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April 14, 2025
Pa. man charged with attempting to kill Gov. Josh Shapiro told police he hated him and would have beaten him
(Philadelphia Inquirer) The Harrisburg man who is charged with attempted homicide of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family for setting three fires in the residence turned himself in to State Police on Sunday afternoon and admitted to “harboring a hatred” toward Shapiro, according to the criminal complaint filed Sunday. Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, evaded police while on the property, breaking a window and throwing a Heineken bottle filled with gasoline into the piano room on a wing of the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, according to the criminal complaint. He then went to the attached dining room, broke a window, entered the residence, and lit two more homemade “Molotov cocktails” before fleeing on foot.
Go to discussion'Worse Than A Recession': Investor Who Predicted 2008 Collapse Has Stark New Warning
(Huff Post) Hedge-fund billionaire Ray Dalio, who predicted the 2008 financial crisis, is warning that President Donald Trump’s extensive tariffs combined with other factors could drive the economy to the brink. “I think that right now we are at a decision-making point and very close to a recession,” he said on “Meet The Press” on Sunday. “And I’m worried about something worse than a recession if this isn’t handled well.” He said the problems today are potentially “much more profound” than what’s seen in a typical recession, which is two negative quarters of GDP growth.
Go to discussionChina, Vietnam sign deals as Xi visits Hanoi amid US tariff tensions
(Reuters) China's President Xi Jinping on Monday called for stronger ties with Vietnam on trade and supply chains amid disruptions caused by U.S. tariffs, as he attended in Hanoi the signing of dozens of cooperation agreements between the two Communist-run nations. The visit, planned for weeks and part of a wider trip in Southeast Asia, comes as Beijing faces 145% U.S. duties, while Vietnam is negotiating a reduction of threatened U.S. tariffs of 46% that would otherwise apply in July after a global moratorium expires.
Go to discussionJapan says no plan for big concessions in talks on US tariffs
(Reuters) Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Monday his country does not plan to make big concessions and won't rush to reach a deal in upcoming tariff negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Japan, a long-time U.S. ally, has been hit with 24% levies on its exports to the United States though these tariffs have, like most of Trump's sweeping "reciprocal" tariffs, been paused for 90 days.
Go to discussionEU issues US-bound staff with burner phones over spying fears
(Financial Times) The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some US-bound staff to avoid the risk of espionage, a measure traditionally reserved for trips to China. Commissioners and senior officials travelling to the IMF and World Bank spring meetings next week have been given the new guidance, according to four people familiar with the situation. They said that the measures replicate those used on trips to Ukraine and China, where standard IT kit cannot be brought into the countries for fear of Russian or Chinese surveillance.
Go to discussionHundreds of Students at Military Base Schools Walk Out to Protest Trump Administration's Anti-Diversity Policies
(Military.com) Hundreds of military children who are students at Defense Department schools across the globe walked out of class Thursday to protest book bans, curriculum changes and restrictions on extracurricular activities that have resulted from the Trump administration's crackdown on diversity. The walkouts, which included about a dozen schools on U.S. military bases in Europe, Asia and at least one stateside, represent the biggest collective action military children have taken since the start of the Trump administration to demand a voice in their own education after similar, smaller-scale walkouts in February and March.
Go to discussionTrump Again Lashes Out At CBS And Urges FCC Chair To "Impose The Maximum Fines And Punishment"
(Deadline) In a post on Truth Social, Trump called on the network to lose their license and for his FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, to “impose the maximum fines and punishment, which is substantial, for their unlawful and illegal behavior.” The two 60 Minutes segments were pretty standard for the newsmagazine. One featured an interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the segment, Scott Pelley noted that Trump “rewrote history, saying, falsely, that Ukraine had started the war,” before running a clip in which the president referred to Zelensky as a “dictator.”
Go to discussionMusk's DOGE mission goes off target
(Salon) Polls show that only 45% of Republicans hold a favorable opinion of Trump's special advisor. Rolling Stone reports that virtually everyone in the White House finds him irritating, some even questioning if he's high. (His SpaceX reps deny it.) According to Puck's Leigh Ann Caldwell, since his Wisconsin faceplant, Republicans on Capitol Hill are no longer in awe (or terrified) of him either.
Go to discussionMass. attorney says Department of Homeland Security told her to self-deport, despite US citizenship
(WCVB 5) Boston immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni says she was born at Newton Wellesley Hospital, grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts, and was educated at Wellesley College. So, anyone can imagine her surprise when she says she received an emailed letter from the Department of Homeland Security, telling her to self-deport within 7 days. The first line in the April 11-dated letter tells Micheroni that "it's time for (her) to leave the United States."
Go to discussionGolf-mad Trump is cancelled at Augusta - that has got to hurt
(The i Paper) By preference, background, habit and milieu, if not temperament, Trump is every bit as elite as those he disdains in the execution of power. Augusta membership would represent for him the ultimate validation, conferring upon him status a level above that of the Oval Office. But he is not elite enough for Augusta. Nope, and that has got to hurt.
Go to discussion