News of the Week (April 6th, 2025)

Posted on April 6, 2025 by The Political Hat

 

News of the Week for April 5th, 2025


 

Abortion

Dobbs Decision

 

Pro-Life Grandma Convicted of Merely Holding Sign Outside Abortion Clinic
A 64-year-old grandmother and pro-life campaigner was convicted Friday of merely holding a sign peacefully outside an abortion facility in the UK.

Gun Rights

 

Analysis: Trump’s Tariffs Could Hit Gun Industry Hard
The gun industry is one of the few bright spots in American manufacturing, but that doesn’t mean it’s invulnerable to new tariffs. While many storied firearms brands are American and still produce their products in America, imported guns and ammunition are also clearly popular. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) most recent data shows American manufacturers produced 171,810,319 firearms from 2000 through 2023. The same numbers show Americans imported another 93,355,557 guns. American manufacturers also exported 9,409,676 firearms over that time.

Second Amendment Roundup: Supreme Court Decides VanDerStok
Narrow decision leaves ATF regulation in limbo.

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &“Green Energy”

 

Global Bankers: The Paris Climate Accord is Dead
One positive, this alarmist banker vision of a 3C warmer world implies there will still be a functioning economy. At least some people are expected to have enough money to buy air conditioners.

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

Doctor Shortages Have Hobbled Healthcare for Decades – And The Trend Could Be Worsening
Americans are increasingly waiting weeks or even months to get an appointment to see a healthcare specialist. This delay comes at a time when the population of aging adults is rising dramatically. By 2050, the number of adults over 85 is expected to triple, which will intensify the strain on an already stretched healthcare system.

War & Terror

 

Lankford calls for inspector general to investigate Signalgate
The Oklahoma Republican is one of few members of his party publicly calling for further investigation into the national security situation.

Missing U.S. soldiers’ vehicle recovered from Lithuania swamp but there’s no word on them
A U.S. armored vehicle that went missing in Lithuania has been retrieved from a swamp after a six-day search but there is still no information about the fate of the four American soldiers who were inside, Lithuanian officials said Monday.

Sweden unveils its largest military aid package for Ukraine worth nearly $1.6 billion
Sweden will provide Ukraine with a military aid package worth almost $1.6 billion, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson announced on March 31.

Secret Pentagon memo on China, homeland has Heritage fingerprints
An internal guidance memo from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth focuses on deterring China’s seizure of Taiwan and shoring up homeland defense. In some instances, the document is nearly a word-for-word facsimile of a report from the conservative think tank behind Project 2025.

Waltz and staff used Gmail for government communications, officials say
Members of President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, including White House national security adviser Michael Waltz, have conducted government business over personal Gmail accounts, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post and interviews with three U.S. officials.

China Simulates Port Strikes in Second Day of Taiwan Drills
China conducted a second day of drills around Taiwan on Wednesday, adding to the unprecedented military pressure it is applying to President Lai Ching-te, a leader it strongly dislikes.

Serious Sanctions Time for Russia
As Putin strings along Trump, the Senate can send a message to Moscow.

Waltz’s team set up at least 20 Signal group chats for crises across the world
It’s a more extensive use of the app than previously reported and sheds new light on how commonly the Trump administration’s national security team relies on Signal.

Multiple firings on Trump’s National Security Council after Loomer visit
Several members of President Trump’s embattled National Security Council have been fired, a U.S. official and a second source familiar told Axios on Thursday.

China’s Trump Strategy
Beijing Is Preparing to Take Advantage of Disruption

Marine Corps stands up ‘attack drone team’ to take lessons from Ukraine and teach them to grunts
The Marine Corps Attack Drone Team will help develop tactics for using first-person-view drones.

The Islamic State-fighting female snipers refusing to put down their guns
The brave members of the Women’s Protection Units are standing firm against dual threats of the IS and Turkish-backed rebel groups in Syria

Second measles death reported in Texas
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to attend the child’s funeral, which is scheduled for Sunday.

Nuclear Bomb Staffers on Energy Agency’s 8,500-Job ‘Non-Essential’ List
The US Energy Department has identified 8,500 jobs as “non-essential” — including positions that oversee the nation’s stockpile of nuclear weapons — as it prepares to cut employees in response to a mandate from Elon Musk’s government efficiency team.

 

National

 

Keisha Lance Bottoms Prepares for a Potential Governor Run in Georgia — With a MAGA Operative on the Payroll
The MAGA operative does work on a political nonprofit associated with the former Atlanta mayor.

Psychedelic Church offers free magic mushrooms to its 500-strong congregation
The founder of the Psychedelic Church has revealed the institute is aimed at battling ‘rising fascism’ caused by a pair he calls ‘Orange Hitler and his apartheid lapdog cheering him on’

In God She Trusts: Karoline Leavitt’s Journey to the White House Podium
At the relatively young age of 27, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt approaches the podium with confidence and a smile. Don’t let her age fool you, though. She has proved to be unflappable and, as those in the press room can attest, her approach is no-nonsense and fearless.

Trump advisor Paula White-Cain promises ‘supernatural blessings’ for $1,000 donation ahead of Passover
Spokesperson tells CP accusation is a ‘deceptive smear;’ ‘donations to ministry don’t directly benefit’ pastor

The race for 2028
Two Democratic governors are taking opposing approaches to their 2028 runs for the Presidency. California Gov. Gavin Newsom appeared on Bill Maher’s HBO show, Real Time, on Friday night to defend his approach of investigating the appeal of the other side.

Republicans reel as Dem over-performances hit a swing state and MAGA country
Democrats clinched a landslide victory in Wisconsin and made inroads in two deep-red Florida districts, spelling trouble for Republicans.

A Senate Blockbuster Looms in Texas, as Paxton Prepares to Challenge Cornyn
In an interview, the Texas attorney general attacked Senator John Cornyn as out of touch, and said he had talked to people close to President Trump about an endorsement.

No California Democrat Is All That Scared of Taking on Kamala Harris, Huh?
Xavier Becerra, President Biden’s former secretary of health and human services, is running for governor of California in 2026. He brings to the race a proud record of infuriating colleagues, losing track of migrant children, violating the Hatch Act, and spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Hey, Remember that TikTok Ban that Trump Decided to Just Ignore?
Hey, remember TikTok? Remember how large bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate passed a law requiring that TikTok be sold or banned, President Biden signed it into law, and the Supreme Court upheld the law?

Judge dismisses Eric Adams case, denying DOJ an opportunity to revive it later
The department wanted to drop the charges while retaining the right to refile them someday — an arrangement that could have given Trump powerful leverage over Adams.

GOP Cruises to Victory in Florida, Then Hits a Wall in Wisconsin
On the menu today: Tuesday could have been much worse for Republicans; those two U.S. House special elections in deep-red territory in Florida turned out to be relatively easy GOP wins, even if the margin of victory was lower than in normal November circumstances. But the Wisconsin Supreme Court election wasn’t all that close, and Elon Musk had seemed to revel in the notion that the race was a referendum on himself and President Trump. Meanwhile, a whole bunch of NATO allies are getting back into the business of acquiring and deploying landmines, and a much-needed observation about military alliances and defense expenditures.

VCU shuts down ‘Division of Inclusive Excellence’
Virginia Commonwealth University has decided to eliminate a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) office following directions from the federal government against DEI policies and practices. Specifically, the VCU Board of Visitors voted to eliminate its ‘Division of Inclusive Excellence’ on March 21.

Poll: AOC leads Schumer in head-to-head New York primary matchup by double digits
The liberal group Data for Progress conducted the survey of likely Democratic voters.

‘Equity lens’ required for assistant football coach at Minn. State University
‘Equity lens’ is a required qualification, whereas ‘ability to coach’ is only ‘preferred’

Professors can’t show images of Native American ‘cultural items’ in some California colleges
While a policy revision stalls, one professor says the moratorium is ‘like a sledgehammer to our collections’

Are N.C. Colleges Cutting Their Mandatory DEI Courses?
Spoiler alert: UNC-Chapel Hill is trying to hide its “diversity” requirement.

A stunning number of electric vehicle, battery factories are being canceled
Over the past few years, electric vehicle manufacturing facilities producing lithium batteries, car parts and critical minerals sprang up all over the United States. Drawing on cash and tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act, these factories promised to provide jobs — largely in Republican areas — and to set the nation on a path to making homegrown EVs.

Kushner’s Abraham Accords institute to merge into Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is going to acquire the Abraham Accords Peace Institute (AAPI), which was established by President Trump’s son-in-law and former senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to a statement shared with Axios.

Sigal Chattah blurs conflict of interest lines by continuing political activity as new U.S. attorney
Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada Sigal Chattah has yet to publicly resign her position as the state’s Republican national committeewoman and was introduced virtually at a state party meeting Saturday, potentially violating Department of Justice rules against its employees participating in political activities.

Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
VHS rentals, true-crime documentaries, and IT techs in the jury room.

Travel alert for US citizens to ‘delete apps’ from law firm amid phone border checks
Serious concerns grow at checks even on citizens as Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered diplomats overseas to scour social media accounts

Trump tariffs pose danger for vulnerable Republicans
Vulnerable House Republicans are being put on defense amid the fallout from President Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, which have stoked uncertainty about the economy.

 

Economy & Taxes

 

In Hawaii, where 90% of food is imported, farmers who offset imbalance now face cuts
Since the Trump administration paused funds, local farmers are in survival mode, they say.

White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War
The Trump administration has discussed providing financial aid for farmers who may be subject to retaliation by America’s trading partners.

Is Google at risk of becoming irrelevant? Alphabet’s stock drop draws comparison to Kodak.
Google’s management is upbeat about its ability to thrive in the AI era. But one analyst sees concerning signs in how young people are using ChatGPT.

South Korea, China, Japan agree to promote regional trade as Trump tariffs loom
The countries agreed to “closely cooperate for a comprehensive and high-level” talks on a South Korea-Japan-China free trade agreement deal. The ministers met ahead of Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of more tariffs in what he calls “liberation day”, as he upends Washington’s trading partnerships. After Mexico, South Korea is the world’s largest exporter of vehicles to the United States, followed by Japan, according to data from S&P.

Tariffs: Helping Inflation, Uh, WIN
The conventional wisdom is that tariff increases are not inflationary. To oversimplify, this is for two reasons. Firstly, higher tariffs are a one-off price rise. This gives the inflation rate a brief bump while those price increases go in and out of the numbers, and that’s that. If the underlying conditions to support a longer lasting increase in the inflation rate are not there, everything calms down. Secondly, the higher prices resulting from the tariffs lead U.S. customers to shop at home, rather than selling dollars to buy goods manufactured internationally. As a result, the dollar rises, taking the edge off tariff-induced price increases.

The Heritage Foundation Was One of Free Trade’s Strongest Supporters
Emphasis on ‘was.’

Tariffs on Screws Are Already Hitting Manufacturers
Levies on steel and aluminum are reaching deeper in supply chains and spawning a hunt for domestic producers

Javier Milei’s Free Market Reforms Are Starting To Pay Off
As poverty and inflation plunge, Milei’s reforms begin to reshape Argentina’s economy.

McConnell breaks with party to reject Trump’s Canada tariffs
The former Senate Republican leader will likely deliver the deciding vote on a resolution to block a national emergency used to justify the new tariffs on Canadian imports.

Trump announces sweeping range of reciprocal tariffs, 10% worldwide tariff in ‘Liberation Day’ proclamation
Donald Trump unveiled and then enacted a two-step tariff approach Wednesday as his long-awaited “Liberation Day” plans were released during a Rose Garden event at the White House.

Senate Passes Resolution Rebuking Trump’s Canada Tariffs with Bipartisan Vote
The GOP-controlled Senate passed a resolution Wednesday rebuking President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration used to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports.

Layoff announcements surge to the most since the pandemic as Musk’s DOGE slices federal labor force
Furloughs in the federal government totaled 216,215 for March, part of a total 275,240 reductions overall in the labor force, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The monthly total was surpassed only by April and May of 2020 in the early days of the pandemic when employers announced combined reductions of more than 1 million.

Easter Eggs Are So Expensive Americans Are Dyeing Potatoes
With costs high and supplies short, people are getting creative with Easter egg traditions.

Trump’s Tariffs Are a Historic Tax Hike
If implemented, the tariffs announced yesterday by President Trump would constitute the largest tax increase since the 1968 levies to fund the Vietnam War.

Pat Toomey Saw the Tariff Madness Coming
Yesterday was “liberation day” (or as I suggested we all call it, “Mission Accomplished” Day). Somehow, it has managed to go worse than nearly anyone expected it to. (I hope you were short in the market, friends.)

Get Ready for the Great Dissembling
Every several generations or so, we are drafted into a great experiment to show the extent to which Washington can reshape the economic landscape by fiat, even if that involves repealing the laws that govern the dismal science. It takes another generation for those whose hubris consigned their fellow Americans to penury to pass from the political stage, after which point fresh eyes and new political conditions allow critical retrospection on the great experiment. It’s a long and painful cycle we should hope to avoid.

The Suicidal Impulse in American Politics
I have been following American politics since I was a kid in the Carter era, and I’ve been part of the so-called “Stupid Party” for that long. So, I’ve had the opportunity to witness a lot of different politicians, and specifically a lot of Republican politicians at various levels of government, make self-destructive mistakes. Some have been mistakes of cowardice, some of overreach, and some of misjudgment of reality. But I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen such an obvious mistake, with such clear potential for catastrophe, as Donald Trump’s decision to launch a simultaneous trade war against every country on earth.

In an interview recorded yesterday, Hoover Senior Fellow Thomas Sowell criticizes the tariffs President Trump instituted earlier today.
Interview with Dr. Sowell with Peter Robinson

Trump’s Totally Arbitrary Tariff Regime
On the menu today: There are two main takeaways from yesterday’s “liberation day” announcements. The new tariffs are economically illiterate, self-destructive, top-to-bottom nonsense, imposed with no sense of rhyme or reason, assembled by White House staffers who do not know which territories have serious trade relationships with the U.S. and which ones are inhabited entirely by penguins. Also, the White House continues to avoid almost any decision that could possibly antagonize Vladimir Putin, while inflicting as much pain as possible on longtime allies and vulnerable friends like Israel and Taiwan.

Does Trump have a Plan B if his tariffs plunge us into recession?
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently cautioned people that they will likely experience “a detox period” after President Donald Trump implements his wide-ranging tariffs.

Tariffs a Harsh New Demonstration of the Folly of Economic Planners
Trump has engineered something like a sanctions regime targeting Americans.

Trump tariffs target remote, uninhabited islands with no U.S. trade
At least three uninhabited islands are included in Trump’s tariffs, while other sparsely populated remote islands are facing much higher tariffs than the countries to which they belong. Trump declared a national economic emergency to levy the far-reaching tariffs.

Milton Friedman – I, Pencil
Milton Friedman points out the remarkable degree of cooperation between people from many different countries, who’ve never even met, to make what appears to be a very simple product – a pencil. The free market encourages cooperation between strangers. And the end result is that we all benefit – in this case, by having pencils to use.

How Trump’s Tariff Table Was Made
The Trump administration released a table that purports to list the “tariffs charged to the U.S.A.” for nearly every country. It then lists the “U.S.A. discounted reciprocal tariffs” for each.

Tariffs: Another Awkward Question
If foreign capital pulls out of the U.S., that will make it more difficult (and/or more expensive) for American companies to raise the money they will need to make in order to increase production in the U.S. and, for that matter, help finance America’s debt. The growth in that debt, incidentally, is likely to be accelerated by the recession which Trump’s colossal blunder will now set in motion.

Tariffs: The Politics of ‘Liberation’
A couple of days (or a million years) ago, I wrote about the politics of Trump’s tariff policies (this was before Americans had been told just how liberated they were going to be), suggesting that this supposedly populist cause was not proving very popular.

Meanwhile, on the Fiscal Side
New Senate budget resolution adds $5.8 trillion to the deficit

Russia not on Trump’s tariff list
One country that did not feature on Donald Trump’s list of tariffs on US trade partners was Russia.

‘The Donald Trump Tariff Extravaganza’
What is a tariff? What are tariffs for? Why aren’t they good? Why did they once work but don’t now? Don’t we need them to fight against our rivals, who are taking advantage of us? Other countries do it — why, if they are bad? What about our ‘hollowed out manufacturing base’? What about China?

The Week: Trump’s Liberation Day Tax Hike
You won’t find a single human being on the Heard and McDonald Islands to deny they deserve the Trump administration’s new 10 percent tariff.

China Hits Back at Trump With Tariffs, Limits on Key Exports
China retaliated against Donald Trump’s latest tariffs with commensurate levies on all American goods and export controls on rare earths, dealing a fresh blow to global markets and prompting the US president to quickly deride Beijing’s reaction as the “wrong” move.

There Is A Better Way
One need not rely on experts to know tariffs are typically not a good policy. Going back to Adam Smith writing The Wealth of Nations, we have known it is better to manufacture cheap commodities in areas that can make them cheaply so that wealthier nations can spend their wealth more productively. Adding tariffs historically disrupt that balance and, often, causes economic slowdowns.

Your New Lunch Habit Is Hurting the Economy
More people are bringing lunch to work and restaurants are selling fewer lunches than they did in 2020

Legendary economist says Trump’s tariffs could replay ‘devastating history’
Thomas Sowell said that broad tariffs risk causing an economic downturn

Farmers devastated by delayed wheat season as harvest outlook turns grim: ‘We have reason to be concerned’
“We could potentially predict to see a major yield loss.”

President Trump’s Tariff Formula Makes No Economic Sense. It’s Also Based on an Error.
President Trump on Wednesday announced tariffs on practically every foreign country (and some non-countries), ranging from a 10 percent minimum all the way up to 50 percent. The economic fallout has been dramatic, with the stock market losing nine percent of its value (based on the S&P 500 index at the time of writing) and forecasted probabilities of a recession rising.

Free Trade Didn’t Kill the Middle Class
Populists cherry pick the data to support their claim that tariffs will bring manufacturing back.

President Trump’s New Tariffs Are Unconstitutional
They violate the major questions doctrine set forth by the Roberts Court and must be stopped by a nationwide injunction.

Tariffs: The First Time as Farce, the Second as Tragedy
The administration’s tariff hikes show next to no evidence of care or thought, other (it seems) than a certain knowledge of ChatGPT. The only Greek letters of any relevance are not those in the formula that supposedly helped generate the tariff numbers, but these: ?ß??? (hubris). Let’s just hope that what is said to follow hubris, ??µes?? (nemesis), can be avoided

‘The policy may very well fail’: JD Vance doubted Trump’ first-term trade policies, previously bashed tariffs
Vice President JD Vance applauded in the front row of the Rose Garden as President Donald Trump announced a massive new round of tariffs on Wednesday – an economy-rattling policy he promised would bring back manufacturing jobs.

Trump’s tariffs already hitting Las Vegas Valley’s real estate industry
The Las Vegas Valley’s real estate industry is already feeling the financial pain from the Trump administration’s tariffs and market uncertainty regarding the president’s economic policies, local executives say.

 

International

 

Marine Le Pen Found Guilty of Embezzlement, Banned From Next Election
Judges convict the far-right leader of misusing EU funds and bar her from running in the 2027 presidential elections

1st-ever orbital rocket launch from European soil falls to Earth and explodes seconds into flight
Video from the incident shows the rocket plummeting to the ground shortly after lifting off.

#WTH The Tariff Tsunami
You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

The computer that runs on human neurons
The CL1 biological computer, manufactured by the Australian company Cortical Labs, is designed for biomedical research, but also promises to deliver a more fast-paced and energy-efficient computing system

Donald Trump is keeping incumbents on life support
The US president is Mark Carney, Claudia Sheinbaum, and other world leaders’ biggest asset.

 

Opinion

 

Thatcher and the Conservative Party, Fifty Years Later
Fifty years ago, Margaret Thatcher took the reins of the Conservative Party and proceeded to reform a badly stumbling Britain. Is such a restoration still possible today?

Democrats suddenly see the light on trans athletes in women’s sports
California Gov. Gavin Newsom joins the left’s post-election rethink of the GOP’s pet issue.

Political Gravity Will Prevail: Liberation Day Edition
When it comes to the economic damage from President Trump’s trade war, I am among the more serene analysts.

Empire of Illusion: Frank Dikötter on Why China Isn’t a Superpower
Frank Dikötter is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution who has recently returned to the United States after living in Hong Kong since 2006. In this provocative conversation, Dikötter challenges the prevailing narrative about China’s rise. Drawing from his latest book, China After Mao: The Rise of a Superpower, Dikötter argues that the Chinese Communist Party has masterfully projected the image of a powerful, modern, and economically dominant nation — but he says that image is largely a façade.

Sorry, Mr. Vance, Things Are Not the Same as People
Imports do not raise many of the issues that we associate with immigration.

Trump’s trade war will hurt poor Americans most
Tariffs invariably tax consumers

The Case for Capitalism and the Price of Retreat
With Pat Toomey

Wisconsin’s super-charged Supreme Court election delivers sobering signs for GOP
There are two ways to size up Tuesday’s huge Wisconsin election victory by liberal Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford.

Trump is neglecting moderates — Harsh partisanship hurts presidents
President Trump’s first two months back in the Oval Office have been a whirlwind of unprecedented executive action. This has predictably ignited forceful reactions from Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media, attacks which nevertheless have yet to significantly politically damage the president. But that is not where the threat to Trump comes from. The real danger to his legacy lies in his own temptation to ignore the national centre in favour of the most hard-core elements of his base.

Bad Marketing
Yesterday, MBD made the case for the president to talk about tariffs in a better way. He suggested justifying them on grounds of reciprocity. He also correctly noted that if Trump said he was raising tariffs to the levels that other countries impose on U.S. exports, retaliation by these other countries would seem less justified.

The Strategic Folly of a Global War on Trade
Remember all the arguments that were made against “neocon” foreign policy? Because it sure looks as if the Trump-Vance team is bent on repeating every single mistake it once criticized.

Sorry, There Is No Genius Plan Behind the Tariffs
On the menu today: Happy Financial Literacy Month. During this month, President Trump urges “families, communities, schools, and institutions to commit to bolstering their financial knowledge.” The world is still reeling from the de facto declaration of an American trade war against the world; as of this writing, the S&P 500 futures are down another 3 percent. There were a lot of problems with the tariff announcement this week, but one angle is getting overlooked: The whole thing was hastily assembled, sloppy, and riddled with errors.

Trump Is Replacing the Nanny State With a Daddy State
The president is using the powers of his office in an aggressive, paternalistic way without precedent. Is an old form of intrusive government being replaced by a new one?

Trump’s new union friends can’t save him from a collapsing approval rating
There is a political constituency for the president’s policy. But his allies are failing to make a coherent argument for it

The Fight for the Post-Trump Future Has Already Begun
How Democrats choose to confront DOGE’s corrupt destruction today will determine whether America recovers—and who will lead that recovery.

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