WSJ: Bessent Triumphs Over Mystery Non-Barking
Dog (Update)
Posted By: Dreadnought, 4/10/2025 10:58:15 AM
Time to play The Dog That Didn't Bark. In this version of the media game, we try to find that strangely silent and altogether unmentioned dog, who had been barking plenty until yesterday. The Wall Street Journal did a deep dive last night into Donald Trump's decision to pause 'reciprocal' tariffs against 75 trading partners yesterday while escalating the trade war with China. Trump himself attributed his change to the reaction in the bond markets, which had turned dangerously sour by Tuesday. However, the WSJ credits Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with convincing Trump to take some wins and focusing on building a trade coalition to marginalize China:
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A video shared by a White House staffer captures press secretary Karoline Leavitt praying to Jesus for guidance before she heads out to another press briefing to take on the reporters in the room.
Leavitt has often cited her Catholic education for instilling discipline and making her the confident woman she is today.
“Lord Jesus, please give us the strength, the knowledge, the ability to articulate our words, have fun and be confident. In Jesus’s name. Amen," she says while waiting behind the entrance to the briefing room.
CNN data analyst Harry Enten had a segment this morning which hammered home a message Democrats have been struggling with for months. They have completely lost their historic advantage on the question of which party cares most about average Americans.
During "CNN News Central," Enten pulled up new aggregate poll numbers showing that Americans currently believe that Republicans care about U.S. citizens as much as Democratic Party figures do, a poll that has historically favored the Democrats.
"This, to me, is one of the most shocking pieces of poll data that I truly, truthfully have seen this year, or maybe in any prior year," he said,
U.S. stocks bounced back in early afternoon, helped by some dip-buying after a brief decline earlier on a weaker-than-expected consumer sentiment reading in the University of Michigan's preliminary April survey.
The mid-month reading on sentiment fell to 50.8 from 57.0 in March and below the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 54.6. Inflation is becoming a major concern, according to the report, with expectation for inflation a year from now jumping to 6.7%, the highest level since November 1981 and up from 5% in March. Expectations for economic conditions also dropped 10.3% to 47.2, the lowest since May 1980.
The drop in consumer sentiment
Exclusive: Commerce Department Lays Off
Dozens of Minority Business Development
Agency Employees 2 replies
Dozens of Minority Business Development
Agency Employees 2 replies
The Commerce Department sent reduction in force (RIF) notices to 32 employees working in the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) this week in accordance with the White House’s directive to shutter the agency, two sources familiar with the matter tell National Review. Wednesday’s layoffs came after dozens of employees working at the agency were placed on administrative leave in late March.
The Commerce Department’s latest move represents the administration’s broader efforts to shrink the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy and dismantle any government programs and entities that Republicans view as being even remotely tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
A prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington
frees Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russia dual national 5 replies
frees Ksenia Karelina, a US-Russia dual national 5 replies
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Moscow freed a Russian American convicted of treason in exchange for a Russian German man jailed on smuggling charges in the U.S., a prisoner swap that was completed Thursday as the two countries met to repair ties.
Ksenia Karelina is “on a plane back home to the United States,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on social media platform X. She was arrested in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg in February 2024 and convicted of treason on charges stemming from a donation of about $52 to a charity aiding Ukraine. U.S. authorities have called the case “absolutely ludicrous.”
Time to play The Dog That Didn't Bark. In this version of the media game, we try to find that strangely silent and altogether unmentioned dog, who had been barking plenty until yesterday.
The Wall Street Journal did a deep dive last night into Donald Trump's decision to pause 'reciprocal' tariffs against 75 trading partners yesterday while escalating the trade war with China. Trump himself attributed his change to the reaction in the bond markets, which had turned dangerously sour by Tuesday. However, the WSJ credits Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with convincing Trump to take some wins and focusing on building a trade coalition to marginalize China:
The FBI certainly has come a long way from surrounding pro-life activists with a dozen armed agents in dawn raids over a sidewalk dispute, eh? All it took for a renewed focus on real law enforcement was a new president ... and a new crop of psychotic morons rage-posting on social media.
Last night, Bill Melugin reported on the arraignment of Robert King, whom FBI agents arrested after a tip. King allegedly threatened to assassinate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and attempted to recruit others to the cause. King didn't have much luck influencing friends, keeping family on his side, or amusing the Department of Justice (via Twitchy):
A majority have an unfavorable view of Democrats in Congress, a weekly survey from the Economist/YouGov found.
The survey asked respondents if they have a favorable or unfavorable view of Democrats in Congress.
Across the board, 60 percent said they have an unfavorable view, and of those, 37 percent have a “very” unfavorable view. Just 31 percent have a favorable view, but of those, only 10 percent have a “very” favorable view of Democrats.
Predictably, most Democrats, 71 percent, have a favorable view of Democrats in Congress, while the vast majority of Republicans, 93 percent, have an unfavorable view. Most independents, 62 percent, also have an unfavorable view of Democrats in Congress.
Troubling Story About Biden
Interview With Stephanopoulos Raises More
Questions About Media 14 replies
Interview With Stephanopoulos Raises More
Questions About Media 14 replies
We all are aware of how badly Joe Biden did in his disastrous debate in June 2024.
His people tried to save him by arranging an interview shortly thereafter with ABC's George Stephanopoulos.
But it didn't go well for Biden, as he continued to show he was completely out of it during the interview. Not only did it do nothing to calm the nerves of jittery Democrats, but Biden made bizarre comments about how he would win because he got bigger crowds than Donald Trump (he didn't), and that he was distracted by Trump shouting at him
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are soaring on a euphoric Wall Street Wednesday after President Donald Trump said he would back off on most of his tariffs temporarily, as investors had so desperately hoped he would.
The S&P 500 was up 8.3% with less than an hour remaining in trading, heading toward one of its best days in decades. It had been sinking earlier in the day amid worries about whether Trump’s trade war would drag the global economy into a recession. But then came the posting on social media that investors worldwide had been waiting and wishing for.
What a difference a couple of months of lies and betrayals make.
Two days ago, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, led by Alice Weidel, was in a statistical tie with Chancellor-Elect Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU). AfD was, however, still iced out of any government participation, even as Merz lied and finagled his way in efforts to form a coalition government with anyone but them.
The German public, watching Merz's negotiations go down, their votes for change cast aside in the frenzied deal making, and their few remaining freedoms cast to the wind, had an almost instantaneous case of buyers' remorse.
The Trump administration is considering launching drone strikes on drug cartels in Mexico as part of an ambitious effort to combat criminal gangs trafficking narcotics across the southern border, according to six current and former U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence officials with knowledge of the matter.
Discussions among White House, Defense Department and intelligence officials, which are still at an early stage, have included possible drone strikes against cartel figures and their logistical networks in Mexico with the cooperation of Mexico’s government, the sources said.
Still, the administration has made no final decision
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Democratic strategist James Carville said Thursday on NewsNation’s “Cuomo” that the SAVE Act, a bill requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, was “totally unnecessary.”
Carville said, “Well, let’s start with a massively unnecessary idea. There has been study after study, and I mean a lot of studies and good studies, that say that the amount of fraud in American elections is almost undetectable. We’ve looked for that, failed. So you ask yourself, if somebody — if an elderly person, doesn’t have a driver’s license or a married person takes a husband’s name, which my wife chose not to, but other people do, that’s people’s own
Let’s be frank.
While it’s common to indulge in a hot dog at a baseball game, a new poll reveals that most Americans do not know that the tubular meat may be one of the wurst things for their health.
“Tens of millions of Americans could eat hot dogs this baseball season, but most of them are unaware that doing so raises their risk of colorectal cancer and other diseases,” said Noah Praamsma, a nutrition education coordinator for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which conducted the poll.
Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) said Thursday on MSNBC’s “All In” that it was “beyond wild” fact that no one is questioning President Donald Trump’s “mental acuity or fitness to serve.”
Crockett said, “When we start to talk about these tariffs, these tariffs are not limited to any one type of people. It’s not limited to Democrats, Republicans or Independents. It’s not limited to urban or rural. We know for a fact if we look back just at his last administration, what it did to the soybean farmers, right. And we ultimately ended up having to give them money to supplant the fact that they lost so much money.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) issued a warning to all workers in the United States, proclaiming during a town hall that the jobs currently filled by employees around the country are not going to be there in the next decade.
“I want everybody to think about this. Most people — we have millions of federal employees. Most people are not federal employees. And I think many people are saying, ‘Wow, that’s outrageous. I really feel for these federal employees thrown out on the street,’” Sanders said during the Wednesday night town hall moderated by CNN host Anderson Cooper.
“But I want you to think about this. If Musk
Hillary Clinton Roasted For Claiming GOP
Bill ‘Threatens’ Voting Access For
Married Women 19 replies
Bill ‘Threatens’ Voting Access For
Married Women 19 replies
On Thursday, failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton faced blowback for claiming a GOP bill “threatens” voting access for millions of married women.
Clinton, who is also a former United States senator and first lady, reacted to the House passing the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which aims to require individuals to show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in elections for federal office.
“Update: The House just passed the Republican voter suppression measure that threatens voting access for millions of Americans, including 69 million women whose married names don’t match their birth certificates,” Clinton said. “Make sure your senators know you expect them to stand against it.”
An Australian comic has canceled a trip to the U.S. after claiming legal advice warned she could be stopped at the border due to her previous jokes about President Donald Trump’s administration.
Stop laughing, she’s serious.
The Guardian reports Alice Fraser, who has appeared on Australia’s national broadcaster ABC and the BBC, was due to head to New York in May to promote her new book, A Passion for Passion: A Delirious Love Letter to Romance.
According to the outlet, the stand-up planned to apply for an O-1B visa, which permits comedians to live and work in the U.S. if they demonstrate “extraordinary ability” in the arts.
Pituffik Space Base commander Space Force Col. Susannah (Susan) Meyers was relieved of command Thursday after a report by Military.com that she had sent a base-wide email to personnel at the Greenland base after a recent visit by Vice President J.D. Vance distancing herself from President Trump’s national security policy on Greenland. Meyers had assumed command last July of the 821st Space Base Group at Pituffik.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted the announcement by Space Force of Meyers being relieved of command within hours of the report by Military.com.
Parnell: “Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense.”
Prince Harry’s security woes appear to be taking an emotional toll on the royal. As the legal battle over his right to police protection in the U.K. intensifies, Harry’s concerns about his safety have been brought to the forefront. [Snip] While Harry fought for security to protect his family in the U.K., his wife enjoyed a night out in New York City. The Duchess of Sussex arrived in the Big Apple in a four-vehicle motorcade. An unmarked NYPD car accompanied Markle on her 1.5-mile journey, as she grabbed dinner at the Polo Bar in Midtown Manhattan with friends before heading to the Broadway production of "Gypsy"...
China announces countermeasures by raising
tariffs on US goods from 84% to 125% from Saturday 17 replies
tariffs on US goods from 84% to 125% from Saturday 17 replies
China announced countermeasures by raising tariffs on U.S. goods from 84% to 125% starting Saturday.
The U.S. and China have escalated a new trade war by raising tariffs even as U.S. President Donald Trump hit a pause on tariffs for other countries. China notably had said it would fight the American tariffs with its own countermeasures, calling Trump’s actions “economic bullying,” which led Trump to retaliate by continuously hiking up tariffs this week.
Trump’s universal tariffs on China total 145%. When Trump announced Wednesday that China faced 125% tariffs, he did not include a 20% tariff on China tied to its role in fentanyl production.
One thing Americans can be sure of: At any given time, somewhere out there, a government decision-maker is finding new and inventive ways of flushing your hard-earned cash.
The latest: Government watchdog OpenTheBooks found that the feds spent an eye-popping $4.6 billion on new furniture and decorations for government buildings since October 2020, even though only half the federal workforce was consistently showing up for work in person as of last year.
In 2023, the Government Accountability Office found that 17 of 24 federal agencies used 25% or less of their headquarters’ buildings.
Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration
From Deporting Immigrants From These Four Nations 16 replies
From Deporting Immigrants From These Four Nations 16 replies
A federal judge will block the Trump administration from ordering Cuban, Haitian, and Venezuelan illegal immigrants.
This development comes amid several court battles over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and could be a temporary setback to the administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants and asylum seekers.
From The Associated Press:
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani said she would issue a stay on an order for more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans to leave the country, sparing them until the case advances to the next phase. Their permits were to be canceled April 24.
During a hearing, Talwani repeatedly questioned the government’s assertion that it could end humanitarian parole for the four nationalities.
Left Has a Meltdown After White House
Moves Pic of Obama, Replaces It With Much
More Powerful One 15 replies
Moves Pic of Obama, Replaces It With Much
More Powerful One 15 replies
What would the left do if they weren't screaming about something?
They could be celebrating the rescue of an American Ksenia Karelina, who had been wrongfully detained by the Russians -- until the Trump team got her out. Or inflation dropping to its lowest point in four years.
But instead, Friday's meltdown involved portraits at the White House.
The White House announced the addition of this powerful moment when President Donald Trump -- after being shot in the ear -- stood up amid the Secret Service agents and shouted, "Fight, fight, fight!"