Latest news with #MicroKits
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This Virginia Small Business Is in Limbo As Owner Sues To Stop Trump's Tariffs
Even after scoring a huge victory against President Donald Trump's tariffs in federal court last week, David Levi still isn't sure if his small business will survive the trade war. "It's just been exhausting how uncertain it is," Levi, who started MicroKits in 2020 to get more kids interested in the hands-on science of electrical engineering, tells Reason. Imports are essential to the kits that Levi and his one employee assemble in a warehouse near Charlottesville, Virginia. For example, a kit that teaches kids how to build a small theremin requires a circuit board, resistors, capacitors, bits of wire, and plastic molding to hold batteries and other pieces in place. "I don't have millions and millions of dollars to spin up my own circuit board assembly line, and plastic mold injection, and everything," Levi says. Though he is running a small, niche operation, Microkits is in many ways a microcosm of American manufacturing. Levi provides the ideas and designs, and he oversees the final assembly of his products in America, but those products combine parts sourced from around the globe. About 60 percent of his inputs come from China, Levi says, which puts him more or less in line with American manufacturing as a whole. More than half the imports to the U.S. are raw materials, intermediate parts, or equipment—the stuff that manufacturing firms need to make things—rather than finished goods. It is those supply chains that the trade war is jeopardizing. He's had to put on hold plans to offer a new kit that would allow kids to build a musical synthesizer powered by the electrical current found in bananas (which are also getting more expensive, thanks to tariffs). "It's not a question of 'oh do you build the kits entirely in America or with international parts?'" Levi says. "It's a question of do you build the kits with international parts versus you don't build these science kits at all. And then, instead of kids getting a cool science project at Christmas, they just get another app on their iPad that they already have." Levi and MicroKits are plaintiffs in the lawsuit that briefly blocked many of Trump's tariffs last week when the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that the president did not have the legal authority to impose those tariffs. Less than 24 hours later, that injunction was put on hold by a federal appeals court—leaving the tariffs in place, for now, and business owners like Levi in limbo. Next week will be pivotal. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit gave the Trump administration until Monday to file its briefs for the next stage of the legal process. A full ruling on the merits of the case could take weeks or months, but the first thing the appeals court will have to decide is whether to maintain the temporary order blocking the lower court's injunction against the tariffs, says Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, which is representing Levi and several other business owners in the lawsuit. "I'd be shocked—and disappointed, honestly—if they don't make a decision [regarding the stay] before Friday of next week," Schwab tells Reason. "So by next week at this time, hopefully we'll know." The post This Small Business Is in Limbo As Owner Sues To Stop Trump's Tariffs appeared first on
CNN
30-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Small business owner suing Trump over tariffs speaks out
Small business owner suing Trump over tariffs speaks out CNN's Erin Burnett talks with David Levi, the founder of toy company MicroKits and one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit suing the Trump administration over its tariffs. 01:51 - Source: CNN Automated CNN Shorts 11 videos Small business owner suing Trump over tariffs speaks out CNN's Erin Burnett talks with David Levi, the founder of toy company MicroKits and one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit suing the Trump administration over its tariffs. 01:51 - Source: CNN Sen. Rand Paul: This part of Trump's bill gives me 'heartburn' Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told reporters he would vote yes on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" if it doesn't include raising the debt ceiling. 01:03 - Source: CNN Anonymous 'Diddy' employee testifies alleging sexual assault Prosecutors called a witness identified as 'Mia,' a pseudonym being used in court to protect her identity, to the stand Thursday at the federal criminal trial for Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Mia, a former assistant for Sean 'Diddy' Combs, described what she called a 'chaotic' and 'toxic' work environment, testifying that Combs committed acts of violence and sexual assault against her. If you or someone you know is struggling with intimate partner violence, there are resources available, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline. 02:23 - Source: CNN Elephant seal in Cape Town wanders into suburbia, stops traffic and wins the hearts of locals A Southern elephant seal makes a surprise visit to the residential neighborhood of Gordon's Bay in Cape Town, South Africa, and triggers an almost nine-hour rescue effort to return him to the coast. 00:57 - Source: CNN Nathan Fielder on FAA response to his show: 'They're dumb' Comedian Nathan Fielder discusses his new HBO docu-comedy series, 'The Rehearsal' with CNN's Wolf Blitzer & Pamela Brown. Fielder's show explores whether miscommunication between pilots could be a hidden factor in plane crashes. 02:27 - Source: CNN Why e.l.f. just bought Hailey Bieber's beauty brand for $1 billion e.l.f. Beauty is buying Hailey Bieber's makeup brand, Rhode, for $1 billion. Founded in 2022, Bieber's brand racked up $212 million in net sales in its last fiscal year. 01:11 - Source: CNN President Trump's timeline for things seems to almost always be 'in two weeks' President Donald Trump told reporters it will take about 'two weeks' to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war in Ukraine. That two week timeline, CNN's Abby Phillip says, is a familiar one. 01:48 - Source: CNN Contestants risk injury in cheese wheel competition An annual race held in England has attracted thousands around the world. It's been described as the world's most dangerous race: a 200-yard dash after a wheel of Gloucester cheese. 01:15 - Source: CNN Desperate scenes at community kitchen in northern Gaza Chaotic scenes broke out at this community-run kitchen in Gaza City, in the north, as Palestinians desperate for a meal rushed to receive food. More than 2 million Palestinians have been pushed towards famine after an 11-week blockade on aid by Israel. US and Israeli-backed aid distribution centers have only been opened in the center and the south of the strip. 01:18 - Source: CNN Harvard President gets standing ovation at commencement Harvard President Alan Garber received warm applause at the university's commencement ceremony as Harvard's legal fight against the Trump administration continues. Garber was loudly applauded again after making an indirect reference to the university's legal pushback against the White House's effort to make it impossible for Harvard to accept international students. 01:14 - Source: CNN Glacier partially collapses and buries Swiss village Video shows a glacier in the Swiss Alps partially collapsing, causing ice, mud and rocks to bury part of a mountain village that was evacuated earlier this month. 00:45 - Source: CNN
CNN
30-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Small business owner suing Trump over tariffs speaks out
Small business owner suing Trump over tariffs speaks out CNN's Erin Burnett talks with David Levi, the founder of toy company MicroKits and one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit suing the Trump administration over its tariffs. 01:51 - Source: CNN Automated CNN Shorts 11 videos Small business owner suing Trump over tariffs speaks out CNN's Erin Burnett talks with David Levi, the founder of toy company MicroKits and one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit suing the Trump administration over its tariffs. 01:51 - Source: CNN Sen. Rand Paul: This part of Trump's bill gives me 'heartburn' Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told reporters he would vote yes on President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" if it doesn't include raising the debt ceiling. 01:03 - Source: CNN Anonymous 'Diddy' employee testifies alleging sexual assault Prosecutors called a witness identified as 'Mia,' a pseudonym being used in court to protect her identity, to the stand Thursday at the federal criminal trial for Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Mia, a former assistant for Sean 'Diddy' Combs, described what she called a 'chaotic' and 'toxic' work environment, testifying that Combs committed acts of violence and sexual assault against her. If you or someone you know is struggling with intimate partner violence, there are resources available, including the National Domestic Violence Hotline. 02:23 - Source: CNN Elephant seal in Cape Town wanders into suburbia, stops traffic and wins the hearts of locals A Southern elephant seal makes a surprise visit to the residential neighborhood of Gordon's Bay in Cape Town, South Africa, and triggers an almost nine-hour rescue effort to return him to the coast. 00:57 - Source: CNN Nathan Fielder on FAA response to his show: 'They're dumb' Comedian Nathan Fielder discusses his new HBO docu-comedy series, 'The Rehearsal' with CNN's Wolf Blitzer & Pamela Brown. Fielder's show explores whether miscommunication between pilots could be a hidden factor in plane crashes. 02:27 - Source: CNN Why e.l.f. just bought Hailey Bieber's beauty brand for $1 billion e.l.f. Beauty is buying Hailey Bieber's makeup brand, Rhode, for $1 billion. Founded in 2022, Bieber's brand racked up $212 million in net sales in its last fiscal year. 01:11 - Source: CNN President Trump's timeline for things seems to almost always be 'in two weeks' President Donald Trump told reporters it will take about 'two weeks' to determine whether Russian President Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war in Ukraine. That two week timeline, CNN's Abby Phillip says, is a familiar one. 01:48 - Source: CNN Contestants risk injury in cheese wheel competition An annual race held in England has attracted thousands around the world. It's been described as the world's most dangerous race: a 200-yard dash after a wheel of Gloucester cheese. 01:15 - Source: CNN Desperate scenes at community kitchen in northern Gaza Chaotic scenes broke out at this community-run kitchen in Gaza City, in the north, as Palestinians desperate for a meal rushed to receive food. More than 2 million Palestinians have been pushed towards famine after an 11-week blockade on aid by Israel. US and Israeli-backed aid distribution centers have only been opened in the center and the south of the strip. 01:18 - Source: CNN Harvard President gets standing ovation at commencement Harvard President Alan Garber received warm applause at the university's commencement ceremony as Harvard's legal fight against the Trump administration continues. Garber was loudly applauded again after making an indirect reference to the university's legal pushback against the White House's effort to make it impossible for Harvard to accept international students. 01:14 - Source: CNN Glacier partially collapses and buries Swiss village Video shows a glacier in the Swiss Alps partially collapsing, causing ice, mud and rocks to bury part of a mountain village that was evacuated earlier this month. 00:45 - Source: CNN
