Hi all—
I hope your Sunday is going well.
I caught up with developments this morning after Donald Trump announced he is imposing a 15% tariff by illegally invoking Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 (I explained in detail in yesterday’s news roundup why Trump’s new tariffs are blatantly unlawful). This comes just days after the United States Supreme Court struck down his prior tariff regime as unconstitutional.
The response abroad has been immediate. The world now has leverage over Trump. His weakness has been exposed.
The European Parliament is set to propose freezing ratification of the European Union trade agreement with the United States in direct response to Trump’s new tariffs. India has delayed a planned trade visit to Washington this week. France has summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner after concerns about interference in its domestic affairs. Real consequences are unfolding in real time.
France’s move carries added significance given who represents the United States there. If you thought the name Charles Kushner rung a bell, it’s for good reason. Kushner is a convicted felon who pleaded guilty to tax evasion and witness tampering before being pardoned by Trump in 2020 — and the father of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. He is now serving as ambassador while facing diplomatic scrutiny from one of America’s closest allies.
Meanwhile, Greenland is again being forced to deal with Trump’s unhinged and dangerous rhetoric about its sovereignty. Trump has posted messages about sending hospital ships to the island, despite the fact that Greenland already has universal health care and has not requested such assistance. The ships Trump referenced, the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, are currently undergoing long term maintenance in Alabama. Nobody has any clue what the heck Trump is even talking about. They just know they want him to stay far, far away.
Greenlandic officials and residents are concerned that these proposals are not about humanitarian aid. They fear they could be used as a pretext for a more aggressive posture, especially after a U.S. nuclear submarine surfaced off Greenland’s coast during a medical emergency involving a crew member. The presence of the submarine was not publicly known to Greenlandic authorities beforehand. The incident occurred while Denmark’s King Frederik X was visiting the island.
Despite this tension, Greenland’s people provided medical assistance to the American sailor.
Back in Washington, Trump’s trade representative Jamieson Greer made the rounds on Sunday shows defending the administration’s decision to impose new tariffs after the Supreme Court’s ruling. Greer claimed that “the legal tool to implement it might change, but the policy hasn’t changed.”
Polling shows that roughly two thirds of Americans oppose the tariffs. Still, the regime is attempting to maintain continuity by shifting legal justification rather than changing policy.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was asked whether Americans would receive refunds for the billions collected under the now invalidated tariffs. The amount in question is approximately $134 billion. Bessent declined to commit.
When asked directly, he said, “The Supreme Court did not address refunds.”
Pressed further, Bessent responded, “We will follow the court’s direction.”
The Department of Justice previously told a federal appeals court that refunds would be issued if tariffs were ultimately held unlawful. Whether that promise will be honored remains uncertain.
Another bizarre development surfaced this weekend when a caller identifying himself as John Barron appeared on C-SPAN to complain about the Supreme Court’s decision. Trump has historically used the alias John Barron while posing as his own spokesperson during his business career. The voice and rhetoric in the call closely resembled Trump’s. While this was almost certainly a prank, the mere fact that we have to question it shows how ridiculous this regime has become.
On foreign policy, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff publicly questioned why Iran has not capitulated despite the presence of U.S. naval forces in the region. Witkoff is now once again claiming Iran is “about a week away” from obtaining nuclear weapons that could threaten the United States. How many times have we heard that line? For how many decades now? Reminder: Trump claimed that Iran’s nuclear capabilities had been “completely obliterated” following the last U.S. attacks. Spare us the lies as you try to pull us into yet another war.
Vice President JD Vance also defended recent immigration enforcement tactics by falsely stating that the focus is on removing violent offenders. Vance unironically stated, “It’s a huge indictment of the entire far left that they made that their cause: letting sex offenders stay on the streets of America.” Uhhh, he knows he is part of the Epstein Administration, right? But if Vance wants to go there, then let’s talk data. You know I’m a numbers guy. Data from the past year indicates that sex offenders accounted for approximately 1.4% of ICE arrests. Previous administrations removed a higher number of such offenders through targeted enforcement.
Domestically, tensions over immigration enforcement have contributed to a partial government shutdown of DHS. Democratic lawmakers have proposed requirements including body cameras for ICE agents, removal of face coverings, use of judicial warrants, and restrictions on presence near polling locations. The regime has rejected these conditions.
During the shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security announced a suspension of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry programs. After widespread public backlash, the agency reversed course within 12 hours. A TSA spokesperson later confirmed that “TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public.”
We’re going to stay on top of all the developments. Later today, Ron Filipkowski will publish his weekend bulletin completely paywall free for all Meidas+ subscribers. Thank you for reading, watching, liking, and re-stacking.
