Earthquake Shakes Fiji, Trump Tariffs Spark Global Tension – 4/13/25

A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck south of the Fiji Islands, while China halts rare earth exports in response to Trump’s escalating tariffs. Elsewhere, thousands of undocumented immigrants reportedly leave the U.S. voluntarily, and an American missionary is freed after 13 months in Tunisia.

United States

  • DOGE and Palantir join forces to modernize IRS systems with a mega API, connecting outdated tax data, per WIRED
  • Thousands of undocumented immigrants reportedly leaving the U.S. voluntarily via the CBP One app
  • Baltimore proposes bill to provide menstrual products in men’s restrooms
  • Trump’s alliance with David Sacks boosts their influence, poised to reshape the crypto industry, per The Washington Post
  • DOGE’s promised savings drop to 15%, with estimates marred by errors, per The New York Times
  • Hudson River helicopter crash probe hindered as aircraft lacked flight recorders, per The New York Times
  • South Carolina man pleads guilty to illegally importing sperm whale parts worth over $18,000, per The New York Times
  • “A Minecraft Movie” becomes 2025’s top-grossing Hollywood film in just two weeks, per NBC News

International

  • A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck south of the Fiji Islands, per USGS
  • American missionary Robert Vieira freed after 13 months in Tunisian detention, en route home, per Reuters
  • Jair Bolsonaro undergoes his fifth surgery since a 2018 campaign stabbing, per Reuters
  • Europe seeks alternatives to Starlink amid concerns over reliance on Musk’s satellite network, per The Wall Street Journal

Asia

  • China urges President Trump to fully eliminate his reciprocal tariffs
  • Trump clarifies no tariff exemptions were announced, with semiconductors and chips under national security review
  • Trump vows to crush ISIS and warns Houthis against embedding in Somalia, saying, “Our Warfighters…will find them, and bring them to swift Justice,” per Truth Social
  • Rare earth minerals abound globally, but China controls 85% of refining, leaving U.S. dependent, per USGS, IEA
  • Peter Navarro says Trump’s tariffs are effective, aiming for one trade deal daily for 90 days, noting, “The world cheats us”
  • Trump refutes claims of tariff exemptions for electronics announced last week, per Bloomberg News
  • Retailers add tariff surcharges to bills, signaling White House policies as the cause, per The Wall Street Journal
  • China halts rare earth exports in retaliation for Trump’s tariff hikes, per The New York Times