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25 States Sue over Trump’s New Tariffs, Calling them ‘Pretext’ to Replace His Old Ones

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Twenty-five states sued the Trump administration Monday over its latest tariffs, calling them a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February.

The United States last month imposed double-digit tariffs on 59 countries and the European Union, charging that they had not done enough to crack down on imports produced by forced labor. The new tariffs took effect just as the clock ran out on temporary tariffs President Donald Trump had turned to after the Supreme Court defeat.

“After losing at the Supreme Court, the administration is once again trying to illegally raise taxes on families and businesses with a new round of tariffs,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Joining New York in the lawsuit announced Monday are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. (Read more from “25 States Sue over Trump’s New Tariffs, Calling them ‘Pretext’ to Replace His Old Ones” HERE)

Tulsi Gabbard’s Permanent Replacement Confirmed By Senate, Sets Up Possible Vote On Warrantless Spying Tool

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The Senate confirmed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton Tuesday to serve as the next director of national intelligence (DNI), which may revive the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

The upper chamber voted to confirm Clayton, making him the permanent replacement for former DNI Tulsi Gabbard. Republican senators initially planned to accelerate Clayton’s confirmation processafter Congress failed to reauthorize Section 702, though President Donald Trump requested that the process be delayed to confirm another attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Clayton’s confirmation may allow the Senate to vote on reauthorizing Section 702. Democrats would likely back its reauthorization since U.S. Federal Housing Director Bill Pulte would no longer be serving as acting DNI.

Senators moved at an unusual speed to confirm Clayton as they faced pressure to reauthorize Section 702, which permits the government to collect Americans’ data without a warrant. The House failed to pass a temporary extension of Section 702 in a 198 to 218 vote on June 11, with 19 Republicans joining most Democrats in voting against it.

Democrats opposed the reauthorization of Section 702 as retaliation against Trump tapping Pulte to temporarily serve as acting DNI.

Trump requested on June 17 that the Senate postpone Clayton’s confirmation until Jamie McDonald was approved to be the next attorney for the Southern District of New York. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton initially planned to move forward with the confirmation process on June 17, but then postponed the hearing. (Read more from “Tulsi Gabbard’s Permanent Replacement Confirmed By Senate, Sets Up Possible Vote On Warrantless Spying Tool” HERE)

Trump DOJ Reaches Settlement with Pro-Life Christian Father of 11 Targeted by Biden Administration

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Christian father of 11 Paul Vaughn has reached a seven-figure settlement with the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ) after being targeted by the Biden DOJ for his pro-life beliefs, his attorneys announced.

Vaughn was one of nearly two dozen pro-life activists targeted by the pro-abortion Biden administration and its weaponization of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The Biden DOJ brought charges against Vaughn and ten other activists for a peaceful sit-in at a Tennessee abortion clinic in 2021, and Vaughn was ultimately sentenced to three years of supervised release, avoiding prison time. Vaughn was one of more than 20 pro-life activists President Donald Trump pardoned when he began his second term.

In Vaughn’s case, the FBI conducted a predawn raid on his family’s home at gunpoint and arrested him in front of his wife and children, according to his attorneys.

“This family did nothing wrong. Paul prayed and sang. He bore witness to his faith and for that, the full weight of the federal government was brought crashing down on his front door before the sun rose,” said Steve Crampton, senior counsel at Thomas More Society.

“What was done to Paul and his family was a profound injustice, and we are grateful that this settlement acknowledges that. We also commend the Trump Department of Justice for having the courage to look at what its predecessor did, call it what it was—an abuse of power—and change course. No American should ever again have to fear an FBI raid for praying and offering hope to women in need,” Crampton continued. (Read more from “Trump DOJ Reaches Settlement with Pro-Life Christian Father of 11 Targeted by Biden Administration” HERE)

Photo credit: Thomas More Society

Ohio’s GOP Governor Calls Trump’s Plans to Deport Haitians a “Mistake”: “You’d be sending people … back to hell”

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Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine told CBS News the Trump administration’s plan to ramp up arrests and deportations of Haitian migrants is a “mistake,” arguing the move could bruise the state’s economy and risk putting Haitians in danger in their home country.

More than 300,000 people from Haiti are set this week to lose Temporary Protected Status, a humanitarian immigration program that protects them from deportation and allows them to work, after the Supreme Court upheld the Trump administration’s plan to end the policy for Haitians. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has drawn up plans to launch a deportation blitz focused on Haitian migrants as early as this week, CBS News reported Sunday.

The operations could focus in part on the thousands of Haitians who live in Ohio, many of whom have settled in the city of Springfield in recent years. During the 2024 campaign, President Trump claimed, without evidence, that Haitian immigrants in the city were eating cats and dogs.

In an interview on Monday in Columbus, DeWine said the planned deportation operations would be “a blow to Springfield” and “a blow to the state of Ohio.”

“These are people who have helped Springfield really come back,” DeWine said, pointing to Haitians who have filled jobs and opened businesses in an economically challenged city. “The Haitians who are living there and employed there, they came there to work, and they came there because there were jobs that were not being filled by other people.” (Read more from “Ohio’s GOP Governor Calls Trump’s Plans to Deport Haitians a “Mistake”: “You’d be sending people … back to hell” HERE)

Trump Admin Announces Between 10% and 12.5% Tariffs on 60 Countries Over Forced Labor Imports

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The Trump administration is ratcheting up tariffs on 60 countries that have failed to ban imports made from forced labor, as 10% global duties are set to expire Friday.

Senior administration officials said Thursday that countries that have begun implementing a forced labor prohibition will be hit with 10% duties, while those that haven’t will receive an import tax of 12.5% — with the levies taking effect at 12:01 a.m. on July 24.

“The United States has had a forced labor import ban for nearly a century, and rigorously enforces it; it’s well past time for our trading partners to do the same,” said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

“Today’s action will begin to correct what is both a human rights abuse and distortive trade practice to improve the welfare of workers everywhere,” Greer added.

The 10% rate will apply to Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and the UK, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative. (Read more from “Trump Admin Announces Between 10% and 12.5% Tariffs on 60 Countries Over Forced Labor Imports” HERE)

Grand Jury Indicts Former Olympian For Allegedly Tampering With Reflecting Pool

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A Washington, D.C. Superior Court grand jury has indicted former Olympian David Hearn on a second-degree felony charge of “Destruction of property $1,000 or more.”

Hearn “ripped a piece of recently installed sealant,” Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a press conference Thursday announcing the indictment. “[Hearn] willfully destroyed property at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.”

Pirro stated that National Park Service (NPS) employees who were on scene claim to have observed Hearn reaching and pulling up the liner with both hands. Pirro alleges that Hearn caused damage to at least two square feet of the Reflecting Pool, citing the multi-million-dollar cost of the recent renovations to the pool to explain the charge being filed for damages of $1,000 or more.

Pirro also stated that NPS employees allege that Hearn was told not to reach into the pool, and allegedly shouted back, “It’s not your pool,” and “Why do you care so much?”

Hearn, a three-time Olympic canoeist, was first arrested on June 19 in front of the Lincoln Memorial and was charged with the “misdemeanor offense of destruction of government property,” Mediate reported.

(Read more from “Grand Jury Indicts Former Olympian For Allegedly Tampering With Reflecting Pool” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

John Brennan Sues Trump Admin to Preserve Records in Federal Probes

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Former CIA Director John Brennan filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking a court order that would require the Trump administration to keep documents connected to federal inquiries involving him.

Brennan believes the records could reveal why the investigations were launched and help support a future claim that any criminal case was driven by political retaliation rather than evidence of a crime, according to the complaint. His legal team argues the documents should be preserved now because they could disappear before any case reaches court.

The filing points to years of criticism from President Donald Trump and says that his repeated attacks on Brennan show a long-running effort to punish him over his time leading the CIA and his public criticism of the president. Brennan’s lawyers argue that history could become relevant if prosecutors decide to seek an indictment.

“To fully consider those motions, the reviewing judge would need to scrutinize the motivations of the Justice Department officials who directed, oversaw, or undertook those actions to determine whether they violated Director Brennan’s rights, and specifically whether they were motivated by a desire to vindictively prosecute him as an act of retribution,” Brennan’s lawyers wrote in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also warns that emails, messages, calendars, and other government communications tied to the inquiries could be deleted or lost unless a judge orders agencies to preserve them. Brennan’s attorneys say those records may be needed to examine whether the investigations were handled properly. (Read more from “John Brennan Sues Trump Admin to Preserve Records in Federal Probes” HERE)

Trump Admin Vows Birth Tourism Crackdown After Birthright Citizenship Ruling

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The Trump administration met the Supreme Court’s constitutional enshrinement of birthright citizenship with a vow to crack down on foreign birth tourism schemes.

A statement shared by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday, hours after the court’s decision, said the department will make the prosecution of these schemes a priority across the country.

The scheme involves expecting women of foreign origin visiting the U.S., where they give birth to what is sometimes referred to as an “anchor baby” due to the child’s automatic citizenship status, which can then be exploited by the child’s family to obtain citizenship or visas.

“Birth tourism schemes exploit our immigration laws and often violate our criminal laws,” the DOJ statement said. “Actors seeking to exploit loopholes to obtain automatic citizenship for their children pose a national security threat and will be brought to justice.”

(Read more from “Trump Admin Vows Birth Tourism Crackdown After Birthright Citizenship Ruling” HERE)

Trump, Lutnick’s Sons Stand to Gain Big Profits from Billion-Dollar Mining Deal: Report

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By New York Post. The sons of President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stand to see a big windfall after businesses tied to the families helped secure a $1.6 billion mining deal in Kazakhstan, according to a new report.

After Trump and Lutnick closed a deal for an American company called Kaz Resources to mine one of the world’s largest untapped reserves of tungsten last November, records indicate that firms tied to their sons saw financial gain from the contract, the New York Times reported.

Dominari Securities — which is housed at Trump Tower in New York and partly owned by the president’s two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump — had joined other investors to take a 20% stake in a company related to the project.

At the same time, Cantor Fitzgerald — an investment company controlled by Lutnick’s family and overseen by his sons Brandon and Kyle Lutnick — helped one of the investors working with Dominari raise $210 million in new capital.

The dealings have raised questions about the Trump and Lutnick families’ financial gains under deals struck during the president’s second term. . .

During the negotiations, Lutnick pushed Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to give the mining contract to Kaz Resources executive chairman Pini Althaus and his backers, writing in a letter that the Trump administration “fully supports” the company. (Read more from “Trump, Lutnick’s Sons Stand to Gain Big Profits from Billion-Dollar Mining Deal: Report” HERE)

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Trump Admin Inner Circle Secretly Trash His Sons’ Latest Grift

By The Daily Beast. Donald Trump’s sons’ financial ties to a major mining project backed by their father’s administration have apparently rankled even some within the president’s inner circle. . .

Trump administration officials involved in the deal told The Times, speaking anonymously, that they were disappointed by the involvement of the Trump family—as well as the family of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—in projects the government itself is helping to finance.

In September, Lutnick, 64, and Trump, 80, negotiated an agreement with Kazakhstan’s president granting a small U.S. mining company, Kaz Resources, access to Kazakhstan’s tungsten reserves, alongside approval for more than $1 billion in preliminary federal financing applications. . .

Within weeks of the September negotiations, Dominari Securities—a firm based in Trump Tower and partly owned by Don Jr. and Eric—joined with other partners to take a 20 percent stake in the mining project, The Times reports.

Around the same time, Cantor Fitzgerald, the investment firm overseen by the commerce secretary’s sons, Kyle and Brandon Lutnick, helped raise $210 million for one of the lead investors working with Dominari Securities on the deal, a type of transaction that typically generates millions of dollars in fees for the firm. (Read more from “Trump Admin Inner Circle Secretly Trash His Sons’ Latest Grift” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

How US Leaders’ Attempts To Dominate The World Are Weakening One Of Our Greatest Advantages

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Washington’s attempts to dominate global finance through tight sanctions could be strengthening America’s adversaries.

Iran has been avoiding U.S. sanctions by using Chinese yuan to sell its oil, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Tuesday. This avenue opened amid years of American leaders making it less desirable for China, Iran, and Russia to use the U.S. dollar.

Among the White House’s bargaining chips in the ongoing Iran nuclear deal talks is relief from U.S. sanctions, which could unfreeze some of the approximately $100 billion in frozen Iranian assets, according to WSJ. However, the U.S. Treasury reportedly said most of Iran’s $43 billion in oil revenue from 2024 were paid for in yuan.

Russia also increased yuan use amid U.S. sanctions spurred by the Russo-Ukrainian War, according to WSJ. Over 90% of trade between Russia and China is now conducted through yuan and Russian rubles, according to Russian officials, up from the pre-war 2%.

Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and John Cornyn of Texas introduced a bill to give stolen Russian assets to Ukraine. (Read more from “How US Leaders’ Attempts To Dominate The World Are Weakening One Of Our Greatest Advantages” HERE)