The US and China have finalized a trade understanding first brokered last month in Geneva, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has announced, signaling a potential thaw in the trade war. The deal includes a commitment by China to resume supplying rare-earth minerals critical to numerous industries.

"They're going to deliver rare earths to us" and once they do that, "we'll take down our countermeasures," Lutnick told Bloomberg, adding that the trade deal was signed two days ago and that it cemented commitments made during earlier talks.

The Geneva deal had reportedly faltered over China's curbs on critical minerals exports, prompting the Trump administration to respond with export controls of its own preventing shipments of semiconductor design software, aircraft, and other goods to China.

China's suspension of exports of a broad range of critical minerals and magnets had disrupted global supply chains vital to automakers, aerospace firms, semiconductor makers, and military contractors.

A separate White House official said that Washington had reached a rare-earth shipment agreement with Beijing focused on "how we can implement expediting rare earths shipments to the US again." China has been taking its dual-use restrictions on rare earths "very seriously" and has been vetting buyers to ensure that materials are not diverted to US military uses.

While addressing an event in support of the "big, beautiful bill" at the White House on Thursday, Trump said the US had signed a deal with China on Wednesday, without providing details, and suggested a separate agreement could be coming that would "open up" India.

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"The terminations, effective September 6, would end Temporary Protected Status for an estimated 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans who have had access to the legal status since 1999, according to a pair of notices posted online on Monday."

"The TPS designations for Honduras and Nicaragua were based on destruction caused by Hurricane Mitch, which tore through Central America in 1998 and killed at least 10,000 people, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

"Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in the termination notices that the countries had made significant recoveries, citing tourism in both countries, real estate investment in Honduras, and the renewable energy sector in Nicaragua."

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