Free Republic

The fix appears to be in for two court cases against President Donald Trump’s tariffs, according to a very knowledgeable source. Last month, five domestic businesses filed a lawsuit in a little known trade court in New York challenging Trump’s tariffs, arguing they have to rely on imported goods that are not reasonably available to them in the U.S. In his April 2 executive order imposing a set of reciprocal tariffs, Trump declared a national emergency, calling trade deficits a threat to the nation’s national security and economy. Trump’s tariffs are central to his economic agenda and designed to reduce...

“Oh, sure,” I hear you say. “We knew that already. We already knew that all our clothing and toys and housewares and home décor is made in China. We can live with that. It’s not like it’s a national security problem.”But that’s the problem. It is national security.We make our own washing machines and dryers, our own cars and planes, our own metal working machines and food processing equipment. That’s what counts, and it’s made here.Yes. But these machines are made here only if we can get the parts. And far too many of the parts, for far too many...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he told Apple CEO Tim Cook that he doesn’t want the tech giant to build its products in India, taking shots at the company’s moves to diversify production away from China and urging him to pivot Stateside. “I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said. “I said to him, ‘my friend, I treated you very good. You’re coming here with $500 billion, but now I hear you’re building all over India.’ I don’t want you building in India.” Trump was referencing Apple’s commitment of a $500 billion investment in the...

Walmart – the nation’s largest private employer – warned of possible price hikes on Thursday given the uncertainty in the tariff environment. "We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible but given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels announced this week, we aren’t able to absorb all the pressure given the reality of narrow retail margins," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a statement as the retailer reported its first quarter results, which met Wall Street expectations. Consumers could see price hikes as soon as the end of May, Walmart Chief...

The AP calls it a “promising tariff reduction deal.” CNN calls it “a cooling of tensions.” I call it what it is: a 90-day white-flag window before China gets crushed. Forget the polite headlines. This isn’t a trade agreement—it’s an ultimatum. And if Xi Jinping doesn’t play it right, he won’t just lose Taiwan or the West. He might lose everything—including his grip on power. This Deal Isn’t About Soybeans. It’s About Sovereignty...

VIDEOAh! What a difference a mere week makes. A week ago, much of the media was eagerly anticipating a SURGE in inflation due to President Trump's tariffs. They repeatedly cited "experts" proclaiming the inevitability of such a rise in inflation with NO alternative scenario possible. Unfortunately for them, reality did not cooperate with liberal fantasy yet again.

The anti-science freak-out predicting President Donald Trump’s tariffs would explode consumer prices has now been debunked as yet another legacy media hoax. The far-left Politico grudgingly admits: “Trump tariffs have little impact on prices so far, defying grim forecasts,” reads the headline. “Inflation climbed at the slowest pace since early 2021 in April, surprising economists who anticipated tariff-related increases,” reads the sub-headline. Notice how the propagandists at Politico lay the blame on “economists” for getting this wrong. But when the media cherry-pick the economists and experts to quote, the media are equally guilty. We all know how this game is...

Prices climbed at an unexpectedly slow pace last month, offering a boost to President Donald Trump, whose aggressive trade policies have sparked fears of a resurgence in inflation. The Labor Department on Tuesday reported that prices rose at an annual rate of 2.3 percent, the smallest increase since early 2021. While price growth in so-called core sectors of the economy — which exclude volatile food and energy costs — remained elevated at 2.8 percent, April’s Consumer Price Index contained only scant evidence that Trump’s tariffs have meaningfully driven up the cost of living. There was broad anticipation that Trump’s levies...

On May 12, 2025, the White House issued a joint statement with China on trade, in which the countries have “paused” the trade war for 90 days. More specifically, the United States has slashed tariffs from 145 percent to an effective rate of 30 percent. China has likewise slashed tariffs from 125 percent to an effective rate of 10 percent. Tariffs remain on certain industries including steel, aluminum, and automobiles. Other licensing deals respecting rare earth minerals and semiconductors remain in place. This deal is a mistake. A 90-day pause does nothing but burn precious political capital, waste time, and...

Federal agents have arrested Utah oil magnate James Lael Jensen, his wife Kelly Anne Jensen, and two of their sons, Maxwell Sterling Jensen (aka “Max”) and Zachary Golden Jensen, in connection with a sprawling $300 MILLION smuggling and money laundering conspiracy tied to Mexican criminal organizations. Court records reveal that all four members of the Jensen family were arrested on Wednesday, April 23 — with sons Max and Zachary taken into custody in the Rio Grande Valley, while James and Kelly Jensen were apprehended at their 26,893-square-foot mansion in Sandy, Utah, reportedly worth over $9.1 million. The arrest was carried...

Rarely has an economic policy been repudiated as soundly, and as quickly, as President Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs—and by Mr. Trump’s own hand. Witness the agreement Monday morning to scale back his punitive tariffs on China—his second major retreat in less than a week. This is a win for economic reality, and for American prosperity. Make that a partial win for reality. The Administration agreed to scrap most of the 145% tariff Mr. Trump imposed on Chinese goods on April 2 and later. What remains is his new 10% global base-line tariff, plus the separate 20% levy putatively tied to...

Looking forward to The Five this afternoon on FOX, and hoping Harold Ford is on. I wonder if he will eat his words concerning his take on the tariffs.

The US and China have agreed a deal that will significantly cut the import tariffs, or taxes, both sides have imposed on one another for a 90-day period. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said both countries would lower their reciprocal tariffs by 115% for 90 days. The announcement came after the two countries held intensive talks in Switzerland over the weekend.

A yearslong malicious cyber operation spearheaded by the notorious Chinese state actor, APT 41, has siphoned off an estimated trillions in intellectual property theft from approximately 30 multinational companies within the manufacturing, energy and pharmaceutical sectors.A new report by Boston-based cybersecurity firm, Cybereason, has unearthed a malicious campaign — dubbed Operation CuckooBees — exfiltrating hundreds of gigabytes of intellectual property and sensitive data, including blueprints, diagrams, formulas, and manufacturing-related proprietary data from multiple intrusions, spanning technology and manufacturing companies in North America, Europe, and Asia. "We're talking about Blueprint diagrams of fighter jets, helicopters, and missiles," Cybereason CEO Lior Div...

The US and China have agreed on a deal to help resolve the trade war raging between the world’s two largest economies, top Trump administration officials announced Sunday. Details of the deal — struck during negotiations in Switzerland over the weekend — were not revealed, but officials teased that more information will be shared on Monday. “The U.S. has a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit, so the President declared a national emergency,” US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Sunday. “We’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us work toward resolving that national emergency.” President...

GENEVA, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng urged on Sunday China and the United States to find proper solutions to problems, and extend the list of cooperation. He, the Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, held a high-level meeting over the weekend with U.S. lead person Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The two sides conducted in-depth, candid and constructive communication on implementing the important consensus reached by the heads of state of the two countries on Jan. 17, and reached a series of major consensuses. He said China and...

The Trump administration’s global tariffs face their first major legal test this week when a little-known Manhattan court considers one of the president’s most sweeping assertions of executive power. A three-judge panel at the Court of International Trade will hear arguments Tuesday on whether to halt the levies, which have unleashed a trade war with the world and threaten to upend the global economy. The federal court, which has nationwide jurisdiction over tariff and trade disputes, operates for the most part in obscurity, rarely garnering a mention in major publications and staying off the radar of most attorneys. “Most lawyers...

On July 7, 1846, a contingent of Marines raised the American flag over Monterey, California, to mark a proclamation by U.S. consul Thomas Larkin that the territory was being annexed as a consequence of the war with Mexico. Much of the future state had already been taken from Mexico's nominal control by an uprising of American settlers under the Bear Flag. Victory in the Mexican War meant that the country gained Texas, California, and everything in between, comprising most of what is now New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Next to the War of Independence and the Civil...

American farmers are behind President Donald J. Trump and his relentless push to restore fairness in global trade and secure new markets for homegrown producers.According to the latest Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer:70% of farmers expect the President Trump’s tariffs to strengthen the agricultural economy in the long-term.Farmer sentiment improved in April, marked by rises in current and future expectations.The Farm Capital Investment Index rose to its highest reading since May 2021. “This month, one out of four respondents said it was a good time to make large investments, nearly double the percentage of respondents who said it was...

In February, President Donald J. Trump promised “a great trade agreement” with the United Kingdom — and today he delivered with a “breakthrough” trade deal that expands market access, curbs non-tariff barriers, and levels the playing field for American exporters.Promises made, promises kept — and he’s just getting started.It’s the first such deal under President Trump’s transformational plan to liberate Americans from globalist trade policies that make foreign countries rich while Americans get robbed. It’s all part of President Trump’s vision of economic prosperity: fair trade, historic tax cuts, deregulation, and a manufacturing revival that will cement America’s new Golden...