Why Tariff Bills Are Catching Online Shoppers by Surprise

WSJ What’s News

The Wall Street Journal

News, Daily News

4 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

P.M. Edition for Sept. 16. Last month, the Trump administration changed a rule that meant that packages worth $800 or less were subject to tariffs. WSJ reporter Esther Fung discusses how that’s playing out for sellers, consumers and shipping companies. Plus, House Republicans have unveiled a spending bill that, if passed, would prevent an Oct. 1 government shutdown. But, as Journal congressional reporter Siobhan Hughes says, they have ignored Democrats’ demands, setting the stage for intense negotiations. And Utah prosecutors announced seven charges against Tyler Robinson in the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, saying they will seek the death penalty. Alex Ossola hosts. Listen: Why IBM's CEO Thinks His Company Can Crack Quantum Computing Watch: Why IBM's CEO Thinks His Company Can Crack Quantum Computing Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	From AI adoption to building stronger teams.
0:03.0	Hear how today's leaders are putting strategy into motion.
0:06.0	Stay informed and inspired with the Executive Insights podcast.
0:10.0	Brought you by AWS, available on all major podcast platforms.
0:19.0	House Republicans determined to avoid a government shutdown are setting themselves up for a fight with Democrats.
0:25.3	Plus, surprise, online shoppers are getting stuck with unexpected bills for tariffs.
0:30.7	In May and June, the CBP Customs and Border Protection said that the number of packages with items worth $800 or less arriving in
0:39.8	the U.S. each day fell to $1 million, down from an average of $4 million last year.
0:45.5	And IBM is making a big bet on quantum computing. Will it pay off? It's Tuesday, September 16th.
0:52.5	I'm Alex Oslo for the Wall Street Journal. This is the PM edition
0:56.3	of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today.
1:03.4	The Federal Reserve's September meeting kicked off today. And even before any decision
1:08.4	about rate cuts has been announced, the meeting is already shaping up to be a strange one.
1:13.4	It follows months of attacks from President Trump over the Fed's reluctance to lower rates and legal dramas that have cast doubt on who will attend the meeting.
1:21.9	That part, at least, has been settled.
1:24.2	Stephen Myron, who was confirmed last night by the Senate, is in attendance. And so is Lisa
1:29.0	Cook, after a federal appeals court rejected an emergency request from the Trump administration
1:33.4	to remove her ahead of this meeting. The Trump administration said it would appeal the decision
1:38.5	to the Supreme Court. Because the Fed is widely expected to cut rates at this meeting,
1:43.6	investors will be watching whether Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues pencil in a total of three rate cuts this year or stick with the two that a slim majority anticipated when the labor market looked sturdier in June.
1:55.4	Answers tomorrow.
1:59.9	House Republicans have unveiled a spending bill that, if passed, would prevent a government
	...

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