Facing Pushback, Trump Threatened More Tariffs

This morning, President Trump issued a new ultimatum to China. He promised to impose an additional 50 percent fee on all imports of Chinese goods — bringing them to a total of 104 percent — unless Beijing agreed to rescind its retaliatory tariffs. He said the U.S. would not negotiate until China backed down.

The move seemed designed to send a message that the president remained committed to his trade war, even if it meant higher prices for Americans. Asked this afternoon about a potential pause on tariffs, Trump said, “We’re not looking at that.”

U.S. stock markets swung wildly. At one point, the S&P 500 fell as much as 4.7 percent; then, it briefly rallied to a 3.4 percent gain after a false report about a tariff reprieve. The index ended the day down 0.2 percent, 17.6 percent below its February peak.

One of Wall Street’s most influential leaders, Jamie Dimon, the head of JPMorgan Chase, warned that stock prices might still be too high. In a letter to shareholders, he said that Trump’s tariffs were likely to increase inflation and slow the American economy, echoing the growing anxiety on Wall Street.

Roberts halted an order to return a wrongly deported man

John Roberts, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, temporarily blocked a judge’s order directing the Trump administration to secure the return of a migrant it had mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador. The judge, who gave the administration a deadline of midnight tonight, had called the deportation a “grievous error” that “shocks the conscience.”

Roberts, acting on his own, issued an administrative stay, an interim measure meant to give the justices time while the full court considers the matter. In a response to the court, the migrant’s lawyers said their client “sits in a foreign prison solely at the behest of the United States, as the product of a Kafka-esque mistake.”

Trump said the U.S. would soon hold nuclear talks with Iran

Trump said this afternoon that senior U.S. officials would engage in “direct” negotiations with Iran on Saturday for the first time in a decade. The president characterized the discussions as an effort to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program, and he said that Iran would be “in great danger” if the talks were not successful.

Three Iranian officials with knowledge of the plans characterized them differently, saying that indirect talks were planned for Saturday, and that Iran would be open to direct talks if they went well.

Trump detailed the plan during an Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel. The two leaders also discussed trade and Gaza, where Israel has renewed its military campaign against Hamas.

In other politics news:

A record settlement after ‘childhoods of pure hell’

Los Angeles County agreed this month to pay $4 billion to settle lawsuits brought by nearly 7,000 people who said they were sexually abused as children in the county’s juvenile detention and foster systems. Lawyers said it was by far the largest settlement of its kind in the U.S.

The wave of claims was so immense that officials warned before the deal that it could bankrupt the county, the most populous in the nation. The Times talked to several plaintiffs who expressed complicated feelings.

Battle the monsters of Southern folklore

The stories in video games are crowded with knights and samurai, superheroes and soldiers. It’s much rarer when a developer takes inspiration from the American South.

South of Midnight, which comes out tomorrow, is about a young woman named Hazel who is searching for her mother, who was carried away in a hurricane as she watched. On her journey, she discovers a powerful magic that allows her to battle the forces of darkness but also heal the world. She also makes friends with a giant talking catfish named, very straightforwardly, Catfish.

Have a mystical evening.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

Sean Kawasaki-Culligan was our photo editor today.

We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.