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GOP Senators Want Trump to ‘Retreat’ on Tariffs, Say U.S. is ‘Losing’

As the trade war goes on between the United States and both Canada and Mexico, there are some republican senators expressing concern on the issue. Among them are Senators Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, and John Kennedy.

On February 1, Trump declared that he would impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, set to take effect on February 4. However, two days later, he postponed the tariffs for a month, with a new start date of March 4. On the same day, a 10% tariff on Chinese imports went into effect. The following day, Trump suspended tariffs on automobiles after a request from the Big 3 U.S. automakers. Then, on March 6, the president announced a suspension of tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods that complied with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which he had signed during his first term.

On Thursday, Senator Rand Paul appeared on CNN and said that he has numerous businesses coming to him about the effects tariffs will have on their industries. He said, “Almost every industry in Kentucky has come to me and said, ‘I will hurt our industry and push up prices of homes, cars, and so, I’m gonna continue to argue against tariffs.”

Echoing Rand, Senator Tillis explained that he believes Trump should “back off” tariffs that are hurting Americans. “When we start losing, you back off. There’s such a thing as strategic retreat,” the senator said. “At the end of the day, I think we have more leverage than any other nation. But we gotta be smart. And we don’t have all the leverage.”

Senator Kennedy also expressed similar concerns on Fox Business. “I’m worried about the tariffs,” he said. “I’m not saying that tariffs are going to cause inflation. President Trump did them in his first term and they didn’t. I’m saying that we just don’t know and we’re in very obscure territory. We’re in uncharted waters. I think if the tariffs do start to cause inflation, I think the president will back away from them.”

What do you think? Should Trump back off now, or continue to see it through to force the hand of our trade partners?

This World Power Just Teamed with Egypt to Keep U.S. Out of Gaza

According to reports, China has taken a stance against the United States by teaming up with Egypt in order to prevent President Donald Trump from taking over the territory.

On Wednesday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry pledged its support for Egypt’s attempt to garner support from the Arab world to reconstruction of Gaza.

As of now, most of Gaza is not even inhabitable due to the last two decades of terrorist control by genocidal terrorist organization Hamas. In 2023, Hamas invaded Israel, during which time Israel declared war on the group and attacked Gaza in an attempt to destroy the terrorist infrastructure. Due to the war, the strip need serious reconstruction. However, very few are jumping at the opportunity considering Hamas still controls the land.

In February, President Donald Trump announced that he has a plan to “take over” Gaza and assist the civilians trapped there. He explained that he wants to rebuild the land from the ground up.

“The US will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We’ll love it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous bombs and other weapons on the site,” Trump declared, “and get rid of the destroyed buildings [and] create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing.”

In order for this plan to work, neighboring countries like Egypt and Jordan will need to take in Palestinian refugees. However, both countries have turned down taking in the refugees, and are now looking for other options to keep the U.S. out of Gaza.

Breitbart reports:

Egypt hosted a pan-Arab emergency summit on March 4 to discuss an alternative plan to the United States leveling and rebuilding Gaza. Cairo calculated that the plan would require $53 billion and could be done without Egypt having to take in any Palestinian refugees by forcing Palestinians into temporary housing within Gaza and rebuilding piece by piece.

The Chinese government, which has tried and failed to emerge as a relevant actor in the Middle East, endorsed Egypt’s planning on Wednesday.

“China supports the effort by Egypt and other Arab countries to promote the continuous and effective implementation of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, advance humanitarian assistance and restore security and stability there,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian. “We support a post-conflict governance plan in Gaza that is recognized by the Palestinian people and embodies the consensus of Arab countries.”

“The plan must follow the principle of ‘Palestinians governing Palestine’ and align with the two-State solution so that Palestine and Israel will live side by side peacefully and there will be lasting peace in the Middle East,” Lin added.

The plan proposed by Egypt this way is broken up into three phases costing $3 billion, $20 billion, and $30 billion each. Cairo has suggested the money come from the United Nations, which is primarily funded by America, and “foreign direct investment” from the “private sector.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in its supportive remarks on Wednesday, did not suggest that it would be among the financial backers for the project.

To oversee this reconstruction, Egypt has proposed replacing Hamas with a technocratic leadership committee composed of various individuals pre-approved by the pan-Arab coalition and, presumably, Hamas.

Among the plans for reconstruction of Gaza in the Egyptian deal, according to the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram, are “building smart buildings that utilize renewable energy and modern technology,” “achieving a cultural and educational renaissance that ensures sustainable development in Palestinian society,” and “resorts, parks, beaches, and recreational facilities near the Mediterranean coast.”

Yet, their plan does not address Hamas and their massive amounts of terrorist supplies, such as weapons and explosives, that have been hidden among civilian sites in Gaza. Those sites include schools and hospitals.

Peter Navarro Reveals Canada Has Been ‘Taken Over by Mexican Cartels’

According to President Donald Trump’s Senior trade advisor, Peter Navarro, Canada has been “taken over” by Mexican cartels as tensions grow over the president’s imposed tariffs to crack down on fentanyl crossing the border into the United States.

On Wednesday, Navarro appeared on Fox News’ “Special Report” and told anchor Bret Baier, “What I want to say to every world leader who gets up in arms when all we’re asking for is fairness and to have them stop killing our people is, ‘Please, listen to us.’”

“Canada has been taken over, Bret, by Mexican cartels,” he continued.

The Hill reports:

Navarro’s comments come amid tensions between Canada and the U.S. over tariffs. On Tuesday, Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on the country’s northern neighbor and Mexico alongside an extra 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods. The president pointed to frustration over the stream of fentanyl into the U.S., but experts have previously noted that a relatively small amount enters the country via its northern border.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who has been very vocal in his opposition to Trump’s tariffs, said Tuesday he was hopeful the tariff fight between his country and the U.S. will end within days.

“I hope it stops within the next few days. … And I’m not just saying that,” Ford told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill.”

“It will be an absolute disaster for both countries, and people will be unemployed, plants will shut down, assembly lines will shut down and inflation’s going to happen within days,” he continued later. “So this is unfortunate. One person’s responsible, and that’s President Trump.”

During the interview, Navarro stated that he was watching a “press conference today and a reporter said something along the lines … only caught like four pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border.”

“Let me do a little fentanyl math for you,” he added. “Four pounds kills a million people.”

Former DNC Chairman Suggests a ‘Revolution’ if Trump ‘Doesn’t Stop’

On Thursday, former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean appeared on MSNBC’s “The Beat” and claimed that President Donald Trump’s policies are going to “incite revolution.”

Dean said when asked about Trump’s tariffs, “You know this applies not just to red states like Kentucky. We’re getting hurt badly in Vermont because we’re right next to Canada, and there are a whole lot of Canadians who own houses here, but they’re not coming to ski.”

He continued, “We’ve got the biggest snowfall we’ve had in years and years, and Canadians aren’t coming. That’s an important part of our business. So it hurts everybody. The Canadians are mad. I would be mad, too, if some person told me that they were going to annex my country. This is ridiculous. It’s just ridiculous and it’s unnecessary.”

Then while discussing a veteran who lost his job, Dean claimed that Trump does not care about veterans losing jobs.

He argued,  “Trump doesn’t give a damn about him all he cares about is tax cuts for his billionaire friends and himself. And now we’re seeing exactly the result of that. He’s throwing the working class people under the bus, throwing veterans under the bus, which is insane. Almost two thirds of them voted for him and he doesn’t care. All he wants is his tax cuts as his legacy as a gazillionaire and respect from all the silicon valley bros. This country is being turned upside down and Donald Trump is the revolutionary who’s going to incite revolution if he doesn’t stop this crap.”

Sen. Tim Kaine Accuses Trump of Waging ‘War on Veterans’

On Thursday, Democrat Senator Tim Kaine appeared on CNN’s’ “The Lead” and accused the Trump administration of waging a “war on veterans” with the latest budget cuts.

CNN host Jake Tapper said, “Your reaction to these massive cuts being made to the VA and the cuts that are affecting so many veterans who work for the federal workforce? I imagine your district workers are are hearing from a lot of your constituents directly affected, who are veterans.”

Kaine replied, “You’re right. And look, I’ll give you the punch line, this is a war on veterans. The indiscriminate hiring of federal employees with no strategy trips up veterans. More than any other group as you pointed out, more than 30% of the federal workforce is veterans, and more than half of those are disabled veterans.”

He continued, ‘”The administration has decided to go after probationary employees, which means new employees, new employees come in two varieties. They’re either young people coming into the workforce as young workers or they’re career switchers who come into the workforce later in life. Who are the career, switchers who are probationary? They’re veterans, veterans finish a five, a 20, a 25 year career. They join the federal civilian service. But even though they’ve had a lot of service to their country already when they become a civilian employee for the first time they’re probationers.”

Kaine added, “So the firing of this 30% workforce with disproportionate firing of probationers means that Donald Trump has now fired more veterans than any president in the history of the United States in just six weeks and he’s not done. Then add the VA cuts to it and veterans are being punished in a very egregious way right now.”

VA Secretary Collins Speaks on Massive Cuts to VA, Impact on Veterans

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In light of the Trump administration’s plan to fire thousands more employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs as the White House drastically downsizes the federal workforce, some people are worried about how this could impact veterans.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins sat down with “News Hour” host Geoff Bennett to discuss the layoffs and how it’ll impact veterans.

Bennet began, “The Trump administration announced it’s planning to fire thousands more employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs as part of the White House effort to dramatically downsize the federal work force. A quarter of the VA’s work force comprises veterans themselves. And that’s prompting questions about how the cuts might affect the quality and timeliness of the services the VA provides.”

He continued, “Earlier this evening, you confirmed that the VA will terminate an additional 70,000-plus staffers, and you say that these cuts will help the VA fulfill its core mission. How exactly? How is it possible to reduce staffing and resources without negatively impacting the quality and timeliness of care?”

Collins replied, “Well, the first off is, I didn’t announce that we’re actually going through it at this moment. I said we’re beginning the process to look at a reduction in force that will resemble about 15 percent of the force, and that’s what we have begun to do.”

He explained, “What we have done all along is actually take a look at our core functions, making sure that the veteran is first. And it is sort of interesting to me that we say that there’s no way this can affect quality of care or others, when really what we’re seeing right now, what we have experienced over the last few years is Washington, D.C.’s tendency to just throw money and people at problems.”

“Over the last four years, there’s been $130 billion added to the budget at the VA and plus 80,000 employees, but yet at the same time backlogs of benefits have went up. health care wait times have actually went up, and when this was all a different position just four years ago,” Collins explained. “So the question is not what we’re looking at to make sure that we’re getting efficient, is following what the president has called for, but also making sure that we’re delivering it in the best way. And we’re the best ones to look at that by actually taking our force, who is doing a great job, but saying, how can we do it more efficiently?”

Bennet pressed, “Well, given the VA wait times scandal during the Obama administration, the ongoing concerns about access to care for veterans, what specific safeguards are in place to ensure that veterans don’t face longer delays or reduced services?”

Collins said, “Well, I think what safeguards is employees doing their jobs, and which is what they’re trying — we’re working to make sure they have all the tools to do that. We’re also putting in place making sure that they have the critical assets to the appointment schedules. We’re making a look at all of how we actually deal with our hiring. Remember, one of the things we have talked about here and that has not been talked about enough is, we’re protecting and have protected over 300,000 positions at the VA that we had this mission critical, front-facing to our veterans, not only in health care but in benefits as well.”

“We’re doing this to make sure that we’re actually getting the results we needed. I think too long we found in Washington — and I have said this before, and I said it on the video earlier — that we have this idea that money and people will solve issues,” he continued. “And, really, the reality is, is, if you don’t have good processes in place, you’re not going to solve the problem. This has been going on the Hill and we have known this on Capitol Hill for years. Senator Johnny Isakson from Georgia, who used to be the chair of the Senate VA Committee, actually said this almost 10 years ago. He said the problem with the VA is not that it needs more money. And this was almost $200 billion ago. It needed a better structure. And that’s what we’re trying to provide.”

Click here for the full interview transcript. 

Desperate Conman Zelensky Raffles T-Shirts to Raise War Funds

In a truly desperate move, the Ukrainian government is now raffling off T-shirts donning a quote from President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump, in which Zelensky said, “I’ll wear the costume when this war is over” as he asked patrons to “help finish the war.”

To enter for one of the T-shirts, people have to donate at least $24 (£18.8) or more, which will allegedly go towards armored medical evacuation vehicles for Ukrainian soldiers.

“They’re emphasising the words of our president – a reminder that there is a time and place for everything. There will be a time when we can all wear suits. Right now, it is time to help Ukraine finish this war,” reads the United24’s official page, where the shirts are being raffling.

As Independent UK reports:

The release of the T-shirt in Ukraine’s fundraising campaign was announced just a day after Volodymyr Zelensky was involved in a public spat with US president Donald Trump and vice president JD Vance on Friday.

Mr Zelensky’s dark fatigues were first mentioned by Mr Trump when the Ukrainian president stepped out of his car at the White House on Friday. “You’re all dressed up today,” Mr Trump remarked, referring to Mr Zelensky’s military-style sweatshirt and trousers, adorned with the Ukrainian trident, which he wears as a show of solidarity with soldiers fighting on the frontlines.

The Ukrainian war-time president has refused to don formal suits during all his domestic and international outreaches in solidarity with thousands of Ukraine’s troops fighting on the war frontlines. Mr Zelensky has said he wears military fatigues as a symbol of the Russian war his soldiers are fighting back home.

“Why don’t you wear a suit?” a reporter asked Zelensky. “You’re at the highest level in this country’s office, and you refuse to wear a suit. Do you own a suit?”

The reporter added, “A lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting the dignity of this office.”

Zelensky replied, “I will wear costume after this war will finish.”

LOL! Booker Cries Over Trump’s ‘Mocking Tone’ During Congress Address

Senator Cory Booker is one of the whiniest son of a guns in the Democrat party. On Wednesday, he appeared on MSNBC’s “All In” and accused President Donald Trump of lying in a mocking tone during his address to a joint session of Congress. Conveniently enough, he never mentions what exactly the president “lied” about.

MSNBC host Chris Hayes said, “You were in that room last night if I’m not mistaken. There was a very long section. We played a little bit, but I mean, that whole section on the fraud and Social Security went he did a long riff each age bracket reading out these numbers, you could hear the boos, which I think were coming from Democrats. What was your reaction in that moment to what was what you were hearing and what and what the goal was?”

Booker replied, “Donald Trump had has stopped stunning me. He doesn’t surprise me anymore. But this was a lie that they’ve been perpetrating for months has been so clearly debunked time and time and time again. That for him to bring it up in this speech, when most of the people in that room on both sides of the aisle knew that this was a blatant lie and he did it in a mocking tone. You’re not being hyperbolic in any way. This is a person who’s trying to carry out what we’ve seen in the past: people trying to privatize Social Security or end the program or point to it as the problem we have in government emblematic of the problem when, in reality, it is a vital program that Americans have been paying into their entire working life.”

He added, “And so here’s the two-pronged strategy. One is this de-legitimization is to make it a mockery, is to tell lies over and over and over. Again until people start to believe that this is a broken program. And then at the same time, they are firing people that are essential to make the program work effectively and efficiently. And how do we know this? Because one of the first people they fired was. The inspector general who ran that report that you just used. To expose the lies of the person that’s in charge of keeping that institution accountable to the people and free of waste, fraud and abuse.”

ABC’s Hostin Thinks ‘All Dems’ Should Have Walked Out of Trump Address

According to ABC News legal analyst Sunny Hostin, every Democrat lawmaker should have walked out during President Donald Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, she told her co-hosts on ABC’s The View, “You know, while I didn’t watch it, I was looking for signs of an opposition party, which is what the Democratic Party must be at this point. Not a resistance, because resistance is passive. Opposition is active. I think that what I saw when Representative Al Green stood up and said, ‘You don’t have a mandate to take away Medicaid,’ and he was tossed out, I expected the rest of his Democratic caucus, his colleagues, to walk out with him because alone you can survive but together you thrive.”

Hostin added, “That is the energy that we need. They should have stood with him in solidarity. We had Karine Jean-Pierre here on this show yesterday, and she said we have to have a sense of urgency as we move forward, and we cannot do it the way we have in the past. This is not normal. It is a five-alarm fire, and what I want to say to the Democrats is you can’t play by the rules with a party that has thrown away the rulebook. You cannot do it.”

Imagine if the roles were reversed and that had been Kamala Harris up there. They would be singing her praises and shouting down anyone who walked out of her address. The double standards are ridiculous.