Niall Horan - Nothing

Tariffs are Taxes, Stupid

The Wall Street Journal went on the record yesterday: "Tariffs are taxes . . . Car prices will rise by thousands of dollars, including those made in America."

Mike Pence said on social media: “The Trump Tariff Tax is the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history. These tariffs are nearly 10 times the size of those imposed during the Trump-Pence administration and will cost American families over $3,500 per year.”

CNBC “Closing Bell” co-anchor Jon Fortt: “The market reaction after hours ― I’ve never seen anything like it.  This ― I think, fair to say ― is worse than the worst-case scenario of the tariffs that many in the market expected the president to impose.”

JPMorgan offered a grim outlook in its daily economic briefing following Trump's tariff announcement:  "These policies, if sustained, would likely push the U.S. and global economy into recession this year . . .  We view the full implementation of these policies as a substantial macro economic shock not currently incorporated in our forecasts."

In his rambling remarks lasting nearly an hour, Trump hailed his new tariffs as “Liberation Day” for the country and once again repeated his false claim that foreign countries, rather than Americans, would be paying the new tariffs. “We took in hundreds of billions of dollars from China in tariffs,” Trump said. “I took in hundreds of billions of dollars in my term, hundreds of billions. They never paid ten cents to any other president, and yet they paid hundreds of billions.”  That is an outright LIE.

Trump was told repeatedly by his own economic experts during his first four years in office that U.S. tariffs are paid by American importers, meaning the tariffs on Chinese goods he boasted about were coming out of the pockets of American consumers. Whether he is intentionally lying or truly believes that he is correct and all his economic experts were wrong is unknown, but he has continued with that falsehood to this day.

But that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, since the worst kept secret is that Trump is a fucking idiot.  Trump wrote social media posts in which he suggested that tariffs imposed on Canada would somehow raise the price of fentanyl being brought into the United States — even though drug smugglers are not known to declare their illegal contraband at customs in order to pay the duty.

Trump Administration Admits It Sent Man to Foreign Prison by Mistake

The Trump administration has admitted it mistakenly deported a Maryland man with protected legal status to a notorious El Salvador prison last month, but is arguing against returning him to the United States because they claim he has "gang ties" and the administration's claims that it lacks power over the Central American nation.

Lawyers for 29-year-old Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia maintain he is not affiliated with MS-13 or any other street gang and argue the U.S. government “has never produced an iota of evidence” that he does.

Abrego Garcia was arrested in Baltimore on March 12 after working a shift as a sheet metal apprentice in Baltimore and picking up his 5-year-old son, who has autism and other disabilities, from his grandmother’s house, his lawyers’ complaint stated.

Abrego Garcia was then sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, which activists say is rife with abuses and where inmates are packed into cells and never allowed outside. Abrego Garcia’s wife later saw him in photos and video from the prison, identifying her husband through his distinctive tattoos and two scars on his head.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials admitted in a court filing to an “administrative error” in deporting him. The government’s acknowledgment sparked immediate uproar from immigration advocates while prompting Vice President JD Vance and other administration officials to repeat their false claims that he’s a gang member.

Sad State of Affairs

Tragedy in Myanmar

It has been nearly 24 hours since a powerful earthquake struck central Myanmar, with its effects felt as far as neighboring Thailand. The death toll has risen to 1,644, the country's military leadership said, while the number of injured has gone up to 3,408, with 139 missing.  Much of the fatalities are centered in its second-largest city of Mandalay, which is close to the quake's epicenter.  All of the images of Mandalay's destruction below were emailed out of the country, as Myanmar's largest telecom companies remain down.   Rescue operations are ongoing, with one rescue team in Mandalay saying they were "digging people out with our bare hands"  In Thailand, all eyes are on an unfinished skyscraper which was destroyed by the earthquake (some 100 workers remain unaccounted for, and six people are known to have died).  Power remains out in Mandalay, complicating rescue efforts and making reporting on the situation difficult. Myanmar's detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi has not been affected by the earthquakes and remains in jail in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, according to a source close to prison authorities. Myanmar's military regime says it has opened a temporary hospital and relief camp at Mandalay Airport. The airport is not currently functional, with the runways damaged during the earthquake, but the military says it is working to resume flights. Myanmar's military leaders have issued a rare appeal for international aid, with its neighbors China and India among the first to send help.

Mumford & Sons - Rushmere

Amid the Trump Chaos