, Afghanistan accused Pakistan of shelling across the border several times, killing and wounding civilians.

Full story +

Afghanistan said peace talks with Pakistan in China had been “useful,” as the two countries sought to halt cross-border fighting that began in February.

Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry issued the comment amid talks in Urumqi, in western China, launched last week after an invitation from Beijing.

Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal said acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met China’s ambassador to Afghanistan on Tuesday and thanked Beijing for arranging and hosting the talks. Takal said Muttaqi also credited Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates for mediation efforts.

“Noting that constructive discussions have taken place so far, FM Muttaqi expressed hope that minor interpretations would not hinder the progress of the negotiations,” Takal wrote.

Separately, Muttaqi said that “useful discussions have taken place.”

Few official statements have been issued since the talks began April 1 between mid-level delegations.

Pakistan, which has said it was in “open war” with Afghanistan, carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan, including in Kabul. The recent fighting, the most severe between the neighbors, began after Pakistan launched air strikes aimed at armed groups. Afghanistan then carried out cross-border attacks in response.

Even as the talks continued, Afghanistan accused Pakistan of shelling across the border several times, killing and wounding civilians. Pakistan has not commented.

Islamabad has often accused Afghanistan of sheltering armed groups behind attacks in Pakistan, especially Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. The group is separate from, but allied with, the Afghan Taliban, which took power in 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denied the accusation.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on X on Tuesday that the conflict had displaced 94,000 people overall. It said 100,000 people in two Afghan districts near the border had been completely cut off by the fighting since February.

The clashes also disrupted a ceasefire brokered by Qatar in October after earlier fighting killed dozens of soldiers, civilians, and suspected fighters.

On March 17, a Pakistani air strike hit a drug-treatment center in Kabul, which Afghan officials said killed more than 400 people. Pakistan denied targeting civilians and said its strikes were against military facilities.
Business

Used-car wholesale prices reach highest since 2023

Manheim said demand remained strong and inventory stayed relatively tight.

Full story +

Used-car shoppers in the U.S. faced the highest wholesale prices in nearly three years in March, according to Manheim, a Cox Automotive brand.

The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index rose 6.2% from a year earlier to 215.3, its highest reading since summer 2023. Prices also rose 1.4% in March, which the report said was above long-term norms, and were up 2.3% from the start of 2026.

Manheim said demand remained strong and inventory stayed relatively tight. The sales conversion rate, a measure of buyer activity, rose to 68.2% in March. That was 4.6 percentage points above the most recent three-year average for March and 5.5 percentage points higher than February’s revised 62.7%.

“As soon as this year began, prices at Manheim started moving higher as dealers anticipated strong demand from higher tax refunds to consumers,” said Jeremy Robb, chief economist at Cox Automotive.

“Sales conversion rates, a clear sign of demand, were higher against 2025 for every week but one in Q1, and vehicle value trends at auction show we are well ahead of last year and where we would normally be during a spring bounce in the wholesale markets,” Robb added.

“We thought we’d see some impact from the Middle East conflict, and that may still happen. But right now, the data is clear: used-vehicle demand is healthy and inventory levels are relatively tight,” he added.

Retail used-vehicle sales also showed momentum. First-quarter sales rose about 2% from a year earlier, while days’ supply fell below 40 in March, the lowest level this year and down from a year ago.

Used electric vehicles also posted firmer pricing and activity in the first quarter, Manheim said, as values rose with the seasonal increase. The report said used EVs offered affordability advantages over new EVs, while more off-lease EVs entered wholesale channels.

Cox Automotive said its 2026 outlook still called for a stronger-than-expected start to the year, offset by a softer second half, with total used-vehicle sales down 1% from 2025.
Business

Ford recalls 422,000 vehicles over wiper defect

Ford recalled 422,613 vehicles in the U.S. after regulators said a wiper arm defect could impair driver vision.

Full story +

Ford recalled more than 422,000 vehicles in the U.S. over a windshield wiper defect, federal regulators said Tuesday.

The recall covered 422,613 vehicles, including 2021-2023 Lincoln Navigator SUVs, 2021-2023 Ford Expedition SUVs, and 2022-2023 Ford Super Duty trucks, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The agency said windshield wiper arms may operate erratically or break, causing the wipers to fail. It estimated that 3% of the recalled vehicles had the defect.

NHTSA said drivers “may experience erratic wipe speed of the driver or passenger wiper arm” before a failure.

“An improperly functioning or detached wiper arm may impair driver vision, increasing the risk of a crash,” the agency said.

According to NHTSA, the windshield wiper arm’s latch retention plate may have been incorrectly staked by a supplier. The agency said reduced engagement between the knurl and wiper arm also may result from dimensional variability.

NHTSA said production improvements at the supplier in December 2022 addressed the issue, limiting the recall to vehicles made during a specific period.

Ford was not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the defect, according to NHTSA’s recall report.

NHTSA said dealer notification was expected April 1. Notices to interim owners were expected to be mailed starting April 13 and completed by April 17. Owners of potentially affected vehicles were expected to be able to search vehicle identification numbers, or VINs, beginning April 1.

The remedy was expected to include an inspection of the windshield wipers and replacement as needed. NHTSA said wiper arms that did not pass inspection would be replaced with parts made with correct staking of the latch retention plate and wiper arm splines within specification.
Personal Finance

Stock futures rise after Trump says ceasefire sought

U.S. stock futures climbed and oil fell after Trump said he was seeking a two-week ceasefire with Iran.

Full story +

U.S. stock futures moved higher Tuesday evening after President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he was seeking a two-week ceasefire between the U.S.-Israel coalition and Iran.

Futures tied to the S&P 500 rose 0.8%, while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 1%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up about 0.8%.

Earlier Tuesday, stocks finished little changed. The S&P 500 rose 0.1%, the Nasdaq Composite added 0.1%, and the Dow fell 85 points, or 0.2%.

Late buying lifted stocks from session lows after Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was looking to call a two-week ceasefire, saying, “I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double sided CEASEFIRE!” He also called for an immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had not issued an official response as of Tuesday evening.

Oil prices fell as traders reacted to the possibility that Trump could extend his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures fell 5.4% in after-hours trading, while West Texas Intermediate crude slipped about 4% to just above $108 a barrel.

Trump had set an 8 p.m. ET deadline for Iran to reach an agreement with the U.S. to reopen the waterway. In a Truth Social post, he wrote that “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will,” if the deadline was not met.