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Virginia leaders respond to reports of possible FBI academy move from Quantico

SUMMARY:

• FBI leaders are considering relocating from to , according to news reports

• Virginia Democrats quickly issue statements opposing move

• says he’s talking with federal leaders to ensure Quantico remains the centerpiece of FBI training.

• The 10-week training program serves U.S. and international enforcement officials

Virginia’s Democratic leaders were quick to protest Wednesday to a report that the FBI’s leaders are proposing a plan to move the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy from Quantico to Huntsville, Alabama.

The Washington Post broke the story Wednesday afternoon about the 10-week training program for local, federal and international law enforcement officials that’s held on the FBI’s campus in .

Former , the state’s Democratic nominee for governor, promptly responded with a call rallying all of Virginia’s leaders to stand united against an effort to move the academy from Quantico, which is located about 36 miles from Washington, D.C.

“As a former federal law enforcement officer and CIA case officer, I worked alongside FBI agents to keep our country safe,” she said in a statement. “I know the pride they take in serving their country and training America’s law enforcement officers. And as a former member of Congress who represented Quantico, I know the impact this will have on the community.”

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, hosted FBI Director Kash Patel along with her fellow Alabama U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, another Republican, for a tour of the FBI’s facilities in Huntsville in April. According to The Washington Post, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is leading the effort to move the academy.

Although it takes place at the same location as the FBI Academy for new FBI agents, famously depicted in “The Silence of the Lambs” and other movies and TV shows, the FBI National Academy is a different program held four times a year for law enforcement officers from local jurisdictions across the country, as well as police from 176 countries, according to the FBI.

More than 56,000 officers have graduated from the 10-week program. They receive training on behavioral science, forensics, communications, terrorism and intelligence theory, among other areas.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia’s junior Democratic senator, reminded the White House on Wednesday that Congress controls the power of the purse.

“This is part of a larger effort by the administration to dramatically politicize, reduce and relocate the ,” Kaine said in a statement. “If Director Patel and Deputy Director Bongino want to move the FBI Academy, then they will have to explain to Congress and the American public why this is needed and how much it will cost.”

, who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, added that he expects members of Congress to be skeptical of the plan.

“Quantico is co-located with other critical FBI and national security assets, and before we spend taxpayer dollars on a disruptive and potentially unnecessary move, the Bureau owes Congress and the American people a clear justification for this plan,” he said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman, a Democrat who represents part of Prince William County and succeeded Spanberger in January, stressed that the proposal raises important questions that Congress will have to answer.

“Virginia’s Seventh District is home to Quantico’s state-of-the-art facility and remains the best place for local and state law enforcement to learn from our incredible agents at the FBI,” he said in a statement. “As a former prosecutor, I know that the most efficient and impactful way for law enforcement to continue keeping our communities safe is to train at the world-class facilities that have already been built by taxpayers at Quantico.”

In a statement provided Wednesday evening, Gov. Glenn Youngkin called Quantico “the best place to train America’s FBI.” “I am speaking with leadership at the FBI and [the U.S. Department of Justice] to make sure Quantico remains the centerpiece of FBI training now and in the future,” he added.

, who’s running as Virginia’s Republican candidate for governor, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Founded in 1972 in Prince William County, the FBI’s Quantico complex occupies 547 acres on the U.S. Marine Corps Base Quantico. New FBI agents are trained at the facility, along with Drug Enforcement Administration agents, local and state law enforcement officers and members of elite units like SWAT teams and hostage-rescue teams.

Along with classrooms and firing ranges, Quantico includes an aquatic training center for diving practice and a mock town where agents prepare for real-life dangerous situations.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated. 

Housing sales decline in NoVa, Hampton Roads

SUMMARY:

  • Closed home sales declined year-over-year in both Northern Virginia and in May, but the month saw increases in pending sales.
  • Median home prices rose in both regions — up 3.9% to $789,500 in Northern Virginia and up 4.7% to a record $368,900 in Hampton Roads.
  • Inventory levels surged, with active listings up 50% in Northern Virginia and 23.7% in Hampton Roads, giving buyers more options and longer decision-making time.

Housing sales last month decreased year-over-year in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, although inventory and median sales prices rose in both regions.

Northern Virginia

The Northern Virginia Association of Realtors reports that 1,764 homes were sold in May, a 4.2% decrease compared with May 2024. The total sales volume for the month was $1.56 billion, down 1% from May of last year.

However, reports that despite the decline in sales, the median sale price rose 3.9% to $789,500.

May 2025 housing market statistics for Northern Virginia. Image Courtesy Northern Virginia Association of Realtors

“We’re seeing a market that’s finding its footing,” NVAR CEO Ryan McLaughlin said in a statement. “Transaction volume has cooled modestly, which isn’t unexpected given broader economic headwinds and buyer sensitivity to interest rates. At the same time, price appreciation and rising inventory are signs that the market remains fundamentally sound — just adjusting to a new rhythm.”

New pending sales in May rose 9.5% to 1,897 units compared to May 2024.
The association reports that active listings surged to 2,636 units in May, up 50% from the same time last year. New listings totaled 1,884 units, up 1.5%.

Homes spent an average of 15 days on the market last month — a 40% increase from May 2024.

“A growing number of listings means buyers now have more choices — and time to make them,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “But this isn’t necessarily a return to a buyer’s market. Sellers who price competitively are still seeing strong results, especially in Northern Virginia’s most desirable neighborhoods.”

The association believes rising interest rates, affordability concerns and a cooling pace “compared to the frenzied highs of previous years” places buyers and sellers in a more strategic playing field.

“Buyers may have more leverage, but affordability remains a concern for many,” said NVAR board member Christina Rice in a statement. “Sellers are still in a good position but may need to adjust expectations on timing and pricing. It’s not an easy market — it’s a smarter one. The key is working with experienced professionals who understand how to navigate it.”

NVAR reports home sales activity for and Arlington counties, the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and , and the towns of Vienna, and .

Hampton Roads

Hampton Roads also saw a slight decrease in housing sales for May, although its median selling price reached a record high, according to data released Tuesday by the ().

In May, 2,445 home sales closed in the region, up from 2,193 in April, but down 2.1% from 2,498 in May 2024. There were 2,582 pending sales for the month, down from 2,597 pending transactions in April, but up 5.9% from 2,438 at the same time last year.

May’s months supply of inventory (MSI) — a measure of how many months there would be homes on the market if no new inventory were added — was 2.59, compared with 2.44 in April and 2.07 in May 2024

“After quite a few years of a very tight market, consumers who are looking to buy a home this summer should be very pleased with the selection they have right now,” said REIN board Barbara Wolcott of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services RW Towne Realty in a statement. “Inventory is also at its highest point in nearly five years, so buyers have plenty of homes to choose from.”

May 2025 housing market data for Hampton Roads. Image Courtesy Real Estate Information Network

Active listings rose to 5,276 in May, up 23.7% year-over-year from 4,264 in May 2024. There were 4,980 active listings in April. Wolcott said May’s active listings were the most since July 2020, when there were 5,576.

“Here in Hampton Roads, it’s still not technically a balanced market, but buyers certainly have more selection than they’ve had in quite some time,” she said.

The median sales price of homes sold during May was $368,900, up from $350,000 in April, and up 4.7% year-over from $352,392 in May 2024. The MSP is a 2.2% increase over the previous high of $360,000 during June of last year. Homes spent a median of 18 days on the market in May, one day less than April’s 19, but three days more than May 2024 when it was 15.

Founded in 1969, REIN is a regional multiple listing service that covers an area stretching from east to Virginia Beach and south across the North Carolina border.

Disney and Universal sue AI firm Midjourney for copyright infringement

SUMMARY:

  • and Universal sue over -generated images.
  • Studios allege violations involving Star Wars, Minions.
  • claims Midjourney ignored takedown requests.

NEW YORK (AP) — Disney and Universal have filed a copyright lawsuit against popular image-generator Midjourney on Wednesday, marking the first time major Hollywood companies have enter the battle over generative AI.

Filed in federal district court in Los Angeles, the complaint claims Midjourney pirated the libraries of the two Hollywood studios to generate and distribute “endless unauthorized copies” of their famed characters, such as Darth Vader from Star Wars and the Minions from Despicable Me.

“Midjourney is the quintessential copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism. Piracy is piracy, and whether an infringing image or video is made with AI or another technology does not make it any less infringing,” the companies state in the complaint.

The studios also claimed the San Francisco-based AI company ignored their requests to stop infringing on their copyrighted works and to take technological measures to halt such image generation.

Midjourney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

In a 2022 interview with The Associated Press, Midjourney David Holz described his image-making service as “kind of like a search engine” pulling in a wide swath of images from across the internet. He compared copyright concerns about the technology with how such laws have adapted to human creativity.

“Can a person look at somebody else’s picture and learn from it and make a similar picture?” Holz said. “Obviously, it’s allowed for people and if it wasn’t, then it would destroy the whole professional art industry, probably the nonprofessional industry too. To the extent that AIs are learning like people, it’s sort of the same thing and if the images come out differently then it seems like it’s fine.”

Major AI developers don’t typically disclose their data sources but have argued that taking troves of publicly accessible online text, images and other media to train their AI systems is protected by the “fair use” doctrine of American copyright .

The studio’ case joins a growing number of lawsuits filed against developers of AI platforms — such as OpenAI, Anthropic — in San Francisco and New York.

Meanwhile, the first major copyright trial of the generative AI industry is underway in , pitting Getty Images against artificial intelligence company Stability AI.

Trump’s FAA administrator pick facing tough questions on safety at hearing

SUMMARY:

  • nominee questioned on safety after D.C. crash.
  • Bedford backs tech upgrades but won’t commit to pilot rule.
  • FAA faces criticism for ignoring warnings before fatal collision.

WASHINGTON (AP) — ‘s pick to lead the Federal Administration is facing tough questions about safety during a hearing Wednesday in the wake of January’s deadly midair collision and a string of other crashes and near misses since then.

Much of the industry, including the major airlines and their trade groups, supports Bryan Bedford’s nomination. But pilots unions and Democrats have raised concerns that he might weaken pilot training standards.

Bedford has been of regional airline Republic Airways since 1999 and has more than three decades of experience in the industry. He has pledged to make safety the FAA’s top priority and work to restore public confidence in flying. Bedford also said he’ll work with Congress on Trump’s multi-billion-dollar plan to overhaul the nation’s system.

The National Transportation Safety Board has said the FAA should have acted before the crash in Washington, D.C., because there had been 85 near misses reported around Ronald Reagan National Airport in the years before the disaster. The FAA has since banned some helicopter routes to make sure helicopters and planes no longer share the same airspace, but there have still been additional near misses in recent months.

FAA’s acting administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have acknowledged the FAA’s shortcomings in not recognizing the risk and pledged to review all the agency’s data to identify any similar concerns nationwide about helicopter traffic near . That review prompted the agency to put new limits on helicopter flights around Las Vegas’ airport.

Even the air traffic controllers union backed Bedford’s nomination because of his support for the effort to modernize the outdated system and bolster controller hiring. Two different radar outages this spring in a facility that directs planes in and out of Newark Liberty International Airport highlighted the problems because the FAA had to limit flights at the airport after five controllers took trauma leave after the problems.

“We shouldn’t have to lean into the second or third or fourth level of redundancy to keep the system moving. The system is old. It needs upgraded, massive upgrading. So we have to do better,” Bedford said. But he said the $12.5 billion that Republicans have included in Trump’s massive bill is only a down payment on the upgrades.

Pilots’ unions and Democrats have raised concerns that Bedford may support weakening the 1,500-hour experience standard for airline pilots that was adopted after a 2009 crash or even might consider allowing some airlines to operate with only one pilot. Republic previously asked for permission to hire pilots with less experience because the standard was making it hard to find enough pilots. Families of the victims of that 2009 Colgan air crash and the D.C. crash attended the hearing.

“People are going to want to know … whether you’re going to lead any effort to change that rule,” Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell said. She asked for a firm written answer because “you helped fund and lobbied for a change for it.”

Bedford refused to commit to maintaining the 1,500-hour rule during under questioning from Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois.

“What I’m saying is I don’t believe safety is static,” Bedford said as he talked about how the military has changed pilot training to use more technology. But later he said, “I can commit to you that we will not have anything that will reduce safety.”

Bedford said even if European officials have had some conversations about possibly allowing only one pilot under some circumstances, America is “a long ways away” from ever considering it even if some companies are developing new technology that might be able to land a plane.

“I do think that there are ways we can absolutely use technology to improve ,” Bedford said. “I don’t think it goes so far as to tell us we need to remove a trained aviator from cockpit.”

Bedford acknowledged Wednesday that “problems persist and more work needs to be done” to ensure the safety of flying around the nation’s capital. He said his own airline’s planes have received at least three alarms about conflicting traffic around Reagan since January.

Bedford said his priority is modernizing the air traffic control system, and he reiterated that there is no plan to privatize the system because a debate over privatization derailed Trump’s previous effort to upgrade the system in his first term.

If confirmed, Bedford will also lead the FAA’s effort to incorporate and into the nation’s airspace safely. Trump signed executive orders last week to encourage development of that emerging technology.

Inflation barely rose last month as cheaper gas and cars offset some costlier imports

SUMMARY:

  • U.S. rose 2.4% in May; core stayed at 2.8%.
  • Groceries, appliances and toys saw price increases; gas and rent fell.
  • Trump not yet driving broad inflation but may later this year.
  • Economists warn of rising costs for school supplies and coffee.

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation picked up a bit last month as higher prices for groceries and some imported goods were largely offset by cheaper gas, travel services, and rents.

Consumer prices increased 2.4% in May compared with a year ago, according to a Labor Department report released Wednesday. That is up from a 2.3% yearly increase in April. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.8% for the third straight month. Economists pay close attention to core prices because they generally provide a better sense of where inflation is headed.

The cost of groceries, toys and games, and large appliances rose, which could reflect the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Yet the price of new and used cars, clothes, air fares, and hotel rooms all dropped from April to May.

On a monthly basis, overall prices ticked up just 0.1% from April to May, down from 0.2% the previous month, with inflationary pressures appearing muted. Core prices also dropped to 0.1% from 0.2%.

The data showed that Trump’s tariffs haven’t yet pushed overall prices higher, suggesting many companies may be absorbing the cost of the higher duties for now. Yet many economists expect the import taxes to modestly increase inflation in the second half of the year. Companies ranging from Walmart to Lululemon to have said they will raise prices in the coming months to offset the impact of tariffs.

“You can point to seeing tariffs in this report, but the more important message is that you’re seeing inflation soften enough elsewhere that overall, price pressures continue to subside for the U.S. consumer,” Sarah House, an economist at Wells Fargo, said.

But offsetting price drops for things like cars and air fares may not continue at the same pace for the rest of this year, she said.

“I don’t think this report signals an all clear — that tariffs are not going to be a concern for the inflation picture,” House said.

The figures also show that core inflation remains stubbornly above the ‘s 2% target, which makes it less likely that the central bank will cut its key short-term interest rate. Trump has repeatedly urged the central bank to reduce borrowing costs.

rose 0.3% from April to May, and are up 2.2% in the past year. Fruits and vegetables, breakfast cereals, and frozen foods all rose last month. Egg costs fell 2.7%, though they are still more than 40% more expensive than a year ago. Gas prices dropped 2.6% last month.

Last week, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles inflation data, said it is reducing the amount of data it collects for each inflation report. Economists have expressed concern about the cutback. Still, less data could make inflation reports more volatile.

Nearly all economists expect Trump’s duties will make many things more expensive this year, including cars and groceries, though by how much is still uncertain. Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will place 55% tariffs on all imports from China, up from the previous level of 30%. He has also imposed a 10% baseline tariff on imported goods from every other country, and 50% import taxes on steel and aluminum.

Given the potential for higher prices, Fed Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed officials have made clear they will keep their key rate unchanged until they have a better sense of how tariffs will affect the economy.

There are several reasons it can take months for the tariffs to be felt by consumers.

To begin with, many companies tried to beat the clock by bringing in foreign goods before Trump’s tariffs took effect, producing a flood of imports in March. They have stockpiled goods that weren’t hit by tariffs in warehouses, delaying price increases for customers.

Some also held off on hiking prices during the chaos of April and May, when Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from nearly 60 countries, only to put them on hold a week later.

Kim Vaccarella, founder and of , a line of sturdy, washable handbags, said she had resisted raising prices even though all her products are manufactured in . She stocked up on inventory in the spring, before the tariffs went into effect, and stopped importing when tariffs on China were at 145%.

The Seacaucus, N.J., company employs about 80 people and did $100 million in business in 2024.

Vaccarella plans to raise prices in July, with the original Bogg bag going from $90 to $95 and the “Baby” bag increasing from $70 to $75.

The increase isn’t enough to fully cover the higher tariffs. She hopes not to raise prices any further, but said that it’s hard to predict.

“We’ve forecasted, and reforecasted, and reforecasted again,” she said. “We just need to get a handle of what will ultimately be the price we have to pay.”

Bryan Eshelman, a partner and managing director at consulting firm AlixPartners, said higher prices “are coming.”

Eshelman says Americans will start feeling the impact in July, and predicts prices for back-to-school items like clothing and backpacks could go up anywhere from 5% to 15%.

The impact is just starting to hit U.S. food producers, some of which have already passed along higher prices to customers. The J.M. Smucker Co., which raised the price for its coffee in May, said Tuesday that it will raise those prices again in August.

CEO Mark Smucker said that “the current US tariff impact on green coffee is our largest exposure.” The company’s shares tumbled 17% Tuesday.

J.M. Smucker imports 500 million pounds of green coffee annually, mostly from Brazil and Vietnam, which currently face the 10% universal tariff Trump imposed in April. But the two countries could face much higher tariffs when the pause on the so-called “reciprocal” tariffs ends in July.

Most imported goods are actually parts or raw materials for larger products, such as the steel and aluminum goods now facing 50% duties. It will take time for those costs to filter through the supply chain and affect prices. But the sting would likely be broad, from grocery aisles to car lots.

US stocks drift near their record following an encouraging inflation update

SUMMARY:

  • nears record high as inflation stays lower than forecast.
  • rose 2.4% in May, easing Wall Street fears.
  • Trump announces will supply under trade framework.
  • Fed rate cuts more likely after cooler inflation data.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are drifting near their record on Wednesday after a report suggested President Donald Trump’s tariffs are not pushing inflation much higher, at least not yet.

The S&P 500 was down 0.1% in afternoon trading and is just 1.8% below its all-time high set in February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 94 points, or 0.2%, as of 12:24 p.m. Eastern time, and the composite was 0.2% higher.

The action was a bit stronger in the bond market, where Treasury yields eased after a report showed inflation ticked up by less last month than economists expected. U.S. consumers had to pay prices that were 2.4% higher overall in May than a year earlier. That was up from April’s 2.3% inflation rate, but it wasn’t as bad as the 2.5% that Wall Street was expecting.

A fear has been that Trump’s wide-ranging could ignite another acceleration in inflation, just when it had seemed to get nearly all the way back to the ‘s 2% target from more than 9% at its peak three summers ago.

It hasn’t happened, though economists warn it may take months more to feel the full effect of Trump’s tariffs. For the time being, many businesses may be pulling products they already had in their inventories rather than passing along higher costs from fresh imports.

“Another month goes by with little evidence of tariffs, but the longer-term inflation challenge they pose remain,” according to Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.

Financial markets also had only modest reactions to the conclusion of two days of trade talks between the United States and China in .

Trump said Wednesday that China will supply rare-earth minerals and magnets to the United States, while his country will allow Chinese students into U.S. universities in a deal that still needs an agreement by him and by China’s leader. Trump also said that “President XI and I are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!!”

Investors are still hoping for a more sweeping that would ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Hopes for such deals between the United States and countries around the world have been one of the main reasons the S&P 500 has charged nearly all the way back to its all-time high after dropping roughly 20% below a couple months ago. Without them, the fear is that Trump’s high tariffs could drive the economy into a recession while pushing inflation higher.

On Wall Street, Chewy dropped 9.3% after the seller of pet supplies reported a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts had forecast. Expectations were high after its stock had already rallied nearly 37% coming into the day for the year so far.

Tesla helped support the market after rising 1.7%. It’s been recovering much of its big losses taken last week after Elon Musk’s relationship with Trump imploded, which in turn raised fears about a loss of business for the electric-vehicle company. Musk on Wednesday backed away from some of his earlier comments and said they went “too far.”

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.43% from 4.47% late Tuesday. Shorter-term yields, which more closely track expectations for what the Fed will do with overnight , fell more.

Wednesday’s better-than-expected reading on inflation raised expectations along Wall Street that the Fed could cut its main interest rate at least twice by the end of the year.

The Fed has been keeping interest rates steady so far this year, going on pause after cutting rates at the end of last year. It has been waiting to see how much Trump’s tariffs raise inflation because cutting interest rates could push inflation up even more, as they give the economy a boost.

“The Fed could be justified in doing some preemptive rate cuts,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management. “They were afraid that inflation would rise before growth would slow, but the script has been flipped and they will likely change their tune.”

In stock markets abroad, indexes fell across much of Europe and rose in Asia. South Korea’s Kospi was one of the best performers and jumped 1.2%.

Trump says US gets rare earth minerals from China and tariffs on Chinese goods will total 55%

SUMMARY:

  • Trump announces 55% U.S. tariffs under trade framework.
  • China to supply and magnets up front.
  • Deal includes loosening restrictions on Chinese students.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will get magnets and rare earth minerals from China under a new trade framework and that tariffs on Chinese goods will total 55%.

In return, Trump said, the U.S. will provide China “what was agreed to,” including allowing Chinese students to attend American colleges and universities. The Republican had recently begun to clamp down on the presence of Chinese nationals on U.S. college campuses.

What Trump described as a “deal” actually is a framework to help the U.S. and China eventually negotiate a sought-after trade agreement, which Trump intends to do with numerous countries but so far has been unable to execute on as quickly as he promised the public he’d be able to.

So far, Trump only has announced the terms of a deal with the United Kingdom.

A White House official, who was not authorized to discuss the terms publicly and insisted on anonymity to describe them, said the 55% was not an increase on the previous 30% tariff on China because Trump was including other pre-existing import taxes.

“OUR DEAL WITH CHINA IS DONE, SUBJECT TO FINAL APPROVAL WITH PRESIDENT XI AND ME.,” Trump wrote Wednesday on his social media site.

He said full magnets and any necessary will be supplied up front by China.

“WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT!” Trump wrote.

A Chinese statement on the talks did not reveal any details or concrete steps.

In a follow-up social media post, Trump said he and Xi “are going to work closely together to open up China to American Trade. This would be a great WIN for both countries!!!”

Senior U.S. and Chinese negotiators announced late Tuesday in that they had agreed on a framework to get their back on track after a series of disputes that threatened to derail them.

The announcement came at the end of two days of talks in the British capital that wrapped up late Tuesday.

It also came as an international rights group said that several global brands are among dozens of companies at risk of using through their Chinese supply chains because they use critical minerals or buy minerals-based products sourced from the far-western region of China.

The report by the Netherlands-based Global Rights Compliance says companies including Avon, Walmart, Nescafe, Coca-Cola and Sherwin-Williams may be linked to titanium sourced from Xinjiang, where rights groups allege the Chinese government runs coercive labor practices targeting predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities.

The report found 77 Chinese suppliers in the titanium, lithium, beryllium and magnesium industries operating in Xinjiang. It said the suppliers are at risk of participating in the Chinese government’s “labor transfer programs,” in which Uyghurs are forced to work in factories as part of a long-standing campaign of assimilation and mass detention.

Asked about the report, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that “no one has ever been forcibly transferred in China’s Xinjiang under work programs.”

The named companies didn’t immediately comment on the report.

Trump’s announcement showed that his tariff rates continue to be a moving target, rather than a transparent policy tool used to both raise revenues and clearly extract better terms in trade.

The U.S. president continues to take a mercurial approach to tariffs, threatening to change the rates in ways that trading partners find to be random. He recently doubled his steel and aluminum tariffs to 50%, possibly increasing costs for U.S. manufacturers and construction companies that rely on the metals as raw materials.

He threatened a 50% tariff on the European Union under the belief that it would jumpstart talks, only to back down as his self-imposed 90-day negotiating period is set to expire around July 9. A separate 90-day negotiating period with China is set to end in mid-August.

But Trump could change those dates and tariff rates as he has stressed the importance of flexibility over certainty. The president next week will attend the Group of 7 summit in Canada with other leading trade partners he has kept in limbo over his trade policies.

On Tuesday night, Trump won what he said was a “great and important” win when a federal appeals court ruled that the government can continue to collect his sweeping import taxes while challenges to his work their way through the courts.

There are still lingering tensions between China and the U.S. on overarching economic goals. The Trump administration wants more manufacturing to occur domestically while using tariff revenues to fund its income tax cuts, while China wants to continue its technological ascent and move beyond its advancements in electric vehicles to developing artificial intelligence.

The Trump administration has played down the risk of tariffs worsening . Shortly after Trump announced the framework with China, the Labor Department said consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 2.4%, with the cost of autos and apparel falling on a monthly basis in a sign that any economy-wide inflation from the tariffs has yet to appear.

Hubbard Peanut Co. names new CEO

Southampton County-based announced Tuesday that it has appointed , the grandson of the company’s founders, to be its new and .

The transition at the producer of , a popular Virginia-grown gift item, became effective June 1. Rabil is succeeding Lynne Hubbard Rabil, his mother, who is transitioning to a new role as executive adviser. The company says her new position allows “for a more focused role in providing strategic counsel.”

“Along with my brother and twin sisters, I have been involved in our family business from the earliest days, and I have strong memories of our meager beginnings in the kitchen of our five-room home,” Lynne Rabil said in a statement. “I am very excited about the next chapter under Marshall’s leadership but also happy that I will continue to play a part. I am confident that Marshall will maintain the ethos that our parents carefully developed and that our family has worked to nurture through these years.”

Marshall Rabil, named one of Virginia Business’s 100 People to Meet in 2025, was most recently the company’s director of sales and marketing.

Since 2016, Rabil has developed strategic marketing partnerships with PGA Tour events, increased wholesale partnerships to develop regional grocery partners throughout the U.S., and hired more full-time employees. In 2023, Rabil served as president of the Franklin-Southampton Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Working alongside our dedicated team on a business my grandparents started and my mother grew and led is an absolute honor,” he said in a statement Tuesday. “It’s the biggest responsibility of my professional career, and I am looking forward to the challenge and opportunity.”

The company was founded in 1954 by Dot and HJ Hubbard.

Former Martin’s store in Chesterfield sells for $2.87M

Ukrop’s Super Markets last month sold the former Martin’s retail space at Chesterfield Meadows shopping center in to a limited liability company for $2.866 million.

Sunhe Property purchased the 4.3-acre site at 6401 Centralia Road on May 23, according to county records. The land includes a 44,840-square-foot retail building.

James Ashby IV and David Crawford of , who handled negotiations on behalf of ‘s and arranged the sale, announced in a news release that the land was bought as an investment.

Longtime Richmond family grocery chain Ukrop’s purchased the site in 1986 and had owned the land up until last month. The building was remodeled into a Martin’s store in 2010, after the Giant-Carlisle division of Dutch company Ahold acquired all Ukrop’s stores and turned them into Martin’s grocery stores. Martin’s Richmond-area markets closed in 2017, although 10 were replaced by grocery stores after the Florida-based grocer purchased stores in the region.

The Chesterfield Meadows building has been vacant since 2017, according to Ashby.

Ashby said the buyer has retail plans for the space, but that he can’t provide any information about what they are. The registered agent for the LLC declined to comment.

Atlantic Shores moves to exit New Jersey offshore wind project

Summary:

  • Atlantic Shores files to terminate its 1.5-GW offshore wind project
  • Project faced regulatory, permitting, federal policy hurdles
  • Filing follows cancellation of key air permit and paused construction
  • Company cites future offshore potential

A project that was once supposed to establish the Garden State’s first offshore has filed to terminate.

 is a 50/50 partnership between Shell New Energies US LLC and EDF North America. The entity submitted a June filing to the  Board of Public Utilities. The document seeks to terminate the Offshore Wind Certificates (OREC) order for Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 1.

Despite Shell pulling out of Atlantic Shores 1 in January, the company remains a partner of the overall Atlantic Shores organization, according to its website. Slated for construction off the coast of Atlantic City, the project would have provided 1.5 gigawatts of power.

A number of issues have roiled the offshore wind industry — such as higher , , supply chain challenges and intense local opposition/litigation. Then, an executive order shortly after took office essentially put most wind projects on pause.

Blowing in the wind?

In March, a key federal permit was also pulled for the project – further clouding its viability. That came on the heels of the NJBPU announcing it would not proceed with an award in its fourth offshore wind solicitation. Atlantic Shores rebid its project in Round 4. The move aimed to better reflect the changing economics of the industry since its initial approval. The NJBPU cited – in part – the uncertainty driven by federal actions and permitting.

NJBIZ recently reported on the setbacks the offshore wind sector has faced. Meanwhile, the broader energy issue has taken centerstage here in the Garden State.

The topic emerged as a key issue on the campaign trail as well as writ large, as a June 1 rate hike takes effect. Last week, Gov. Phil Murphy announced allocating $430 million to offer direct relief to all Jersey ratepayers.

Following the earlier cancellation of Ørsted’s Offshore Wind 1 and 2 projects, Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind Project 1 would have established the state’s first .

“Due the uncertainty caused by the Presidential Wind Memorandum, the subsequent loss of the Air Permit, and other actions taken by the current administration more generally, Petitioner’s parent company has been forced to materially reduce its personnel, terminate contracts, and cancel planned project investments,” Atlantic Shores wrote in its filing. “The Petitioner has also had to seek a pause to its construction scheduled with the federal government as there has been no indication when or if the essential Air Permit would be reinstated.

“Most recently, this includes cancellation of the ISA and associated upgrades to the regional transmission grid. As a result of the foregoing developments, the Project is no longer viable upon the terms and conditions set forth in the OREC Order.”

Reboot-ready

In a statement,  Joris Veldhoven said this filing marks the closing of a chapter. However, it’s not the end for Atlantic Shores.

“Offshore wind continues to offer New Jersey a strong value proposition that includes thousands of good paying jobs, stable power prices and real economic benefits,” Veldhoven told NJBIZ. “While no ratepayer money or subsidy was spent on Atlantic Shores Project 1, this reset period presents us an opportunity to ensure utility customers continue to get a fair deal for critical infrastructure deliver. And with record demand for electricity outpacing supply, one thing’s for sure: New Jersey needs more power generation.

“Atlantic Shores stands ready to deliver high-capacity factor projects that will safeguard American business interests, support energy security, and improve quality of life for millions of Garden State residents.”

The NJBPU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.