Trump admin tries to calm nerves after Wall Street losses pile up

Trump silences Voice of America, other pro-democracy media

After Wall Street sell-off, White House focused on long-term gains

The Trump administration is preaching patience when it comes to consumer confidence and Wall Street.
The financial markets bounced back on Friday, but the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq notched their fourth straight weekly losses. In response to the market sell-off, Treasury Secretary Bessent told CNBC the administration is more focused on “long-term gains” and that he’s “not concerned” about, what he called “a little bit of volatility over three weeks.” President Trump has said his tariffs and trade policies will cause a “disturbance” in the U-S economy.

Trump administration appeals orders to rehire federal workers

The Trump administration is appealing judicial orders to immediately rehire thousands of fired government workers. Two federal judges found legal problems with the way the Trump administration carried out mass terminations and ordered the employees at least temporarily brought back on the job. But press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the White House is fighting back, calling it “absurd” that lower level judges can “usurp” the president’s executive authority. But one of the judges described the administration’s mass firings as a “sham.”

Rubio defends Trump’s tariffs in meeting with G7 allies

Secretary of State Rubio is defending President Trump’s tariff policies. After attending a meeting of G7 allies that was overshadowed by tariffs and other Donald Trump trade policies, Rubio insisted that tariffs are not a “hostile move” against American allies. He said they’re about making trade fair. The secretary of state met with his G7 counterparts in Canada, a country that has been targeted by the president. The allies used their meeting to voice disapproval of the escalating trade war. GC, Wash.

Trump trade war leads to bipartisan alliance in Kentucky

President Trump’s tariffs have led to a rare bipartisan alliance among Kentucky’s political leaders. The president’s escalating trade war prompted the European Union to announce a 50 percent tariff on American whiskey starting next month. As a result, Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear and Republican Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul have bonded together to voice their disapproval of the White House tariffs policy. They point to potential job losses in their state’s bourbon industry, as well as higher costs for the American people.

Greenlanders oppose Trump’s desire to take over their country

President Trump wants the U-S to take over Greenland, but Greenlanders don’t like the idea. Greenland’s likely new prime minister is rejecting the president’s effort to take control of the island, saying Greenlanders don’t want to be part of the United States. In parliamentary elections this past week, Jens-Frederik Nielsen and his pro-business party were victorious. He said Greenland wants independence from Denmark and doesn’t want to be taken over by America.. Donald Trump recently said he expects the U-S to get Greenland “one way or the other.”

Trump vows to reverse DOJ “corruption and weaponization”

President Trump says his administration is reversing the Justice Department’s four-year history of “corruption and weaponization.” In what amounted to a victory lap, the president addressed top officials at the Justice Department — the agency that prosecuted two criminal cases against him. Cases that were eventually dropped. Donald Trump accused his predecessor of turning it into the “Department of Injustice,” but declared “those days are over.” The president injected profanity into his speech to denounce the criminal investigations against him and directed his allies and loyalists in the department to carry out a “far-reaching” investigation into DOJ “corruption.”

U.S. has “productive” talks with Russia’s Putin about ending Ukraine war

President Trump says the U-S had “productive” discussions with Russian President Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. After the latest talks, the president said there is a “very good chance” the war between Russia and Ukraine can end. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “we have never been this close to peace.” On his social media account, the president also said that he “strongly requested” that Putin spare the lives of Ukrainian troops who are “completely surrounded” by the Russian military.

Trump: it’s up to Democrats to avert a government shutdown

President Trump says it’s up to Senate Democrats to avert a government shutdown. Ahead of tonight’s midnight deadline to pass a funding bill, the president began casting blame on Democrats for any potential disruptions in federal services. Republicans need several Democrats to pass House legislation that would keep the government funded through the end of September. Yesterday, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he was unwilling to risk a shutdown and said he would support the bill.

Trump to visit Justice Dept in first agency visit since taking office

President Trump is set to visit the Department of Justice. The DOJ was top of mind for Donald Trump during the campaign as he railed against what he called the “weaponization” of the federal government — including against him. He was charged with illegally retaining classified documents and trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. But the DOJ, which is now led by his former defense attorneys and allies, abandoned those cases against he won reelection.

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow birthright citizenship restrictions

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to partly allow birthright citizenship restrictions.
Federal judges in three states have blocked the executive order that would deny citizenship to those born after February 19th whose parents are in the country illegally. So the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to narrow those orders from lower courts. In the emergency request, the Justice Department argues that individual judges lack the power to issue nationwide injunctions.

Judge orders Trump admin to rehire thousands of fired workers

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to rehire thousands of probationary workers who were let go in mass firings. U.S. District Judge William Alsup found the firings didn’t follow federal law and he ordered that all fired probationary employees be offered their jobs back immediately. The judge described the mass firings as a “sham.” The ruling affects employees from multiple federal agencies, including the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, the Interior, and the Treasury.

Trump threatens 200% tariff on European wine, alcohol

President Trump continues to ratchet up his tariff threats. After the president slapped new fees on imported steel and aluminum, the European Union retaliated by announcing a 50 percent tariff on American whiskey starting next month. Writing on social media, Donald Trump threatened a 200 percent tariff on European wine, Champagne, and other alcohol. The escalating trade war is worrying to many industries, including U-S bourbon makers who are urging the president to back off his demands.

White House withdraws nomination of CDC director

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of the president’s choice to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The withdrawal announcement came just hours before Dr. David Weldon, a former Florida congressman, was scheduled to testify before the Senate’s health committee. Pulling a nomination is typically done when it’s clear to the White House the nominee doesn’t have the votes to be confirmed. Weldon has been a prominent critic of vaccines and the CDC, raising serious concerns among some senators.

White House: ceasefire is “up to Russia now”

President Trump says “it’s up to Russia now” as the United States pushes for peace in Ukraine. The president welcomed Ukraine’s acceptance of a 30-day ceasefire and said efforts now shift to talks with the Russians. And if Moscow agrees, he said that would be 80% of the way to getting this horrible bloodbath” ended. The president again made veiled threats of hitting Russia with new sanctions. GC, Wash.

Trump defends 1,300 layoffs at Education Department

President Trump is defending his administration’s slashing of the Education Department’s workforce.  The administration this week announced more than 13-hundred layoffs at the Department of Education. The president said downsizing is necessary. He claimed that the “best people” were being retained, even though he wants to close the department. Thousands more jobs are expected to be cut across the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration, and other agencies.

Trump’s latest tariffs spark retaliation from EU, Canada

President Trump’s latest tariffs have sparked retaliation from the European Union and Canada. The president says the EU has treated the United States “very badly.” Seated next to the prime minister of Ireland, which is a member of the EU, the president said he would respond to new tariffs on U-S industrial and farm products. He said it’s America’s “turn” to inflict economic pain on a trading partner. Canada also retaliated quickly to Donald Trump’s 25 percent steel and aluminum tariffs.

Trump stands by tariffs policy as Wall Street tumbles

Trump halts 50% tariff threat on Canadian steel, aluminum

President Trump is halting plans to double the tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. In the latest roller coaster ride of Trump administration tariffs, the president pulled back his decision to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada after Ontario suspended its planned surcharges on electricity sold to the United States. The White House was going to double the tariffs to 50 percent. Instead, a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports starts Wednesday.

U.S. resumes military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine

The United States is lifting its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and its intelligence sharing with Kyiv. The announcement came at talks between Ukraine and the U-S being held in Saudi Arabia. More than a week ago, the Trump administration imposed the measures to push Ukraine’s president to enter talks to end the war. Ukraine also announced it was open to a 30-day cease-fire in the war with Russia, subject to Kremlin agreement.

Trump committed to tariff policies despite Wall Street slide

The White House is trying to reassure Americans who are worried about tumbling stock prices on Wall Street. After several days of a steep sell-off in stocks, presidential spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said there’s no turning back for President Trump and his tariff policies. She downplayed the falling Wall Street numbers as a “snapshot” in time and admitted that the president’s policies have created a “period of economic transition.”

US-Canada trade war intensifies with new tariffs

President Trump now says he’s doubling the tariffs on Canadian steel and   aluminum to 50 percent. The president has instructed the Commerce Department “to add an additional 25 percent tariff…on all steel and aluminum” imports from Canada effective Wednesday. He wrote on social media that Canada is “one of the highest tariffing nations anywhere in the world.” The president said the increase of the tariffs is a response to the price increases that Ontario put on electricity sold to the United States.

Trump silent on worsening economic worries, market sell-off

President Trump’s refusal to rule out a recession sent Wall Street into a steep drop. Over the weekend, the president dodged a question about a possible recession, but said the U.S. economy will experience a “period of transition” as his policies take effect. The led to a steep Wall Street sell-off to start the week. A key Trump economic adviser pushed back on talk of recession, saying there were many reasons to be bullish about the U.S. economy. But a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed American households growing more pessimistic about their prospects.