The Political Thread

[Grim]

Gross.

 

[Chris]

No tariffs (again)

US won’t impose 50% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum after Ontario suspends electricity levy – live

White House says 25% tariff to still take effect on Wednesday after Ontario premier walks back 25% tariff on electricity exports to three US states

www.theguardian.com

Peter Navarro, a senior aide to Donald Trump on trade, told CNBC that the president had reversed his decision, announced this morning, to double planned tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%.

New tariffs of 25% on all imported steel and aluminum are still scheduled take effect at midnight on Wednesday, including against allies and top US suppliers Canada and Mexico, the White House confirmed to Reuters after Navarro’s interview.

Trump had earlier signaled to reporters outside the White House that he was rethinking his decision to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports, after Ontario’s premier Doug Ford canceled a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to three US states.

 

[Grim]

 

[Chris]

The Department of Education is firing over 1,300 workers

The Department of Education said that these terminations will not impact core agency functions like the administration of federal student aid,

www.businessinsider.com

The Department of Education said on Tuesday that it's firing over 1,300 employees, leaving the agency with just over half the number of workers that were in place before President Donald Trump's took office for his second term.

A senior administration official confirmed to reporters that the department is beginning to send termination notices to 1,315 employees beginning at 6pm EST on Tuesday.

The official said that of the 4,133 total staff at the department, 259 took the administration's deferred resignation offer, and 313 accepted the department's $25,000 voluntary buyout. About 2,183 employees will remain at the agency after these terminations, the official said.

 

[Chris]

The EU retaliates against Trump's trade moves and slaps tariffs on produce from Republican states

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said as the United States is “applying tariffs worth 28 billion dollars, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros,” or about $28 billion.

apnews.com

The European Union on Wednesday announced retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products, responding within hours to the Trump administration’s increase in tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%.

The world’s biggest trading bloc was expecting the U.S. tariffs and prepared in advance, but the measures still place great strain on already tense transatlantic relations. Only last month, Washington warned Europe that it would have to take care of its own security in the future.

The EU measures will cover goods from the United States worth some 26 billion euros ($28 billion), and not just steel and aluminum products, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods. Motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans will be hit, as they were during President Donald Trump’s first term.

The EU duties aim for pressure points in the U.S. while minimizing additional damage to Europe. The tariffs — taxes on imports — primarily target Republican-held states, hitting soybeans in House speaker Mike Johnson’s Louisiana, but also beef and poultry in Kansas and Nebraska. Produce in Alabama, Georgia and Virginia is also on the list.

 

[Chris]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/inflation-data-cools-in-february-easing-investor-fears-about-the-health-of-the-us-economy-123241312.html

February's Consumer Price Index (CPI) report showed inflation pressures eased in February, calming some fears about the health of the US economy during a rocky few weeks for markets.

The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 2.8% over the prior year in February, below January's 3% annual gain and ahead of economist expectations of a 2.9% annual increase.

The index rose 0.2% over the previous month, a deceleration from the 0.5% increase in January and a beat compared to economists' estimates of a 0.3% monthly uptick.

 

[Chris]

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Democrat, Won’t Run Again in 2026

Ms. Shaheen’s retirement will set off a high-stakes fight for an open seat in a state where she has been a leading political figure for decades.

www.nytimes.com

Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire will not run for re-election in 2026, bringing an end to a long and singular political career and further complicating Democrats’ efforts to regain a majority in the Senate.

Her decision not to seek a fourth term will immediately set off a high-stakes race in a state whose voters are famously fickle. Last fall, New Hampshire voters supported former Vice President Kamala Harris for president and elected Democrats to Congress, but they also voted for a Republican governor and expanded Republican majorities in the state legislature.

“It was a difficult decision, made more difficult by the current environment in the country — by President Trump and what he’s doing right now,” Ms. Shaheen, 78, said in an interview with The New York Times. She specifically criticized the president’s focus on political retribution, his drastic cuts to the federal budget and his antagonism toward Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s invasion.

 

[Chris]

Canada will announce more than $20 billion in tariffs in response to Trump's metal tariffs

Canada will announce Canadian $29.8 billion or $20.7 billion in retaliatory tariffs in response to the 25% steel and aluminum tariffs that U.S.

apnews.com

Canada will announce Canadian $29.8 billion ($20.7 billion) in retaliatory tariffs in response to the 25% steel and aluminum tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump has leveled, a senior Canadian government official said Wednesday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak before the announcement.

The European Union on Wednesday also announced retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products, responding within hours to the Trump administration’s increase in tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%.

Canada is the largest foreign supplier of steel and aluminum to the U.S.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Trump mustn't understand economics as Canada is The U.S biggest trade partner, man's a buffon.

 

[Chris]

Trump Live Updates: Federal Worker Cuts, Ireland's Leader Visits U.S. and the Latest Ukraine News

www.nytimes.com

The Senate Democratic leader said on Wednesday that Democrats would refuse to back a stopgap bill to fund the government through Sept. 30, significantly raising the chances of a government shutdown at the end of the week.

After a private party meeting, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, instead urged Republicans to consider another extension to allow time to consider individual spending bills.

“Our caucus is unified on a clean April 11 C.R. that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass,” Mr. Schumer said, using the shorthand for a continuing resolution to extend federal funding temporarily.

Democrats have been dubious about the Republican-drafted bill passed by the House on Tuesday, which would keep federal spending going at roughly current levels for the next six months, saying it would give the Trump administration too much leeway to continue efforts to drastically overhaul the government. The bill would need the support of at least eight Democrats to overcome procedural hurdles and come to final vote.

Federal funding is set to lapse at 12:01 a.m. on March 15 if Congress does not act before then to extend it.

 

[Samoa Looch]

New: we've obtained a leaked list of the more than 200 sites, services, apps an ICE surveillance contractor monitors. Bluesky, OnlyFans, many more. Used to track targets. Highly relevant with the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil by ICE.

The 200+ Sites an ICE Surveillance Contractor is Monitoring

404 Media has obtained the list of sites and services that ICE contractor ShadowDragon pulls data from. ShadowDragon sources data from all over the web and lets government analysts easily search it and draw connections between people.

www.404media.co

Full list for those, who don't want to sign up there:


And no, Wrestlingsmarks is not on it.

 

[Chris]

Funny bc if there really was a "climate change religion" it would actually have some protections in this country

EPA head says he'll roll back dozens of environmental regulations, including rules on climate change

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency has announced a series of actions to roll back landmark environmental regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants, climate change and electric vehicles.

apnews.com

In what he called the “most consequential day of deregulation in American history,” the head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced a series of actions Wednesday to roll back landmark environmental regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants, climate change and electric vehicles.

“We are driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion and ushering in America’s Golden Age,’' EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in an essay in The Wall Street Journal.

If approved after a lengthy process that includes public comment, the Trump administration’s actions will eliminate trillions of dollars in regulatory costs and “hidden taxes,” Zeldin said, lowering the cost of living for American families and reducing prices for such essentials such as buying a car, heating your home and operating a business.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Does the U.S with trump in now realise what a monumtal fuck up he is. 50% to Canada for steel imports , is he fucking high?!! Getting Mark Carney as next P.M was a coup for the Canadian people for sure. He done well as bank of England governor and knows how to be careful and wise with money. But his lack of political and experience, is my only doubt. However we British will always stand with your fine country.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

I honestly think he believes his own B.S . I still think he was turned by the Russians in 1987 and is an Agent for KGB. All the evidence and believe me I don't believe in conspiracy theories but placating Putin and Fucking over Ukraine just to get Access to their minerals , shows collusion. He has no economic strategy long term for the U.S inconsistent as always. Prices and Inflation haven't come down and he was gonna get them down I thought. Fucking moron.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Scrambled brain and He's a proper Yolk