Stocks react to growing trade war with China and other countries
Stock market futures were down again this morning and the Dow Jones Industrial Stock Average opened down more than 300 points and then moved up into positive territory. China reacted to Donald Trump’s new 104% tariff by imposing a retaliatory 84% tariff on all goods it imports from the U.S. Trump’s new global tariffs went into effect at midnight last night. Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman in an interview pointed out that the U.S. does not have the staff at its ports of entry to handle processing and collection of all of the new tariffs. The inability to collect tariffs and clear the shipments for entry into the U.S. would likely mean that the ports would become clogged with products.
Trump plans tariffs on pharmaceuticals
Donald Trump says he will soon put new tariffs in effect against pharmaceuticals imported into the U.S. Numerous drugs are manufactured overseas, especially low-cost generic versions of brand name medications. Trump spoke at a Republican Congressional leadership meeting in Washington last night. Trump said he was concerned that Americans pay higher prices for pharmaceuticals than do people in other countries. He did not explain how putting tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals, which will raise the prices of those pharmaceuticals, can allow Americans to pay less for those medicines.
Arizona’s Attorney General on the assault on Social Security
Arizona’s Attorney General Kris Mayes in an interview on MSNBC says her office has evidence that the assault on Social Security by Donald Trump and Elon Musk has reached the point at which some recipients have not received benefit checks that are due to them. Mayes has set up an internet form where people can report problems with Social Security. She says her office has received reports of the Social Security website not functioning properly and of people being disconnected when they try to call Social Security on the telephone.
Judge orders White House to restore AP access
Federal Judge Trevor McFadden, who was appointed by Donald Trump, has ordered the White House to restore full access to the Associated Press so it can resume full reporting. The Trump Administration restricted the ability of the AP to cover White House news because the AP refused to change what it said to conform with what the White House wanted. McFadden said that it’s unconstitutional for the White House to open its doors to coverage by journalists and then exclude some journalists just because it does not like their viewpoints.
 Supreme Court issues ruling that favors Trump Administration
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the plaintiffs who filed suit to force the Trump Administration to reinstate about 16,000 employees it had fired from six federal agencies did not have standing to file the lawsuit. Based on the lack of standing, the court threw out a decision by a lower court ordering the administration to bring back the fired employees. The Trump Administration had filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court voted seven to two to throw out the lower court’s order.
Nightclub death toll rises
The death toll in the collapse of a roof of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic’s capital Santo Domingo rose to 113 this morning. Merengue singer Rubby Pérez was performing at the time of the collapse and was among those killed. Also killed in the collapse were former Major League Baseball players Tony Blanco and Octavio Dotel. An estimated 300 people were inside of the nightclub when the roof collapsed.
