White House Says Trade Deal Struck With China

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The White House announced Sunday that the United States had reached a trade deal with China but said details wouldn’t be released until Monday.

The breakthrough was announced after two days of talks between U.S. and Chinese negotiators in Geneva.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer emerged from the talks saying “substantial progress” had been made toward de-escalating an all-out trade war between the two economic superpowers.

“The United States has a massive $1.2 billion trade deficit. So the president declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs,” Mr. Greer said. “We are confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to work toward resolving that national emergency.”

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng told reporters that negotiators had agreed to establish a “trade consultation mechanism.” He said the two sides “have taken important steps to resolve differences through equal dialogue and consultation,” according to state news agency Xinhua. (Read more from “White House Says Trade Deal Struck With China” HERE)

Foreign Spy Agency Finds Way To Surveil Right-Wingers Even Harder

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Germany’s domestic intelligence agency labeled the country’s popular right-wing party as an “extremist” organization in a statement released Friday, opening the door for the government to ramp up efforts to surveil the right, according to multiple reports.

The Verfassungschutz, or Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV), claimed in the statement that Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) is a right-wing extremist party, paving the way for the government to double down on its surveillance of the organization’s activities, according to The New York Times. AfD came in second place in the February federal elections as its platform proved popular among voters tired of runaway immigration and ceding sovereignty to the European Union.

“The ethnicity and ancestry-based understanding of the people prevailing within the party is incompatible with the free democratic order,” the BfV said in the statement, according to a BBC translation.

BfV’s designation has drawn a sharp response from AfD, which characterized the move as being purely predicated on politics.

“This decision by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution is complete nonsense in terms of substance, has nothing to do with law and justice, and is purely political in the fight between the cartel parties against the AfD,” Stephan Brandner, an AfD leader, said regarding the designation, according to the NYT. (Read more from “Foreign Spy Agency Finds Way To Surveil Right-Wingers Even Harder” HERE)

Stunning Japan Railgun Breakthrough Has the U.S. Navy Asking Tough Questions

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Japan is successfully advancing its electromagnetic railgun program, with ongoing ship-based tests aboard the JS Asuka showcasing the weapon’s potential.

-Designed to counter hypersonic missiles and saturation attacks, the railgun fires projectiles at Mach 6+ speeds using electricity. . .

Japan’s efforts to build and develop an electromagnetic railgun, a futuristic weapon that fires projectiles using electricity, appear to have been successful.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) released an image of its state-of-the-art railgun on April 18. It is currently undergoing testing aboard the test ship JS Asuka.

The Japanese ship-mounted railgun offers a cost-effective and rapid response to potential missile saturation threats by utilizing electromagnetic energy to launch projectiles at hypersonic velocities. In this case, it would be to defend itself against Chinese and Russian hypersonic missiles. (Read more from “Stunning Japan Railgun Breakthrough Has the U.S. Navy Asking Tough Questions” HERE)

Pakistan Fears ‘Imminent’ Indian Attack, Warns of Nuclear Response

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Pakistan’s defense minister warned Monday that a military attack by neighboring India could be imminent following last week’s deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir, escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals. . .

Last week’s attack in Kashmir, which left 26 people dead, sparked outrage in Hindu-majority India and fueled calls for action against Muslim-majority Pakistan. India has long accused Pakistan of supporting militancy in Kashmir, a disputed region the two countries have fought two wars over.

Vice President J.D. Vance was in India during the attack in Kashmir, but his trip was part of a previously planned diplomatic mission aimed at strengthening U.S.-India relations. In the aftermath, Vance also reaffirmed U.S. support for India, condemning the attack and emphasizing the importance of the U.S.-India partnership. His visit underscored the strategic significance of bilateral ties, particularly as tensions with Pakistan escalated. Vance’s presence at such a critical moment allowed for immediate engagement with Indian leadership.

Asif added that Pakistan was on high alert and emphasized that the country would only consider using its nuclear arsenal in response to “a direct threat to our existence.” (Read more from “Pakistan Fears ‘Imminent’ Indian Attack, Warns of Nuclear Response” HERE)

WATCH: LGBTQ+ Rally Calls Palestine a ‘Shining Light’ in ‘Struggle’ for Trans Rights

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Thousands of LGBTQ+ activists marched in London this weekend, chanting in support of both “trans rights” and “Palestine” as part of the same struggle — with one speaker hailing the Palestinian cause as “the strongest shining light” in a shared fight for “liberation.”

On Saturday, radical demonstrators rallied in Parliament Square in opposition to a British Supreme Court ruling that affirmed sex as biologically binary, barring men who identify as women from accessing women-only spaces.

Statues outside Parliament, including a monument to suffragette Millicent Fawcett, were vandalized during the protest, which saw crowds waving signs reading, “trans women are real women” and “biology is not binary.” Meanwhile, Palestinian flags, union banners, and transgender symbols were prominently displayed throughout the capital.

“We need to connect with the Palestine movement, the strongest shining light in this dark time that says no to hopelessness, no to cynicism, no to nihilism, and says yes to justice, freedom, and liberation,” a speaker declared.

Amid chants for “trans liberation,” protesters shouted: “One struggle, one fight: Palestine — trans rights.” (Read more from “WATCH: LGBTQ+ Rally Calls Palestine a ‘Shining Light’ in ‘Struggle’ for Trans Rights” HERE)

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Zelensky Says ‘Good Progress’ on U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday reported “good progress” on negotiations for a mineral rights deal between Ukraine and the United States.

“The basic legal stuff is almost finalized, and then, if everything moves as quickly and constructively, the agreement will bring economic results to both our countries,” Zelensky said in his daily address to the Ukrainian people.

Zelensky’s remarks echoed the assessment given by Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who said “significant progress” has been made on the deal.

According to Svyrydenko, Ukrainian negotiators have “adjusted several items within a draft agreement.” If the American side is satisfied with those adjustments, a memorandum of intent could be signed very soon.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that a deal “could even be signed as early as this week.” (Read more from “Zelensky Says ‘Good Progress’ on U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal” HERE)

Hungarian Constitutional Amendment Rejects Transgenderism

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The Hungarian parliament delivered a rejection of transgenderism on Tuesday with the passage of a constitutional amendment against the legal recognition of gender transition.

The amendment, which also includes articles addressing matters such as the sale of drugs within the country, passed by a 140-21 margin in the National Assembly.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán touted the move on social media, saying, “Hungary’s constitutional amendment is now law. We’re protecting children’s development, affirming that a person is born either male or female … . In Hungary, common sense matters.”

Although the Hungarian government has not yet released an English translation of the Hungarian text, a translation from the online translator service DeepL provides a rough picture of what will go into effect. Statements by Hungarian politicians support the relative accuracy of the translation.

One article of the amendment states, “the Hungarian legal system does not recognize any change in the sex of birth,” per the translation.

(Read more from “Hungarian Constitutional Amendment Rejects Transgenderism” HERE)

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Catholics in Spain Ask Church to Protect Religious Site From Government Destruction

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Some Catholics in Spain are asking the Catholic Church to save a religious site in Madrid from threats of alteration and decommissioning by the Spanish government, which claims the site honors a former right-wing dictator. Critics claim the government is opposed to the site because it is religious, noting that officials have already removed 35 public crosses throughout the country under a law that allows them to remove public monuments associated with the dictator.

The Spanish government, in cooperation with the Holy See, the central government of the Catholic Church, has begun the process of resignification for the Valley of the Fallen, a more than 3000-acre complex dedicated to the fallen from both sides of the Spanish Civil War. The process of resignification involves redefining the meaning of a historic site in order to adapt it to a new purpose.

The Spanish Civil War was a conflict from 1936-1939 between the Nationalists, led by right-wing leader Francisco Franco, and the Republican faction. Thousands of Catholics were martyred by the Republican faction during the war. The bodies of more than 30,000 victims of the war from both sides are buried at the Valley of the Fallen, according to the Catholic News Agency. The site was built on Franco’s orders, and the former dictator was buried in the complex until 2019, when his body was exhumed and moved.

The site is also home to a Benedictine abbey, a boys’ Catholic Gregorian choir school, and a basilica situated underground in an excavated space in the mountain. A 492-foot cross, the largest in the world, towers above the complex.

The Spanish government reached an agreement with the church in February to force out the Rev. Santiago Cantera, the Catholic former prior of the Benedictine community there, whom the government called a “Francoist.” It now seeks to alter the site to align with the 2022 Law of Democratic Memory, which aims to condemn the wrongs of the Francoist regime. (Read more from “Catholics in Spain Ask Church to Protect Religious Site From Government Destruction” HERE)

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China Hits Back With 125% Tariffs, Accuses U.S. Of ‘Bullying And Coercion’

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China announced further retaliatory measures against the United States on Friday, raising tariffs on American goods to 125% as the trade war between the two countries continues to escalate.

The action comes after President Donald Trump on Wednesday raised tariffs on China to 125% in addition to a 20% tariff he had placed on the communist nation, citing its role in the fentanyl trade. American products expected to be most impacted by the new tariffs include soybeans, pharmaceutical drugs, and airplanes.

While Trump has said that China has taken advantage of the United States for decades through unfair trade and warned the country not to retaliate, Chinese leaders have accused America of “bullying” in its latest round of tariffs.

“The U.S.’s imposition of abnormally high tariffs on China seriously violates international economic and trade rules, basic economic laws and common sense, and is completely a unilateral bullying and coercion,” China’s Ministry of Finance said on Friday, according to a translation. (Read more from “China Hits Back With 125% Tariffs, Accuses U.S. Of ‘Bullying And Coercion’” HERE)

Trump Threatens China With Additional 50% Tariffs for Imposing Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S.

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President Donald Trump is threatening China with additional 50-percent tariffs in response to President Xi Jinping’s announcement that the communist country would impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States.

Last week, during a speech in the Rose Garden, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on countries that have historically imposed high tariffs on the United States. Among those countries is China, which Trump slapped a 34-percent tariff on in addition to the tariffs that have been in place on China since Trump’s first term that former President Joe Biden did not end.

In response to the reciprocal tariffs, China announced retaliatory tariffs of 34 percent on U.S. goods. Now, Trump says that if the tariffs against the United States are not withdrawn, China will face an additional 50-percent tariff.

“Yesterday, China issued Retaliatory Tariffs of 34%, on top of their already record setting Tariffs, Non-Monetary Tariffs, Illegal Subsidization of companies, and massive long term Currency Manipulation, despite my warning that any country that Retaliates against the U.S. by issuing additional Tariffs, above and beyond their already existing long term Tariff abuse of our Nation, will be immediately met with new and substantially higher Tariffs, over and above those initially set,” Trump wrote on Truth Social:

Therefore, if China does not withdraw its 34% increase above their already long term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th. Additionally, all talks with China concerning their requested meetings with us will be terminated! Negotiations with other countries, which have also requested meetings, will begin taking place immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

(Read more from “Trump Threatens China With Additional 50% Tariffs for Imposing Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S.” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr