Trump’s 10% baseline tariff makes economy uncertain, Republicans say
President Trump announced a minimum 10% tariff on all U.S. imports Wednesday afternoon. Republicans admit they don’t know how it will impact the economy and that there’s cause for concern.
The best–case scenario is that countries reduce their tariffs on U.S. products, and domestic manufacturing increases. The worst–case scenario is that supply chains don’t change, and Americans pay higher prices.
Since President Trump started previewing his tariff plans in February, U.S. stocks have lost $5 trillion in value.
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President Donald Trump announced Wednesday, April 2, that all U.S. imports will face a minimum 10% tariff. Individual nations will face up to 49%, and certain products like cars will have a 25% tariff. There’s been a lot of talk about how this will impact the economy, and Republicans that Straight Arrow News spoke to on Capitol Hill admit they don’t know.
“Everybody’s a little concerned. We all are,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said.
“We’re in uncharted waters, and no one has any idea what the impact is going to be,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said.
Economists and politicians are discussing the best and worst-case scenarios. Republicans hope the tariffs will prompt countries to reduce their tariffs on American products and lead to more domestic manufacturing.
What is the best-case scenario?
“I think, ultimately, what happens is, you get back down to a free trade agreement that these countries that are engaged in this disparity, this raw deal for Americans for so long, it will get their attention, and they’ll, I think, reduce their tariffs on us,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said.
“If somebody has a 100-plus percent tariff on imports of U.S. goods and we have virtually nothing, why don’t we settle that balance?” Johnson continued.
“We’ve got to get manufacturing back to the country, people back to work,” Tuberville said. “Better way to do that is tariffs. So let’s give it a shot and see what happens.”
What is the worst-case scenario?
The worst-case scenario is supply chains don’t change much, and Americans have to pay higher prices.
“So far in his time as president, costs have gone up, and tariffs will simply raise them further,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said.
The Senate is expected to vote on a resolution that would end the national emergency President Trump is using to impose tariffs on Canada. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced the measure, and four Republicans are expected to vote in favor, which would be enough for it to pass.
Even Republicans who aren’t voting for the resolution say they want tariffs between the nations to be reduced.
“So both sides disarm and go to zero tariffs. Let us let Canadian businesses and American businesses compete. Competition makes us all better,” Kennedy said. “May the best product at the best price win –– no interference by government through tariffs.”
“To think that Canada is now one of our targets is almost laughable in most parts in the United States,” Sen. Dick Durbin D-Ill., said. “Deal with trade issues as they arise; don’t try to establish a standard of tariffs against all countries in the world. That can backfire.”
The tariffs have already had a big impact on the economy. Since February, when President Trump started outlining and previewing his tariff plan, U.S. stocks have lost $5 trillion in value.
Democrats in the U.S. Senate used the filibuster to block the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. The bill aimed to limit participation in school sports to a participant’s biological sex assigned at birth.
The act sought to define sex based on reproductive biology and genetics at birth. It also disqualifies transgender women from competing in women’s sports and had support from the Trump administration.
President Trump signed an executive order banning trans athletes born as biological males from participating in women’s sports. It led the NCAA to change its rules to comply with the order.
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Democrats in the U.S. Senate utilized the filibuster to block a Republican bill that, if enacted, would have limited participation in school sports to a participant’s biological sex assigned at birth. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act needed 60 senators to support breaking a filibuster with all members present and voting. The final tally was 51-45 along partisan lines.
The act would have codified a change to Title IX. This federal law bars sex-based discrimination in education to define sex as based solely on a person’s reproductive biology and genetics at birth. It would disqualify transgender women from competing in sports designated for women or girls.
“Well, at least now the American people know the truth,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said in a post to X shortly after the bill failed. “Even after (President Donald Trump’s) landslide election, Democrats STILL support men competing in women’s sports. This is far from over. I’ll NEVER stop fighting to protect women and girls.”
The Trump administration expressed support for the bill, saying it “would expressly recognize what is already federal law — that it is an illegal act of discrimination for a man to participate in a federally funded athletic program or activity designated for women or girls.”
Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 5 that bans trans athletes born as biological males from participating in women’s sports.
The Biden administration’s Title IX guidance required schools to allow transgender students to participate in sports and use locker rooms and facilities that align with their gender identity.
NCAA officials said that fewer than 10 transgender athletes competed at the collegiate level prior to Trump’s order. Shortly after, the association changed its rules to comply with the order.
Senate Democrats try to formally condemn Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons
Senate Democrats will attempt to formally condemn President Donald Trump’s pardons for those convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. According to CBS News, nearly every Democrat had signed on to a resolution they’ll attempt to pass Monday, Jan. 27.
The resolution states, “Resolved, That the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.”
The resolution is, however, unlikely to be approved because it’s being brought forward as a unanimous consent agreement, meaning every single senator has to support it. It only takes one single member to say they object for the resolution to be shot down. Multiple Republicans have said they support Trump’s pardons, so they will likely oppose the resolution on the floor.
“One hundred percent I’m for them. Pardon every one of them. They’ve been there long enough,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said when the pardons were announced.
While some Republicans said the president made the right call, others said the pardons for those who assaulted police were a mistake.
“Pardoning the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently, I think, was a mistake, because it seems to suggest that’s an okay thing to do,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told NBC’s Meet the Press.
“I do not support the pardons if they were given to people who committed violent crimes, including assaulting police officers or breaking windows to get into the Capitol or other violent acts,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters when the pardons were granted.
Some Republicans express opposition to Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons
A number of Republicans are speaking out against President Trump’s pardons for those convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The president gave unconditional pardons to more than 1,500 people convicted of offenses and ordered anyone held in jail to be immediately released.
“I’m about to file two bills that will increase the penalties up to and including the death penalty for the murder of a police officer and increasing the penalties and creating federal crimes for assaulting a police officer. That should give you everything you need to know about my position,” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said.
Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol that day. The Justice Department announced three years later that it had charged 452 defendants with assaulting, resisting or impeding an officer or employee. That includes 123 individuals who were charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.
“I do not support the pardons if they were given to people who committed violent crimes, including assaulting police officers or breaking windows to get into the Capitol or other violent acts,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said.
Other Republicans say President Trump made the right decision, even when pressed on pardons for those who assaulted police officers.
“100% I’m for them. Pardon every one of them. They’ve been there long enough,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., did not express support for or oppose President Trump’s decision.
“The president has the pardon and commutation authority. It’s his decision,” Johnson told reporters. “The president made his decision. I don’t second-guess those. And yes, it’s kind of my ethos, my world view: we believe in redemption.”
Johnson had a much different reaction to President Biden’s preemptive pardons for members of his family.
“To us it is disgusting. To us it probably proves the point, the suspicion that you know they call it the Biden crime family,” Johnson said. “If they weren’t the crime family, why do they need pardons?”
Members of Congress say they want to look into pardons that both Trump and Biden granted. The Constitution and Supreme Court precedent make clear the pardon authority belongs to the president and the president alone.
Should the US end daylight saving time? Musk and Ramaswamy say yes
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have reignited the debate over America’s biannual clock changes, calling for an end to the practice. The suggestion, shared on Musk’s social media platform X, is tied to their leadership of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President-elect Donald Trump.
Most states currently alternate between daylight saving time, which shifts clocks forward an hour to extend evening sunlight, and standard time, which aligns more closely with natural daylight patterns.
Advocates for permanent daylight saving time argue that more evening sunlight boosts economic activity and reduces crime rates.
Supporters of permanent standard time highlight its alignment with circadian rhythms, which research links to improved health outcomes, including a reduced risk of heart attacks and strokes.
So of course I'm a dork and have spent the past 8 hours on this and eliminating summer DST is terrible, would reduce the amount of daylight people get by a lot (~40 minutes/day at the Summer Solstice) given empirical data on sleeping patterns as per the American Time Use Survey. https://t.co/Ci9JiKUu7mpic.twitter.com/yIf7Ecz5j5
Geography also shapes perspectives. Coastal states often favor daylight saving time for extended evening sunlight, while central states express concerns about dark winter mornings impacting school safety and morning commutes.
Hawaii and most of Arizona already operate on permanent standard time.
The Musk-Ramaswamy proposal has drawn attention from lawmakers, including Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is set to serve as secretary of state in the Trump administration.
The discussion aligns with a broader trend, as other nations, including Mexico, have recently abolished daylight saving time. The proposal to “lock the clock” in the United States remains under consideration as Congress and the public weigh the potential benefits and challenges.
Sen. Tuberville holding up another senior military nominee for a new reason
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is holding up the promotion of a top military general. That may sound familiar, but unlike his blanket hold on all senior military officials in 2023, this is a single officer for a specific reason.
Lt. Gen. Ronald Clark is a senior aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and is up for a promotion to be the head of Army Forces in the Pacific. Tuberville, however, will not allow his promotion to go through until the inspector general releases a report on Secretary Austin’s January hospitalization.
Only Austin’s inner circle knew he was sick and in the hospital. The president was not initially informed, and Tuberville said Clark should have called the president to let him know.
“I’m waiting for the [inspector general] review [about] him screwing up and not telling the president of the United States that his boss and head of the Department of Defense was in the hospital,” Tuberville told Punchbowl News. “You don’t need to get a promotion when everybody’s wondering, ‘What the heck’s going on here?’”
There is one way to get around Tuberville’s hold: a full vote on the Senate floor. But that is a time consuming process. With only 10 working days left until the Senate leaves for the entire month of October, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wants to instead approve judicial nominations and a government spending deal.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I., told Punchbowl that he would be willing to push for a floor vote.
“We’ve got to get the confirmation done. Hopefully the information [Tuberville] wants will be provided,” Reed said.
In 2023, Tuberville put a 10-month hold on all military promotions to protest a Biden administration policy that provides paid time off and travel expense reimbursement for military members who get an abortion. After receiving heavy criticism from members of his own party, he relented and got nothing in return.
What Senate rules say about dismissing Mayorkas impeachment
The impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is set to begin on Tuesday, April 16, two months after he was impeached. The question is, will there be a full trial with a presentation of evidence? Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has not tipped his hand as to what he’ll do. Schumer has only said he wants it done quickly.
“We want to address this issue as expeditiously as possible,” Schumer said during a speech April 10. “And as I said yesterday, impeachment should never be used to settle policy disagreements. That sets an awful precedent.”
According to multiple Senate sources, Schumer is likely to make a motion to table the articles and trial. That would bring it to a swift end and prevent the House impeachment managers from presenting their case.
However, most of the Senate Republican conference disagrees with the move and wrote a letter to Schumer calling for a full trial.
“In every previous congressional impeachment of the past 227 years, Congress has been faithful to the process set out by the framers,” 43 Republicans said in the letter. “Never before has the Senate abandoned this duty, even when certain members believed the basis for impeachment was tenuous at best.”
“He does not want to allow the House managers to present the evidence of Alejandro Mayorkas and this administration’s willful decision to aid and abet this criminal invasion of this country,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said.
There are step-by-step instructions on how to run a Senate impeachment trial in the Constitution and a list of rules that were first written in 1868. Trials begins at precisely 1 p.m. the day after the articles are delivered and each senator is required to take a special oath.
There’s a lot of pomp and circumstance.
For example, the Senate Sergeant at Arms will begin by stating: ‘‘All persons are commanded to keep silence, on pain of imprisonment, while the House of Representatives is exhibiting to the Senate of the United States articles of impeachment against Alejandro Mayorkas.”
The rules also lay out how evidence shall be presented and provide rights for the accused.
It also states, in part, that the Senate should “proceed to the consideration of such articles and shall continue in session from day to day after the trial shall commence — unless otherwise ordered by the Senate — until final judgment shall be rendered.”
The phrase, “unless otherwise ordered by the Senate,” is what would allow for the articles to be tabled with a simple majority vote. Every Democrat is expected to support a motion to table; some Republicans could join them.
Republican Sens. Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Bill Cassidy, Tommy Tuberville, and Rand Paul declined to sign on to the letter to Schumer calling for a full trial.
Tuberville has previously called the impeachment a “waste of time.”
Senate confirms remaining military promotions blocked by Sen. Tuberville
Working up to the holiday break, the Senate confirmed a dozen top military nominees on Tuesday, Dec. 19, putting an end to Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s 11-month-long hold on military promotions. Tuberville’s blockade started over his protest of the Pentagon’s policy of reimbursing travel costs for military members seeking abortions.
Senator Tuberville, and the Republicans who stood with him, needlessly hurt hundreds of servicemembers and military families and threatened our national security — all to push a partisan agenda. I hope no one forgets what he did
President Biden
As time went by and stalled promotions began to pile up, Tuberville faced bipartisan criticism that his tactic affected military readiness and posed a threat to national security. Tuberville dropped his hold for most promotions earlier this month, on Dec. 5, except for four star officers. Shortly after the hold was lifted, Senate confirmed 425 military nominees.
According to the Department of Defense, by November Tubervill’s hold blocked 451 military members, including top military leaders. The blockade officially ended last night when Tuberville agreed to drop his objections. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was then able to get a voice vote to pass eleven nominees who had been waiting on four-star promotions.
“These 11 flag officers have now been approved, joining the rest of their colleagues who we approved a few weeks ago,” Schumer said. “That’s good news.”
Tuberville’s efforts have been widely criticized and did not lead the Pentagon to change its abortion policy, President Biden calling the hold “pointless.”
“Senator Tuberville, and the Republicans who stood with him, needlessly hurt hundreds of servicemembers and military families and threatened our national security — all to push a partisan agenda. I hope no one forgets what he did,” Biden said in a statement.
Colorado Supreme Court bars Trump from 2024 ballot: The Morning Rundown, Dec. 20, 2023
Citing the 14th Amendment, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled former President Donald Trump is ineligible to run again. And Rite Aid is accused of recklessly using AI technology on its customers. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.
Colorado Supreme Court disqualifies Trump from 2024 ballot
Colorado’s Supreme Court is the first in the nation to find the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause” applies to the former president after similar lawsuits in other states have been dismissed. The clause bars anyone who took an oath to uphold the Constitution from office and then engaged in insurrection or rebellion.
The state’s high court, consisting of all Democratic appointees, reversed a decision by a district judge last month that found while Trump incited an insurrection, Section 3 did not apply to the presidency. In its ruling, Colorado’s Supreme Court said it did not take its conclusions lightly but found Section 3 did apply to the former president.
Trump is facing federal charges concerning Jan. 6. One of the three dissenting judges said without an insurrection-related conviction, the court was depriving Trump of due process. A spokesman for the Trump campaign called the ruling a “flawed decision” and said they have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in their favor.
The Colorado Supreme Court’s decision won’t take effect until at least Jan. 4, giving the U.S. Supreme Court time to review the case.
Lawsuit filed over Texas’ newly signed immigration law
The bill overrides bedrock constitutional principles and flouts federal immigration law while harming Texans, in particular Brown and Black communities.
Adriana Piñon, legal director of the ACLU of Texas
The law, which is set to go into effect in March, also gives judges the power to order deportations. It comes as record numbers of migrants have made it to the U.S.-Mexico border and a surge in illegal border crossings.
“Governor Abbott’s efforts to circumvent the federal immigration system and deny people the right to due process is not only unconstitutional, but also dangerously prone to error, and will disproportionately harm black and brown people regardless of their immigration status,” said Anand Balakrishnan, senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project.
Adriana Piñon, the Legal Director of ACLU of Texas, added that the law wastes billions of tax payer dollars.
“The bill overrides bedrock constitutional principles and flouts federal immigration law while harming Texans, in particular Brown and Black communities,” Piñon said. “Time and time again, elected officials in Texas have ignored their constituents and opted for white supremacist rhetoric and mass incarceration instead.”
Republican state representatives who back the law say Texas and other border states have the “absolute right” to enforce their borders.
Senate confirms top military nominees, ends Tuberville’s hold
As time went by and stalled promotions began to pile up, Tuberville faced bipartisan criticism that his tactic affected military readiness and threatened national security. Tuberville dropped his hold for most promotions earlier this month, except for four-star officers.
In a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 19, the FTC said the retailer failed to implement “reasonable procedures and prevent harm to consumers” using facial recognition in hundreds of its stores. The agency said Rite Aid’s “reckless use” of AI left customers “facing humiliation.”
In its complaint, the FTC said between 2012 and 2020, Rite Aid used AI to capture images of all its customers at select stores and created a database of “persons of interest” suspected of past wrongdoings like shoplifting. The system would send match alerts to Rite Aid workers, who were then instructed to tell the customers to leave the store. The FTC said this led to numerous false positives.
The FTC said Rite Aid did not inform its customers of the technology being used in its stores and instructed employees not to reveal anything to consumers or the media. In a statement, Rite Aid said it had stopped using the technology in a small group of stores more than three years ago.
Nearly 36 million Comcast customers affected by security breach
Comcast has announced that a security breach compromised nearly 36 million of its Xfinity customers’ accounts. According to the cable giant, hackers were able to gain access to its systems through a vulnerability in software provided by the cloud computing company Citrix.
The unauthorized access occurred between Oct. 16 and Oct. 19, more than two weeks after Citrix disclosed its software issue. Customer data “likely acquired” includes usernames, contact details, and the last four digits of social security numbers.
Comcast said in a letter to customers that it notified authorities when it discovered the breach, adding that the software issue has been resolved. However, Xfinity users are being required to reset their passwords.
Blue Origin rocket has successful launch after 2022 crash
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is once again reaching for the stars, as his Blue Origin rocket took another trip out of this world. The New Shepard rocket lifted off from Blue Origin’s Texas facility more than a year after engine troubles led the rocket to crash during a failed launch.
This time, the rocket successfully catapulted a capsule containing 33 science experiments from NASA and other groups into space for a few minutes of weightlessness. Both the capsule and the rocket then landed safely back to Earth.
Although no one was on board the tourism rocket this time, Blue Origin is looking forward to returning to passenger flights soon following this successful mission.
Senate approves hundreds of military promotions as Tuberville drops hold
Hundreds of military promotions pushed through the Senate on Tuesday, Dec. 5, after Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., dropped his months-long blockade. The Senate wasted little time, approving 425 promotions by voice vote just hours after the blockade was lifted.
Sen. Tuberville had been blocking the votes in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy, which allows military members time and reimbursement for travel out of state to seek an abortion. The policy does not pay for abortions.
Senator Tuberville, and the Republicans who stood with him, needlessly hurt hundreds of servicemembers and military families and threatened our national security – all to push a partisan agenda.
President Biden
The block delayed promotions for hundreds of military personnel, creating a backlog.
Tuberville faced increased pressure to drop his hold from senators on both sides of the aisle, citing the threat to military readiness and national security as some officials were forced to take on multiple roles with promotions stalled.
Lindsey Graham was one of several Senate Republicans to confront Tommy Tuberville on the chamber floor last night for holding up military promotions to protest the Pentagon's abortion travel policy.
“I’m releasing everybody,” Tuberville told reporters after dropping the hold. “I still got a hold on, I think 11, four-star generals, everybody else is completely released from me.”
“Senator Tuberville, and the Republicans who stood with him, needlessly hurt hundreds of servicemembers and military families and threatened our national security – all to push a partisan agenda,” Biden said. “I hope no one forgets what he did.”
While Tuberville said he still has holds on about a dozen four-star officers, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby expressed the importance of the Senate pushing those confirmations through so they can lead troops in “critical military missions.”