Free Republic

Are the tariffs working? The headline from the BBC, Tariffs prompt record plunge in US imports.The details, Goods brought into the US plunged by 20% in April, recording their largest ever monthly drop in the face of a wave of tariffs unleashed by US President Donald Trump. You literally have to go down to the final two sentences to learn the bottom line of the report, Exports so far this year are up about 5% compared with 2024. The overall goods and services deficit in April was $61.6bn, down from $138.3bn in March. Wut? Exports are up? How can that...

The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services narrowed sharply in April, falling to $61.6 billion from $138.3 billion in March—the largest monthly improvement on record—driven by a steep drop in imports and continued strength in American exports. The 16.3 percent decline in imports, the biggest on record, coincided with the introduction of new U.S. tariff schedules and followed months of accelerated purchasing by companies anticipating higher duties. Analysts noted that much of the shift reflected a hangover after months of elevated imports as businesses rushed to bring in goods ahead of the tariff hikes. At the same time, exports...

President Trump held his “Liberation Day” press conference on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. In this presentation, he announced a new additional 10% baseline tariff on top of whatever other tariffs are currently in place (with a few exceptions) for the goods of most countries. For most of our major trading partners, this 10% rate would be replaced by a much higher rate the following week, some as high as 46% (Vietnam) and 49% (Cambodia). Markets tumbled, perhaps forgetting that with President Trump, most big announcements are his way of beginning a negotiation, so these often terrifyingly high percentages are not...

When President Trump recently griped about Europe's distaste for buying American chicken, his comments touched on a long-running and divisive trade spat that's flared up from time to time. Europeans disparage U.S. poultry as "chlorinated chicken," or "Chlorhünchen" in the German press, and see it as possibly unsafe. The phrase refers to the use of chlorine in poultry processing plants after the birds have been slaughtered in order to cut down on harmful bacteria that are frequent sources of food-borne illness like Salmonella and Campylobacter. Rinsing poultry in chlorine was common practice in the U.S. when the European Union first...

EXCLUSIVE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans Friday morning directing the state to pursue "strategic" relationships with countries announcing retaliatory tariffs against the U.S., urging them to exclude California-made products from those taxes, Fox News Digital exclusively learned first. "Donald Trump's tariffs do not represent all Americans," Newsom said in a video announcement posted to X. "And on behalf of 40 million Americans that live in the great state of California, the tentpole of the U.S. economy … the dominant manufacturing state in America, our state of mind is around supporting stable trading relationships around the globe." Sources in Newsom's...

We now have more information on the corruption involved in the pause in LNG exports. Joe Biden approved the pause but didn’t know he did. When questioned by Speaker Johnson, Biden said he wouldn’t do that. During the Houthi attacks and the Ukraine crisis, Biden paused all LNG shipments to Europe. He halted the approval process for export licenses and facilities being built/planned to save the climate. A Louisiana judge granted a stay. It turns out that Secretary Granholm, a wholly unprincipled agent for the hard left, buried a report with data and conclusions refuting the premise they used to...

We aren’t fans of the trade war, but blaming Trump (as the media and the Left are doing) ignores one key point: He’s right that other countries impose outrageous tariffs on American exports. Is there a path to reciprocal low or zero rates? We wouldn’t count Trump out. One idea we like would be to start immediately with a zero-zero trade agreement with Argentina, which Javier Milei is reportedly interested in. That would knock our trading partners off their high horse.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday he is prepared to cut off electricity exports to the U.S. if President Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on Canadian goods go through. “If they want to try to annihilate Ontario, I will do everything — including cut off their energy with a smile on my face,” Ford told reporters at a mining convention in downtown Toronto, the Toronto Sun reported. Ford doubled down on his pledge to retaliate by matching tariffs, noting the U.S. is a major customer of Canada’s electricity. “They rely on our energy. They need to feel the pain. They want...

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken the first steps to amend her country's constitution. "Initially I thought the idea of cooperating with the United States in its quest to reduce the quantity of drugs being smuggled over the border would improve our relationship with our neighbor to the north," she said. "But after considering all of the aspects of what this might mean, I'm not so sure it's a good idea." "For one thing, exporting drugs to the US boosts our economy," she pointed out. "Is President Trump going to compensate us for the loss of this revenue if we...

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Since his election, President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed support for a major natural gas pipeline in Alaska — comments that have drawn fresh attention to a project that’s floundered for years despite support from state leaders. Trump mentioned the pipeline at a news conference with Japan’s prime minister earlier this month, drawing praise from Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, both Republicans. As proposed, the nearly 810-mile (1,300-kilometer) pipeline would funnel gas from Alaska’s vast North Slope to port, with an eye largely on exports to Asian countries. Critics, however, see this...

President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that will restore his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran in a bid to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and drive its oil exports down to zero. The move brings back the tough-on-Iran policies that Mr. Trump imposed during his first term. It also comes just hours ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. -snip- The order directs the Treasury Department to impose “maximum economic power” on Iran, including sanctions and enforcement mechanisms on those violating existing sanctions. It will also implement a campaign aimed at driving Iran’s oil...

During a one-on-one meeting, Speaker Johnson asked President Biden why he paused LNG exports to Europe, says Biden was completely unaware he had done so.The United States hasn't had a president for four years.Johnson says Biden was completely unaware of an executive order he signed. The comments from Johnson came during an interview with Bari Weiss.Johnson said after fighting for 9 weeks with Biden's staff, he was finally able to get a meeting with the president.When he arrived, Johnson says he was "ambushed" by Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.Biden, who apparently didn't know what was going on, asked...

The ruling requires the administration to keep processing new applications to export LNG as the Texas-led lawsuit proceeds. Attorney General Ken Paxton obtained a temporary injunction in his lawsuit against the Biden administration over their decision to halt liquefied natural gas exports. Joined by 15 other state attorneys general, Paxton secured the win Monday after a federal district court judge in Western Louisiana ruled that the new administrative plan should be paused as the case proceeds. “This ruling means [President Joe] Biden’s illegal ban does not prevent Texas natural gas from reaching market while the lawsuit continues,” stated Paxton in...

The U.S. trade deficit widened for a second straight month in May amid a decline in exports, indicating that trade likely remained a drag on economic growth in the second quarter. The trade deficit increased 0.8 per cent to $75.1 billion, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Wednesday. Data for April was revised slightly to show the trade gap rising to $74.5 billion instead of $74.6 billion as previously reported.

A federal court lifted the Biden administration’s pause on approvals for new natural gas export terminals on Monday. Judge James Cain Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, who was appointed to his post by former President Donald Trump, ruled to grant an injunction against the administration’s January pause on approvals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals while ongoing litigation plays out. The LNG pause stands as one of President Joe Biden’s most aggressive climate decisions through his first term in office. Cain’s ruling was issued as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by...

Fentanyl gets manufactured by Mexican drug cartels and then transported over the US border where it eventually results in tens of thousands of overdose deaths per year. But the precursor chemicals used to produce all of that fentanyl isn't produced in Mexico. It comes from China. Not only has China brushed off repeated US demands that it crack down on the sale of these chemicals, but we learned a few months ago that China's government is still subsidizing them. This comes from a House committee report that looked into it.As part of our investigation, the Select Committee obtained materials showing...

The Biden Administration has become quickly and justly infamous for damaging American industry in every way possible. If there’s a way to make it difficult or impossible for Americans to make lawful products or provide lawful services, if there’s a way for them to force American manufacturing out of America and into the waiting arms of our enemies, they’ve discovered and implemented it. This is nowhere as true as in the energy and firearm sectors. Graphic: Lake City Army Ammunition Plant Pallet.This morning [04-25-24], a briefing will be held by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)...

The Port of Baltimore is “closed until further notice” following the Francis Scott Key Bridge tragedy, sending several industries into disarray and jeopardizing national security. In 2023, the port handled a record amount of international cargo, ranked ninth for both dollar value and tonnage in the United States. Vital for both imports and exports of a variety of commodities, the Port of Baltimore has always had international significance and the impact of its closure will be wide-ranging and long-term for the supply chain in the United States and beyond. Given the seriousness of this issue, Congress must come together to...

For decades, the USSR and then the Russian Federation competed with the US to dominate the global arms market. In 2023, according to SIPRI, Russia didn't even make the top five list of exporters. In this episode, I look at the evolution of Russian arms exports in 2022 and 2023, examine the drivers, and look at some of the nations (like France) that have taken market share as Russia drops.

Ever since 2016, talk to a liberal and there’s a good chance that they will blame “Russia” for something. Election interference, inflation, record-high gas prices, the list goes on and on. Since taking office, Joe Biden continues to take this deflection to a new level. As a gallon of gas soared past $5 in the summer of 2022 it was all Russia’s fault. And who can forget the ill-fated #PutinsPriceHike campaign as Team Biden tried to dodge criticism for skyrocketing inflation.Yet according to recent revelations, there may be more to Biden’s “America Last" energy policy than meets the eye, and...