U.S. seizes ship in blockade of Iranian ports
The U.S. yesterday made good on its threat to board and seize any vessel defying its blockade of Iran’s ports. A guided-missile destroyer fired on the Iran-linked ship M/V Touska after issuing warnings over a six-hour period. Once the ship was disabled, Marines descended from helicopters onto its deck. The incident comes after the Trump administration said it expected peace talks with Iran to resume this week in Islamabad, Pakistan, while the Iranians said no such thing was going to take place. Iran has vowed to retaliate for the seizure of the merchant ship, and it has not yet officially committed to the talks. According to MarineTraffic.com, the ship had been going back and forth between the Chinese city of Zhuhai and various Iranian ports.
Oil prices go up again
Oil prices climbed Sunday after President Donald Trump on social media again threatened to attack Iran’s power plants and oil facilities. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was up about 7% to $96.88, after settling on Friday at its lowest level since March 10 on news Iran would re-open the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. crude was up 7% to $90.33. Trump has warned he will not extend the current ceasefire, which has seen sporadic shooting, if an agreement isn’t reached by Wednesday. U.S. gas prices, which reached a national average of $4.05 a gallon on Sunday, may not return to under $3 a gallon until “next year,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN on Sunday.
Refund process for Trump’s tariffs begins today
Exactly two months after the Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s most sweeping tariffs, some American importers can begin applying for reimbursement today through a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) internet site. It’s estimated that the Trump administration illegally collected $168 billion in tariffs. CBP estimates that refunds will be issued within 60 to 90 days after approval, but it could take longer. Only parties known formally as importers of record who made tariff payments or authorized customs brokers who act on their behalf can file for tariff refunds at the current time. The process could drag out if the Trump administration takes actions to delay or reduce the size of refunds. White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett indicated in a recent Fox News interview that the administration would try to avoid giving back all of the money.
Trump’s DOJ tries to get Michigan ballots
Michigan’s attorney general is rejecting an effort by the the Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain ballots and other voting materials from the Detroit area for the 2020 election that Donald Trump still falsely claims he won. Harmeet Dhillon, the DOJ’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, sent a letter to the clerk who oversees elections in Wayne County, Michigan’s most populous county, requesting she turn over all ballots, ballot receipts and ballot envelopes from the 2020 election within two weeks. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has responded calling Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud “baseless” and warning that state leaders stand “ready to defend against these claims and any attempt to interfere in Michigan’s elections.”
Trump steps up effort to use religion in government business
Donald Trump plans tomorrow to take another step to erode the separation of church and state that has been practiced since the U.S. was founded. Tomorrow at 6 p.m., Trump is scheduled to read from the bible during a video message from the Oval Office. Trump is to read a passage from 2 Chronicles 7:11-22, which is a verse that was included in a prayer that was said by members of the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Secretary of State Rubio, Defense Secretary Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles are expected to be with Trump during the reading.
Shreveport mass shooting
A 31-year-old man shot and killed his seven young children and a cousin and critically wounded his wife and another woman Sunday morning in northwestern Louisiana, authorities said. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. in more than two years. Police responded to reports of shots fired in Shreveport’s Cedar Grove community, just after 6 a.m. local time Sunday. The gunman, Shamar Elkins, first shot his wife at a residence and then went to another home where he shot the eight children and the second adult victim, who is the mother of the eighth child killed, according to police. He hijacked a car during his getaway and during a chase was shot and killed by police.
