Trump Tariffs and Gold Prices Surge – 3/31/2025

Gold prices have surged to a historic $3,150 per ounce as Trump’s tariff pledges spark global economic concerns, causing U.S. stocks to plummet. Meanwhile, the French court’s sentencing of Marine Le Pen to four years, including two under house arrest, has ignited international debate, with Russia and Italy condemning the ruling as a blow to democracy.

United States

  • Trump pledges reciprocal tariffs on all nations, per CNBC
  • Elon Musk reportedly visits CIA to tackle inefficient spending
  • Defense Secretary Hegseth sets uniform combat standards for all troops, saying “We need the same standard”
  • Gold prices soar past $3,150/oz, hitting a historic peak
  • Trump cautions Zelensky of “big problems” if he rejects U.S. minerals deal
  • Trump approval rises to 49%, disapproval at 46%, per Harvard
  • Migrant influencer deported for urging squatter takeover of U.S. homes, per Fox News
  • Conservatives slam Trump’s Lindsey Graham support as a values betrayal, per Fox News
  • U.S. top 1% could buy nearly all homes nationwide, per Redfin
  • Private jet owners can now hide personal details from FAA records, per Bloomberg
  • House to vote on SAVE Act, ensuring only U.S. citizens vote in elections
  • Kash Patel’s FBI nabs MS-13 leader, 3 top fugitives in first month, per Fox News
  • USDA funded study on ‘queer farmers’ lives with taxpayer money, records reveal
  • Only 62% of Americans can cover a $2,000 emergency, a record low, per Bloomberg
  • Trump shifts student loans to SBA, surprising GOP with $1.6T move, per Politico
  • Nearly 50% of U.S. adults back Trump’s tough immigration stance, but dislike his economic plans, per Axios
  • Rocket Companies to acquire Mr. Cooper for $9.4B, aiming to control 1 in 6 U.S. mortgages, per More Perfect Union
  • U.S. stocks plummet as Trump’s tariff plans spark global economic fears, per Reuters
  • Trump calls pro-Palestine vandals at Turnberry “terrorists,” urges harsh punishment, per The Guardian
  • Hawaiian farmers struggle without federal aid paused by Trump, vital for food security, per NBC News
  • Rep. Don Bacon presses Trump to get tougher on Putin’s Ukraine aggression, per Axios
  • Iran’s Khamenei warns U.S. of a “strong blow” if Trump bombs Tehran over nuclear deal, per NBC News
  • Tesla faces delivery drop as Musk’s politics hurt demand, per Reuters
  • Trump’s sons, Eric and Don Jr., launch a new Bitcoin mining business, per NYT
  • Elon Musk awards $1M prizes before a key judicial vote tied to Trump’s agenda, per WaPo
  • Lawyer for NYC Mayor Adams pushes judge to rule on dropped corruption charges before ballot deadline, per NYT
  • Trump hints at a third term, saying he’s “not joking” despite past promises, per reports
  • Trump threatens unprecedented bombing if Iran rejects nuclear deal terms
  • Elon Musk offers $20 per voter recruited by supporters before election day
  • Trump schedules a May visit to Saudi Arabia
  • Poland inks $2 billion U.S. deal for Patriot missile support, part of $20 billion buy
  • NASA’s Wilmore and Williams praise Trump and Musk for safe ISS return
  • Illegal US southern border crossings plummet as self-deportations rise, per KSNV News 3

Western States

  • Silver Fire in California spreads to 1,250 acres, triggering evacuations, per NBC News
  • A Pasadena school security officer allegedly duct-taped an 11-year-old girl’s mouth for excessive talking, per ABC7
  • A Lamborghini crash in Hancock Park leaves one dead and the driver critical after a hit-and-run suspect collision, per ABC7
  • Paris Hilton’s nonprofit awards $25,000 grants to women-owned businesses impacted by the Eaton Fire, per ABC7
  • University of Oregon avoids a faculty strike with a last-minute union deal before spring term, per KATU News
  • Oregon Coast sees ongoing showers Monday due to a lingering low pressure system, per KOIN News
  • Over a third of Portland-area voters report not using local government services in the past year, per The Oregonian
  • Oregon baseball slips in rankings after losing series to Ohio State, per The Oregonian
  • An Oregon city central to a homelessness ruling cannot enforce its camping ban, per KTVB

International

  • French court jails Marine Le Pen for 4 years, 2 under house arrest, barring her from 2027 election
  • Italy’s Deputy PM calls Le Pen’s election ban a “war declaration from Brussels”
  • Russia claims Marine Le Pen’s conviction undermines democracy
  • Arsonists torch 17 cars at Tesla dealership in Rome, Europe’s biggest Tesla attack
  • Lithuania finds 3 missing U.S. soldiers’ bodies in swamp; search for 4th continues
  • 40% of Canadians worry Trump’s tariffs could cost them their jobs, per FP
  • Over 100 young coders joined an Amsterdam hackathon to create affordable battlefield tech for Ukraine, per Reuters
  • EU’s potential 50% tariff on Harley-Davidson could push prices to six figures, per WSJ
  • Primark CEO Paul Marchant quits after admitting an “error of judgment” in a social encounter, per Reuters
  • Italy’s births hit a record low in 2024, worsening its population decline, per Reuters
  • ‘Buy Canadian’ push raises alarms for U.S. firms reliant on Canadian markets, per Reuters
  • Substandard steel found in rubble of collapsed Bangkok skyscraper, per Reuters
  • China pledges $14M in Myanmar quake aid as Trump’s cuts may boost authoritarian sway, per NBC News
  • The devastating earthquake in Myanmar claims 2,056 lives, injures 3,900, and leaves 270 unaccounted for
  • Lithuanians raise funds for families of U.S. soldiers who died in swamp exercises
  • Marine Le Pen banned from 2027 French election, sentenced to 2 years house arrest
  • Iran’s IRGC allegedly seizes two oil tankers in the Gulf, claiming fuel smuggling
  • Keir Starmer supports Netflix’s “Adolescence” in UK schools to curb misogyny, per Independent
  • Putin drafts 160,000 more conscripts, vows they won’t fight in Ukraine
  • Mark Carney backs Paul Chiang as Liberal candidate after his apology for offensive remarks
  • China, Japan, and South Korea unite against U.S. tariffs, per Reuters
  • U.S. firms face Canadian retailer rejections amid rising “Buy Canadian” push
  • European parliamentary leaders arrive in Kyiv to mark 3rd anniversary of Bucha Massacre
  • Moldova expels Russian diplomats, labeling them persona non grata
  • IRGC’s Hajizadeh warns U.S. bases are vulnerable, saying “they’re sitting in a glass room”
  • Jordan Bardella slams Le Pen’s sentencing as “an execution of French democracy”