memeorandum: In a Strongman State, a Trump Order Extinguishes Flickers of Freedom (New York Times)

11:10 AM ET, April 7, 2025

Top Items:

Live Updates: Wall Street Slumps Further as Trump Defends His Tariffs — The S&P 500 tumbled, entering bear market territory, after more losses in Asia and Europe. President Trump said he would not back off his trade war, reinforcing fears of a global economic downturn. — Here's the latest.

Discussion: The Free Press, CBS News, Reason, Raw Story, Washington Examiner and Hong Kong Free Press HKFP

Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:

April 6, 2025 (Sunday) — After President Donald Trump's tariff announcements on April 2 wiped $5 trillion dollars from the stock market, the Republican Party is scrambling. — Farmers, who were a part of Trump's base, are “struck and shocked” by the tariffs, the president …

William Kristol / The Bulwark:

The Hubris Is Off the Charts — Hey Siri, is it a good thing to open the week with market experts issuing reminders about where the stock exchange circuit-breaker points are? Happy Monday. — Hubris Flourishes — by Andrew Egger — DOGE burning down the federal government.

Discussion: New York Post

The Guardian:

Trade war fears put S&P 500 index in ‘bear market’ territory, as Goldman Sachs raises chances of US recession to 45% - business live — Jamie Dimon, Bill Ackman and Elon Musk all express concerns about tariffs, as Goldman slashes its US growth forecasts — Wall Street slides, putting S&P 500 into ‘bear market’ territory

Discussion: Reuters, The Hill, Forbes, The Law and Policy Blog, City A.M. and Wausau

Dan Diamond / Washington Post:

As the markets fell, Trump putted — The stock markets have lost more than $6 trillion in value since Trump imposed sweeping tariffs. But on Sunday the president won — at golf. — OUTSIDE TRUMP NATIONAL GOLF CLUB, JUPITER — The stock markets have lost more than $6 trillion …

Discussion: Associated Press

Tom Sherwood / Washington City Paper:
Trump Will Get His Showy (And Likely Expensive) Military Parade in D.C.

Discussion: Raw Story

Brent Neiman / New York Times:
Why Trump's Tariff Math Is a Joke

Discussion: Raw Story and The Gateway Pundit

Ben Berkowitz / Axios:
Ackman warns of “economic nuclear winter” from Trump's tariffs

Sylvan Lane / The Hill:
Stocks plunge to start week as Trump digs in on tariffs

Discussion: NPR and Associated Press

Graig Graziosi / The Independent:
Musk again distances himself from Trump tariffs by scoffing at Lutnick's attempt to explain duties on penguin island

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, Business Insider, Wausau, Washington Times, Forbes, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, USA Today, Mother Jones and Raw Story

Jack Blanchard / Politico: Golfing while the world burns

Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
Trump: Tariffs sparking investment in US

Discussion: Associated Press, Townhall, Mediaite, IJR, Bloomberg, Wausau, Washington Examiner, The Independent and Daily Mail

New York Times:

After a Blowout Week, Wall Street Decision Makers Brace for More Chaos — The financial titans who backed Trump are now dealing with the fallout from his tariffs. They spent the weekend surveying the damage of last week's major sell-off. — There was little rest on Wall Street this weekend.

Discussion: Jill Filipovic, Reuters, Bloomberg, Axios and Fortune, more at Mediagazer »

Wall Street Journal:
Wall Street Starts to Speak Out Against Trump's Tariffs

Discussion: IJR, Raw Story, Wide World of News and Bloomberg

Piero Cingari / Euronews: Bloodbath for European markets as stocks see worst fall since March 2020

NBC News:
Stocks plunge again as Trump tariffs continue to reverberate through markets

Discussion: Axios, NOTUS, Washington Examiner, Washington Post, New York Times, New York Post, NewsNation, CBS News and Saywhat Politics

CNBC:
Dow futures fall 1,500 points Sunday as Trump tariff market rout escalates: Live updates

Discussion: CNN, Fortune, NBC News, New York Post, Mediaite, UPI, Bloomberg, Politico, Noahpinion, VINnews, Wausau, Boston Herald and The Independent

Focus Taiwan:
Taiwan shares suffer steepest daily decline amid Trump tariff scare

Discussion: Al Jazeera

Cecilia Vega / CBS News:

Trump administration deports gay makeup artist to prison in El Salvador — Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay makeup artist who came to the United States last year in search of asylum, is one of 238 Venezuelan migrants who were flown from the U.S. to a maximum security prison in El Salvador three weeks ago.

Discussion: WISH-TV

Cecilia Vega / CBS News:
U.S. sent 238 migrants to Salvadoran mega-prison; documents indicate most have no apparent criminal records

Discussion: Axios and The Bulwark

Associated Press:
Judge says deportation of Maryland man to an El Salvador prison was ‘wholly lawless’

Discussion: The Hill, Fox News, New York Times, Breitbart, Civil Discourse …, Associated Press, Townhall, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, New York Daily News, Rolling Stone, CBS News, Axios, Politico and RedState

David Goldman / CNN:

Jamie Dimon sounds the alarm bell on tariffs — JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon has issued a blunt warning about President Donald Trump's tariff policy: It threatens to raise prices, drive the global economy into a downturn and weaken America's standing in the world.

Discussion: Raw Story, New Jersey Online, Bloomberg and New York Post

Popular Information:

Trump tariffs, corporations cower — During the Biden administration, corporate executives regularly expressed their displeasure with policies they opposed. Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos, for example, blasted the Biden administration in May 2022 for excessive stimulus spending, which he blamed for inflation.

Hugh Son / CNBC:
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says Trump tariffs will boost inflation, slow an already weakening U.S. economy

Discussion: New York Times, The Wrap, Fortune, VINnews, Mediaite, Raw Story and City A.M.

Jamie Dimon / JPMorganChase:
Chairman and CEO Letter to Shareholders

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Examiner, Fortune, Forbes, Politico and The Independent, more at Mediagazer »

Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:

Trump's tariffs insanity begins to fracture the MAGA cult — 🏌️ With corporate outlets obeying in advance, supporting independent political media is more important right now than ever. Public Notice is possible thanks to paid subscribers. If you aren't one already …

Discussion: America 2.0 and Bloomberg

Punchbowl News: 4/7/25 ☀️ AM: … Steel yourself for a week of chaos.

Meredith Lee Hill / Politico:
Johnson and Trump scramble to show agenda progress amid market plunge

Discussion: The Hill, Los Angeles Times, Roll Call and One America News Network

Washington Post:
Tariffs are taxing GOP unity

Discussion: emptywheel

Meagan Flynn / Washington Post:
D.C. remains in financial limbo as House delays budget fix

Discussion: Baltimore Sun

David Brooks / The Atlantic:

I Should Have Seen This Coming — When I joined the conservative movement in the 1980s, there were two types of people: those who cared earnestly about ideas, and those who wanted only to shock the left. The reactionary fringe has won. — Listen to more stories on Hark

Paul Krugman:

Political Styles of the Rich and Clueless — There are none so blind as those that will not see — As we wait to see what fresh hell awaits us this week, one obvious question is, who put these malevolent clowns in power? — The short answer is ignorant people. But political ignorance takes two different forms.

Washington Post:

Social Security website keeps crashing, as DOGE demands cuts to IT staff — The worsening problems come as Elon Musk's DOGE team pushes for more cuts at the agency, including in the department that oversees the website. — Retirees and disabled people are facing chronic website outages …

Discussion: Raw Story, Business Insider and Can We Still Govern?

Jesse Pound / CNBC:

Peter Navarro says Vietnam's 0% tariff offer is not enough: 'It's the nontariff cheating that matters' — WATCH NOW — White House trade advisor Peter Navarro said Monday that an offer by Vietnam to eliminate tariffs on U.S. imports would not be enough for the administration to lift its new levies announced last week.

Discussion: The Hill, Wall Street Journal, Semafor, Bloomberg, Raw Story, Breitbart, Washington Examiner and Axios

Carolyn Y. Johnson / Washington Post:

NIH scientists have a cancer breakthrough. Layoffs are delaying it. — A big step forward in cancer therapy has been slowed by layoffs and new restrictions at the National Institutes of Health, where it was developed.

Christian Paz / Vox:

Trump's tariffs risk destroying his winning coalition — As markets tank and the prospect of higher prices becomes more real, the future of President Donald Trump's winning coalition might be on a precipice, too. — Trump's tariff policy, unpopular with the American public in general …

Yvonne Wingett Sanchez / Washington Post: Among some Ariz. retirees, views on Trump tariffs split along party lines

New York Times:

In a Strongman State, a Trump Order Extinguishes Flickers of Freedom — Cambodia's authoritarian dynasty had silenced almost all of the country's independent media. The remaining few are facing extinction because of an executive directive from President Trump.

Reuters:

US appeals court blocks Trump from removing Democrats from labor boards — A federal appeals court blocked U.S. President Donald Trump from removing Democratic members from two federal labor boards on Monday, setting aside its earlier ruling. — The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals …