“Asian auto stocks led markets lower on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, expanding a global trade war and prompting criticism and threats of retaliation from affected U.S. allies. The new levies on cars and light trucks will take effect on April 3, the day after Trump plans to announce reciprocal tariffs aimed at [American buyers of goods from] the countries responsible for the bulk of the U.S. trade deficit. They come on top of duties already introduced on steel and aluminum, and on goods from Mexico, Canada and China. … The Center for Automotive Research said the new levies were expected to cost car buyers thousands of dollars more, hitting new vehicle sales and resulting in job losses, since the U.S. automotive industry relies heavily on imported parts. … Trump’s directive included temporary exemptions for auto parts while government officials sort through the complexities of turning his proclamation into practice.” (03/26/25)
“Russia has said some Western sanctions must be lifted before it begins a maritime ceasefire with Ukraine. Within hours of the US announcing the two sides had agreed to halt strikes in the Black Sea in separate deals, the Kremlin said it would only take place once sanctions on a number of Russian banks were lifted. The demands include revoking sanctions on the state agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank and restoring the firms’ access to the Swift international payment system. Overnight, Moscow launched a drone attack on the port city of Mykolaiv, Ukrainian officials said, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying the strikes were ‘a clear signal’ Russia did not want peace.” (03/26/25)
“The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a Biden administration effort to regulate ‘ghost gun’ kits that allow people to easily obtain parts needed to assemble firearms from online sellers. The decision by a court that often backs gun rights resolves the legal dispute over whether the kits can be regulated the same way as other firearms. The ruling was 7-2, with Justice Neil Gorsuch writing the majority opinion saying that the kits can be regulated under the federal Gun Control Act, saying the court had ‘no trouble rejecting’ the arguments made by challengers.” [editor’s note: The dispute isn’t “legal.” The “Supreme Law of the Land” clearly and unambiguously forbids these regulations. The dispute is entirely a matter of a criminal gang’s members arguing over the extent of the crimes they’ll allow each other to commit – TLK] (03/26/25)
“A federal appeals panel has rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to overturn a lower court order that temporarily bars officials from deporting migrants under the Alien Enemies Act. The Trump administration had asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to overturn Judge James E. Boasberg’s temporary restraining order, which blocked deportations under the wartime act while litigation over using it continued. The government argued that the president had broad authority to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members, bypassing immigration court hearings. Justice Department lawyers argued that the president’s right to invoke the act was not subject to judicial review because the president has expansive power to make national security decisions. But legal experts questioned the justification for invoking the 1798 law, given that the United States is not at war with Venezuela.” (03/27/25)
“The Atlantic has published the Signal group chat messages among national security leaders that were inadvertently shared with Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg, noting administration officials said Tuesday they were not classified. The published chats show the internal discussions Goldberg described in a Monday article, with figures including Vice President Vance discussing the merits of an airstrike on Houthi targets in Yemen. The published chat offers details about the attack that the initial article did not contain, including the specific timeline of the airstrike and what weapons would be used. … It’s a move that could have consequences for the magazine. While officials repeatedly said Tuesday that the information contained within the chat was not classified, publishing such information could still violate the Espionage Act, which prohibits the release of national defense information.” (03/26/25)
“At least one of the 15 correction officers who were suspended earlier this month amid an investigation into the beating death of an inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility has faced prior allegations of excessive force, according to court records. State corrections officials said the officers, including three sergeants, are considered ‘persons of interest’ in the March 1 death of 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, who died after an incident in which other inmates have said he was beaten by multiple correction officers, including members of a Correctional Emergency Response Team. The Times Union reported on March 5 that an ongoing homicide investigation has been hampered because multiple officers involved in the incident had turned off or covered up their body cameras, leaving very little video evidence of what happened.” (03/26/25)
“Armenia’s parliament has officially adopted a law on launching the country’s accession process to the European Union. The legislation, which was initiated by a public petition to lawmakers and has now passed its second reading, calls on the Armenian government to begin the process of gaining membership of the EU. The South Caucasus country has been Russia’s close ally in the region for decades, but recently it has sought to cut ties with Moscow as Armenia accused it of failing to provide support in a conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan. While Yerevan is now working to reach a historic peace treaty with Azerbaijan, it is also keen to strengthen ties with Brussels.” (03/26/25)
“Dollar Tree is selling Family Dollar to a pair of private equity firms for $1 billion after a decade trying to make its acquisition of the bargain chain fit. Dollar Tree Inc. acquired Family Dollar for more than $8 billion in 2015 after a bidding war with rival Dollar General, but struggled to make it fit. Last year Dollar Tree announced that it planned to close hundreds of Family Dollar stores. The company also said at the time that it would record a $950 million impairment against the trade name Family Dollar, on top of a $1.07 billion goodwill charge.” (03/26/25)
“Niger’s junta leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani, was on Wednesday sworn in as the country’s president for a transition period of five years under a new charter that replaces the West African nation’s constitution. The move effectively rebuffed attempts by the regional bloc to quicken the return to democracy after a 2023 coup. The five-year ‘flexible’ transition period begins on Wednesday, according to Mahamane Roufai, the secretary general of the government. He was speaking at a ceremony in the capital Niamey where the new transition charter recommended by a recent national conference was approved. Tchiani, an army veteran, was also elevated to the country’s highest military rank of army general, cementing his grip on power since June 2023 when he led soldiers that deposed the country’s elected government.” (03/26/25)
“The top Democrat on the U.S. House committee tasked with holding the Trump administration accountable said Tuesday during a debate on a Republican proposal that the GOP knows President Donald Trump cannot legally ‘delete whole federal agencies’ or ‘take a chainsaw to beloved programs like Social Security and Medicaid.’ ‘Congressional Republicans also know these dangerous, deeply unpopular cuts would never be approved by Congress through regular order,’ said Rep. Gerry Connolly [D-VA], ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. ‘So now they’ve brought us H.R. 1295, the so-called Reorganizing Government Act, in a desperate attempt to circumvent the normal congressional process.’ The bill, said Connolly, would more accurately be called the Dismantling Government Act …” (03/26/25)
