Those who followed the first-term trade negotiations will likely remember the challenges of dealing with the European Union and their entrenched dependency on retaining the Marshall Plan system; a one-way tariff process that enabled Europe to rebuild after World War II.

Unfortunately, as with all long-term financial subsidies, the beneficiary becomes dependent and retaining benefit is their only objective.

Former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross spent the majority of his time focused on trying to negotiate with the EU to remove these ridiculous trade benefits that have long exhausted their usefulness.  Enough is enough.

Term-two Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has the same regional assignment formerly held by Wilbur Ross, with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in full support.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has ASEAN nations as his primary regional focus, Lutnick’s primary region is the EU and President Trump is personally attentive to China and the USMCA.  USTR Greer then goes to the primary with the closest deal under consideration and organizes the paper construct, the technical aspects.  It’s an overall similar arrangement to term-1 only with a much bigger scope.

As would be expected from historic reference points in trying to break this insufferable one-way Marshall Plan system, the EU is once again operating in bad faith and will not give up their status.  When President Trump says the entire reason for the EU to form was to ensure their retention of this Marshall Plan benefit, he’s not wrong.  That’s the brutally honest background.

President Trump has announced today that a 50% tariff rate will be applied toward all EU imports until such a time as they come to the negotiation process willing to let go of their economic model dependent on the one-way benefit.  There really is no other way to break the Gordian trade knot, other than to cut it – forcefully.

President Trump (via Truth Social) – “The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with. Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable. Our discussions with them are going nowhere! Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025. There is no Tariff if the product is built or manufactured in the United States. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appears on NBC Meet the Press to discuss the current status of the trade negotiations, tariffs and pending trade deals. In addition, Secretary Bessent outlines the construct of President Trump’s tax proposals and the intended benefits therein to middle-class working Americans.  WATCH (Transcript Below) 

[Transcript] KRISTEN WELKER: Welcome back. There are new economic warnings after the credit ratings agency, Moody’s, downgraded the United States’ credit rating one notch from its AAA rating. Moody’s citing concerns over the nation’s rising debt. It comes as President Trump’s tax bill suffered a setback in Congress this past week. Joining me now is Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Secretary Bessent, welcome back to Meet the Press.

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT: Kristen, good to see you. Thanks for having me on.

KRISTEN WELKER: It’s wonderful to have you on after a long foreign trip. Thank you for being here. Let’s start right there with Moody’s downgrading the nation’s credit rating. And they do cite the debt. I want to read you a little bit of what Moody’s says. It says, quote, “If the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is extended, which is our base case, it will add around $4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.” Several Republicans, Mr. Secretary, are citing similar concerns. Does the president’s tax bill need to do more to address the nation’s debt and deficit?

SEC. SCOTT BESSENT: Well, Kristen, first – first of all, I – I think that Moody’s is a lagging indicator. I think that’s what everyone thinks of credit agencies. Larry Summers and I don’t agree on everything, but he said that’s when they – they downgraded the U.S. in 2011. So it’s – it’s a lagging indicator. And just like Sean Duffy said with our air traffic control system, we didn’t get here in the – in the past 100 days. It’s the Biden administration and the spending that we have – have seen over the past four years. We inherited 6.7% deficit to GDP, the highest when we weren’t in a recession, not in a war. And we are determined to bring the spending down and grow the economy.

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At first blush the question seems curious, but when you further think about it the question becomes rather important.  If Joe Biden was not cognitively aware of what was happening around the office of the president, then who exactly was controlling the use of his signature via the auto-pen?

In a functioning democracy with a purposefully curious media, the fourth estate would be demanding a congressional investigation to get the answers and context for who was really carrying out the agenda of the Biden administration.  Unfortunately, as a nation we lost that ‘fourth estate’ a long time ago, and congress is of no help.  President Trump:

…”Whoever had control of the “AUTOPEN” is looking to be a bigger and bigger scandal by the moment. It is a major part of the real crime, THAT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 2020 WAS RIGGED AND STOLEN! Millions and millions of people knew that, but the Radical Left Democrats waged a campaign of inoculation and innocence like none that had ever been waged before. THIS IS WHY THE UNSELECT COMMITTEE OF POLITICAL THUGS, WHO WERE GIVEN A FULL AND COMPLETE PARDON BY THE PERSON WHO WIELDED THE NOW ILLEGALLY USED AUTOPEN, DELETED AND DESTROYED ALL EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION FROM THEIR CORRUPT AND VICIOUS WITCH HUNT AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE, WHOSE LIVES WERE COMPLETELY SHATTERED AND DESTROYED BY THIS HISTORICALLY CRIMINAL EVENT. Remember, it all began with DIRTY COP James Comey, Obama, a hapless and cognitively impaired Sleepy Joe Biden, and my now very famous ACCUSATION that,“THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!” Whoever had control of the Autopen is just the beginning. The biggest crime of all is that THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WAS RIGGED! I (MAGA!) WON THE ELECTION BY MILLIONS OF VOTES, AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT. GOD BLESS AMERICA, FOR THE FIGHT HAS JUST BEGUN!!!” (source)

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If you listened to Ed Martin naming the people within the lawfare community of DC operatives who are actively working to weaponize the legal system to block and attack reform efforts within the DOJ, then you likely understand the origin of these latest maneuvers.

Outgoing USAO Ed Martin, and current head of the DOJ ‘weaponization working group’ has revealed that Lawfare operators have filed ethics complaints in an effort to challenge his legal license.   This is what happens when the U.S. Attorney General, Pam Bondi, doesn’t face down the internal lawfare operation within Main Justice severely enough.

(VIA REUTERS) – The lawyer President Donald Trump tapped to serve as Washington, D.C.’s top prosecutor and then dropped in the face of Senate opposition, said on Wednesday he is facing a professional ethics investigation, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

Interim Washington U.S. Attorney Ed Martin said in the letter sent to his staff on his last day on the job that he is under investigation by the D.C. Office of Disciplinary Counsel. The office is in charge of investigating and bringing misconduct proceedings against attorneys in the district.

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As the Washington DC U.S. Attorney, Ed Martin was in position to address the known and documented activity of a variety of former DOJ officials. There’s a strong argument to be made that’s the reason why the DOJ’s corrupt allies in congress moved to eliminate the threat Martin represented. However, their collective result didn’t remove him, nor did it change the objective, it just changed Mr Martin’s title.

Washington DC USAO Ed Martin carried the authority of the Attorney General, in the changed dynamic special appointee ADAG Ed Martin now carries the authority of the President of the United States to investigate a weaponized DOJ/FBI apparatus. It became a serendipitous outcome.

In this episode of Tucker Carlson the former Fox News host interviews the head of the newly formed ‘weaponization working group’ Ed Martin. Within the interview Martin outlines the mysterious motives of the FBI handling of the J6 “pipe bomber” case, alleging that basic investigative steps were overlooked. “They didn’t interview some of the people that you would have said, ‘That might be a suspect.’ They hadn’t interviewed him,” he said. Raising concerns about the agency’s competence, he added, “The question becomes, ‘what’s happening here?’ Is it incompetence? It feels worse than incompetence.”

When asked by Carlson whether the DOJ is worse than people believe, Martin went further, declaring, “I think it’s worse than incompetence.” “The only way forward is not to describe what I think of the motives but to expose over and over again what’s happened. If you expose what happened and the truth gets out, then accountability is possible.” Martin then described the issues facing the DOJ as “much, much worse than people think.” WATCH:

Chapters:

0:00 Ed Martin’s Response to the Crazed Leftist Who Spit in His Face
7:21 Why Would Republican Senator Thom Tillis Want to Destroy Martin?
8:33 Tillis’s Mission to Lock Up January 6th Protestors
16:14 The DOJ Is a Much Bigger Mess Than People Realize

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Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka and three congressional representatives, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez and LaMonica McIver attempted a political stunt at a local ICE detention facility in Newark.  Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested.

The intention of the group was to shut down deportation operations at Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed detention facility used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of the removal process for illegal aliens. Baraka, Coleman, Menendez and McIver created a public disturbance as part of their stunt and trespassed on federal facilities.

As an outcome, Mayor Ras Baraka was handcuffed and led away by federal authorities as the agitated crowd tried to fight the police and federal officials. WATCH:

NEW JERSEY – […] The arrest followed a chaotic scene in the facility’s parking lot involving protestors, federal law enforcement officers and the three members — Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez and LaMonica McIver — at Delaney Hall. The Trump administration reopened the 1,00-bed facility this month to house migrants amid a lawsuit from the city against the private operator, GEO Group, alleging it does not have the proper inspections and permits. GEO group has denied that allegation.

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The Washington Post (but of course, CIA outlet) is reporting on a downsizing effort within the CIA to eliminate approximately 1,200 jobs.  The number represents approximately 5% of the workforce although the actual number of CIA employees is classified (national security, dontchaknow).

Within the report, Director John Ratcliffe is noted as shifting the focus of America’s leading spy agency to use more “human intelligence.”  That phrase, “human intelligence,” is IC silo code speak for shifting away from “analysts” (political operatives) and engaging in more ¹factual intelligence information.

According to the report, DNI Tulsi Gabbard has also reduced the employment level within the Director of National Intelligence office by approximately 25% (current payroll estimate of 2,000 employees).  The general narrative within the WaPo reporting is that “national security” is being compromised by large downsizing of spy agency employment.

Additionally, to bolster the positions of the current political operatives within the CIA, the WaPo waxes concerningly about China and other mysterious foreign adversaries recruiting the CIA employees who are now becoming increasingly concerned about their paychecks.

WASHINGTON POST – “The Trump administration is planning significant personnel cuts at the Central Intelligence Agency and other major U.S. spy units, downsizing the government’s most sensitive national security agencies, according to people familiar with the plans.

The administration recently informed lawmakers on Capitol Hill that it intends to reduce the CIA’s workforce by about 1,200 personnel over several years and cut thousands more from other parts of the U.S. intelligence community, including at the National Security Agency, a highly secretive service that specializes in cryptology and global electronic espionage, a person familiar with the matter said. The person, like others interviewed, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

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Republican senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski all voted in support of removing President Trump’s ability to impose tariffs under national security grounds.  However, the overall vote failed in the Senate 49-49.

The vote was mostly symbolic for the upper chamber as the House previously approved a rule to block any effort to restrict President Trump’s trade authority, and the White House would obviously veto any bill that might pass.  However, the vote does showcase the Republicans who are in support of multinational corporations outsourcing jobs and manufacturing.

The bill was originally created by Republican Senator Rand Paul and Democrat Senator Ron Wyden.  The intransigent neocon wing of the GOPe, those who take funds from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (aka Decepticons) also supported the bill, but given the certainty of Trump’s veto, needed to retain their masks.

WASHINGTON – […] The legislation, designed to end the national emergency Trump used to impose his now-paused “Liberation Day” tariffs, failed by a vote of 49 to 49 despite three Republicans joining all Democrats. {Full Story}

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Following her arrest for assisting a criminal illegal alien attempting to avoid capture, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended Judge Hannah Dugan from all judicial proceedings.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended a judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, saying Tuesday that it is in the public interest to relieve her of her duties as she faces two federal charges.

[…] In its two-page order, the state Supreme Court said it was acting on its own initiative and not responding to a request from anyone. Liberal justices control the court 4-3.

[…] She is set to appear in court for arraignment May 15.

In addition to Mastantuono, her attorneys include Paul Clement, a prominent conservative lawyer, and Steve Biskupic, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin who was appointed by President George W. Bush. (read more)

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Last week CTH noted, “interested political followers in the USA should pay close attention to how the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWA) respond to the corporate media narrative. …  Will the International Longshoremen’s Association stand with Trump, or will they drop support as the global trade reset emphasizes domestically manufactured jobs?  That will be an interesting aspect to watch because the dockworker union leadership will face massive pressure to comply with the anti-tariff narrative.”  (full article)

Yesterday, we got the answer: “The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) unequivocally condemns the recent tariffs that the Trump administration has imposed.”

[SOURCE]

All these moves are so transparently political, it almost makes you laugh.  However, that said, we are now in a better position to understand exactly how the Democrats and Deep State operatives will weaponize the supply chain along with their union orcs.

In the next phase of the anti-Trump tariff agenda, approximately 3 months from now it will begin, we will see/hear a constant drumbeat of empty shelves, missing parts and missing products.  Whether factually true, or whether the shortages are an outcome of a strategy by the ILWA to assist the shortage narrative, the overall objective will be to blame President Trump for everything from shortages of medicine to shortages of parts to fix, repair or maintain consumer products.

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