Trump’s Tariff Policies and Supreme Court Birthright Citizenship Review – 4/17/2025

President Trump’s tariff policies spark global trade discussions, with China and the EU responding, while SpaceX is favored for a missile defense project. The U.S. Supreme Court will review Trump’s birthright citizenship plan, and domestic issues like unemployment and immigration dominate headlines.

United States

  • Kamala Harris leads by 23 points as the top contender for California governor, according to an Emerson poll
  • California police investigate a hate crime after a woman was recorded hurling racial slurs at a Black woman in a Bay Area parking lot, per NBC
  • Washington Supreme Court strikes down Spokane’s voter-approved ban on homeless encampments, per SpokesmanReview
  • Seattle crosswalk buttons hacked to play a voice mimicking Jeff Bezos saying, “Please don’t tax the rich,” per KTVB
  • Colorado Springs launches recreational cannabis sales at unique dispensaries, including gas stations, per DenverPost
  • Nicholas Jordan, 26, sentenced to life for murdering two in a University of Colorado dorm, per DenverPost
  • Engineers propose a 70-foot, two-lane steel girder bridge to replace Noxon Bridge, with design and funding ongoing, per NBCMontana
  • Over 4 million Gen Zers are unemployed, with experts pointing to colleges issuing “worthless degrees” and unfulfilled promises, per FORTUNE
  • A judge rules Google holds a monopoly on online advertising, aligning with the Justice Department, per CNN
  • President Trump claims global leaders, including China, are eager to meet following his tariff policies
  • SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, emerges as the leading candidate to develop President Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense system
  • Hermes plans to raise prices on luxury handbags in the US to offset Trump’s 10% EU tariffs, per New York Post
  • 56% of Americans now favor deporting all undocumented immigrants, up from 38% in 2016, per CNN
  • Alleged MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, backed by top Democrats, was a chronic abuser, with his wife reporting, “In the recording you can hear him yelling, insulting me, driving extreme fast,” per Daily Mail
  • Young people are converting to Catholicism in droves, with some dioceses seeing 30% to 70% increases in converts, per New York Post
  • President Trump demands the removal of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, stating, “Federal Reserve are not very smart people”
  • DHS threatens to strip Harvard of its ability to enroll foreign students, per reports
  • A CNN poll finds 56% of Americans support deporting all illegal immigrants
  • The Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether President Trump can implement his birthright citizenship plan, per NBC
  • Target seeks Al Sharpton’s help to mend ties after cutting DEI goals sparked boycott threats and a 10-week drop in shoppers, per NYP
  • The Supreme Court will review President Trump’s plan to end automatic citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants, per Washington Post
  • The Supreme Court will consider President Trump’s attempt to partially enforce his birthright citizenship order, per CBS News
  • A stroller company warns of price hikes due to new US tariffs, while a luggage retailer calls the situation “a complete dumpster fire,” per Bloomberg
  • President Trump criticizes Fed Chair Jerome Powell, saying, “I don’t think he’s doing the job,” during a press event with Italy’s PM, per Raw Story
  • Rümeysa Öztürk, a Ph.D. scholar detained in Louisiana, remains in custody, saying, “I’m trying to be a good detainee,” per ProPublica
  • Mitel Network’s bankruptcy plan, cutting over $1 billion in debt and transferring control to lenders, was approved by a US court, per Bloomberg
  • President Trump distances himself from the Kilmar Abrego Garcia deportation case, saying, “I’m not involved in it,” per ABC
  • AI fintech startup Ramp, tied to JD Vance and Elon Musk, may secure a role in the government’s $700 billion SmartPay program, per Truthout
  • Trump’s proposed tax hikes would hit millionaires like CEOs and doctors hardest, while billionaires may face less impact, per Bloomberg
  • SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, is favored to build Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile shield as a subscription service, potentially costing billions, per More Perfect Union
  • Wire services lose permanent White House press pool spots, ending long-standing access to presidential events, per News3LV
  • RFK Jr. claims autistic children cannot “hold a job” or “use a toilet unassisted,” sparking controversy, per KATUNews
  • U.S. 30-year mortgage rate rises to 6.83%, the highest since late February, per KGWNews
  • Allegiant Stadium prepares to host WrestleMania, with WWE World events starting Thursday in Las Vegas, per News3LV
  • MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell claims he’s “in ruins” and unable to pay court-ordered sanctions in defamation case, per KGWNews

International

  • Argentina achieves a $440M surplus in March despite tax cuts, with a 0.2% quarterly surplus, per Economy Chief Luis Caputo
  • Italy meets NATO’s 2% defense spending goal ahead of Meloni’s Trump meeting, also pushing for border security to count as defense, per Politico
  • Three passengers were injured after US citizen Akinyela Sawa Taylor allegedly hijacked a small plane at knifepoint in Belize, per ABC
  • Sen. Chris Van Hollen was denied entry to an El Salvador prison holding a Maryland resident allegedly wrongfully deported, per ABC
  • Nearly half of Puerto Rico remains without power after a blackout hit 1.4 million customers, impacting hospitals and airports, per ABC
  • President Trump confirms the U.S. will sign a minerals deal with Ukraine next Thursday, following discussions with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, per Reuters
  • Justin Bieber’s cancellation of his Justice World Tour reportedly led to ongoing financial challenges for the artist, per Globalnews
  • A massive explosion rocked Kupyansk after Russian forces allegedly struck a residential high-rise with an ODAB-1500 bomb
  • Italian PM Meloni, asked about her political identity, says, “I’m here to find a way to make us stronger on both sides of the Atlantic”
  • Sen. Chris Van Hollen was reportedly denied entry to an El Salvador prison holding Abrego Garcia, per AP
  • Russian drone attacks in Kherson allegedly killed a father in a car, leaving his son to call his mother after the strike
  • Elon Musk’s team allegedly instructed St. Clair to omit his name from their child’s birth certificate during labor, per WSJ
  • Italian PM Meloni expresses confidence that the EU will secure a tariff agreement with the U.S.
  • Trump claims the U.S. will secure a “very good deal with China,” asserting no one can compete with America
  • The U.S. voted against a U.N. resolution condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine, aligning with Russia and its allies, including Belarus and North Korea