04/03/25
Good morning! It’s Thursday, April 3rd.
National Burrito Day
Rolled up food – yes please.
And now, the news.
Liberation Day
Starting, of course, with the tariffs that Trump announced on Wednesday.
In a Rose Garden announcement, because everything’s gotta be a show for him, including tanking the economy, Trump unveiled the much anticipated (but not in a good way!) tariffs, which include a 10% baseline tariff on US important from all countries.
In addition, certain trade partners (technical term. Not sure how partner-y countries are going to feel) will have higher “reciprocal tariffs” that are meant to punish them for trade barriers. This includes 34% on China, 20% on the EU, and 24% on Japan.
The 10% goes into effect on Saturday, and the additional tariffs go into effect on Wednesday the 9th.
A Yale Budget Lab has estimated this will cost the average American consumer between $2,700 and $3,400 more per year.
Because understand what a tariff is – Japan isn’t paying this tax. We are. American companies are. And in reaction to that, those companies will charge you more.
Additionally, countries may impose their own tariffs.
This is the beginning of a trade war.
The head of US economic research at Fitch ratings said, “This is a game changer, not only for the US economy but for the global economy.” Adding, “You can throw most forecasts out the door, if this tariff rate stays on for an extended period of time.”
And, most harrowingly – he also said this will plunge “many” nations into recession.
I don’t mean to be all doom and gloom but I also want to put this into perspective. In 1930, the US charged a 20% tariff rate that historically worsened the Great Depression.
This move lifts the US tariff rate to 22%.
In reaction to the tariffs, the Senate held a vote to block the tariffs on Canadian goods. Republican Senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and resistance queen Mitch McConnell all joined with Democrats to pass the block.
Don’t expect the House to do the same, so this is mostly symbolic.
And we knew it was symbolic because Mitch McConnell voted for it.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it forever – he will vote against Trump when it doesn’t matter, because he wants to trick you into thinking he’s one of us. But he created this problem and he’ll roll over on his shell anytime it matters.
Anyway, those are the tariffs. That’s the tariffs story.
Musk Sued
-via AP News
Hey, here, let me make you feel a little better… Elon Musk is being sued in Pennsylvania because he failed to pay more than $20,000 to a Philly man who signed his petition in favor of free speech and gun rights.
The suit refers to the man as John Doe and I don’t blame him… if I made the decision to sign that dumb petition, believing I would get money from Elon Musk, I also wouldn’t want the world to know.
Anyway, that helps a little.
Can I also sue Musk for emotional damage caused by having to know about him?
Adam Case Dropped
-via CBS News
On Wednesday Judge Dale Ho agreed to the Department of Justice’s pretty please to drop charges of New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams with prejudice.
Meaning – hey man, charges are dropped. But we can always pick those charges right back up.
So keep yourself in line, wink wink.
This is the quiet end to a case that never should have been dropped but was done so after a little quid pro quo and thus caused multiple people within the Department of Justice, as well as in his own office, to quit.
Death Penalty Sought for Luigi
-via NY Times
On Tuesday, AG Pam Bondi announced that the Department of Justice will seek the death penalty for Luigi Manglioni, charged with killing a UnitedHealthcare executive last year.
Like most things, this is a significant shift from the Biden administration, who declared a moratorium on almost all capital punishment in federal cases.
In response, one of his lawyers called this “premeditated, state-sponsored murder.”
Signal Group Chats
-via The Guardian
And finally… hey remember last week when we found out that Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, started a Signal group chat to talk about war plans and accidentally included the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic in it and we were like that’s wild! Such a singularly bad idea!
Well…
Turns out he started at least 20 other group chats.
20!
Mike Waltz, what in the world? How do you have enough time to manage so many group chats?
This pretty appalling new insight comes from four different sources who anonymously told Politico you are never going to believe what Mike is up to!
This is new. This is anonymous. So expect this to make news once the government responds with what? I’ve never even heard of this before! Signal you say? What even is a phone? An app? Is that short for application? Why I never.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
Short episode!
Here’s the thing – when the president of the United States is trying to tank his own economy… that’s kind of like the story. Ya know?
I’m proud of… burritos. Like, do you understand that you can literally put anything you want in a rolled up tortilla and call it a burrito? How could not be the best thing in the world?
But more than that, because you are the actual best thing in the world… I’m proud of you.