Trump Exempts Computers, Handsets, Chips From Reciprocal Tariff Blitz, Still Subject To Original 20%

Update (1255ET): As Trump adviser Stephen Miller points out, the products are still "subject to the tariff under the original IEEPA on China of 20 percent."

The White House issued a further clarifying statement that the exemption (from the higher tariffs only) will be retroative to April 5th and all duties received since then will be refunded

Any duties that were collected at or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 5, 2025, pursuant to Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders, on imports that are excepted under Executive Order 14257 and the Subsequent Orders because they are “semiconductors,” as explained in this memorandum, shall be refunded in accordance with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s standard procedures for such refunds.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/trump-exempts-computers-handsets-chips-reciprocal-tariff-blitz

Trump Orders Military To Seal Southern Border As US Accelerates Hemispheric Defense

Days after NBC reported that the Trump administration had considered launching drone strikes on drug cartels in Mexico, President Trump issued a memorandum Friday night to the heads of four federal departments, expanding the U.S. military's role in securing the southern border in accordance with Executive Order 14167 (Clarifying the Military's Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States) and Proclamation 10886 (Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States). The move aligns with a broader strategic theme known as hemispheric defense.

The memo, titled "Military Mission for Sealing the Southern Border of the United States and Repelling Invasions," was sent to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

It states, "Our southern border is under attack from a variety of threats. The complexity of the current situation requires that our military take a more direct role in securing our southern border than in the recent past."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-orders-military-seal-southern-border-new-us-accelerates-hemispheric-defense

UK Tech Firm Says "Only Immigrants From India Will Be Considered" In DevOps Want Ad

UK tech firm Avantao Technologies has apologized after posting a job ad stating “only candidates who are immigrants from India will be considered”, according to the Daily Mail.

The listing, for a DevOps engineer role in Ilford, also asked visa-related questions like “What is your native country?” and “Are you seeking sponsorship for employment in the UK?”

The Daily Mail report says that the company claims the ad was a staff training "test" that was mistakenly published. Sure.

“Unfortunately, that has been published, and we are unable to retract it because it was a mistake made by the employee who posted it live and then departed on holiday,” a spokesperson told MailOnline.

“We are very sorry to hear that this has occurred… a mistake is a mistake, and we have taken action against the individual… we genuinely apologise.”

Avantao has offices in Hyderabad, Bangalore, and New Jersey. Chitra Ranjeeth serves as the director of the Ilford branch, which operates out of a shared business center in London alongside various other unrelated businesses.

No one was hired, and the advert expired on March 24.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/points-honesty-uk-tech-firm-says-only-immigrants-india-will-be-considered-devops-want-ad

Navy fires commanding officer, command master chief of expeditionary security squadron

Navy Cmdr. Brett Robblee and Command Master Chief Felix Phillips were both fired on Friday.

Both the commanding officer and command master chief of Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 4, based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, were fired on Friday, the Navy announced.

Cmdr. Brett Robblee and Command Master Chief Felix Phillips were relieved “due to a loss of confidence in their ability to perform leadership duties,” a brief Navy news release says.

The Navy has not said publicly exactly why Robblee and Phillips were fired. All military branches use the euphemism “loss of confidence” to avoid providing the exact reason why commanding officers and senior enlisted leaders are fired. The vague term encompasses a variety of reasons, including problems at work and personal issues.

“The Navy maintains the highest standards for its leaders and holds them accountable when those standards are not met,” the Navy news release says.

According to the Navy, Maritime Expeditionary Security Forces, which oversee subordinate expeditionary security groups and squadrons, operate at sea and near shore, including in bays and harbors. Their primary role is to conduct security operations in those coastal waterways.

Robblee assumed command of the squadron in June and Phillips reported to the unit in October. They have both been temporarily reassigned to the staff at Navy Expeditionary Combat Command.

Capt. Jason Labott and Command Master Chief Clayton Alek-Finkelman have assumed the duties of the squadron’s commanding officer and senior enlisted leader respectively.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-fires-expeditionary-security-squadron/

Democrat Massachusetts Lawmaker Arrested on Federal Fraud Charges in Stunning Corruption Scandal

In yet another stunning chapter of Democrat corruption, Massachusetts State Representative Christopher Flanagan (D-First Barnstable) was arrested Thursday after being indicted on five counts of wire fraud and one count of falsification of records in connection to a brazen scheme to steal tens of thousands of dollars from a local trade association.

The embattled Cape Cod legislator allegedly used the stolen cash to fund everything from mortgage payments and Macy’s menswear to psychic services, children’s toys, and even his 2022 political campaign.

Flanagan, 37, who represents the Cape towns of Dennis, Yarmouth, and Brewster, is now facing up to 120 years in prison if convicted. He was arrested Thursday morning and is scheduled to appear in federal court at 2:30 p.m.

According to the bombshell federal indictment, Flanagan’s theft began in 2021 while he was serving as Executive Officer of the Home Builders Association of Cape Cod (HBA).

With personal debt mounting and his bank accounts hemorrhaging from overdraft fees and missed mortgage payments, Flanagan allegedly began siphoning money from the nonprofit — ultimately embezzling at least $36,000 through wire transfers, PayPal, and official checks.

Flanagan allegedly used the association’s funds for:

$10,000 to fund his own political campaign

$1,000+ on men’s ties, dress shirts, and sports coats

Hundreds of dollars for psychic readings

An air conditioner and an electric dryer delivered to his home

Campaign t-shirts disguised as “office supplies”

Toys and children’s clothing from Target

Flanagan allegedly created fraudulent expense reports and even logged into the HBA’s bookkeeping system using another employee’s credentials to conceal the theft.

According to the U.S. Attorney, he fabricated phony receipts and labeled luxury items as “office supplies” or “travel expenses.”

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/massachusetts-state-representative-arrested-and-charged-alleged-fraud-and-cover-scheme

Department of Government Efficiency

@DOGE

An initial survey of Unemployment Insurance claims since 2020 revealed the following:

• 24.5k people over 115 years old claimed $59M in benefits

• 28k people between 1 and 5 years old claimed $254M in benefits

• 9.7k people with birth dates over 15 years in the future claimed $69M in benefits

In one case, someone with a birthday in 2154 claimed $41k.

https://x.com/DOGE/status/1910170116236460081

Theo Von: “It feels like we are just owned by Israel… and we just never knew it.”

https://twitter.com/i/status/1910130399872766365

Globalist Canadian PM Backs Sex Changes for Children.

Globalist Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, leader of the Liberal Party, has stated he supports sex change treatments for children ahead of this month’s federal election. Carney defended transitions for minors, calling them a “fundamental right.”“Canada is a mosaic; people can be who they are, they can love who they love,” Carney said this week on the campaign trail. “Access to health care in Canada is not a business, it is a fundamental right, and we will defend it for all Canadians, without exception,” he added.Some Canadian provinces are looking to block minors from being subjected to puberty blockers and hormone therapies, such as Alberta. While socialized healthcare in Canada is mainly under provincial jurisdiction, the federal government can use the Canada Health Act to override the provinces in certain circumstances.Alberta’s Bill 26 bans medical professionals from performing sex reassignment surgeries on children and requires parental approval for hormone treatments on anyone under 16.Prime Minister Carney became leader of the Liberal Party earlier this year following Justin Trudeau’s resignation. On the international relations front, the former head of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England initially promised to retaliate against tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump. However, on April 11, he caved and asked to negotiate.Carney has also been embroiled in a foreign election interference scandal, with reports that a major Chinese Communist Party (CCP) account on the platform WeChat supported his election campaign.

https://thenationalpulse.com/2025/04/11/globalist-canadian-pm-backs-sex-changes-for-children/

27 US Jewish groups file support for detained anti-Israel Tufts student

Progressive organizations say detention of Rumeysa Ozturk violates ‘the most basic constitutional rights’

Twenty-seven US Jewish groups on Thursday filed legal support for an anti-Israel student from Tufts University in Massachusetts who was detained by the government.

The student, Rumeysa Ozturk, was taken in by federal authorities last month as part of a broader crackdown on non-citizen activists by the Trump administration. The effort is being done in the name of antisemitism but has sparked concerns among Jewish groups.

Ozturk wrote an anti-Israel op-ed in her campus newspaper last year. Her detention by plainclothes officers on a city street was caught on video and caused alarm among many observers, including Jewish groups, due to concerns about legal protections, due process, and free speech.

The organizations backing Ozturk filed an amicus brief in her legal case in federal court. An amicus brief is a legal document filed by outside parties to a case who have an interest in its proceedings, often to offer arguments to the court.

The groups included the progressive organizations J Street, Bend the Arc, Keshet, New Israel Fund, New York Jewish Agenda, T’ruah, and the Workers Circle. The New York synagogues B’nai Jeshurun and Beth Elohim and Congregation Dorshei Tzedek, in Massachusetts, also signed on.

The groups were compelled to weigh in on the case “because the arrest, detention, and potential deportation of Rumeysa Ozturk for her protected speech violate the most basic constitutional rights,” the brief said.

The statement decried antisemitism, commended efforts to tackle anti-Jewish discrimination, and acknowledged that some of the signers disagreed with Ozturk’s statements but argued that the administration’s policies constitute a threat.

“Arresting, detaining, and potentially deporting Ozturk does not assist in

eradicating antisemitism. Nor was that the government’s apparent purpose,” the brief said. “The government instead appears to be exploiting Jewish Americans’ legitimate concerns about antisemitism as a pretext for undermining core pillars of American democracy, the rule of law, and the fundamental rights of free speech and academic debate on which this nation was built.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/27-us-jewish-groups-file-support-for-detained-anti-israel-tufts-student/

>>22902828

>playing both sides… what is up with that?

as always

Digital ID = Police state

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announces everyone will need a REAL ID to fly starting MAY 7.

Starting May 7, 2025, the Transportation Security Administration will begin enforcing a rule that has been quietly approaching for two decades. Every U.S. traveler aged 18 or older must present a REAL ID-compliant license or an approved federal ID, such as a passport, to board domestic flights. No exceptions. This stems from the 2005 REAL ID Act, passed in the wake of 9/11, intended to prevent forgery and strengthen national security through standardized identification.

The change will affect millions of passengers. Roughly one in five Americans still don’t carry an ID that meets the new standard. That translates into a potential flood of confusion at airports nationwide. Travelers arriving at checkpoints with a standard license may find themselves pulled aside for additional screening—or denied boarding altogether.

REAL ID cards are issued by state DMVs but follow federal requirements. You can spot one by the star stamped in the upper corner. It’s a subtle symbol, but without it, you’re out of luck at the airport gate. Military IDs, passports, and trusted traveler cards will still qualify. But those relying solely on a driver’s license must upgrade now or face consequences at the terminal.

Most travelers already comply. According to TSA, about 81% of people passing through checkpoints show acceptable IDs today. That leaves nearly 20% vulnerable to travel disruptions. The Department of Homeland Security has been sounding the alarm for years, but many Americans remain unaware of the deadline.

This isn’t a travel suggestion. It’s a federal mandate. Starting next spring, showing up to the airport without proper identification will mean staying grounded. No excuses, no delays, no boarding.

https://citizenwatchreport.com/dhs-secretary-kristi-noem-announces-everyone-will-need-a-real-id-to-fly-starting-may-7/