Tag Archives: President Donald Trump

MSNBC: Trump’s treasury secretary accidentally summed up the bitter truth about his tariffs

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Amid his verbal squirming in Tuesday’s news conference, Bessent offered a perhaps unintended revelation. “President Trump is interested in the jobs of the future, not the jobs of the past,” the secretary said. “We don’t need to necessarily have a booming textile industry like where I grew up again, but we do want to have precision manufacturing and bring that back.”

But textiles and other low-cost goods that rely on cheap foreign labor are subject to Trump’s tariffs, which means higher prices for consumers even if Americans won’t ever make those products again. And while precision manufacturing is great, it tends to be much more automated, which requires a smaller number of highly skilled employees. That means Americans won’t be working in that kind of factory by the tens of millions. 

In other words, Bessent accidentally summed up the effects of Trump’s tariffs: we’ll pay higher prices, but get little in return. Even before we feel the worst of it, Americans already understand. They aren’t happy and, if a recession comes, Trump will really feel their wrath.

Trump’s treasury secretary accidentally summed up the bitter truth about his tariffs
Before his second term began, President Donald Trump said that tariffs were “not going to be a cost to you, it’s going to be a cost to another country.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/trump-s-treasury-secretary-accidentally-summed-up-the-bitter-truth-about-his-tariffs/ar-AA1DUn0r

Associated Press: NYPD shared a Palestinian protester’s info with ICE. Now it’s evidence in her deportation case

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New York City’s police department provided federal immigration authorities with an internal record about a Palestinian woman who they arrested at a protest, which the Trump administration is now using as evidence in its bid to deport her, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The report — shared by the NYPD in March — includes a summary of information in the department’s files about Leqaa Kordia, a New Jersey resident who was arrested at a protest outside Columbia University last spring. It lists her home address, date of birth and an officer’s two-sentence account of the arrest.

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It remains unclear how immigration authorities were able to learn about Kordia’s presence at the protest near Columbia last April. At the demonstration, police cited Kordia with disorderly conduct. But the charge was dismissed weeks later and the case sealed.

City law generally prohibits police from sharing information about arrests with federal immigration officials, although there are exceptions for criminal investigations.

On March 14, an NYPD officer generated a four-page report on Kordia and shared it with Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.

NYPD shared a Palestinian protester’s info with ICE. Now it’s evidence in her deportation case
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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nypd-shared-a-palestinian-protester-s-info-with-ice-now-it-s-evidence-in-her-deportation-case/ar-AA1E4U8X

Washington Examiner: Maine settles with Trump administration in funding freeze lawsuit

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The State of Maine dropped its lawsuit against the Trump administration on Friday after reaching a settlement agreement, which comes as the two parties have been feuding over transgender policies.

Maine agreed to withdraw its lawsuit in exchange for the Department of Agriculture vowing not to freeze the millions of dollars it directs to the state’s Department of Education unlawfully, according to court documents.

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Judge John Woodcock, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, previously ruled in Maine’s favor by granting a restraining order. He said the USDA’s actions were “contrary to law, for multiple reasons,” including because Secretary Brooke Rollins did not follow legal procedures required to stop the funding.

Rollins agreed on Friday to “refrain from freezing, terminating, or otherwise interfering with the state of Maine’s access” to USDA funds, “based on alleged violations of Title IX without first following all legally required procedures,” the agreement read.

Maine settles with Trump administration in funding freeze lawsuit
The State of Maine dropped its lawsuit against the Trump administration on Friday after reaching a settlement agreement, which comes as the two parties have been feuding over transgender policies. Maine agreed to withdraw its lawsuit in exchange for the Department of Agriculture vowing not to freeze the millions of dollars it directs to the […]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/maine-settles-with-trump-administration-in-funding-freeze-lawsuit/ar-AA1E4GLa

More here:

Win for Maine as Trump officials agree to halt school funding freeze
USDA had suspended funds for child nutrition program after state said it would not bar trans girls from girls’ sports

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/02/trump-maine-funding-freeze

The Hill: Opinion: Trump is tanking with Ohio independents — a new poll shows why

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Trump won Ohio by 11 points in 2024. But the news among Ohio independents today is not especially good.

According to the latest Bowling Green State University-YouGov poll of 800 registered Ohio voters, Trump is underwater among independents. Just 40 percent approve, while 47 percent disapprove of his job performance. Just five months ago, 56 percent of Ohio independents reported voting for Trump.

Potential trouble among independent voters is apparent throughout the survey. More than half of Ohio independents (53 percent) think the country is on the wrong track, with nearly half (48 percent) saying that inflation or the economy in general is America’s most important problem and another 13 percent saying threats to democracy.

Asked about their personal economic situation, more than half of Ohio independents (52 percent) believe it has worsened. Their assessment of the U.S. economy is more dire. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) believe it has gotten worse.

Asked about the Trump administration’s tariff policies, more than half of Ohio independents (51 percent) believe they hurt the U.S., and 53 percent believe they will hurt them personally. Specifically asked about a 25 percent tariff on Mexican and Canadian imports, 61 percent of Ohio independents are opposed.

Opinion: Trump is tanking with Ohio independents — a new poll shows why
President Trump is underwater among Ohio independents in a new poll.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/opinion-trump-is-tanking-with-ohio-independents-a-new-poll-shows-why/ar-AA1E4T08

Wall Street Journal: Trump Officials Explore Ways of Challenging Tax-Exempt Status of Nonprofits

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Trump administration officials are exploring ways of challenging the tax-exempt status of nonprofits, according to people familiar with the matter, in a move that some IRS staffers fear could damage the agency’s apolitical approach.

In hourslong meetings that continued over a recent weekend, Internal Revenue Service lawyers explored whether they could alter the rules governing how nonprofit groups can be denied tax-exempt status, the people said.

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Another senior IRS official, Gary Shapley, separately said in at least one meeting that he’s giving priority to investigating the tax-exempt status of a select group of nonprofit organizations, according to people familiar with his remarks. Shapley made the comments as deputy head of the criminal investigations unit. Shapley, who is also an adviser to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, didn’t name any specific groups, the people said.

Some current and former IRS officials fear that the deliberations appear to depart from longstanding practice at the IRS. They come as Trump has said his administration will strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status and suggested the administration could target other organizations.

Trump officials outside the IRS have also had ongoing conversations about how to potentially target nonprofits’ tax-exempt status and endowments for months, an administration official said.

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-officials-explore-ways-of-challenging-tax-exempt-status-of-nonprofits/ar-AA1E5RzU

The Atlantic: Don’t Look at Stock Markets. Look at the Ports.

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Stock markets plunged for days after President Donald Trump announced steep tariffs on imports from around the world. The sell-off ebbed only when he suspended most, but not all, of the new measures for 90 days. The ticker tape is just one indicator of an economy, and other signs are growing more and more ominous—including at the Port of Los Angeles, where high tariffs on China are crushing maritime traffic. “Essentially all shipments out of China for major retailers and manufacturers have ceased,” Eugene Seroka, the executive director of the port, said on April 24.

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The Port of Los Angeles, the busiest containerized-cargo port in the Western Hemisphere, processes about 17 percent of everything the United States imports or exports in shipping containers. The adjoining Port of Long Beach accounts for another 14 percent. Over the years, a whole ecosystem has arisen to support the loading and unloading of the cars, clothes, electronic gadgets, and other things that people want. There are workers and warehouses, trucks and loading pads, security structures and rail lines.

Seroka estimated that cargo arrivals would soon be down 35 percent over the same time last year. At the moment, the drop in traffic seems likelier to accelerate than to reverse. The number of cargo ships canceling port calls or entire voyages is on the rise. A number of shipments now under way were instigated before Trump’s so-called Liberation Day tariff announcement, on April 2. According to Forto, a cargo-management and -tracking company, reservations for shipping products must normally be placed two weeks before a cargo vessel launches. The trip from China from California typically takes two or more additional weeks. In other words, the full effects of U.S. tariff policies on maritime traffic may not be apparent for some time.

Don’t Look at Stock Markets. Look at the Ports.
A drop in maritime traffic suggests that the worst is yet to come.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/don-t-look-at-stock-markets-look-at-the-ports/ar-AA1E6eR8

NBC News: Trump administration asks Supreme Court to grant DOGE access to Social Security data

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The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to pause a lower court’s order restricting affiliates of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Social Security Administration data, arguing in a Friday filing that the judicial order limits President Donald Trump’s executive authority.

“This emergency application presents a now-familiar theme,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote. “A district court has issued sweeping injunctive relief without legal authority to do so, in ways that inflict ongoing, irreparable harm on urgent federal priorities and stymie the Executive Branch’s functions.”

Sauer urged the court to lift an injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander blocking DOGE from accessing the data, which includes Social Security numbers, medical records and tax and banking information.

Dear God, no! Please keep F’Elon Musk out of our medical and banking records.

Trump administration asks Supreme Court to grant DOGE access to Social Security data
The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to pause a lower court’s order restricting affiliates of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Social Security Administration data, arguing in a Friday filing that the judicial order limits President Donald Trump’s executive authority.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-administration-asks-supreme-court-to-grant-doge-access-to-social-security-data/ar-AA1E4OgC

Western Journal: Disturbing Discovery: Biden-Era Dossier on Official Now Serving Trump

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Some self-aggrandizing drivel from Marco Rubio, our pathetic excuse for a Secretary of State:

“Freedom of speech and expression have been a cornerstone of what it means to be an American citizen. For centuries, the United States served as a beacon of hope for millions of people around the world,” he said in a statement.

“Over the last decade though, individuals in America have been slandered, fired, charged, and even jailed for simply voicing their opinions,” Rubio said.

“That is not an America our Founding Fathers would recognize,” he added. “It is the responsibility of every government official to continuously work to preserve and protect the freedom for Americans to exercise their free speech.”

So how do you explain the arrests and deportations of college students who’ve dared to express their support for the Palestinian people, who are being relentlessly slaughtered and abused by the Israeli military?

The First Amendment is for EVERYONE, students, citizens, immigrants, legal or not, regardless of visa category or status.

You, Marco Rubio, and your ilk are a disgrace to the American Constitution and way of life.

Disturbing Discovery: Biden-Era Dossier on Official Now Serving Trump
The Biden-era State Department kept a dossier on a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, alleging they spread disinformation, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. Rubio said the Cabinet member, who he did not name, was among Americans characterized as “vectors of disinformation,” according to Fox News. “We had an office in the Department of State whose job it was to censor Americans,” Rubio said. “And, by the way, I’m not going…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/disturbing-discovery-biden-era-dossier-on-official-now-serving-trump/ar-AA1E0TU6

Latin Times: Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from dismantling library services agency

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A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to shut down the Institute of Museum and Library Services, safeguarding funding for libraries and museums across the U.S. 

Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration from dismantling library services agency
A federal judge has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s attempt to shut down the Institute of Museum and Library Services, safeguarding funding for libraries and museums across the U.S.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/judge-temporarily-blocks-trump-administration-from-dismantling-library-services-agency/vi-AA1E5gKl

New Republic: Judges Who Rule Against Trump Become Target of New MAGA War

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At least 11 federal judges and their families have been threatened and harassed since they ruled against President Trump on issues of deportations, federal funding, and his war on “wokeness.” 

The judges, under anonymity, told Reuters that they had received multiple intimidating calls and emails to their homes and offices. Some have been subject to the disturbing “pizza box” method, in which antagonists will anonymously send a pizza to the home of a judge or their relatives just to show that they know where they live. 

This is only compounded by the countless attacks and doxxing attempts that people like Laura Loomer and Elon Musk have made on X. When U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled against Trump’s illegal deportation of 137 men under the Alien Enemies Act in March, Loomer and Musk shared photos of his daughter, while their army of keyboard warriors called for the execution or arrest of Boasberg and the rest of his family. Loomer did the same to Judge John McConnell after he blocked Trump from freezing education grants, posting a picture of his daughter who had worked for the Education Department. Loomer’s post conveniently omitted that McConnell’s daughter left the department before Trump was even inaugurated.

Trump’s cry babies just can’t handle being told they’re wrong.

Judges Who Rule Against Trump Become Target of New MAGA War
At least 11 federal judges and their families have been threatened and harassed since they ruled against President Trump on issues of deportations, federal funding, and his war on “wokeness.” The judges, under anonymity, told Reuters that they had received multiple intimidating calls and emails to their homes and offices. Some have been subject to the disturbing “pizza box” method, in which antagonists will anonymously send a pizza to the home…

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/judges-who-rule-against-trump-become-target-of-new-maga-war/ar-AA1E4mAa