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Washington -- The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty. The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top advisers and faces fresh controversy over sharing sensitive information about airstrikes in Yemen outside of classified channels. A former Pentagon spokesperson who was ousted last week wrote in Politico that Trump should fire Hegseth for presiding over a “full-blown meltdown.” The interpersonal drama is not - at least yet -...

China is doubling down: China has just announced that they will be pulling back from US private equity investments. Chinese state-backed funds are halting new investments in US PE firms due to government pressure. According to PE executives, funds like China Investment Corporation (CIC) have already begun withdrawing planned commitments. Chinese investors are also avoiding US-linked deals, even when managed by non-US based PE funds. Just 24 hours ago, China warned they would retaliate against countries that cooperate with the US in ways that compromise their interests. It's very clear what's happening here: China is seeking to isolate the US...

China has halted exports of seven critical rare earth elements to the United States, a move that threatens to disrupt supply chains across key American industries, including automotive, semiconductor, and aerospace sectors. China’s Ministry of Commerce recently added seven rare earth elements—including dysprosium, terbium, and lutetium—to its restricted export list. These elements are essential for manufacturing high-performance magnets used in electric vehicles, advanced weaponry, and consumer electronics. NY Times reported:

The guidance that was issued also excludes flash drives and memory cards from the new tariffs President Trump exempted phones, computers and chips from his new tariffs on Friday. The guidance that was issued also excludes flash drives and memory cards. Trump has imposed 145% tariffs on imports from China. He paused further tariff actions on other countries in favor of a 10% baseline tariff.

The guidance also includes exclusions for other electronic devices and components, including semiconductors, solar cells, flat panel TV displays, flash drives, memory cards and solid-state drives used for storing data.

SUMMARY Donald Trump announces a 90-day pause on higher tariffs for dozens of countries - but hikes levies on China to 125% There will now be a universal tariff of 10% on all countries' goods, except for China He says the higher rate for China is because of "the lack of respect that China has shown to the world's markets" Earlier on Wednesday, China announced an 84% tariff on US imports after Donald Trump imposed a 104% tariff on Chinese goods entering the US Stock markets surged after Trump made his announcement - the president appears to have blinked, writes...

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before! Apr 09, 2025, 8:33 AM

President Donald Trump has threatened to slap additional 50 per cent tariffs on China if it doesn’t withdraw its retaliatory measures, pushing the possible level of tariffs it faces on exports to the US to over 100 per cent. In a post on Truth Social, the US president said retaliatory Chinese tariffs on US imports of 34 per cent represented an “abuse” that added to harsh taxes US exporters were already facing. Current tariffs faced by China are estimated to be at 54 per cent when Trump’s initial duties on imports are taken into account. “If China does not withdraw...

DETROIT—If President Trump’s trade war has a physical battleground, it is Michigan, where companies and workers are already feeling the beginning of an onslaught that could blow a hole in the state’s economy. Nearly 20% of the economy is tied to the auto industry, which has become increasingly dependent on parts and vehicles from Canada, Mexico and China—imports Trump hit with steep tariffs in recent weeks. This trade has grown so large that Michigan ranks fifth in the nation by the size of its imports and exports, even though its total economy ranks 14th. Detroit’s automotive executives have shifted into...

I cannot take credit for the following but I saw this comment posted on another forum and thought I would post it here since it describes the best in the smallest amount of space why the tariffs work and how they work: "Trump is trying to crash the stock market at least 20%, causing a flight into treasuries, this will cause the fed to slash interest rates so he can refinance the debt to near 0% and cause a deflationary spiral which will lower the cost of everything. He also intends to use tariffs as an incentive for companies to...

President Trump stood by his wide-scale tariffs, calling them a “beautiful thing to behold” that will eventually be largely supported even as the stock futures dropped Sunday evening. “They are already in effect, and a beautiful thing to behold. The Surplus with these Countries has grown during the ‘Presidency’ of Sleepy Joe Biden,” Trump blasted out on Truth Social Sunday night as he attempted to justify the action he took against around 90 nations last week. “We are going to reverse it, and reverse it QUICKLY. Some day people will realize that Tariffs, for the United States of America, are...

US stock futures plunged on Thursday as investors digested President Trump's announcement of a 10% tariff on all US trading partners, which has sent shockwaves through markets and the global trade order. S&P 500 futures (ES=F) dived 3.1%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) tumbled 2.5%, or over 1,000 points. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) led the sell-off, plummeting 3.5%. Apple (AAPL) shares fell sharply, while Nvidia (NVDA) and other chip stocks also tumbled amid concerns about disruption to their supply chains. China, a key supplier of components to such tech companies, was hit with additional US...

Military force NOT ruled out by Trump to take over Greenland.

Ukraine has agreed to an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, but Russia must agree first, per CBS. US will now immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and restart security assistance to Ukraine

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has ordered his administration to raise tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports by an additional 25%, bringing the total duties to 50%. Trump said he was imposing the latest tariffs in response to a decision by Ontario’s government to slap a 25% tax on electricity exports to the U.S. That move by Ontario Premier Doug Ford was itself issued in retaliation to the sweeping 25% tariffs that Trump had placed on imports from Canada. This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

Quote of the Week: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." - Henry FordTalk about chaotic markets. Donald Trump’s on-again off-again tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico caused markets to see-saw last week.Regardless of what happens next, the uncertainty could now weigh on markets until permanent trade deals are negotiated.The auto industry is right in the crosshairs of these tariffs and is understandably under pressure. The outlook for automakers was already looking shaky with electric vehicle sales losing momentum and consumer spending beginning to slow.On the other hand, pessimism creates opportunities. So...

Crazy like a fox. What better expression to describe Donald Trump? His detractors, of course, think he’s just crazy, and when I heard him propose his plan to create a new “Riviera” on the Mediterranean Sea, my jaw hit the floor too. Had he gone off the reservation? Then I gave it some serious reflection over several days and realized this daring plan might actually work. The “Riviera” isn’t the metaphor I would use, but rather a new “Switzerland of the Middle East.” His proposal took me back to my prior life of investigating drug money laundering. Favored locations for...

President-elect Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he would not rule out the possibility of using military or economic coercion to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland, emphasizing their strategic significance to U.S. national security. Speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump said that he “cannot assure” that military or economic coercion would not be used to take control of these two strategic locations, in response to a question. “No, I can’t assure you on either of those two, but I can say this, we need them for economic security,” Trump responded. “It might be...

Pfizer’s chief executive Albert Bourla decamped with his top management team to Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for an off-site meeting, in the latest attempt by corporate America to ingratiate itself with the US president-elect. Bourla arrived with several members of his executive leadership in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday evening, according to flight records and two people familiar with the matter. Pfizer’s executive team was using Mar-a-Lago for a planning meeting over several days, the people said. While there was no scheduled meeting between Bourla and Trump, the pair were likely to interact and the choice of venue was another...

President-elect Donald Trump isn't ruling out using military force in an effort to gain control of Greenland and retake control of the Panama Canal. During a Tuesday press conference, Trump was asked if he'd assure the world that he wouldn't use military or economic coercion to secure the sovereign territory and the vital waterway, respectively. The president-elect in his response reinforced the critical economic importance that he sees in Greenland and the Panama Canal. "I can't assure you," he said. "I'm not going to commit to that. It might be that you'll have to do something." "We need Greenland for...