News of the Week for April 20th, 2025
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Abortion
Dobbs Decision
Rare agreement emerges between some abortion sides with ‘Life of the Mother Act’
A public hearing on House Bill 44 highlighted a “negotiated” agreement on abortion laws
Judge lifts block on parental notification law in Nevada… after 40 years
A Nevada judge ruled last week that the state can enforce a 40-year-old law requiring minors who want an abortion to first notify their parents. Though the law has been on the books since 1985, it has been blocked by federal injunctions since that time.
Montana asks justices to revive parental-consent law for minors to get an abortion
Since the Supreme Court overruled a federal constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the fight over reproductive rights has shifted to state courts. This week, we highlight petitions asking the court to consider, among other things, whether to overturn a ruling by the Montana Supreme Court that struck down a state law requiring minors under the age of 18 to get consent from their parents before obtaining an abortion.
Gun Rights
A price tag on gun rights; Gov. Polis should veto Senate Bill 3
On March 28, Colorado Senate Bill 25-003 reached Governor Polis’ desk, and if he doesn’t veto this bill within ten days it becomes law, going into effect Aug 1, 2026.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
‘Great Lakes and State Waters Bill of Rights’ Legislation Introduced in New York
A bill has been filed in New York that would grant rights to the Great Lakes and all waterways in the state. (A similar law was enacted previously in Toledo, forcing Ohio to pass preemptive legislation.) I have no idea whether it will pass — I would certainly hope not — but it illustrates the profound anti-development/free market agendas behind the entire nature-rights movement.
USDA Issues Order to Expand Logging in National Forests Under Emergency Declaration
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins acknowledged more attention would be given to proper forest management.
“Climate Activist Found Guilty in Defacing Degas Exhibit at National Gallery of Art”
Timothy Martin, 55, of Raleigh, North Carolina, was found guilty by a federal jury for his role in the April 27, 2023, defacement of an art exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Oregon Sees Increase in Lethal Suicide Prescriptions; Many Patients Unaccounted for
Oregon was the first state in the nation to legalize assisted suicide.
Vaccine Critic Who Used Chemical Castration Drug to Treat Autism Tapped to Lead Federal Immunization Study
The Department of Health and Human Services has selected a well-known vaccine critic with a controversial past that includes work using chemical castration to “treat” autism in children to lead a study into the potential links between autism and immunizations.
What RFK Jr. Gets Wrong About Chronic Disease
Rising rates of cancer, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease are mostly due to Americans living longer.
CDC’s cruise ship inspectors laid off amid bad year for outbreaks
All of the full-time employees in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program are now off the job, multiple officials tell CBS News, gutting the agency’s ability to investigate outbreaks and conduct health inspections on cruise ships. A smaller group of 12 U.S. Public Health Service officers will remain.
Measles cases rise to 700, adding pressure to RFK Jr.
The measles outbreak has now surpassed 700 reported cases in the U.S., raising the pressure on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to rein in the deadly virus.
RFK Jr. Taps Man Who Harmfully Injected Autistic Children With Anti-Puberty Drug to Run His Autism Study
David Geier, RFK Jr.’s hand-picked autism expert, has long been a pariah in the medical community.
Patients Cut Off From Cheaper Obesity Drugs as the F.D.A. Halts Sales of Copycats
U.S. regulators are trying to shut down the industry for compounded weight-loss drugs, which could result in higher costs or suspend treatment for patients.
FDA making plans to end its routine food safety inspections, sources say
The Food and Drug Administration is drawing up plans that would end most of its routine food safety inspections work, multiple federal health officials tell CBS News, and effectively outsource this oversight to state and local authorities.
US measles total climbs to 800 cases, 10 outbreaks
Amid a rising number of outbreaks, including a large one centered in West Texas, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its weekly update reported 88 more measles cases, pushing the national total to 800.
War & Terror
Seeing Putin Clear
Putin’s Russia is a terror-state. Day after day, year after year, it kills and maims innocent people in Ukraine. “Children among 18 killed in Russian attack on Zelensky’s home city,” reads a headline from the BBC. (The article is here.) That city is Kryvyi Rih. Half the dead were children and teenagers, ages 3 to 17.
How Does a U.S. Military Drawdown Put ‘America First’?
When the Trump administration isn’t dismantling the network of trade relationships that knit the post–Cold War world together and fomenting destabilizing tensions between America and its allies in Europe and Asia, it seems to be disintegrating the American military deterrent.
China Will Launch an Invasion of Taiwan In Next Few Months: Intel Sources
Intel sources who have spoken to 19FortyFive state that they believe an attempt by China to invade Taiwan is no less than six months away.
Ukraine captured 2 Chinese nationals fighting for Russia, Zelensky says
Ukrainian troops have captured two Chinese nationals who were fighting in the ranks of the Russian military against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 8.
Iran’s Al Quds special forces use Beirut Port to smuggle weapons for Hezbollah – Arab report
In addition to losing monopoly over airspace, Hezbollah also lost control of land supply routes following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in December.
China’s Trump Strategy
Beijing Is Preparing to Take Advantage of Disruption
Panama opposition party accuses US of ‘camouflaged invasion’
Discontent with government handling of diplomatic crisis rises as Pete Hegseth says US troops moved to country
Trump’s Negotiator Discovers That the Path to Peace Is Through Surrender
Steve Witkoff, a career real estate attorney drafted by Donald Trump into the role of global conflict mediator, maintains a ballooning portfolio.
A $1 Trillion Defense Budget Isn’t Enough
As we’ve been running in place, our enemies have been building capacity.
Police say they are investigating an arson attack at the Pennsylvania governor’s residence
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were evacuated overnight from the official governor’s residence after someone set fire to the building, police said Sunday.
Map Shows How Trump, Putin and Xi Could Carve Up the Globe
U.S. President Donald Trump’s outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to end the war with Ukraine comes amid jockeying among leaders for spheres of influence while China seeks to exert its clout. A map by Newsweek outlines how this global chess game might play out.
EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones over spying fears
European Commission officials heading to IMF and World Bank spring meetings advised to travel with basic devices
Japan broaches ‘one-theater’ concept to U.S. for Indo-Pacific
Japan proposed a security strategy concept to the United States that could substantially expand the geographical area where the Self-Defense Forces may be deployed to counter potential threats from China.
China Outs US Hackers for Attack, a New Frontier in Spy Games
China’s outing of alleged US National Security Agency hackers marks a major escalation in the ongoing tit-for-tat between Chinese and American intelligence agencies, according to analysts.
Trump tries to slash State’s funding
Morgan Chalfant and Shelby Talcott
Whistleblower Accuses DOGE of Letting Russians Access Government Accounts in Shocking Security Breach
A whistleblower’s attorney made shocking allegations regarding a DOGE security breach at the National Labor Relations Board during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday afternoon.
Greenland: Strategery
Donald Trump is right to think of Greenland as an area of potentially dangerous vulnerability for the U.S., and as a country with, in all probability, valuable exploitable resources. Writing on this site back in January, Henry Olsen set out a pragmatic and plausible win-win arrangement: agreeing on a Compact of Free Association with Greenland similar to that which the U.S. has with the Republic of Micronesia, Palau, and the Marshall Islands. This would allow the Trump administration to achieve many of its objectives, while (1) allowing Greenlanders to opt for self-determination and (2) avoiding a brawl with Denmark, an old friend and a NATO member.
What Is It With Protectionists and Tomatoes?
I wrote a post in September about a speech in the House of Lords by Daniel Hannan about U.K. tariffs on tomatoes. As anyone familiar with British weather could guess, the U.K. doesn’t grow anywhere near enough tomatoes to satisfy its people, and its largest source of imported tomatoes is Morocco. Yet the U.K. has tariffs and quotas on Moroccan tomatoes, raising costs for British grocery shoppers for no good reason. Hannan argued eloquently for repealing the trade barriers.
US Derails G-7 Condemnation of Russian Missile Strike on Ukraine
The US has told Group of Seven allies it won’t endorse a statement condemning Russia’s deadliest attack on Ukraine this year because it wants to keep negotiations with Moscow on track.
Deputy Intelligence Director Urged More ‘Restraint’ Toward China
The intelligence official tasked with preparing the President’s daily brief has urged greater “restraint” toward China, voiced staunch opposition to the use of tariffs, and said that “smart” foreign policy experts know that Taiwan is far less important to U.S. interests than many people say.
Whistleblower describes DOGE IT dept rampage at America’s labor watchdog
Ignored infosec rules, exfiltrated data … then the mysterious login attempts from a Russian IP address began – claim
US says Chinese firm is helping Houthis target American warships
Satellite company linked to People’s Liberation Army has supplied images to Iran-backed group in Yemen, say officials
Finland investigating attempt to smuggle sensitive nuclear documents to Russia
Finnish Customs is investigating a suspected attempt to violate EU sanctions after discovering nearly 30 boxes of sensitive documents related to nuclear power plant construction that were allegedly bound for Russia, Finnish authorities said on April 17.
War is coming, and we are too complacent to stop it
Countries do not slide into war. They collapse into it suddenly, unexpectedly, and incredulously.
Railgun Installed On Japanese Warship Testbed
Japan is now pushing ahead with naval electromagnetic railguns, which the U.S. Navy has shelved.
Lexington and Concord, 250 Years On
Why was there fighting at Concord’s North Bridge, and at Lexington Common earlier that morning?
Trump’s Reported Plan to Recognize Crimea as Russian Sparks Fury
Areported plan by the United States to recognize Russia’s control over Crimea as part of a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine has sparked anger for handing Russian President Vladimir Putin a victory regarding the peninsula he illegally annexed in 2014.
National
AI proves that fingerprints are not unique, upending the legal system
Fingerprint analysis has been a dependable tool in crime-solving for more than a century. Investigators lean on fingerprint evidence to identify suspects or connect them to specific crime scenes, believing that every print offers a distinctive code.
An anti-Trump Republican for governor tries to defy gravity in New Jersey’s primary
Jon Bramnick is running to the right on immigration against his rivals for the GOP nomination.
In Trump’s Second Term, Retribution Comes in Many Forms
President Trump’s campaign to exact revenge against his perceived foes has turned out to be far more expansive, creative, efficient — and for now, less reliant on the justice system — than anticipated.
US court split over Trump’s powers to fire members of Democratic labor boards
A U.S. appeals court panel on Tuesday seemed divided over whether to allow President Donald Trump to fire Democratic members of two federal labor boards while his administration appeals judges’ rulings that said he could not.
Follow the Money: Unions and labor groups gave Nevada legislators $1.6 million
Electrical and construction workers’ unions led the way, with Democrats receiving almost all of the industry’s donations.
Supreme Court Lifts Order Blocking Use of Alien Enemies Act for Deportations
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a federal judge’s order that once blocked the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport suspected members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador.
After Fourth Circuit Rebuke of Trump Administration, Supreme Court Temporarily Stays Judge’s Order to Return Illegal Alien from El Salvador
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has granted the Trump administration’s request for an administrative stay that, for now, blocks a federal judge’s order that the government return to the United States an illegal alien it deported to El Salvador with no due process and despite a 2019 immigration court order prohibiting the Salvadoran national’s repatriation.
US Marshals were mobilized to warn fired DOJ lawyer over congressional testimony, attorney says
The U.S. Justice Department sent armed U.S. Marshals to deliver a letter warning a fired career pardon attorney about testifying to congressional Democrats, her lawyer said in a letter seen by Reuters on Monday.
What Exactly Did Justice Barrett Disagree With The Majority About In Trump v. JGG?
Justice Barrett tells us to read the opinion, but there is nothing to read.
Chris Sununu, Former New Hampshire Governor, Won’t Run for U.S. Senate
Aaaand there you have it: After flying to Washington, D.C., last month to meet with Senate Republican campaign chief Tim Scott about a potential 2026 run for the Senate seat held by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who is retiring, former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu has officially decided that he will not throw his hat in the ring. That makes flipping his blue-leaning state much tougher for Senate Republicans in the next midterm cycle.
Against UNC Asheville’s Millennial Campus
Excessive economic development can cause universities to lose sight of their mission.
Social Justice to the Point of Bodily Injury
Despite all the present uncertainty, there’s comfort to be found in the consistency with which America’s dark-blue urban enclaves eagerly import and implement all the world’s worst ideas.
Delaware judge rules Newsmax coverage of Dominion Voting Systems was false, defamatory
Newsmax Media published defamatory and false statements accusing Dominion Voting Systems of rigging the 2020 election, a Delaware judge ruled Wednesday, though a jury must still decide whether the conservative news outlet is on the hook for damages.
Trump Targets Law Firm Behind $787.5 Million Fox News Suit
Susman Godfrey lawyers are also suing MyPillow’s Lindell for defamation. Trump is nearing $700 million in pro bono deals with other law firms.
Trump’s ‘buy’ tip on social media before his tariffs pause made money for investors who listened
When Donald Trump offered some financial advice Wednesday morning, stocks were wavering between gains and losses.
Supreme Court Sticks to the Basics on Due Process and Deportations
The Supreme Court’s jurisdiction may be over “Cases” or “Controversies,” but if you’re looking to the Court for clear answers, it’s a lot easier to get them when the Court is presented with a clearly defined question of law. That is how most cases reach the Court’s normal docket, but it is often not how they appear on the emergency docket, when things arrive in a jumbled rush, the Court must move with a haste that undercuts its typical comparative advantage of scholarly deliberation, and the legal merits are often entangled in a thicket of procedural questions.
Average Person Starts to Panic When Phone Battery Life Drops to 38%
Most of us have felt that moment of unease when we glance at our phone and notice the battery life dwindling. A fresh survey has pinpointed exactly when this worry kicks in for Americans—and it’s much earlier than you might expect.
Supreme Court says Trump administration must work to bring back mistakenly deported Maryland man
The Supreme Court on Thursday said the Trump administration must work to bring back a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to prison in El Salvador, rejecting the administration’s emergency appeal.
Mysterious triangular tower at Area 51 is discovered on Google Maps – as baffled viewers suggest it could be ‘alien technology’
The imposing sci-fi worthy structure, about 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is circulating online after being spotted on Google Maps.
ICE Deletes Post About Stopping ‘Illegal Ideas’ From Crossing Border
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) quickly deleted a social media post Thursday that claimed that its mission is not just to keep out illegal immigrants, money, and products, but “ideas” as well.
Thousands of immigrants classified dead by Trump
White House plans to revoke Social Security numbers of migrants in bid to force them to ‘self deport’
The bills that may not survive the Legislature’s first major deadline
In this edition of Behind the Bar, we unveil our bill tracker, share what we’re watching before deadline day and share audio of Lombardo criticizing Democrats.
Bennet, Democratic senator from Colorado, to run for governor
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), an influential member of the Senate Democratic Conference, who has been a leading voice on expanding the Child Tax Credit and supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia, says he will run for governor of Colorado next year.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
White House press passes, Wikipedia edits, and same-sex weddings.
America risks ‘moron premium’ after Trump’s tariffs chaos
The president’s erratic leadership has sent a chill through the US bond market – and rattled investors
Douglas Murray Is Asking Real Questions
Douglas Murray was a recent guest on the Joe Rogan Experience, one of the most popular podcasts in the U.S. Plenty of people would give their left arm to be on Rogan, where guests have multiple hours to share their views with his millions of listeners. Murray doesn’t need the exposure, having a dedicated fan base of his own, and he didn’t play to type. Instead, he took on Rogan and the show’s other guest, Dave Smith, right from the start and didn’t let up for the next three hours.
Trump’s budget plan eviscerates weather and climate research, and it could be enacted immediately
The documents describe the administration’s budget proposal for 2026, but indicate the administration expects the agency to enact the changes immediately.
Republicans fear Trump’s trade war could lead to political wipeout
Republican lawmakers say there’s a good chance that President Trump’s trade war will boomerang on Republicans politically in 2026, as rising prices and shrinking growth could offset other accomplishments by the GOP.
Trump Called Out by Reporter on Air Force One for Saying Russia Attack Was ‘Mistake’: ‘Was It Unintentional?’
A reporter on Air Force One called President Donald Trump out for calling Russia’s “Palm Sunday Attack” on Ukraine a “mistake,” asking if the president was claiming the attack was “unintentional?”
His Heterosexuality Did It
The curriculum writer in question, Michael Lolkus, is keen to let the world know that he champions “equity- and social justice-oriented instructional practices.” “Whiteness,” it turns out, is something to be chided and “decentred” in favour of “ethnomathematics investigations.” “The lens of whiteness” we’re told, will be turned upon itself and “critical interrogation” will ensue.
Cuban Exiles Are Losing Their Privileged Migration Status Under Trump
For decades, Cuban migrants enjoyed exceptional privileges in the US regardless of who was in power. Now President Donald Trump is attacking those benefits.
Trump says he’s open to sending violent criminals who are US citizens to El Salvador prison
President Trump on Monday indicated he would be open to sending American citizens who are violent criminals to El Salvador to be held in a notorious prison there, telling reporters his administration is studying law on the matter.
Rand Paul on China, Free Speech, and Banning TikTok
“I said now that they’re banning it, I want to join, just because they’re telling me I can’t,” the Kentucky senator tells Reason.
Ethics & Public Policy Center – 2024 Annual Report
I am immensely proud to present this overview of my colleagues’ outstanding work in 2024. Though an annual report can provide only the highlights of an organization’s accomplishments, you will see that EPPC has made substantial advances on all fronts.
Cuomo, front-runner in the New York mayor’s race, denied millions in matching funds
The former governor’s campaign failed to file the proper paperwork to receive the tranche of cash.
4chan hacked, moderator info and more leaked
The controversial but popular message board site 4chan has reportedly been hacked and has remained inaccessible to the public.
Catholic Bishops Oppose Dangerous Illinois Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide
Catholic bishops across Illinois are urging the faithful to act quickly as a bill that would legalize assisted suicide could soon be sent to the state Senate for a vote.
The Pardon-to-Prison Pipeline
Trump granted clemency to people who keep ending up back in trouble with the law.
A Televangelist Finds Herself at Home in Trump’s White House
Paula White, a longtime friend of the president, mixes prayer, politics and fundraising for her ministry; ‘We pray for God to use him’
Nevada judge blocks deportation of Venezuelan man detained under the Alien Enemies Act
The Trump administration has used an 18th century wartime law to justify rapid deportation of Venezuelans. Lawyers say the asylum seeker deserves due process.
American doctor receives email from immigration officials telling her to leave the country immediately
Dr. Lisa Anderson, 58, was born in Pennsylvania and is a U.S. citizen.
Rubio’s firing of Marocco ignites a MAGA world meltdown
When Marco Rubio fired the man in charge of dismantling USAID, he made enemies inside the MAGA movement.
Mid-commute traffic stop left US citizen detained under an ICE order. Then, a Florida judge verified his US birth certificate
A US-born man initially charged with being an “unauthorized alien” in Florida has been released after spending the night in jail on a 48-hour hold requested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid the Trump administration’s broad deportation crackdown.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
A judge-on-judge benchslap, a pharmaceutical kickback, and a direct descendant of the Kings of France.
BYU doctorate student’s visa reinstated after unexpected revocation
A Japanese doctorate student at Brigham Young University will now be able to stay in the U.S. after his visa was revoked earlier this month.
Supreme Court temporarily pauses deportations under Alien Enemies Act
The Supreme Court early Saturday morning paused the deportation of immigrants potentially subject to the Alien Enemies Act, freezing action in a fast-developing case involving a group of immigrants in Texas who say the Trump administration was working to remove them.
JD Vance Pretends Due Process Is Beside the Point
The faithful execution of the law must not be a casualty of the administration’s immigration policy.
A US citizen was held for pickup by ICE even after proving he was born in the country
A U.S. citizen was arrested in Florida for allegedly being in the country illegally and held for pickup by immigration authorities even after his mother showed a judge her son’s birth certificate and the judge dismissed charges.
Justices temporarily bar government from removing Venezuelan men under Alien Enemies Act
Over a dissent by two of the court’s conservative justices, the Supreme Court temporarily barred the Trump administration from removing a group of Venezuelan men currently in immigration custody in the northern region of Texas under an 18th century wartime law. The prohibition came in an unusual overnight order that followed a Friday evening appeal from lawyers representing the men, who told the justices that “dozens or hundreds” of detainees “are in imminent and ongoing jeopardy of being removed from the United States without notice and opportunity to be heard, in direct contravention of” a ruling by the justices less than two weeks ago.
Trump Officials Blame Mistake for Setting Off Confrontation With Harvard
An official on the administration’s antisemitism task force told the university that a letter of demands had been sent without authorization.
U.S. citizen in Arizona detained by immigration officials for 10 days
Immigration officials in Tucson arrested the 19-year-old man from Albuquerque on April 8, saying he had entered the country illegally, before a judge dismissed his case on April 17.
State Department to shut embassies and close Africa operations
Trump plans biggest restructuring of US foreign policy branch since 1789, shows leaked executive order
Economy & Taxes
A tariff footnote
If you are trying to understand the tariff regime imposed by President Trump last week, you may want to take a close look at his executive order promulgating it (along with Annexes I and II). The order imposes a flat 10 percent tariff on imports and then an additional tariff based on a formula keyed to a given country’s trade surplus with us.
Under the Trump Team’s Formula, Russia Should Have 77 Percent Tariffs, but Instead It’s Only 35 Percent
Let’s be exceptionally clear. While the amount of trade between the U.S. and Russia is significantly lower than it was before the war, it is not nonexistent. In 2024, the U.S. sent $526.1 million to Russia, and the U.S. imported $3 billion in goods from Russia.
Tariffs: The Retreat of Foreign Capital
One corollary of Donald Trump’s attempt to build a more self-sufficient (as he misinterprets that term) America will be that foreigners will be less willing to invest in this country (something I touched on here). This is not least because the previously negligible political risk premium on investment in the U.S. will now be quite a bit higher, and it’s likely to remain so until the next presidential election and, indeed, quite possibly beyond — even if Trump can bring himself to get off his high, if nastily spavined, horse before much more damage is done. Who knows what the political reaction to the current shambles will be, and what form it will take? Only an optimist (count me out) would think it will necessarily be benign.
With lithium tax credits at risk, Nevada industry cautions ‘the market will devour us’
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) said the preservation of two key credits — one to incentivize production and one for electric car buyers — is a red line for him.
The Trump White House Cited My Research to Justify Tariffs. They Got It All Wrong.
My first question, when the White House unveiled its tariff regime, was, “How on earth did they calculate such huge rates?” Reciprocal tariffs, after all, are supposed to treat other countries the way they treat us, and foreign tariffs on American goods are nowhere near these levels.
Free Trade Is How You Live Your Life
And protectionism is a utopian dream
Why Do Domestic Prices Rise With Tarriffs?
Many people think they understand why domestic prices rise with tariffs–domestic producers take advantage of reduced competition to jack up prices and increase their profits. The explanation seems cynical and sophisticated and its not entirely wrong but it misses deeper truths. Moreover, this “explanation” makes people think that an appropriate response to domestic firms raising prices is price controls and threats, which would make things worse. In fact, tariffs will increase domestic prices even in perfectly competitive industries. Let’s see why.
High tariffs didn’t make the U.S. rich in the 19th century. They won’t this time.
On tariffs and 19th century economic growth
How Tariffs Encourage Waste
Instead of focusing on improving their products, entrepreneurs use their creative energies to reduce their tax burden.
Republicans Have Their Own Version of the ‘Just Transition’ — for Trade
And it’s just as bad as Democrats’ scheme for energy.
Peter Schiff Says Nike ‘Won’t Build Factories’ In US, They Will Sell To Countries Like China: A Much Better Strategy Amid Trump Tariffs
Economist Peter Schiff warned on Thursday that Nike Inc. (NYSE:NKE) won’t shift production to the United States despite newly imposed tariffs, predicting higher prices and reduced domestic sales for the footwear giant.
Why Team Trump Is So Gung-Ho About Tariffs
On the menu today: For those who felt like there was a lack of coverage about why President Trump and some of his advisers are so “gung-ho on the tariffs,” today’s newsletter is just for you. Peter Navarro, Kevin Hassett, Scott Bessent, and Howard Lutnick all went out to the Sunday shows to make the case for the sweeping new tariffs. We also got additional comments on social media from Elon Musk and Senator Mike Lee. All of them made the case for the president’s decision. The only catch is that almost all of their arguments contradicted each other.
Trump’s trade war: The world will get poorer — and the US especially
The United States is about to plunge into recession, pulling much of the world down with it. The tariffs announced by President Donald Trump on April 2 will reverse decades of rising wealth based on specialization and exchange, based on little more than his unfocused feelings.
Is This Really America First?
If you want someone to tell you that tariffs are a good thing, I’m not your guy.
The Grand Strategic Folly of a War on Trade
America was born as a maritime nation and grew to become a hegemon. Our grand strategy can’t and shouldn’t aim at isolation.
The Illogic of Tariffs Has Turned the Trump Administration into ‘Degrowthers’
What else could you call the agenda that’s being endorsed?
Companies get creative in finding ways to limit impact of Trump’s tariffs
Consultants are helping clients lower the customs value of imports to cut the cost of new levies
I, Pencil with Tariff Rates Added
In 1958, Leonard Read, in an attempt to write a version of Hayek’s “The Use of Knowledge in Society” for a wider audience, wrote “I, Pencil.” (It doesn’t cover all of Hayek’s points but it’s pretty good given its short length.)
Legendary economist says Trump’s tariffs could replay ‘devastating history’
Thomas Sowell said that broad tariffs risk causing an economic downturn
The Tariff Impact on Main Street
The following are real-life companies with real-life reports of what is happening to them as a result of the recently announced tariff policy of the United States. The newest reports we get will appear on the top going forward, as I intend to maintain this “running log” of mainstream American businesses, outside of public capital markets, decimated by the impact of this poorly constructed plan. There is a side of this issue that is pro-American workers, and it is not the one who wants to tax and regulate them out of business.
GOP Senator Expresses Mild Concern on Tariffs: ‘Whose Throat Do I Get to Choke If This Turns Out to Be Wrong?’
There’s still a lot of time until the 2026 midterm elections. We don’t know what the state of the world, or the state of the economy, will be in autumn of next year. But there are signs that the tariff fight is already making Republicans eye the upcoming midterms more warily.
Younger People Don’t Want to Work in Manufacturing
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 482,000 job openings in manufacturing in January. What could be the problem?
The Brewing Transatlantic Tech War
How Silicon Valley Got Entangled in Geopolitics—and Lost
China slaps 84% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump
Tariffs on U.S. goods entering China will rise to 84% from 34% starting April 10, according to a translation of a Office of the Tariff Commission of the State Council announcement. The hike comes in response to the latest U.S. tariff increase on Chinese goods to more than 100% that began at midnight. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox Business “this escalation is a loser” for China.
EU bites back at Trump’s tariffs with £18,000,000,000 revenge
The European Union will fight back against Donald Trump’s tariffs on the trade bloc with three rounds of import taxes on US products.
The Last Safe Harbor: Tariffs Will Hurt the People We Don’t Like
How many dubious rationalizations have we had to endure? The attempts by Trump supporters to assign some logic to his tariff regime are now too numerous to count.
Tariffs: Warning Lights Are Flashing
No market crash — and that is what, thanks to Donald Trump’s tariff increases, we and much of the world are experiencing — is a comfortable experience. But the most serious crashes are those that threaten to damage the financial system, the nervous system that runs through most major world economies.
The Senate Resolves to Balloon the Deficit
In the midst of the pandemonium created by the president’s tariff debacle, it would be easy to miss the action on the budget in the last couple of days. But there has been some significant action, and it suggests that Republicans are preparing to dramatically worsen the federal government’s fiscal outlook.
Container bookings into the US slump by two-thirds in the space of one ‘explosive’ tariff week
Data from Vizion’s TradeView Global Trade Intelligence Platform shows that container bookings into the US have dropped 67% in the past seven days compared to the week prior. They also indicate export bookings being down 40%. “If these numbers are anywhere near correct, this is an extremely large disruption to the trade flows we are seeing,” commented Lars Jensen, the CEO of container consultancy Vespucci Maritime, in a LinkedIn post.
Trump told Republican senators he’s open to raising taxes on highest earners
President Donald Trump told Republican senators in private last week that he’s open to raising tax rates on some of the highest-earning Americans, according to three people familiar with the meeting.
Trump’s Nonemergency Tariffs
This is an abuse of language and logic in the service of bad policy that hardly interacts with the alleged threat to national security.
Trump told Republican senators he’s open to raising taxes on highest earners
U.S. Trade Rep Jamieson Greer Pressed on Capitol Hill About Tariff ‘End Goal’
Unsurprisingly, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is getting much friendlier questions from Republican lawmakers in today’s House Ways and Means hearing than he did during Tuesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing, where GOP senators grilled him on what the tariff timeline will look like, what the rationale is behind the administration’s approach, and what metrics the administration will use to measure success.
Congress Must Assert Itself on Tariffs
Rand Paul: My bill would require Congress to approve any presidential proposal to impose tariffs before they are put into effect.
White House staff calls BMW Spartanburg plant a ‘scam’
State and local leaders have been reacting to comments made by a member of the Trump Administration criticizing the BMW manufacturing plant in Spartanburg.
Now You See the Maximalist Trade War, Now You Don’t
On the menu today: Well, we now know exactly what it takes to get President Trump to announce that almost all his previously announced tariffs are, for the next 90 days, lowered to 10 percent. Yesterday’s Morning Jolt headline, “Trump’s Tariffs Will Be Around for a While,” was posted at 10:19 a.m. Eastern. The president announced a 90-day pause on the higher tariffs on Truth Social at 1:18 p.m. If I had known that’s all it took, I would have written it earlier.*
U.S. dollar index suffers biggest drop since 2022, hits new low for the year
The ICE U.S. Dollar Index dropped sharply again on Thursday, putting the greenback on track for its worst day since 2022. The index, which measures the U.S. dollar against a basket of global currencies, was last down 1.83% to 101.02. At one point in the session, it slipped below the 101 level. The index hasn’t closed below that threshold since September.
Trump administration ends union dues collection for most feds without notice
Unions at federal agencies targeted by the president’s executive order stripping them of their collective bargaining rights found out about the change when employees began receiving their most recent paychecks this week.
US consumers warned of higher prices from tariffs within weeks
Analysts estimate Donald Trump’s levies could cost the average household $4,700 a year
Life and the Markets Come at You Fast
On the menu today: The markets, and the economy, don’t care what you think of President Trump. They do seem to care about what Trump says, or what trade adviser Peter Navarro or Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says. But if the markets don’t like what the president and his men are saying, they will react quickly and intensely. The markets don’t care if you think a policy like the sweeping tariffs announced last week should be given a chance, for a couple weeks or a couple months, to see if it works as intended. Economic news has traveled fast and furiously since last Wednesday, and the administration would be wise to heed these hard-learned lessons.
Trump White House budget proposal eviscerates science funding at NASA
“This would decimate American leadership in space.”
US Consumer Sentiment Extends Plunge as Price Expectations Soar
Year-ahead inflation views rose to 6.7%, highest since 1981. University of Michigan April sentiment index fell to 50.8.
The Beauty Salon Recession Indicator
Hairdressers and aestheticians report clients are opting for less expensive services and stretching out the time between appointments—signs that US consumers are retrenching.
Vernon Smith Sets the Record Straight for Joseph Stiglitz
The economist Joseph Stiglitz wrote a book last year, The Road to Freedom, in which he caricatures Milton Friedman and F. A. Hayek and mischaracterizes the history of economic policy as one of ever smaller government, despite the constant growth of the administrative state and the explosion in government debt.
That New Charge on Your Bill? Call It a ‘This Tariff Isn’t Our Fault’ Fee
The surcharges are a way to pass some tariff costs to customers while pointing the blame at the White House
There is no economic emergency
The case for protectionism revolves around a host of doom-and-gloom myths that we should not accept.
Nostalgia for manufacturing will make the US poorer
Donald Trump’s vision to onshore factory jobs reverses decades of progress
Forget tariffs — Beijing is already choking off US exports on the sly
China juices trade war with nontariff barriers targeting MAGA-friendly U.S. export sectors.
Conservative lawyers bring suit in Florida to bust up Trump’s tariffs as unconstitutional
A group backed by billionaire industrialist Charles Koch and Leonard Leo, the man who helped secure the conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court, has sued President Trump in federal court in Florida on behalf of a stationery company, calling his worldwide imposition of tariffs unconstitutional.
Blackfeet Indians File Lawsuit Challenging Trump’s Canada Tariffs
They argue the tariffs violate constitutoinal separation of powers and their tribal treaty rights.
Donald Trump’s China trade war a ‘boon’ for Brazil but sends US farmers reeling
Latin America’s largest economy is poised to extend its lead as China’s top food supplier
There’s No Coming Back From Trump’s Tariff Disaster
America was the world’s economic anchor. Thanks to the president, it may never have that role again.
It’s Trump’s Economy Now
If you go around advertising your intention to rebalance the entire global economy and then set out to do just that in the most disruptive fashion imaginable, you should expect that most observers will give you credit for your efforts. That’s intuitive enough. But for skeptics of that conclusion, CBS News’s latest poll provides supporting evidence.
Tariffs Are Not Sales Taxes
When describing the effects of tariffs, commentators frequently liken them to sales taxes. This makes sense to a point, as sales taxes are much more familiar to most people, and likening them to tariffs clearly communicates that consumers pay the tax, which is an important point to make.
New Zealand Proposes Rules-Based Trading Bloc to Counter Tariffs
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is proposing the formation of a rules-based trading bloc in response to sweeping US tariffs that threaten to hurt economies reliant on global trade.
Empire State Manufacturing Survey
The monthly survey of manufacturers in New York State conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Investors Haven’t Been This Bearish in 30 Years, BofA Poll Shows
Investor sentiment regarding economic prospects is the most negative in three decades, yet fund mangers’ pessimism isn’t fully reflected in their asset allocation which could mean more losses for US stocks, a Bank of America Corp. survey shows.
Republicans Weigh Raising Taxes on Highest Earners
On the menu today: Happy Tuesday. Audrey Fahlberg here, National Review’s political reporter filling in today for Jim Geraghty. You can look forward to substitute Morning Jolters Noah Rothman on Wednesday and Dominic Pino on Thursday. We won’t be in your inboxes on Friday in observance of Good Friday.
Another Example of Why Most Workers Can’t Stand Unions
These are all expenses alleged to have been paid by 1199SEIU, the largest health-care workers’ union in the country, in a story by Maya Kaufman of Politico. The union’s president, George Gresham, has been in office since 2007, when he was elected unopposed. There hasn’t been a competitive election for union president since 1989.
The World’s Reserve Currency Gets a Sharp Shock Steven Kamin Financial Times
Recent moves in the dollar are at odds with historical patterns, in which spikes in the VIX drove a flight to dollar assets. “At least during this episode, the dollar has stopped acting like a ‘flight-to-safety’ currency.”
An Easy Solution for Wealthy Americans Who Want to Be Taxed More
They’re doing it again: Some wealthy people are asking governments to tax them more.
Hong Kong suspends postal service to the US after Trump’s tariff hikes
Hong Kong’s postal service will stop handling packages coming from or going to the United States, in the latest retaliatory move amid an escalating trade war between Washington and Beijing.
Even by Elon Musk’s Own Demonstrably Unreliable Estimation, DOGE Will Fall Far Short of His Target
The cost cutter’s current projection of annual “savings” is 85 percent lower than the goal he set two months ago—and even that number can’t be trusted.
Judge finds Google holds illegal online ad tech monopolies
Alphabet’s Google illegally dominated two markets for online advertising technology, a federal judge said on Thursday, dealing another blow to the tech titan in an antitrust case brought by the U.S.
Trump has already lost his trade war against China
Beijing is hardly likely to roll over given its financial and global trading strength
What’s Really Going On with U.S. Manufacturing
On the menu today: This is Dominic Pino filling in for Jim Geraghty. There will be no Morning Jolt tomorrow in observance of Good Friday.
Econception on the Case for Free Trade
The latest episode of Econception, my podcast with the American Institute of Economic Research, is a solo episode about trade. I begin by going through the basic argument of my cover story for National Review, which is that free trade is the realistic position and protectionism is the idealistic one. Protectionism is a utopian theory based on the assumptions that individuals and businesses will act contrary to their self-interest, government will act in the national interest, and special interests will stay on the sidelines. Free trade is how you live your everyday life.
Tariffs: Strategery (Vietnam Edition)
The Trump administration is quite right to focus attention on the danger posed by China, arguably a more formidable opponent than the Soviets, although it is quite wrong to exaggerate the extent to which dealing with China can be detached from confronting the threat from today’s Russia.
We Know How the German Manufacturing Model Turned Out
I wrote the Morning Jolt today about U.S. manufacturing employment and the development of China’s manufacturing sector. A lot of the popular narratives about manufacturing employment decline are out of date: U.S. manufacturing employment has been growing for much of the past 15 years, and the decades-long decline in manufacturing as a percentage of the workforce has basically stopped.
Tired of Winning: Why Peter Navarro Hates BMW
It takes a special kind of economic logic to look at a state-of-the-art automotive manufacturing facility and see a plot to harm America’s economic and security interests. But that’s exactly what Peter Navarro, President Trump’s top trade advisor, wants you to believe about BMW’s Plant Spartanburg factory in South Carolina.
American Manufacturing Is Stronger Than You Think
There’s a tendency to romanticize manufacturing work, just as prior generations who hated factory jobs romanticized farming. We can recognize the real human cost of shuttered factories and still notice that not every manufacturing job is equally desirable in comparison with the alternatives: lots of blue-collar men would probably rather drive an Amazon delivery truck or work on a construction site than work in a textile mill. Also, economic populists tend to confuse manufacturing jobs with manufacturing capacity. It’s dangerous to our national security, they tell us, if we can’t build things anymore.
Survey of firms shows efforts to revive U.S. manufacturing through tariffs may backfire
Firms are more likely to seek out new low-tariff regions to base operations
CANZUK: Good for Them, Bad for Us
The first few months of the second Trump administration have seen a flurry of activity on a wide variety of fronts. Perhaps the most impactful moves have been in foreign affairs, which the president has wide latitude to influence without Congress. Since coming to power in late January, the White House and its handpicked executive team have moved rapidly to totally restructure the nation’s alliances, commitments, economic relationships, and military affairs. The actual changes, including the shuttering of USAID, the imposition of a disruptive global tariff regime, and the shifting of support away from Ukraine, have all made a significant impact on America’s global standing, particularly with our allies. Just as off-putting for these nations has been our rhetorical swing from an engaged, stalwart global force for good to a withdrawn, belligerent, isolation-curious hemispheric power. We have threatened, cajoled, demeaned, and attacked our long-term allies in Asia and Europe, solely at the personal whim of the president.
We Are a Gig Society Now
American institutions aren’t coming apart only because of a single cause or in a single way.
Trump administration may form task force to handle China tariff impact
Trump administration officials, anticipating supply chain strains due to steep tariffs on Chinese goods, have discussed forming a working group to deal with the problems with urgency if there’s no breakthrough with Beijing, multiple sources told CBS News.
DHL suspends high value US deliveries over tariffs
DHL Express is suspending deliveries to the US worth more than $800 (£603) because of a “significant increase” in red tape at customs following the introduction of Donald Trump’s new tariff regime.
Tariffs threaten entry level-priced car inventory, experts warn
Affordable cars are defined by Cars Commerce as costing under $30K
International
Christian missionary group accused of public shaming and rituals to ‘cure’ sexual sin
Exclusive: young volunteers also allege spiritual abuse and controlling behaviour at bases of Youth With a Mission
Police officers dress up as Batman and Robin in bizarre undercover sting
Police officers went undercover as Batman and Robin in a bizarre sting operation to catch con artists on Westminster Bridge.
Surgeons behind womb transplant rule out giving them to trans women
The team behind the UK’s first baby born from a womb transplant say the project was about the ‘creation of babies’ rather than ‘psychological completeness’
Shock vids shows Athens turned into WARZONE as petrol-bomb armed mob attack police with 21 cars torched & 72 arrested
Watch the dramatic footage of the riots in our video player
U.K. Police Double Down on Racial Discrimination
“Due to our police service being under-represented by people from an ethnic minority background, we accept applications all year round from these under-represented groups,” reads a West Yorkshire Police website, which continues that “applications from people from an ethnic minority background are processed through to the interview stage, but then held until recruitment is opened for everyone.” In a section about its open positions, the West Yorkshire Police states that “we are currently accepting applications . . . from people from our under-represented groups,” but adds that “if you are not from one of these groups please keep checking this page for future recruitment opportunities.”
U.K. Supreme Court Rules Trans Women Can’t Be Defined as Women
Decision follows a yearslong legal battle over protections for women and female-only spaces
Opinion
Hitler, the Nobel Prize and ‘Grease’
Truth is stranger than fiction, it is proverbially said, and such is the course of history that events and people can be connected in ways that you never imagined. Certainly I never dreamed that the hit musical Grease could be connected to a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and a World War II military intelligence officer, until yesterday I fell down one of those research rabbit-holes into which I’m so prone to stumble.
Trump’s policies on learning and speaking English are incomprehensible
After naming English the official U.S. language, Trump gutted the office helping many kids learn it.
On the Point of Politics
One of the most common rejoinders that I have seen offered up to those of us who think that President Trump’s global trade war is a disaster is that our criticism is inevitable because we “hate Donald Trump.” This complaint takes many forms, but the implication in all cases is the same: That the policy in question is immaterial; that what we really care about is who is responsible for it; and that our many objections can be ignored as a result.
MAGA Maoism: Trumpism as a Third World Movement
The MAGA movement has very little in common with modern Western civilisation
Trump’s Tariffs and the End of American Empire
The president stands as much chance of reindustrializing the U.S. as you do of getting your frozen laptop to work by smashing the motherboard with a Minecraft hammer.
Trump Is Firing the Wrong People, on Purpose
In his haste, Elon Musk is pushing out thousands of the government’s best minds.
I was in Congress. Now I’m worried about America’s survival
Party politics has become a fundamentalist religious identity
A Civil Service for the Twenty-First Century
Reforms are needed to transform a political spoils system into a competent workforce of and for the people.
A Solomonic Act of Judicial Statesmanship?
Yesterday evening, the Supreme Court (in Trump v. J.G.G.) ruled by a vote of 5 to 4 that a district judge in D.C. did not have jurisdiction to issue temporary restraining orders that barred the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan nationals that it believed to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang. At the same time, all nine justices agreed that Venezuelan nationals whom the Trump administration sought to deport via President Trump’s Alien Enemies Act proclamation had a due-process right under the Fifth Amendment to “be afforded [notice] within a reasonable time and in such a manner as will allow them to actually seek habeas relief in the proper venue before such removal occurs.” The per curiam opinion also suggests—and the dissenters agree—that detainees may challenge the legality of Trump’s AEA proclamation.
Trump’s Honeymoon Hara-Kiri
While most presidents enjoy a post-inaugural boost to their popularity, the early post-Liberation Day polling shows Trump’s support on the economy collapsing rapidly. “These economic numbers to me scream red flag,” said polling analyst Lakshya Jain. “Honeymoons don’t end in April.”
The Court of the Sun King
The MAGA set share the predilections and tax brackets of the people they criticize
Trump Is Ruining His Supporters’ Dreams
The president won by appealing to strivers, hoping to get rich. His tariffs now threaten that support.
Trump Is the New FDR
The progressive hero created the predicate for the Trump presidency.
The Key to Political Dominance Is Glaringly Obvious — and Being Ignored Again
With Trump’s trade war, the siren’s call of revolution proved too seductive, once more.
Will the House GOP self-destruct in the week ahead?
A ‘no’ vote on the Senate’s budget is a booked reservation to minority status in 2027
The Five Biggest Challenges Facing America
These are the big-picture questions that should worry us most.
Slouching Towards Tyranny
On a dark hour for the American right.
Show Me the Man and I’ll Show You the Crime
‘Retribution’ comes for Chris Krebs and Miles Taylor.
Some Observations on Strong Supreme Court Ruling Requiring Trump Administration to ‘Facilitate’ Return of Wrongly Deported Alien
The Trump administration has acknowledged that, as a result of an “administrative error,” it illegally removed to El Salvador an illegal alien, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was subject to a withholding order that forbade his removal to El Salvador. Abrego Garcia has been detained since mid-March in a prison in El Salvador that the Trump administration is paying El Salvador to provide. Despite acknowledging that it illegally removed Abrego Garcia, the Trump administration has not sought to return him to the United States. Indeed, it has aggressively fought a district-court order entered on April 4 that calls for it to “facilitate and effectuate” his return.
Why the end of obnoxious influencer culture may finally have arrived
Influencers — those obnoxious (and increasingly) political hype beasts who’ve defined much of internet life in the last decade — may finally be going the way of the Apple Watch: once a flashy trendsetter, now a garish relic.
Decoding Woke Ideologies: James Lindsay on The Joe Rogan Experience
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Joe Rogan engages in a thought-provoking conversation with renowned author, mathematician, and cultural critic, James Lindsay. Lindsay, known for his incisive critiques of contemporary ideological movements, delves into the complexities of modern social dynamics and the impact of prevailing ideologies on public discourse.
Intersectionality Goes to Court
In their insightful and unfairly neglected book, Beyond All Reason: The Radical Assault on Truth in American Law, Daniel Farber and Suzanna Sherry discerned a key distinction between critical social theories as they had infected the humanities and the same theories as manifested in legal academia. In the first instance, literature, the arts, etc. were perhaps irreparably changed as disciplines, as areas of scholarly inquiry and expression. This was a lamentable but relatively contained development. By contrast, those legal scholars that got bit by the critical theory bug sought to change law and public policy post haste. Early Critical Race Theory (CRT) scholars proffered a radically restrictive understanding of the first amendment, nullifying juries on the basis of race, decriminalization vis a vis racial disparities, and so on. The point is that whereas deconstructionist lit crits may have criminally debase the western canon with glee, the race crits theorized defunding the police and the like. The immediate and measurable impact of the latter is more apparent than the former. And as critical social justice warriors like to say, intent is irrelevant, impact is all. Giving Homer the boot from the curriculum is one thing, altering the trajectory of legal precedent at the highest level is quite another.
Peter Navarro Is Not the Way
This is Dominic Pino filling in for Jim Geraghty, who will be out all week. You can look forward to Audrey Fahlberg tomorrow, Noah Rothman on Wednesday, and me again on Thursday. In observance of Good Friday, there will be no Morning Jolt on Friday.
Conservatives Oppose Tax Rate Increase
According to beltway media, some moderate — and anonymous — staffers are trying to convince President Trump to break his central tax promise to make the Trump tax cuts permanent across the board.
Confessions of a Retiring “Eagle”
A Wake Tech professor leaves the classroom after 20 rewarding years.
The Grift
There’s a lot of money to be made in professing Christ is King without actually believing it. As antisemitism rages these days, a lot of people are using the Lord’s name in vain, professing him as King as a way to divide.
Salvadoran President’s Remarks Do Not Alter Trump Administration’s Duty to Comply with Court Order to Facilitate Detainee’s Return
We’ve posted my column, arguing that the Abrego Garcia controversy is not, as the Trump administration would have us believe, a profound constitutional dispute over separation of powers and judicial interference in the executive’s nigh plenary authority over the conduct of foreign relations.
Guess What? We’re Already Rich
Trump is using a defibrillator on a patient who not only passed a stress test with flying colors but is beating everyone else in the 100-yard dash.
Thomas Sowell: Facts Against Rhetoric, Capitalism, Culture and Yes, the Tariffs
Economist and author Thomas Sowell makes his long-awaited (and oft requested) return to Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson to unveil his newest project: a website titled “Facts Against Rhetoric”, a powerful resource dedicated to empirical thinking and intellectual clarity. In this interview, Sowell explores some of the most urgent issues in American life—from the collapse of educational standards to the unintended consequences of affirmative action, the impact of tariffs, and the erosion of family and cultural structures within Black communities.
If Truth Becomes the Enemy of Peace, There Will Be No Peace
When the United States made itself the only member of the G-7 club of industrialized nations to oppose and, ultimately, derail a resolution condemning Russia for its bloody Palm Sunday strike on Ukrainian civilians in Sumy, the administration insisted it had a good reason.
The Semantic Separation of Powers Distraction in the Abrego Garcia Case
I was going to let this go for a bit, on the theory that enough is enough. But with the Trump White House shifting from obfuscation to outright misrepresentation of the Supreme Court’s ruling, it’s regrettably necessary to proceed.
Why The Wrongful Deportation of Kilmar Garcia Matters
By now, you know the story of Kilmar Garcia. Kilmar was an illegal immigrant who had credible ties to MS-13 but was granted temporary legal protections by claiming he would face physical harm if he was forced back to El Salvador. The Trump administration deported him anyway, but only alerted the judge when the deportation flight was over international waters.
What Did You Think Was Going to Happen?
In an interview with UnHeard’s Sohrab Ahmari, Vice President JD Vance recast his naked hostility toward Europe as a species of tough love. “It’s not good for Europe to be the permanent security vassal of the United States,” he said. Europe must learn to stand up on its own.
‘Woke’ was invented by angry schoolgirls on Tumblr
The website’s anonymity was a draw to young people who didn’t have social skills
If Truth Becomes the Enemy of Peace, There Will Be No Peace
When the United States made itself the only member of the G-7 club of industrialized nations to oppose and, ultimately, derail a resolution condemning Russia for its bloody Palm Sunday strike on Ukrainian civilians in Sumy, the administration insisted it had a good reason.
Precedent Trump
Trump’s tactics could very easily be copied by Democrats.
The Leak Was the Whole Point
The revelation that President Trump “waved off” an Israeli-led strike on Iran’s nuclear program is the second-most newsworthy part of the big New York Times scoop that broke yesterday. More significant is the fact that the article exists at all, and was published at this moment.
Stephen Miller’s Brazen Misrepresentation of Abrego Garcia Ruling
We’re all used to implausible spins by White House officials. But White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has stooped to a new level. An appallingly low one. And he has done so in the disservice of spurring the White House to defy a Supreme Court ruling.
The Trump Administration’s Gamesmanship Is the Reason for This Weekend’s Frenetic Litigation
In my Saturday post on the Supreme Court’s emergency order in the wee hours, directing the Trump administration not to deport any more Venezuelan aliens under the Alien Enemies Act until further order of the Court, I noted that there would be a dissent from Justice Samuel Alito, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas. We now have Justice Alito’s dissent (filed later on Saturday), and it is, as one would expect, persuasive.
