B-Man

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made it clear in an interview with CNN that the era of trade imbalances is over, and under President Trump, the U.S. will no longer tolerate unfair treatment. During a discussion with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Bessent confidently explained the administration’s position on tariffs and trade policy, signaling that Trump’s economic strategy is deliberate and well thought out. Collins attempted to raise concerns from U.S. allies, questioning what the administration would say to countries like South Korea and Japan, which are now facing increased tariffs. Bessent’s response was direct: “Well, I would say they’ve been doing it to us for a long time. And, if they don’t like tariffs, then why do they have them?” His answer underscored the administration’s stance that America has been on the losing end of trade deals for too long. As for whether the tariffs should be considered permanent, Bessent took a wait-and-see approach. “I think we’re gonna wait and see how this plays out,” he explained, suggesting that adjustments could be made based on how the policy unfolds. Collins also asked about the possibility of retaliation from other countries. Some foreign leaders have hinted at potential countermeasures, while others have opted to observe before making a move. Bessent urged patience. “One of the messages that I’d like to get out tonight is everybody sit back, take a deep breath, don’t immediately retaliate, let’s see where this goes. Because if you retaliate, that’s how we get escalation.” When Collins pressed him on whether such escalation could turn into a full-fledged trade war, Bessent dismissed the idea. “Not a trade war. Depends on the country,” he said, before explaining that history favors the United States in such disputes. “Remember that the history of trade is, we are the deficit country. The deficit country has an advantage,” he explained. “[The others] are the surplus countries. The surplus countries traditionally always lose any kind of a trade escalation.” His message to foreign governments was clear: Acting hastily would be a mistake. “As a student of economic history or a professor of economic history, I’d advise against it,” he said. When Collins sought further clarification, he reinforced the point: “I would say that doing anything rash would be unwise.” Bessent’s remarks leave no doubt that Trump’s trade policies are rooted in historical precedent and strategic calculation. While globalists may panic, the Trump administration remains confident that America is in a stronger position than its trade partners. And history is on our side. https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/04/03/heres-why-trump-will-win-the-tariff-standoff-n4938553

They're reliable.

The body of the fourth U.S. soldier who vanished along with three others last week in Lithuania was recovered Tuesday, the Army announced, bringing to a close an exhaustive search following the sinking of a 70-ton M88A2 Hercules recovery vehicle into a quagmire of mud and water. The Army has not released the names of the soldiers pending notification of the next of kin. The bodies of the other three soldiers were recovered Monday. The four, all members of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, had been participating in a relatively routine training exercise near Pabradė, a Lithuanian city close to the border of Belarus -- a staunch Russian ally. The unit deployed there in January as part of the Pentagon's bolstering of NATO's front lines amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. "This past week has been devastating. Today, our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier," Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commanding general, said in a statement. "Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them." https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/04/01/body-of-4th-us-soldier-found-lithuania-concluding-exhaustive-search.html Funny Tibs didn't follow up on this. .

Remember the Price of Eggs? By John Hinderaker Democrats thought they had a great issue in the high price of eggs, due mostly to avian bird flu. In January, they were touting record-high egg prices as proof of the failure of Trump’s administration–even though the figures released in January were for December, before Trump’s inauguration. Weirdly, the Democrats’ harping on eggs has continued even as the price has plummeted, as in this LA Times column, published on March 8: As their party struggles to navigate the early days of Donald Trump’s second presidency, some Democrats are convinced that their road to recovery lies in the price of eggs. Instead of leaning into Trump’s tear-down of the federal government or his alliance with billionaire lieutenant Elon Musk, they’re steering to what they perceive as the everyday concerns of Americans — none more important than grocery prices and eggs in particular. Meanwhile, what has actually happened to the price of eggs: What was it that cartoon villains used to say? Curses, foiled again! It’s almost enough to make you feel sorry for the Democrats. They apparently are left with no better strategy than torching Teslas. https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2025/04/remember-the-price-of-eggs.php

"I just want to express my gratitude to all of these folks who came today so that we get to have an open discussion about what I believe is one of the most important things that we can have a discussion on - or action on in our country - and that is the education of our young people," McMahon said. .

Media Lie About Deported ‘Maryland Father’s’ Legal Status, Downplay His Gang Ties In fact, the only real scandal here is that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was able to stay for as long as he did. by Brianna Lyman The propaganda press is once again distorting the truth — and in some cases, flat out lying — to discredit and undermine President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts. In the latest example, the media are painting an illegal alien — who is allegedly a gang member — as merely a “Maryland father” with “protected legal status” who was “mistakenly” swept up in a mass deportation. On Monday, The Atlantic’s Nick Miroff wrote that the Trump administration “mistakenly” sent a “Maryland father with protected legal status” to a Salvadoran prison due to an “administrative error.” “The case appears to be the first time the Trump administration has admitted to errors when it sent three planeloads of Salvadoran and Venezuelan deportees to El Salvador’s grim ‘Terrorism Confinement Center’ on March 15,” Miroff wrote. He later cited Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s attorney who, in Miroff’s words, “said he’s never seen a case in which the government knowingly deported someone who had already received protected legal status from an immigration judge.” Further down in the article, Miroff clarifies that a judge ordered Abrego Garcia not to be sent back to “his home country” — but that’s very different that having “protected legal status” that would shield Abrego Garcia from deportation entirely. Abrego Garcia illegally crossed the border in 2011 and was “detained in March 2019 and charged with removability.” He was denied bond in 2019 after an immigration judge concluded that evidence “show[ed] [Abrego Garcia] is a verified member of MS-13” and that Abrego Garcia did not prove “that his release from custody would not pose a danger to others.” The judge also found that Abrego Garcia was a flight risk, noting he had a “history of failing to appear for proceedings pertaining to his traffic violations.” As pointed out by Will Chamberlain, senior counsel at the Article 3 Project, the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed Abrego Garcia’s appeal and “affirmed the immigration judge’s findings on dangerousness.” https://thefederalist.com/2025/04/02/media-lie-about-deported-maryland-fathers-legal-status-downplay-his-gang-ties/

I watch the news and I read. How could you not know how much he has been working. .

Pres. Trump's "Liberation Day" announcement was really excellent. He was a far greater expositor and persuader than usual. 1. He made you realize that the new tariffs are just the logical response to a trade war that other countries started, but we simply brushed off and took our lumps. 2. He made very subtle and clever fun of all the smarter-than-thou pundits who are aghast at tariffs, saying "They do to us; we do it to them. You can't get any simpler than that." I LOLed thinking of the pathetic Scott Lincicome, whom I follow on X only as self-flagellation. 3. He explained the scope of things very clearly. Real countries, real tariff rates. The highlight was him saying that 90,000 factories had been closed in the last 30 years, and he said "Imagine putting a pushpin on a map for every one of those." Excellent visualization. 4. He communicated proper respect to the countries that were going to have to make adjustments. He made it clear that he doesn't blame them--they're doing what they need to do, and the problem has strictly been our own previous inaction. 5. By giving the 1789-1913 history, he gave confidence that tariffs are actually a great source of income, and that we may have lost a lot of our potential by implementing an income tax--a genius way to tie in an eventual income tax change, if tariff revenue is actually that great (which I doubt, but we'll see). 6. He had the most pithy way to take all the Reason/CATO "OMG tariffs!" wonks and throw them into the pit of irrelevance: "If these struggling countries were negatively affected by their own tariffs [like Vietnam's 75% on motorcycles], they'd just take them off, right?" --- Mark Lowenstein .