Friday News: “Even without the tariffs, Trump’s economic agenda is a disaster”; “The American Age Is Over”; “This Could Get Much Uglier”; “Democrats decry reported dismissal of NSA director Tim Haugh”; Amanda Chase Files, “unclear if she will qualify for ballot”

by Lowell

Here are a few international, national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Friday, April 4.

• How 5 EU countries are fast-tracking onshore wind to boost their energy independence
• Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv solving its troop shortages, says top US general in Europe (“Gen Christopher Cavoli says Russia has lost 4,000 tanks, comparable to whole US fleet”)
• Witkoff Meets Putin Envoy in the US as Trump Grows Impatient
• Britain and France accuse Russia’s Putin of delaying Ukraine ceasefire efforts
• Radio Free Europe says US switches off satellite transmitting Russia broadcast (Trump is a Putin lackey.)
• Trump Officials Have Not Funded Radio Free Europe, Despite Court Order (Violating court orders is a constitutional crisis, should lead to impeachment. Of course, that assumes we live in a country with a functioning Republican Party, democracy, etc.)
• Jubilation in South Korea After President Who Declared Martial Law Is Ousted
• South Korean court removes president from office, says he violated duties (“The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his attempt to impose martial law, a decision expected to exacerbate political divisions.”)
• Trump’s highest tariff will kill tiny African kingdom of Lesotho, economist says
• Trump Goes on Late-Night Rant Defending Far-Right Leader (He’s now defending the leader of France’s fascistic “National Front?” Greeeaaaat.)
• U.S. Strikes in Yemen Burn Through Munitions With Limited Success (“In just three weeks, the Pentagon has used $200 million worth of munitions in Operation Rough Rider against the Houthi militia, officials said.”)
• 15 Senate Dems vote to cancel billions in Israeli military aid (Including Sen. Tim Kaine)
• Risking Reprisals, Palestinians in Gaza Are Calling on Hamas to Step Aside
• E.U. Prepares Major Penalties Against Elon Musk’s X (“European regulators are considering fining X more than $1 billion, after weighing the risks of further antagonizing Mr. Musk and President Trump.”)
• IMF warns of ‘significant risk’ to global economy from Trump tariffs as markets slide
• The American Age Is Over (“Emergency Triad: The United States commits imperial suicide.”)
• Trump sued over China tariffs
• Trump bets on a ‘Reverse Kissinger’ (“Why it will be so hard for the president to drive a wedge between China and Russia.”)
• China imposes a 34% tariff on imports of all U.S. products starting April 10
• How much will tariffs raise prices? Trump’s economists just revealed their answer
• Japan stocks extend declines as Trump tariffs roil markets, Nikkei falls over 3%
• Here’s What Trump’s Tariffs Could Do to the U.S. Auto Industry
• Donald Trump’s Ego Melts the Global Economy
• Carney hits back at Trump’s auto tariffs, warns U.S. trade action will ‘rupture the global economy’
• Canada to Europe: US relationship will ‘never be the same again’ after Trump’s trade war
• Trump’s self-inflicted tariff crisis sparks confusion, chaos and questions of competence
• JD Vance Says He’s ‘Feeling Good’ About Market Mayhem: ‘It Could Be Worse’
• Republicans play powerless as Trump tariff fears sweep across the globe
• Trump contradicts aides, talking points on purpose of global tariffs
• Fmr. VA Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Conservative Republican and Trump Voter: Trump Tariffs “a massive tax increase on the American people…the antithesis of what free market conservatives are supposed to believe in” (Bolling adds that it’s a huge mistake to “just blindly ‘Trust In Trump'”)
• Republicans weigh using the power of Congress to rein in Trump on tariffs
• Top Republican leads bill to reassert Congress’ tariff power amid Trump trade war
• Trump just imposed the largest tax hike since 1942 without congressional approval
• ‘This Could Get Much Uglier’: The Fatal Flaw in Trump’s Trade War
• The real reason Trump is destroying the economy (“Trump is imposing ruinous tariffs because American democracy is no longer strong enough to stop him.”)
• Trump’s new tariff math looks a lot like ChatGPT’s
• Trump Jets Off to Watch Golf as U.S. Economy Goes Up in Flames
• ‘We’re All Dead’: GOP Senator Reacts To Trump Tariffs
• Why Trump’s “Liberation Day” Tariffs are Illegal
• Trump’s trade war on reality
• Even without the tariffs, Trump’s economic agenda is a disaster
• Trump’s Tariffs Are Designed to Backfire (“Instead of leading to reduced trade barriers, the new global tariff plan is all but guaranteed to raise them.”)
• There Is Only One Way to Make Sense of the Tariffs (“The policy is absurd. It’s also an extension of Trump’s chaotic personality.”)
• Dow heads for another 1,000-point drop, futures indicate, after China retaliates to Trump tariffs: Live updates
• Trump’s trade war threatens new hurdles for the Federal Reserve
• The nonsense behind America’s trade war
• S&P 500 Futures Dive 3% as Selloff Gains Momentum
• Jobs report expected to show hiring slowed in March ahead of Trump tariffs shock
• Trump Officials Could Be Held in Contempt for Deportation Flights, Judge Says
• Boasberg signals he may hold Trump officials in contempt over deportation flights (DO IT!)
• RFK Jr. announces HHS reinstating some programs, employees cut by mistake
• How not to stop a measles outbreak (“We know how to contain the disease. RFK Jr. is doing the opposite.”)
• Judge Blocks H.H.S. From Terminating $11 Billion in Public Health Grants
• Senate confirms Dr. Oz to lead Medicare and Medicaid (Party-line vote, of course. F*** Republicans.)
• Exclusive: Trump White House directs NIH to study ‘regret’ after transgender people transition
• Revealed: Trump’s fossil-fuel donors to profit from data-center boom and green rollbacks (“Energy Transfer, a top backer of US president, has received requests to power even more energy-guzzling data centers”)
• Ex-prosecutors raise alarm over Trump loyalist tapped for key U.S. attorney post
• Democratic attorneys general sue Trump over ‘illegal’ voting order (Of course Jason Miyares is not on this list.)
• Army Planners Are Weighing Force Reductions of Up to 90,000 Active-Duty Soldiers
• Trump downplays the role of a far-right activist in his firings of security council staff
• National Security Agency and Cyber Command chief Gen. Timothy Haugh ousted (Insanity.)
• Trump fires NSC officials a day after far-right activist raises concerns to him about staff loyalty (This is bad in every way!)
• Democrats decry reported dismissal of NSA director Tim Haugh (“Dismissing Haugh, who headed the US Cyber Command, puts the country at risk at a time of ‘unprecedented cyber threats’, congressional Democrats say”)
• Workers Forced to Leave Foreign Policy Center as Trump Presses Shutdown
• Fox in the Henhouse: Senate Confirms Anti-Voting Lawyer Harmeet Dhillon to Top Voting Rights Post
• Senate Republicans vote to advance a massive budget blueprint for Trump’s agenda
• Republicans Debate Hiking Top Tax Rate to 40% for Millionaires (Democrats should have done this when they held a trifecta.)
• Elon Musk Appalls Much of the Tech Industry. They’re Just Afraid to Say So.
• California, Connecticut and Washington lose federal grant funding for local libraries and museums
• Trump Administration Set to Pause $510 Million for Brown University
• In O.C., former Vice President Harris says she’ll stay politically active: ‘I’m not going anywhere’ (The thing is, though, since the election in November, Harris has been VERY quiet, basically politically inactive. So…???)
• Anti-Trump protests expected to bring thousands to D.C. this weekend
• Eugene Robinson Leaves the Washington Post After Jeff Bezos’ ‘Significant Shift’ to Opinion Section (Eugene Robinson is SUPERB. Jeff Bezos is…NOT!)
• Pulitzer Winner Quits Washington Post and Slams Bezos
• 2 candidates vie for federal prosecutor job
• Warner and Kaine make recommendations to Trump for U.S. Attorneys (“House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert and Senior Assistant Attorney General Robert Tracci were recommended for the Western District. In the Eastern District, Warner and Kaine recommended the Assistant General Counsel and Director of Investigations for Huntington Ingalls Industries, Michael Gill, and interim Eastern District U.S. Attorney Erik Siebert.”)
• Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11)’s Statement on DoD Inspector General Investigation of Sec. Hegseth’s Use of Signal to Share War Plans (“The work of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General must be allowed to proceed unimpeded.”)
• Gov. Youngkin says he’s hopeful Trump’s trade policies will help businesses in the Commonwealth (What a f’ing moron.)
• BREAKING: Abigail Spanberger Secures Democratic Nomination to Serve as Governor of Virginia (Now, we’re just waiting to see if Amanda Chase made the ballot for the VA GOP gubernatorial nomination, or whether Winsome Earle-Sears will be declared their nominee)
• Virginia’s ‘Trump in heels’ makes 11th-hour filing for governor’s race
• Potential Primary Challenger Dave LaRock Says He’s Failed to Gather Enough Signatures, Blames Glenn Youngkin; If Amanda Chase Also Fails to Make the Ballot, Winsome Earle-Sears Will Be Unopposed for the 2025 VA GOP Gubernatorial Nomination (Abigail Spanberger already made the ballot on the Democratic side…)
• Spanberger will be lone Democratic nominee for Virginia governor race
• UPDATE: Chase submits signatures, LaRock fails to qualify for ballot
• Chase files to challenge Earle-Sears for Republican nomination but unclear if she will qualify for ballot
• Video: Federal Workers Rip Winsome Earle-Sears for “downplaying, dismissing, and laughing off the devastating situation many Virginians are in right now” (Earle-Sears’ comments “[prove] that she can’t be trusted to fight for Virginia” and “isn’t on the side of Virginians”)
• Earle-Sears comments on federal layoffs spark outcry from unions, veterans
• Planned Parenthood of VA: “Back in Your Court, Governor Youngkin”; Urges Him to Sign Right to Contraception and Contraceptive Equity Act (Unlike Youngkin or Winsome Earle-Sears, a Governor Abigail Spanberger WOULD sign this crucial legislation into law!)
• Va. lawmakers reject Youngkin’s gender privacy amendment (“House Speaker determined Youngkin’s amendment ‘not germane’ for firearm, prescription drugs notification bill”)
• Va. lawmakers reject Youngkin’s gender privacy amendment
• Pope & Schapiro: Amendments & vetoes, UVA’s Board of Visitors, and special elections
• 10 takeaways from this week’s General Assembly session on vetoes and amendments (“The big question is what Youngkin does with the budget.”)
• FOIA Friday: Richmond unveils FOIA Reading Room to boost transparency
• Lynchburg company vows to build small nuclear reactor for mass production: Critics voice doubts.
• CWG Live updates: Mild to warm through Sunday, with occasional shower and storm chances (“Storm chances are very low but not completely zero through much of this forecast. Saturday has the best chance to stay drier than not.”)