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In the Pacific island nation of Samoa, residents have been grappling with rolling blackouts for weeks that have plunged villages into darkness and caused major disruptions to businesses and daily life.

On Upolu, the nation’s most populous island frequented by tourists for its white sand beaches, some have reverted to using kerosene lamps at night and are struggling to keep their food frozen – as rolling power outages leave them without electricity for hours each day.

Shelley Burich, who lives on the outskirts of the capital, Apia, said the power has been out at her place one to two nights each week, forcing them to use solar torches, lanterns and candles.

“It’s just about having dinner early and we go to bed early” she said. “We’ve just learnt to adapt and cope.”

Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa declared a 30-day state of emergency on Monday, acknowledging the “significant hardship” the crisis has had on households, businesses and essential services.

Power outages are not unusual for Samoa’s 215,000 population, who often face disruptions from cyclones churning through the Pacific. But it’s rare to see island-wide blackouts reoccur over such long periods of time as has been seen in recent weeks.

Officials say there are a multitude of reasons: mechanical failures at a power station, faulty underground cables, extensive damage from a recent storm and the significant surge in demand for power over the past two years.

Fiamē said the government’s power provider, the Electric Power Corporation, has had to introduce power rationing on Upolu since March 16 after three key generators failed.

Meanwhile, power workers are racing to repair the cable lines and five large electricity generators are expected to arrive on Saturday as a temporary solution, with permanent generators expected in August.

An economic ‘disaster’

The prime minister warned the crisis could result in a 16% drop in gross domestic product (GDP), the broadest measure of economic output, this year due to the “severe disruptions.”

Chamber of Commerce President Fa’aso’otauloa Sam Saili called the power situation a “disaster” for businesses. And it’s not just the missed days of productivity.

“The damage in equipment is very significant. 84% of our membership have identified this as a major issue,” Fa’aso’otauloa said, which could leave businesses idle for long periods while waiting for repair or replacement.

Many of the country’s major manufacturers and producers have been left grappling with failing key machinery, which were damaged by power surges during the sudden and unexpected power cuts, he said.

Fa’aso’otauloa said businesses urged the government to impose the state of emergency to allow greater economic support and called for the removal of “red tape” and tariffs on key equipment to help manufacturers amid the crisis.

The economy is heavily reliant on agriculture with coconut products, forestry and fisheries among the largest export earners.

Businesses have also been forced to temporarily close because of the outages.

“Everyone is affected,” said Gary, a manager at a restaurant in Apia. “We’ve had to turn (customers) away more than once. Since the power interruptions began, we have had to close three times.”

The restaurant is fortunate to have a generator on site, but even so, the costs to operate it have more than doubled since the power cuts began.

It’s not just the cost of running the generator, suppliers are putting up their prices too, he said, calling the costs “quite significant.”

Finance Minister Lautimuia Uelese Vaaio said the state of emergency would allow Samoa’s development partners to assist with the situation. It also allows the government to implement measures to manage the energy supply, protect public health, and maintain essential services, said Prime Minister Fiamē.

Learning to adapt

The impact has hit everyone – from ordinary citizens to small businesses, schools, universities and large-scale infrastructure projects. Despite the growing frustrations, many say they have learned to adapt.

“The first few weeks were quite difficult,” said Leilani Fruean, the manager of a local ice cream shop, called Scoops, in Apia. The shop has had to purchase deep freezers, also known as chest freezers, to keep serving cones.

Fruean said the shop now has a permanent power connection, by sheer luck of being close to the wharf, which has been prioritized for power. Even so, it’s been hard to predict how each day will go.

“We can’t really afford to close, especially after Covid and everything,” she said. “We really try to open. Not just for us, but for our employees as well – just because the power is off doesn’t mean they don’t need money.”

The rolling power cuts have also led to panic buying of candles, flashlights and lamps – leading to price gouging in some areas, according to local outlet, the Samoan Observer. Candle prices had surged to 25 Samoan Tālā ($8) – more than half a day’s pay for a minimum wage earner, the outlet said.

A general store in Apia called Indoors doesn’t sell candles but sales representative Neci Lemo said they had “sold out of everything battery operated,” when asked about the demand for lighting.

Like everyone, Lemo is frequently dealing with the power being out at home.

“You just have to be smart,” she said, adding that it has been easier to plan for powerless days since authorities have begun issuing public warnings.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

South Korea’s highest court has removed embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol from office, ending months of uncertainty and legal wrangling after he briefly declared martial law in December and plunged the nation into political turmoil.

The court’s decision on Friday marks Yoon’s formal dismissal from the presidency after parliament voted to impeach him in December. His removal takes effect immediately, and he must now leave the presidential residence.

The long-running crisis has left a major global economy and key US ally rudderless at a fraught moment in world affairs, especially as US President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda upends decades of foreign policy norms and dismantles the global trading system.

The Constitutional Court’s eight justices unanimously ruled to uphold Yoon’s impeachment.

Moon Hyung-bae, the court’s acting head judge, said Yoon’s martial law decree was unconstitutional as there was no grave national crisis at the time and his reasons for declaring it “cannot be justified.”

The president had violated the formal process of declaring martial law, infringed on lawmakers’ rights, and violated his duty as head of the armed forces by forcing soldiers to confront the public, the judge added.

In a separate criminal trial, Yoon was arrested in January on charges of leading an insurrection, then released in March after a court canceled his arrest warrant – though it did not drop his charges.

The verdict was met with mixed reactions across the South Korean capital.

Yoon’s opponents exploded in celebration and jubilation outside the court, waving flags and dancing to music. Many had been afraid that if he were reinstated, he could declare martial law again. But the mood was more still and somber outside Yoon’s official residence where his conservative supporters had gathered.

The issue has been hugely divisive, with major crowds taking to the streets both for and against Yoon’s removal. Police ramped up security in the capital ahead of the verdict, setting up barriers and checkpoints, and warning against any violence.

It’s a remarkable fall from grace for the former prosecutor-turned-politician, who rose to prominence for his role in the impeachment and imprisonment of another president years ago – only to now meet the same fate.

What happens now?

Under South Korean law, a general election to choose a new president must be held within 60 days of Yoon’s removal.

One potential candidate for the country’s next president is opposition leader Lee Jae-myung, a former lawyer and lawmaker who narrowly lost to Yoon in the 2022 presidential election.

Meanwhile, Yoon is still dogged by other legal proceedings, including his insurrection trial. It’s one of the few criminal charges a president does not have immunity from – and is punishable by life imprisonment or death, although South Korea has not executed anyone in decades.

The indictment had alleged that Yoon’s imposition of martial law – during which he sent troops to parliament, with commanders testifying they were ordered to “drag out” lawmakers – was an illegal attempt to shut down the National Assembly and arrest politicians and election authorities.

Yoon has said his decree was justified by political deadlock and threats from “anti-state forces” sympathetic to North Korea, and was intended as a temporary warning to the liberal opposition. He claimed that he always planned to respect lawmakers’ will if they voted to lift the decree.

In the end, his decree only lasted six hours. Yoon reversed the declaration after lawmakers forced their way into parliament and voted unanimously to block it – beginning four months of political disarray, during which parliament also voted to impeach the prime minister and acting president.

Fall from grace

Before taking office in 2022, Yoon was a star prosecutor and a key figure in the sweeping investigation of South Korea’s last impeached president, Park Geun-hye. Park was removed from office in 2017 and sentenced to prison for corruption and abuse of power in 2018.

Yoon is now the second president to be ousted by the Constitutional Court – and the shortest-serving elected leader in the nation’s democratic history.

The swift series of events marks a dramatic decline for Yoon, who was once touted as a key ally by former US President Joe Biden. During a White House state dinner in 2023, Yoon stood as the honored guest and sung Don McLean’s “American Pie” to a delighted audience.

Yoon’s serenade was meant to showcase his easy rapport with Washington, reinforcing Seoul’s strategic ties with the US. His critics, however, saw the moment as an odd distraction from pressing domestic concerns.

Back home, he clashed fiercely with the opposition, who overwhelmingly won midterm elections and used parliament to impeach key cabinet members and hold up legislation. It was this gridlock that Yoon used to try to justify his fateful decree.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

Declaring martial law in a stable and boisterous democracy was an audacious gamble – and one that backfired spectacularly for former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

With Friday’s guilty impeachment verdict from the country’s Constitutional Court, the former prosecutor and conservative firebrand’s political career is likely over, especially because Yoon still faces criminal charges that could land him in prison for life.

Dramatic scenes from South Korea one Tuesday night in December showed military helicopters landing near the National Assembly in the capital Seoul, soldiers breaking through windows to try to prevent lawmakers from gathering, and protesters confronting riot police.

But the declaration was unsuccessful. TV stations and news media continued to report unhindered, people traveled freely and there were no mass arrests. When lawmakers voted to overturn Yoon’s surprise decree, security forces backed away.

In the months since, life in the South Korean capital essentially returned to normal. Businesses and restaurants were busy, streets crowded with residents and the city’s usual throngs of tourists – though large, loud demonstrations for and against Yoon were frequent as the court considered his case.

At one rally in the capital shortly after Yoon’s late-night declaration, teacher Kyung-soo said Yoon’s attacks on his opponents – including calling them “communist forces” – were “the behavior of a dictator and clearly clashes with the wishes of the people.”

Two years ago, Yoon was serenading then United States President Joe Biden with a rendition of “American Pie” by Don McLean at a White House state dinner and toasting their “ironclad” relationship.

As a nation still tries to understand why Yoon chose the extreme option of martial law, many are relieved that the fiasco may well be remembered as when democracy was threatened in South Korea, but ultimately survived.

Who is Yoon, and what was he thinking?

Yoon, a political newcomer, took office in 2022 with the conservative People Power Party, winning the presidential election by a margin of less than 1%.

He had spent almost 30 years as a prosecutor, leading high-profile investigations into corruption scandals that included a graft probe against former President Park Geun-hye that led to her impeachment and landed her in prison.

On the campaign trail, Yoon appealed to the country’s growing anti-feminist movement, and committed to abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, which he claimed is unfair to men.

And while his predecessor Moon Jae-in favored dialogue with North Korea, Yoon took a tougher stance, promising to bulk up the South’s military, and even hinting he would launch a preemptive strike if he saw signs of a launch against Seoul.

In office, Yoon clashed fiercely with the opposition. Last year, opposition parties overwhelmingly won elections seen as a referendum on Yoon’s rule and took control of the National Assembly.

This left him a lame-duck president prevented from moving forward on legislation to cut taxes and ease business regulations, as his main rivals in the Democratic Party used parliament to impeach key cabinet members and hold up a budget bill.

It was this gridlock that Yoon used to try to justify his fateful decree.

In his speech declaring martial law, he labeled the opposition’s actions “clear anti-state behavior aimed at inciting rebellion” and referenced “threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces,” vowing to “eliminate anti-state elements.”

While Yoon had previously “claimed to advocate for fairness and common sense” as president, “his words and actions reflect a dictator’s,” said Park Sung-min, analyst at Min Consulting in Seoul.

“It seems like a political suicide.”

But Yoon’s eventual decision to rescind the decree showed he was “not a man who’s trying to seize power, or create a second term, or prolong his rule,” said Sydney Seiler, senior adviser for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“From the ruling party’s perspective, (he’s) trying to get the ball moving. He probably thought he had much more support within the ruling party for his actions than he actually did.”

Designer handbag at center of controversy

Observers say Yoon’s decision to declare martial law may have been more self-serving.

After taking office, he faced plummeting approval ratings over economic issues and a series of scandals involving his wife and political appointments that prompted calls for him to resign.

First Lady Kim Keon Hee was accused in 2023 of accepting a $2,200 Christian Dior bag as a gift – a potential violation of anti-graft laws. A secretly filmed video that surfaced online purported to show Kim receiving a cloud-blue “Lady Dior Pouch” from a Korean-American pastor.

The first lady is no stranger to controversy. Over the past few years, she has apologized for resumé-padding and has faced allegations ranging from academic plagiarism to stock manipulation, which the presidential office has repeatedly denied.

The main opposition Democratic Party accused Yoon of “concealing suspicions” surrounding his wife, and the mounting public backlash even caused a rift between Yoon and senior members of his party.

“Yoon tends to act more on instinct than rationality, embodying a reckless ‘lonely hero’ persona,” said Ahn Byung-jin, professor at the global academy for future civilizations at Kyung Hee University.

“He perceives the current situation as an existential crisis, especially with attempts to impeach members of his cabinet, cut the budget, and push for special investigations against his wife. He believes he is seriously cornered.”

What comes next for Yoon?

Yoon is now the second president to be ousted by the Constitutional Court – and the shortest-serving elected leader in the nation’s democratic history.

And his legal troubles are not over. In a separate case, Yoon was arrested in January on charges of leading an insurrection, then released in March after a court canceled his arrest warrant – though it did not drop the charges.

Insurrection is one of the few criminal charges a president does not have immunity from – and is punishable by life imprisonment or death, although South Korea has not executed anyone in decades.

The indictment had alleged that Yoon’s imposition of martial law – during which he sent troops to parliament, with commanders testifying they were ordered to “drag out” lawmakers – was an illegal attempt to shut down the National Assembly and arrest politicians and election authorities.

For some South Koreans, such as pastor Kwak Dong-seok, Yoon has worked to address economic issues, and is correct in his claims of “anti-state” forces in the country.

“Martial law is often criticized as excessive, but in some cases, it has been justified as a measure to prevent the establishment of a communist regime,” said Kwak, who organizes regular conservative rallies and political activities.

But others say Yoon’s decision shows how far removed he was from public sentiment.

“Korean democracy started late, but we made it by ourselves and are very proud of it,” said school principal Kim Hyeon. Yoon’s attempt at martial law demonstrates that “the president’s way of thinking doesn’t match our society,” she said.

Many say the botched martial law and subsequent democratic proceedings show that South Korean democracy is alive and well.

“Korean democracy has the awareness and capability to prevent any impulsive actions by a dictator,” said Park from Min Consulting.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

As the road shook beneath him, Ko Zeyer sped past crumbled buildings, buckled roads and gaping sinkholes toward his hometown of Sagaing, the epicenter of the most powerful earthquake to hit Myanmar in a century.

The journey from Mandalay normally takes 45 minutes by car across the mighty Irrawaddy River, but after the quake hit last Friday, it took him 24 hours to navigate broken bridges and collapsed buildings.

Ko Zeyer found his family safe, but many of his friends had died and much of the town lies in ruins, as local rescuers scramble for resources in a country controlled by a paranoid military junta and plagued by civil war.

All around him, people remain trapped under the rubble, not yet counted among the 3,145 confirmed dead a week after the devastating quake.

“The smell of the dead bodies has overwhelmed the town,” said Ko Zeyar, a social worker, as other residents described the rush to bury bodies in mass graves.

Survivors queue for food and water, and many sleep outside on mats at the mercy of mosquitos and the baking 100° F (37° C) heat as aftershocks continue to rattle the region.

The immense scale of the disaster has piled a fresh crisis on the impoverished Southeast Asian country, where almost 20 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance after four years of civil war.

Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has been fighting a multi-front war against pro-democracy fighters and ethnic armed groups after seizing power in 2021, with credible and widespread reports of atrocities against the people.

Years of war have depleted the local resources and health infrastructure needed to respond effectively to the quake, and observers say a large-scale disaster response from the country’s military government is absent.

“Why hasn’t Min Aung Hlaing sent in all of his military assets for rescue and relief?… We only see civilians digging to into the rubble,” said former United Nations Special Rapporteur for Myanmar Yanghee Lee.

A town in ruins

In every direction he looks in Sagaing, volunteer rescue worker Kyaw Min says houses, schools, temples, mosques and shops lie in ruin.

“It looks like a place of death … like the town was bombarded by a nuclear bomb,” said Kyaw Min, who is aligned with the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) and asked to use a pseudonym for his safety in the ongoing war.

The earthquake caused widespread destruction in nearby Mandalay, home to around 1.5 million people, and the military capital Naypyidaw. It was also felt in neighboring Thailand and China.

For days, Kyaw Min and volunteer rescuers have dug through rubble with their bare hands or minimal tools to look for survivors.

“We managed to save as many people as we could with the little equipment we have,” he said. “We retrieved many dead bodies, including those of children and the elderly… bodies without heads or hands or legs – we have suffered such a horrendous experience.”

About 80% of Sagaing town, the regional capital, was damaged in the quake and there is widespread destruction across the surrounding rural townships, according to Kyaw Min.

Roads connecting towns and outlying villages were torn and twisted, slowing rescue and relief efforts, including the delivery of heavy machinery such as excavators and backhoes.

“Rescue missions or aid could not immediately arrive to Sagaing. The bridges connecting Sagaing were badly damaged,” said Ko Zeyer. “That’s why, many lost their lives. It was already too late to save the people when the aid arrived.”

A region in revolt

Since the 2021 coup, Sagaing region – a giant arc of arid land studded with the spires of pagodas has become a vast battleground between the military and pro-democracy “People’s Defense Forces,” many aligned with the ousted democratic government.

The junta controls most of the larger towns in the region, while villages are split between support for the military, thought of as “green” territory, or “red,” backers of former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Those defying the junta have paid a heavy price.

The military regularly sends columns of troops and allied militias on bloody rampages through districts suspected of opposing its rule, where troops raze whole villages, massacre residents and leave.

And its air force launches devastating air strikes on communities.

The military on Thursday announced a temporary ceasefire to aid recovery efforts, and said the truce would last until April 22.

The announcement followed several ethnic armed groups and the NUG – an offshoot of lawmakers deposed in the coup – in declaring temporary pauses in fighting.

The junta had initially refused to issue a ceasefire, and the reversal came only after it acknowledged its troops had fired three warning shots near a Chinese Red Cross convoy delivering earthquake aid in Shan state – underscoring the dangers for those delivering disaster aid in a conflict zone.

But reports in local media and from humanitarian teams in southeast Myanmar Thursday suggest the military had already broken the ceasefire.

Getting aid into a war-torn disaster zone

Myanmar’s military rulers have a long history of blocking foreign help after natural disasters, impeding access to vulnerable communities, and appropriating funds intended for disaster victims.

This time, the junta took the unusual step of quickly asking for foreign aid. International teams, including groups from China, Russia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, and Pakistan, have been assisting with rescue efforts, and in recent days, dramatic videos showing people being pulled out alive after days under rubble have featured mainly Chinese teams alongside local responders.

But residents in Sagaing say such assistance is dwarfed by the scale of the disaster and that some communities, especially in opposition-controlled areas, have not seen international help.

Local volunteers and the NUG have mobilized rescuers, medical teams and supplies to quake-hit communities through their own networks across the country. But the need is too great.

On the idyllic shores of the once popular tourist hot spot Inle Lake, in southern Shan state, the earthquake destroyed hundreds of bamboo houses on stilts occupied by impoverished villagers, according to aid workers.

One aid team who say they were the first major organization to reach the lake on Tuesday found thousands of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

“They hadn’t had any visits from government officials. The only other assistance they had received was from community-based groups, other local groups,” said Claire Gibbons, a spokesperson for Partners Relief and Development, an international agency that works with local partners and networks in Myanmar.

Relief efforts to some of these hardest-hit areas have been hindered by damaged roads and military checkpoints on the main highway between the biggest city Yangon, where much of the aid is being flown into and organized, to Mandalay.

Finding people to send into the quake zone is proving difficult too, amid fears that younger people will be arrested and forcibly recruited into the army.

“We have team members from Myanmar that we don’t want to risk their safety by heading them into the earthquake areas,” said Gibbon.

Compounding the challenges are existing junta-imposed restrictions on humanitarian aid to certain areas of the country, nighttime curfews, and a junta requirement that international aid groups seek authorization before delivering supplies.

Meanwhile, the junta has also barred international journalists from entering the country and some foreign aid teams have reportedly faced issues obtaining visas from the military regime.

Some teams who traveled to Sagaing were prevented from delivering their supplies, and in some cases their aid was confiscated, according to Kyaw Min.

Others with ties to groups opposing the junta have been asked to list names of volunteers and supplies before they can enter, a scary proposition for many as the military has designated the resistance groups terrorists.

Appeals for aid

The earthquake came as international humanitarian agencies are struggling with a lack of funding as governments, most notably the United States, make drastic cuts to their foreign aid budgets.

The US would typically be among the first to respond to a natural disaster of this scale with both physical and monetary support.

But following President Donald Trump’s gutting of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US response has been minimal, prompting condemnation from American senators and civil society groups.

Rescuers from China – a major ally and arms supplier of the junta – arrived in Yangon hours after the quake struck. And Beijing has pledged 100 million yuan ($13.76 million) worth of relief supplies, according to Chinese state media.

A small USAID team is on the ground in Myanmar, a State Department spokesperson confirmed Thursday, and the Trump administration has authorized an initial $2 million in humanitarian assistance.

Given the military’s history of appropriating and misdirecting international aid, donors and humanitarian agencies have been urged to insist on aid impartiality and work through local civil society organizations, including the National Unity Government and resistance groups, to avoid lining the pockets of the junta.

But an overall lack of aid funding could prove disastrous for the people of Myanmar.

“My real worry is that the international community will not respond in the scale that is needed,” said Richard Horsey, Crisis Group Senior Adviser.

In Sagaing, those focused on helping quake-hit communities say the most urgent needs are for clean water and food, tarpaulins for shelters, mosquito nets to prevent dengue fever, medicine to prevent diseases from drinking contaminated water, cooking utensils, and sanitation kits.

“Seeing many in pain and grief feels really sad,” said Ko Zeyer.

“We don’t even dare to ask how many have died, because the scale of the death is such that almost every family has had a loved one killed.”

This post appeared first on cnn.com

US President Donald Trump has thrown his support behind another embattled far-right European leader, backing Marine Le Pen after French presidential hopeful was convicted of embezzlement and barred from political office.

“FREE MARINE LE PEN,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday, calling the court ruling a “Witch Hunt.”

The message is the latest high-profile endorsement from his administration of a far-right party in Europe and comes as Trump upends decades of post-World War Two security guarantees towards the continent with his “America First” foreign and trade policies.

Le Pen’s hopes of becoming France’s president in 2027 were cut short on Monday when a Paris court blocked her from standing for office for five years, after she was found guilty of embezzling European Union funds. The figurehead of the far-right National Rally (RN) party had been seen as the front-runner for the next election, and the ruling has thrown French politics into disarray.

“I don’t know Marine Le Pen, but do appreciate how hard she worked for so many years,” Trump wrote.

“She suffered losses, but kept on going, and now, just before what would be a Big Victory, they get her on a minor charge that she probably knew nothing about – Sounds like a ‘bookkeeping’ error to me.”

“It is all so bad for France, and the Great French People, no matter what side they are on,” Trump said.

The presiding judge in Le Pen’s case, Bénédicte de Perthuis, said the politician’s actions amounted to a “serious and lasting attack on the rules of democratic life in Europe, but especially in France.”

In addition to the ban, she was handed a four-year prison sentence with two years suspended, to be served under house arrest, and a €100,000 ($108,000) fine.

Le Pen, the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, who founded her party when it was known as the National Front, slammed the ruling as a purely “political decision” in a television interview, and claimed the “rule of law [had been] completely violated.” She plans to appeal, her lawyer said.

Trump called the conviction a “very big deal” on Monday, drawing parallels with his own legal entanglements. His comments on Friday went further, with pointed criticism of European politicians.

“The Witch Hunt against Marine Le Pen is another example of European Leftists using Lawfare to silence Free Speech, and censor their Political Opponent, this time going so far as to put that Opponent in prison,” said Trump.

There is no indication Le Pen will serve time in prison.

Trump’s sentiment echoes that of his top advisor Elon Musk who also publicly decried Le Pen’s sentence earlier this week, writing on his platform X: “When the radical left can’t win via democratic vote, they abuse the legal system to jail their opponents.”

The Trump administration has railed against perceived attacks on other far-right politicians in Europe, including a court decision to re-run the Romanian presidential election, which saw a surprise win by a far-right candidate.

The country’s constitutional court voided the initial result after declassified intelligence reports uncovered possible Russian interference in Calin Georgescu’s TikTok-fueled campaign. A re-run is scheduled for May, but Georgescu has been barred from running.

Vice President JD Vance has also publicly backed far-right groups in Europe, including the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Germany.

Musk has also backed the AfD, urging Germans to vote for the right-wing group in elections earlier this year, as well as English far-right figure Tommy Robinson. The AfD almost doubled its vote share and surged into second place in the polls, behind the center-right Christian Democratic Union.

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A moderate Democrat is expressing cautious optimism at President Donald Trump’s stance on tariffs in a stark departure from most of his party’s infuriated reaction.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, pointed out in a lengthy statement that he himself proposed a 10% blanket tariff on U.S. imports earlier this year and said he was happy Trump’s baseline policy was the same– and even publicly pledged to work with Trump on enshrining it in federal law in a subsequent interview with Fox News Digital.

‘What I can say now is I’m pleased the president is building his tariff agenda on the foundation of a universal 10% tariff like the one I proposed in the BUILT USA Act. This ring fence around the American economy is a good start to erasing our unsustainable trade deficits,’ Golden said in his statement.

‘I’m eager to work with the president to fix the broken ‘free trade’ system that made multinational corporations rich but ruined manufacturing communities across the country. But tariffs must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity.’

He noted, however, that Trump ‘introduced a number of new tariff policies’ alongside the 10% universal tax, and that he would need time to review the policies in detail before weighing in on them further.

‘We need to make sure that the new approach benefits working people — that means supporting unions, the trades and apprenticeship programs, cutting regulations that hold back production, unleashing American energy and using tariff revenue to support domestic manufacturers that create good-paying jobs for Americans,’ he said.

‘Tariffs are a first step in rewriting a rigged trade system, but they cannot be the last one.’

He told Fox News Digital in a brief interview Thursday that he was open to working with Trump on codifying the 10% tariffs measure in federal law.

‘I’m really glad that he included that in his kind of broader strategy that he rolled out yesterday. And on the reciprocal tariffs, I would assume that he wants flexibility, he probably likes doing that through an executive order,’ Golden said. ‘But I’m of the mind that the 10% global tariff is something that should be part of a longer-term strategy for the U.S. And so, you know, I’m hoping that I can help the president get some members of Congress to support doing that in a bill and maybe put it on his desk.’

‘I think that the president and his team would have to do some heavy lifting to make sure that the House Republicans supported it, but if they didn’t have a lot of defections, you know, could I find some like-minded Democrats for a 10% global tariff? I think so.’

While it’s far from a full embrace of Trump’s tariff plan, Golden’s comments are still more optimistic than those of his fellow Democratic lawmakers.

‘I have always said that when used strategically, tariffs are a critical tool,’ Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., told Axios. ‘However, the key word is ‘strategically.’ I’m concerned about the chaotic and immediate implementation of these wide-reaching tariffs.’

Meanwhile, Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, pledged to force a vote targeting the new national emergency Trump is using to justify the 10% blanket tariff.

‘I’ll soon introduce a privileged resolution to force a vote on ending the made up national emergency Trump is using to justify these taxes. Republicans can’t keep ducking this — it’s time they show whether they support the economic pain Trump is inflicting on their constituents,’ Meeks said in a statement.

Golden has been known to break from his party on several key occasions. 

Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which he has represented since January 2019, was won by Trump by roughly 10% in 2024.

Trump’s plan involves a 10% blanket tariff on all imports into the U.S., as well as tariffs of up to 50% on both adversaries and allies.

It also introduces some level of reciprocal tariffs on countries that tax U.S. exports, though in most cases, the U.S. rate is lower than the foreign country’s.

‘April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn. The day America’s destiny was reclaimed. And the day that we began to make America wealthy again,’ Trump said in remarks announcing his plan Wednesday.

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A key House Republican lawmaker is moving to bring more manufacturing back to the U.S. after President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tax penalties on imports.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, policy chair of the House Freedom Caucus, introduced a bill Thursday aimed at providing tax incentives to companies that move their supply chains to the U.S. – so long as their output levels stay consistent in the move.

Roy told Fox News Digital he specifically had China in mind when crafting the legislation.

‘China is angling to surpass the United States as the world’s leading superpower, both politically and economically. If we want to preserve our strength and freedom as a nation, we cannot rely on adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to keep our shelves stocked and our economy prosperous,’ Roy said.

‘There is no time to waste. Congress must act swiftly and collaborate with the Trump administration to revise the tax code to incentivize the reshoring of foreign manufacturing to the United States. The BEAT CHINA Act will do just that, and I look forward to working with House leadership on this important matter.’

Trump’s plan involves a 10% blanket tariff on all imports into the U.S., as well as reciprocal tariffs ranging between 10% and nearly 50% on both adversaries and allies – though in most cases, the U.S. rate is lower than the foreign country’s.

‘April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn. The day America’s destiny was reclaimed. And the day that we began to make America wealthy again,’ Trump said in remarks announcing his plan Wednesday.

The plan levies a 34% reciprocal tariff against China specifically, compared to the 67% in tariffs that Beijing has slapped on Washington, according to White House data.

Roy’s legislation would affect leases and purchases of commercial space, making companies eligible for bonus depreciation by making non-residential real property purchases by qualifying manufacturers considered 20-year property instead of 39-year property.

It would also allow companies to exclude gains earned from selling off assets in their country of origin from gross taxable income, among other provisions.

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President Donald Trump laid out his plans for imposing a host of new tariffs on imports to the U.S. Wednesday — a day his administration touted as ‘Liberation Day’ and vowed would restore the American dream. 

Trump unveiled the new tariffs in a ceremony at the White House’s Rose Garden for a ‘Make America Wealthy Again’ event, where he declared that these new duties would usher in a wave of jobs for U.S. workers. 

‘For nations that treat us badly, we will calculate the combined rate of all their tariffs, nonmonetary barriers and other forms of cheating,’ Trump said Wednesday. 

‘And because we are being very kind, we will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us,’ he said. ‘So, the tariffs will be not a full reciprocal. I could have done that. Yes. But it would have been tough for a lot of countries.’

The Trump administration’s tariff plan sets out a baseline duty of 10% on all imports to the U.S., while customized tariffs will be set for countries who have higher tariffs in place on American goods. The baseline tariffs of 10% will take effect on Saturday, while the others will take effect on April 9. 

The Trump administration previously imposed a 25% tariff on imported auto vehicles, up to 25% tariffs on certain goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as a 20% tariff on shipments from China. The White House said that tariffs already imposed on Canada and Mexico remain unaltered. However, new tariffs on China will be coupled with existing duties on Beijing. 

Here is a look at the tariff rates that the Trump administration imposed as part of Liberation Day:

  • China: 34% (not including previous 20% tariffs)
  • European Union: 20%
  • South Korea: 25%
  • India: 26%
  • Vietnam: 46%
  • Taiwan: 32%
  • Japan: 24%
  • Thailand: 36%
  • Switzerland: 31%
  • Indonesia: 32%
  • Malaysia: 24%
  • Cambodia: 49%
  • United Kingdom: 10%
  • South Africa: 30%
  • Brazil: 10%
  • Bangladesh: 37%
  • Singapore: 10%
  • Israel: 17%
  • Philippines: 17%
  • Chile: 10%
  • Australia: 10%
  • Pakistan: 29%
  • Turkey: 10%
  • Sri Lanka: 44%
  • Colombia: 10%

The Trump administration provided a chart of the tariff rates other countries charge on U.S. imports, suggesting that the tariffs the U.S. was imposing were not nearly as stringent as they could have been in order to reach reciprocity. 

For example, the chart says that Japan has imposed a 46% tariff on U.S. goods, while the U.S. is only implementing a 24% tariff on Japanese goods imported to the U.S. 

Why Trump wants tariffs

Trump and his administration have long railed against other countries’ trade practices and accused them of engaging in unfair trade practices against the U.S. — and argued that tariffs will help return manufacturing jobs to the U.S. As a result, he and his administration have called for employing tariffs to address the nation’s 2024 record $1.2 trillion trade deficit. 

‘For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,’ Trump said Wednesday. 

Tariffs function as a tax that governments collect on foreign goods and services that manufacturers import. They are collected while undergoing customs clearance in foreign ports, according to the International Trade Administration. 

The tariffs are expected to affect a host of goods, ranging from electronics, like iPhones that are predominantly manufactured in China, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, to wine and other alcoholic beverages originating from European Union countries, like Italy. 

Trump’s new tariffs prompted backlash from members of both parties in Congress, who have warned that the tariffs will raise prices for American consumers. 

Specifically, the Senate moved to approve a resolution by a 51–48 margin Wednesday evening following Trump’s announcement that would rescind the emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking that Trump used to justify duties on Canada. Four Republicans joined the voting with Democrats in support of the resolution, although it has low odds of passing in the Republican-controlled House. 

Meanwhile, other countries have spoken out against the tariffs, including allies like Canada and Australia. 

 

‘In our judgment, it will be negative on the U.S. economy that will have an impact on us,’ Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Wednesday. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese characterized the Trump administration’s new duties as ‘not the act of a friend’ during a press conference Thursday. 

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent cautioned other countries against retaliating in response to the new tariffs, warning that the U.S. would not hesitate to take action again. 

‘My advice to every country right now: Do not retaliate,’ Bessent said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday. ‘If you retaliate, there will be escalation.’

The Associated Press and Fox News’ Emma Colton and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

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Dr. Mehmet Oz will serve as the next administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after the full Senate voted along party lines to confirm his nomination on Thursday. 

The former daytime TV doctor turned politician will be in charge of nearly $1.5 trillion in federal healthcare spending. His duties will entail overseeing Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including directing decisions related to how the government covers procedures, hospital stays and medication, as well as the reimbursement rates at which healthcare providers get paid for their services.   

Medicare is a federal healthcare program for seniors aged 65 and up, and currently provides coverage to about 65 million Americans, according to the Center for Medicare Advocacy. Medicaid, a public health assistance program for people with low incomes, covers roughly 72 million Americans, according to Medicaid.gov. Meanwhile, CHIP, which provides free or low-cost health coverage for eligible low-income children and family members, assists around 7.2 million individuals. 

A graduate of Harvard University, Oz received medical and business degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He is a former heart surgeon who saw his fame rise through his appearances on daytime television, including ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show,’ and 13 seasons of ‘The Dr. Oz Show.’

Oz later transitioned into politics, launching an unsuccessful bid for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat in 2022. He lost to John Fetterman, then the state’s lieutenant governor.

‘Dr. Oz has a strong desire to modernize CMS and encourage healthy lifestyles for all Americans, including by focusing on the underlying causes of chronic disease and implementing innovative technologies,’ Senate Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said Thursday.

Crapo, who led Oz’s nomination process at the committee level, commended Oz for his ‘diligence and accessibility’ throughout the process, including his willingness to answer ‘hundreds’ of questions for the record.

Those questions came from both Republicans and Democrats. They included asking about Oz’s stance on abortion, transgender medical treatments, Medicare privatization, prescription drug pricing and more. Potential financial conflicts of interest were also a concern among Democratic lawmakers throughout Oz’s confirmation process. Oz has committed to divesting any holdings that may pose an issue. 

Thursday’s confirmation comes as the Trump administration continues to work to finalize the rest of its political appointments, including notably the president’s pick to be the next United Nations ambassador and his pick for director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

Per The Washington Post’s ‘political appointee tracker,’ there are currently still 233 nominees being considered by the Senate.

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President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, has repeatedly landed in hot water in recent days, beginning with an uproar from Democrats over a Signal chat leak with high-ranking national security officials that has since snowballed. 

Trump and his administration, however, repeatedly have defended the national security leader publicly. 

Waltz, who previously served as a Florida congressman and as a decorated combat Green Beret, has come under fire from Democrats and critics since March, when the Atlantic magazine’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published a firsthand account of getting added to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders, including Waltz, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, while they discussed strikes against Yemen terrorists. 

Signal is an encrypted messaging app that operates similarly to texting or making phone calls, but with additional security measures that help ensure communications are kept private to those included in the correspondence. 

The Atlantic’s report characterized the Trump administration as texting ‘war plans’ regarding a planned strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The Trump administration has maintained, however, that no classified material was transmitted in the chat, with Trump repeatedly defending Waltz amid the fallout. 

‘As the president has made it very clear, Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team,’ Trump administration press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media in brief remarks outside of the White House’s press room Monday afternoon. ‘And this case has been closed here at the White House, as far as we are concerned.’ 

‘There have been steps made to ensure that something like that can obviously never happen again,’ she continued. ‘And we’re moving forward. And the president and Mike Waltz and his entire national security team have been working together very well, if you look at how much safer the United States of America is because of the leadership of this team.’ 

Fox News Digital has compiled a timeline of accusations and outrage directed at and involving Waltz since the Atlantic’s first report on the chat leak. 

  • March 24: The Atlantic publishes a report that Goldberg was added to a Signal chat that claimed national security leaders were discussing ‘war plans’ with one another.
  • March 25: Trump tells NBC News he believes a staffer in Waltz’s office was behind mistakenly adding the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief to the group chat.
  • March 25: Democratic outrage over the Atlantic article mounts, including Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, calling on Waltz and Hegseth to resign.
  • March 25: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe join an annual Senate Intelligence Committee hearing and report no classified material was shared in the chat and that the Signal chat was ‘lawful.’
  • March 25: Waltz joins Fox News and takes ‘full responsibility’ for the Signal chat leak. Waltz added that he ‘100 percent’ did not personally know Goldberg before the Signal debacle.’I take full responsibility. I built the group,’ Waltz said on ‘The Ingraham Angle’ March 25. ‘It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.’
  • ‘I take full responsibility. I built the group,’ Waltz said on ‘The Ingraham Angle’ March 25. ‘It’s embarrassing. We’re going to get to the bottom of it.’
  • March 26: Politico reports anonymous sources found Trump was irritated with Waltz over the leak, while the president publicly defended Waltz as ‘a very good man.’
  • March 26: The Atlantic publishes a follow-up story that included direct texts from the Signal chat, but notably did not include the phrase ‘war plans’ in its headline, instead characterizing the texts as ‘attack plans.’
  • March 26: Administration officials slam the Atlantic’s follow-up story as exposing a ‘hoax’ against Trump. Waltz also doubled-down that the Signal messages published in the Atlantic article did not include, ‘locations. No sources & methods. NO WAR PLANS.’
  • March 26: Leavitt says Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency team would help investigate the Signal leak.
  • March 28: Politico reports Trump did not want to fire Waltz and ‘give the press a scalp,’ according to anonymous sources reportedly familiar with private discussions.
  • March 30: Goldberg joins NBC News’ Kristen Welker and says Waltz’s claims the two had never met or spoken are ‘simply not true.’
  • March 31: Leavitt declares Signal case is ‘closed,’ reiterating that ‘Mike Waltz continues to be an important part of his national security team.’
  • April 1: Washington Post reports Waltz and National Security Counsel staff used Gmail to conduct government business. NSC spokesman Brian Hughes pushed back on the Washington Post report in a comment provided to Fox Digital Thursday:’This is the latest attempt to distract the American people from President Trump’s successful national security agenda that’s protecting our nation. Let me reiterate, NSA Waltz received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts on his personal email and cc’d government accounts for anything since January 20th to ensure compliance with records retention, and he has never sent classified material over his personal email account or any unsecured platform.’
  • ‘This is the latest attempt to distract the American people from President Trump’s successful national security agenda that’s protecting our nation. Let me reiterate, NSA Waltz received emails and calendar invites from legacy contacts on his personal email and cc’d government accounts for anything since January 20th to ensure compliance with records retention, and he has never sent classified material over his personal email account or any unsecured platform.’
  • April 1: House Oversight Democrats open investigation into Waltz’s use of Gmail.
  • April 2: Politico reports Waltz’s office set up at least 20 different Signal group chats to coordinate with other officials. NSC pushes back that Signal is allowed on government devices and is an app used by both the Biden and Trump administrations:’Signal is an approved, encrypted messaging app and any claim NSC officials sending classified information over these channels is false. It can be used for unclassified messaging and a user has the responsibility to preserve any official record created,’ Hughes said in Thursday comment provided to Fox Digital. ‘Some in NSC, like those in the media and many areas across the federal government, use the Signal app. There are federal agencies that automatically install the app on government devices, as was testified to in congressional hearings last week. Using Signal to send unclassified information is appropriate and these same facts have been reported multiple times in the last few days. All communications are a reflection of a thoughtful dialog of those committed to the effective implementation of the President’s agenda.’
  • ‘Signal is an approved, encrypted messaging app and any claim NSC officials sending classified information over these channels is false. It can be used for unclassified messaging and a user has the responsibility to preserve any official record created,’ Hughes said in Thursday comment provided to Fox Digital. ‘Some in NSC, like those in the media and many areas across the federal government, use the Signal app. There are federal agencies that automatically install the app on government devices, as was testified to in congressional hearings last week. Using Signal to send unclassified information is appropriate and these same facts have been reported multiple times in the last few days. All communications are a reflection of a thoughtful dialog of those committed to the effective implementation of the President’s agenda.’
  • April 3: The New York Times reports far-right activist Laura Loomer reportedly presented Trump with a list of National Security Counsel staff who have been disloyal and should be fired.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

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