Trump’s Tariff Policies and Global Blackouts Dominate News – 4/29/2025

The Trump administration’s tariff policies, including sanctions on Chinese and Iranian networks and Amazon’s tariff disclosure controversy, have sparked domestic and international debates. Meanwhile, widespread blackouts in Spain, Portugal, and France, alongside China’s economic initiatives, highlight global energy and economic challenges.

United States

  • California Democrats reportedly plan to block legislation making it a felony to purchase 16- and 17-year-olds for sex, per KCRA
  • Amazon clarifies it had no intention to disclose tariff portions in product pricing
  • President Trump actively collaborates with Congress to pass historic tax cuts, says Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
  • Florida poised to ban fluoride in public water pending Governor DeSantis’ approval
  • Trump administration claims securing more investments for US in 100 days than Biden did in four years, per White House
  • Tariff revenue to fund significant income tax relief for Americans, says Treasury Secretary Bessent
  • Vehicles with 85% US content and finished domestically will face no tariffs, says Howard Lutnick
  • Trump’s first 100 days effectively secured southern border by deporting violent criminals, says Scott Jennings
  • President Trump prioritizes energy as the backbone of all industries, says Secretary Doug Burgum
  • PepsiCo to eliminate artificial ingredients from products to comply with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s regulations
  • Baby Boomers lead recent homebuyers at 42%, followed by Millennials at 29%, per NAR
  • EPA to cancel 781 grants issued under Biden, nearly double the previously reported number, per The Washington Post
  • Defense Secretary Hegseth terminates DoD’s Women, Peace and Security program, calling it a “Biden initiative” despite its enactment under Trump’s first term, per CNN
  • Unions, nonprofits, and cities sue Trump over DOGE’s federal workforce cuts, alleging violations of constitutional separation of powers, per More Perfect Union
  • Kennedy’s HHS budget cuts may eliminate 10,000 jobs and divisions like global health, while planning a $20 million “Take Back Your Health” ad campaign, per MSNBC
  • Trump’s first 100 days marked by executive actions expanding presidential power, accompanied by repeated factual distortions, per The New York Times
  • Trump’s approval rating drops 7 points amid tariff and immigration backlash, per Newsweek
  • Mexico receives nearly 39,000 deportees from the U.S. since Trump’s term began, including 33,000 Mexicans, per Reuters
  • Trump administration accuses Amazon of a “hostile and political act” over a report on showing tariff costs, which Amazon denies, per The New York Times
  • Artifacts removed from African American history museum displays after Trump’s Smithsonian executive order, per NBC News
  • Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for mass protests against GOP and Trump, criticizing “do nothing” Democrats, per MSNBC
  • Trump celebrates 100 days in office at a lively college rally in Warren, Michigan, per RSBN

Western States

  • California Democrats reportedly plan to block legislation making it a felony to purchase 16- and 17-year-olds for sex, per KCRA
  • 55,000 Los Angeles County workers launched a two-day strike over stalled contract talks, per AP News

International

  • UK and US forge partnership to accelerate cryptocurrency adoption
  • US imposes sanctions on Chinese and Iranian networks supplying missile propellant to Iran’s IRGC, with Treasury Secretary Bessent citing threats to US security, per Treasury
  • Putin reportedly rejects Trump’s call to freeze Ukraine front lines, aiming to control all four occupied regions, per Bloomberg
  • China eliminates 125% tariff on US ethane imports, previously a retaliatory measure, per Reuters
  • Venezuelan mother deported to Venezuela without her 2-year-old daughter, who remains in U.S. foster care, while father is imprisoned in El Salvador, per The New York Times
  • Families of detained Venezuelans in the U.S. report “forced disappearances,” drawing comparisons to Latin American dictatorships, per The Guardian
  • Filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar calls Trump the “greatest mistake of our time,” comparing him to dictator Francisco Franco, per HuffPost
  • Canada’s Liberal Party gains electoral strength due to anti-Trump sentiment, boosting Prime Minister Mark Carney, per MSNBC
  • New executive order raises concerns of “martial law” by increasing military equipment for law enforcement, per Newsweek
  • Pakistan’s military downed an Indian spy drone along the contested Kashmir border, per Al Arabiya
  • Mark Carney’s Liberal Party wins Canada’s federal election, overcoming Trump-related challenges, per AP News
  • Apple faces $33 billion in annual tariff costs, impacting 26% of its 2025 earnings, per CGTN
  • China rolls out policies to secure jobs and foster economic growth amid global challenges, per CGTN
  • China’s service trade surged to $270 billion in Q1, growing 8.7% year-on-year, per CGTN
  • China prepares to host The World Games in August, with the opening ceremony 100 days away, per CGTN
  • China’s Tianhe module marks four years, advancing space research and global cooperation, per CGTN

Asia

  • China eliminates 125% tariff on US ethane imports, previously a retaliatory measure, per Reuters
  • Pakistan’s military downed an Indian spy drone along the contested Kashmir border, per Al Arabiya
  • A fire in a Liaoyang City restaurant killed 22 and injured three, per CGTN
  • Apple faces $33 billion in annual tariff costs, impacting 26% of its 2025 earnings, per CGTN
  • China rolls out policies to secure jobs and foster economic growth amid global challenges, per CGTN
  • China’s service trade surged to $270 billion in Q1, growing 8.7% year-on-year, per CGTN
  • China launched the “China Film Consumption Year” to stimulate the economy through film industry subsidies and events, per CGTN
  • China prepares to host The World Games in August, with the opening ceremony 100 days away, per CGTN
  • China’s Tianhe module marks four years, advancing space research and global cooperation, per CGTN

Europe

  • Putin reportedly rejects Trump’s call to freeze Ukraine front lines, aiming to control all four occupied regions, per Bloomberg
  • Spain’s grid collapsed after warnings of overreliance on solar and wind, with 60% of power lost, per El País
  • Widespread blackouts in Spain, Portugal, and France disrupted travel and communication, prompting a state of emergency in parts of Spain, per CGTN
  • Spain’s electricity is nearly fully restored following one of Europe’s worst blackouts, per AP News