Beltway Insider: Trump/Liberation Day, Tariffs, China, World Leaders Respond, UHC Killer, NYC/Adams

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Category: Beltway Insider

Published on Saturday, 05 April 2025 19:54

Written by Janet Walker

President Trump announced this week, a sweeping global implementation of across the board tariffs for every country that imports good into the U.S., and for others a special reciprocal tariff based on each individual nation.

The President's job approval rating, according to The New York Times for the period ending April 5, 2025,  has an approval rating of 43% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as president remains at 53%. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

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Trump Tariffs are Terrifying the World

In a Rose Garden announcement, President Trump presented to the media, as he declared this move imposing across the board tariffs on any nation and will "Make America Wealthy Again," and it will certainly force manufacturers to raise consumer prices and give others the freedom to adjust pricing accordingly.

"The president announced a 10% minimum tariff to apply to goods from all countries. However, certain trading partners will face higher, "reciprocal tariffs" aimed at penalizing them for their trade barriers. Those taxes on imported goods are calculated on a country-by-country basis, and the levels Trump announced for some trading partners are substantial. He said he plans to impose 34% tariffs on China, 20% on the European Union and 24% on Japan, among an array of other trading partners," reported NPR.

China Retaliates with Huge Spike in U.S. Tariffs

China, who deeply depends on U.S. imports, will now face a 34% tariff on every item arriving into the United States. As China is the world's largest electronic manufacturers, consumers can expect to pay at least $2300 for an I-phone, according to Wedbush Security Analyst Daniel Ives. It is not simply smartphones; the tariff will be imposed on every electronic import.

The news of the Trump administration's imposed Chinese tariff brought a reciprocal action from the Chinese government who imposed a 34% tariff on all U.S. exports to China. As China is one of the largest buyers of U.S. grain and agricultural products, American farmers will be forced to absorb the hit, and in turn raise prices, which in turn cost consumers.

Global Leaders Respond

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the leader of the EU comprised on 27 nations, which is also a large trading partner to the United States, responded to the 20% tariff imposed stating, "President Trump's announcement of universal tariffs on the whole world, including the EU, is a major blow to the world economy," she said. "Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism. The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe."

While many nations including the United Kingdom have been hit with a 10% levy, Vietnam has been hit with a 46% levy.

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How Americans Can Prepare for Tariffs and Sticker Shock

For many Americans tariffs have not been part of their everyday thinking, inflation raises prices and then settles into a rhythm, some fall back others remain, tariffs will change that as sticker shock will force many consumers into rethinking planned purchases.

The single most important question the general population asks when talking about tariffs is will consumer goods prices go up? The short answer is yes, consumer goods prices are likely to go up as a result of tariffs. The extent of the price increases can vary.

"Ahead of this latest round of tariffs, many popular retailers such as Walmart, Best Buy, and Costco have warned investors that tariffs may force them to raise prices in stores. This move could hurt sales, since many consumers are already battling inflation and a higher cost of living," reported The Street.

Economists are cautious but have taken the position that the tariffs will ultimately hurt consumers who will be forced to pay higher prices across the board, from electronics, to automotives, to big box retailers. The White House believes global trading partners will lower costs to compete, and in turn lower prices will be passed on to consumers. 

Financers and investors are telling consumers to stock up on pantry goods now and consider making those electronic purchases and larger ticket items such as automobiles before the tariffs take effect.

The S&P 500 saw its worst day since summer of 2020, after the announcement by President Trump, closing down 4.8 percent. Global stock markets also took major hits, as the news of the tariffs resulted in investors the worlds over feeling betrayed by the initiation of what is being called Trump's trade wars.

Justice Department to Seek Death Penalty for Insurance Exec Killer

United States Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced her office will be directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty in the murder of UnitedHealth Care executive, Brian Thompson, who was gunned down on a Manhattan street by alleged killer Luigi Mangione.

Thompson, 50, was gunned down in the early morning hours on December 4, 2024, in New York City as he was walking outside the Hilton Hotel. He was shot multiple times and died at a New York hospital.

His alleged killer, Luigi Mangione, escaped into the early morning darkness, and was quickly the subject of an intensive manhunt. Within days he was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, at a McDonald's and returned to Manhattan. He faces both state and federal charges in Thompson assassination.

"Bondi's pronouncement marks a significant step in her push to have the Justice Department ramp up its use of the death penalty. She and President Donald Trump both staunchly support capital punishment and have vowed to resume federal executions after they were paused during the Biden administration," reported The Washington Post.

A federal indictment against Mangione has yet to be unsealed, making Bondi's announcement all the more unusual. Although both she and President Trump believe in the death penalty, and capital punishment can be used in any state, even those that have outlawed its use on a state level.

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Unemployment Rate Ticks Up

The Bureau of Labor Statistic announced that employment increased by 228,000 last month, across several areas, although the federal government sector took a sharp hit. Unemployment at 4.2% sends a false flag message, with the belief that the economy, across the board in each sector, is strong and that is not the case.

DOGE Drives D.C. Unemployment to Record Highs

Surprisingly, 24 states, including Kentucky, Arkansas, Delaware, and the District of Columbia had unemployment claims last week that were worse than the same week last year. The District of Columbia, who according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics lost 15,000 jobs in the government sector in February and March (and specifically mentioned that employees who are furloughed or receiving severance pay are counted as employed) faced unemployment claims that were 91.25% higher than last year, according to WalletHub's updated rankings. For those in the government sector the expectation is that the number will only get worse. Overall, 7.1million Americans are unemployed.

Coronavirus Total

At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually.  The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from the newer variants.

For the seven days ending April 5, 2025, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 19,942 confirmed cases totaling 777,684,506. The total worldwide death toll increased by 932 to 7,092,720 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated March 23, 2025, from the World Health Organization).

January California Wildfire Claim More Lives

Human remains were discovered in the charred ashes of a destroyed structure in Altadena, California, bringing the total of victims of the January 7 Eaton wildfires to 30, making the combined Palisades/Eaton fire event the second most deadly in the state.

"The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office said a six-person team was sent to Altadena to investigate a report of possible remains. The team later confirmed the remains were human. The discovery came 12 weeks after the Eaton fire broke out on the evening of Jan. 7, burning more than 14,000 acres and destroying more than 9,000 structures," reported The New York Times.

With the totals from the Pacific Palisades fire, which killed 12, and destroyed 6,833 structures, and burned 23,707 acres, and the more than a dozen other infernos during this extended fire event which was fueled by hurricane force Santa Ana winds, the 2025 fire season resulted in the unfortunate distinction of the being the second most devasting fire event after the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 and destroyed the town of Paradise, California. It was later revealed the Camp Fire was caused by the Pacific Gas & Electric faulty maintenance of over the ground electrical wires.

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NYC Mayor Eric Adams Breaths Easy After Court Drops Charges

New York City Mayor Eric Adams received a pardon from an unlikely ally, as Donald Trump's White House, gutted the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office and with it the momentum to prosecute the mayor on corruption charges.

The charges against Adams were similar to other convicted politicians, five counts including bribery, and soliciting funds for reflection from foreign governments, and a quid pro quo financial relationship with Turkish officials who wanted to open a new consulate building.

Once the grand jury returned the verdict prosecutors moved quickly. A trial was scheduled to begin this month. Once the Trump Administration took over, the momentum shifted, and as Trump ordered prosecutors to drop the case.

"Danielle R. Sassoon, the interim U.S. attorney, refused to obey the order and resigned, and a spate of resignations in New York and Washington followed. Justice Department officials, including Mr. Bove, then the acting deputy attorney general, ended up filing the motion themselves and opened an investigation into the Manhattan prosecutors," reported The New York Times.

The charges were dismissed this week, as Dale E. Ho, granted the Trump Administration their request to dismiss the charges, but hit back and refused to allow them to hold the charges over as leverage should Adams refused to comply with actions the Trump administration seeks.

Leaves Dems Behind, Registers as an Independent

Adams, who is running for reelection of the nation's largest city, has left the very crowded democrat field behind and abandoned his party to run as an Independent. In the New York City Independent voters do not vote in the primary, which are strictly for the two party established parties.

With a field of nine hopefuls, the November general election will narrow to three, a Republican, Democrat and Adams as the Independent challenger. He is still facing an uphill battle, as his concessions to Trump give the appearance of embracing the administration's policies which are the antitheses of the traditional democratic ideals espoused in the Empire state.

For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.