#US President #DonaldTrump and his #tariffs have taken a bull stock market and are on the precipice of turning it into a bear faster than any president has overseen in modern history.

> If the stock market closes in bear territory – a drop of 20% from a recent peak – it would be the earliest [..] bear (market) in the history of the S&P 500, which dates back to 1957.

> These same tariffs may also take a booming economy and turn it into a #RECESSION https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-tariffs-netanyahu-news-04-07-25/index.html #stocks #economy #MAGA

China Wanted to Negotiate With Trump. Now It’s Arming for Another Trade War.

> On Friday, Beijing matched Trump’s 34% additional tariffs and for the first time it hit all #US products, no exceptions.

> Trump’s response to its retaliation suggested things would only get worse. In a social-media post, Trump wrote, “#CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED—THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO!” https://archive.fo/2025.04.06-020746/https://www.wsj.com/world/china/china-trump-tariff-foreign-policy-6934e493 #TradeWar

17 dead as significant severe weather, flash #flooding tear through parts of #US

> Since Wednesday, at least 17 people have died amid the outbreak of severe weather, including a 9-year-old boy in #Kentucky who was swept away by floodwaters as he walked to a bus stop, and several people killed in southwestern #Tennessee after a strong EF-3 #tornado ripped through the city of Selmer.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/significant-severe-weather-flash-flooding-continue-impacting-south/story?id=120519101

Tech mogul #ElonMusk, who has served as a close advisor to President #DonaldTrump, on Saturday broke with the president's decision to impose expansive #tariffs on most foreign nations, saying that he hopes to see a "zero tariff situation"

> "I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move, ideally, in my view, to a zero #tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America,"
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/elon-musk-zero-tariff-free-trade-zone-europe-rcna199849 #trade #eu #tradewar #policy

The Rising Costs and Limited Impact of the US Military Offensive Against Houthis

> The recent military offensive by the #US against Houthi militants in #Yemen has quickly escalated, nearly reaching a staggering cost of $1 billion in under three weeks. Despite the financial commitment, the offensive has yielded limited impact on dismantling the capabilities of the Iran-backed #Houthi group.
https://www.sohu.com/a/879968609_122342248 #Houthis #Iran

Cost of US military offensive against Houthis nears $1 billion with limited impact https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/04/politics/cost-us-military-houthis-limited-impact?cid=external-feeds_iluminar_msn

#MAGA - Trump hits golf course as stock market plummets for second straight day over tariffs

> Two days after sending the #economy reeling by announcing widespread #tariffs, President #DonaldTrump insisted his trade policies will never change as he remained ensconced in a bubble of wealth and power in #Florida.

> He woke up on Friday morning at Mar-a-Lago [..] and headed to his nearby golf course [..] writing on social media that “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO GET RICH.” https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-tariffs-golf-813c7a300021445636f63fddbfd38c83

More B-2 stealth bombers seen at US base in striking distance of #Iran, #Yemen

> At least 6 bombers now at #DiegoGarcia in Indian Ocean, nearly a third of all nuclear-capable B-2s in #US arsenal; at least 4 killed in suspected US strike near Hodeida https://www.timesofisrael.com/more-b-2-stealth-bombers-seen-at-us-base-in-striking-distance-of-iran-yemen/

Satellite images show multiple US B-2 nuclear-capable bombers deployed to Indian Ocean

> In the latest show of force against Iran and #Yemen's #Houthi rebels, the United States has deployed at least six nuclear-capable B-2 bombers to a base in the Indian Ocean within striking distance of both countries, an ABC News analysis of satellite images shows.

> The buildup of aircraft on the island of Diego Garcia – comprising at least one third of the Air Force's stealth... https://abcnews.go.com/International/satellite-images-show-multiple-us-2-nuclear-capable/story?id=120431730

#MAGA - U.S. stocks suffered major losses on Thursday at close of the first trading session after President #DonaldTrump's sweeping tariffs announcement.

> The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted 1,679 points, or nearly 4%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq declined almost 6%.

> The S&P 500 tumbled 4.8%, marking its worst trading day since 2020. https://abcnews.go.com/US/us-stock-futures-plummet-wake-trumps-tariffs-announcement/story?id=120431557 #stocks #tariffs

Trump set to announce global tariffs policy

> A note on timing

> Trump’s announcement was initially scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, but was bumped by an hour. That means the U.S. markets, which will certainly respond to the volatility, will be closed when the news comes.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/livestory/trump-set-to-announce-global-tariffs-policy-9.6708337 #stocks #DonaldTrump #tarrifs #Canada #CDNpoli

United States President Donald Trump’s administration will review billions of dollars in federal funding for #Harvard University amid an ongoing crackdown on pro-Palestinian protests on #US campuses

> This announcement comes amid similar negotiations between the Trump administration and #Columbia #University over $400m in federal funding for the New York-based Ivy League school. Columbia recently agreed to a series of demands from the administration
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/1/is-harvard-trumps-new-target-after-columbia #DonaldTrump #NAGA

Trump administration cancels clean energy grants as it prioritizes fossil fuels

> President #DonaldTrump’s administration is terminating grants for two clean energy projects and roughly 300 others funded by the Department of Energy are in jeopardy as the president prioritizes #fossilfuels
https://apnews.com/article/trump-energy-department-clean-energy-wind-solar-batteries-hydrogen-fossil-fuels-cf1dff9ee771c566765e9ca3e3599d91 #GlobalWarming #ClimateChange

Canada drops to 18th in 2025 World Happiness Report rank, among the 'largest losers'

> At its peak, in the 2015 report, #Canada had placed fifth. Now, in 18th, Canada has dropped to its lowest-ever position since the polling began in 2005. The United States has also dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24th, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012. The U.K. fell to 23rd. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/world-happiness-report-canada-1.7488467 #CDNpoli #Canada

The Taliban leader said Sunday there was no need for Western laws in Afghanistan and that democracy was dead as long as sharia laws are in effect

> Hibatullah Akhundzada made the comments in a sermon marking the Islamic holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, in the southern city of Kandahar’s Eidgah Mosque. The 50-minute audio of his message was published on X the #Taliban

> “There is no need for laws that originate from the West. We will create our own laws”
https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-western-laws-sharia-c11444b20fbb6c77d2632fae84435af2 #Afghanistan #mysogyny

‘Tesla Takedown’ protesters swarm showrooms in response to #ElonMusk’s #DOGE role

> The #Tesla Takedown movement hoped to rally protestors at 277 of the automaker’s showrooms in the U.S., as well as over 230 Tesla locations in other parts of the world. https://globalnews.ca/news/11104774/tesla-takedown-protests-u-s-europe-elon-musk-showrooms/ #TeslaTakedown

Hundreds of thousands join Istanbul protest rally

> Waving flags and chanting slogans, hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators rallied in #Istanbul Saturday calling for democracy to be defended after the arrest of mayor Ekrem Imamoglu which sparked #Turkey’s worst street unrest in over a decade.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2025/03/29/hundreds-of-thousands-join-istanbul-protest-rally-report #Turkiye #protests

Putin says Greenland 'nothing to do with Russia' in nod to US

> In Murmansk, the largest city north of the Arctic circle, President #VladimirPutin vowed to "strengthen Russia's global leadership in the Arctic", while warning that "geopolitical competition in the region" was intensifying

> The first example he gave was #DonaldTrump's idea to acquire #Greenland

> But from the Kremlin leader there was no criticism of his #US counterpart https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7432451el7o #Russia #Denmark #Danmark

#US auto #tariffs shake global industry as higher prices, job losses loom

> US President #DonaldTrump's announcement of a 25 per cent #tariff on auto imports rippled throughout the world on Thursday (Mar 27), as global carmakers warned of immediate price hikes and dealers raised fears of job losses in big auto-exporting countries, many of which are US allies.

> The new levies are a precursor to another expected round of wide-ranging US tariffs to be levied next week.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-trump-auto-tariffs-higher-prices-job-losses-5028731

#UK - The number of children in poverty in the UK has reached its highest level since comparative records began in 2002.

> In the year to April 2024, there were 4.45 million children living in a household of relative low income after housing costs are deducted - the government's own standard measure for #poverty.

> The figure, [..], is an increase of 100,000 children from the previous year - and equates to 31% of #children in the UK.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2g03ykxeko #Brexit #austerity #economy