The Good

Anti-Trump protesters rally in cities across the US drew on the spirit of the Revolutionary War, calling for “no kings” and resistance to tyranny (Global News / Mother Jones / Globe and Mail / Al Jazeera / Reuters)

  • Neil Young rocks ‘Hands Off Canada’ sign at Anti-Trump rally in California (The Daily Beast)

The Ugly

Trump intends to illustrate that he has amassed uncheckable power.

  • That is, having extirpated what made the Republican Party conservative and constitutionalist, and with Congress thus no obstacle (at least for the next 21 months), the president wants it known that such constitutional constraints on executive power as courts and due process are no longer operative. That was the point of the vice president’s post: Due process is for whiners, and if you’re “weeping” over its sudden death, you’re the problem. (National Review)

Hitler’s Terrible Tariffs

  • “National Socialism demands that the needs of German workers no longer be supplied by Soviet slaves, Chinese coolies, and Negroes,” Feder wrote. Germany needed German workers and farmers producing German goods for German consumers. Feder saw “import restrictions” as key to returning the German economy to the Germans. “National Socialism opposes the liberal world economy, as well as the Marxist world economy,” Feder wrote. Our fellow Germans must “be protected from foreign competition.” (The Atlantic)
  • Trump’s plan for America is eerily similar to Hitler’s 1930’s Nazi Germany

Senator Chris Van Hollen says the US is in a ‘constitutional crisis’ as Trump disregards court orders in the Abrego Garcia case (NBC / NPR / NYT)

US State Department to shut embassies and close Africa operations

  • Trump is planning to close almost all of its Africa operations and shut down embassies across the continent, according to a draft executive, which is set to be signed this week. The leaked order outlines drastic changes to the State Department, which, if implemented, would be one of the biggest rounds of restructuring since its founding in 1789. It plans to eliminate offices which work on climate change, humanitarian support for refugees, democracy and human rights policy, along with a sharp cut to diplomatic operations in Canada.
  • The proposals also include the elimination of the Bureau of International Organizations, which liaises with the United Nations and a cut in diplomatic operations in Canada. Overall, the draft proposes a significant rejection of the US commitment to a multilateral world order. (The Telegraph / The Guardian)

At least 10 Florida public universities have struck agreements with the federal government authorizing campus police to question and detain undocumented immigrants. (Inside Higher Ed)

The Pentagon is in “total chaos” and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is unlikely to remain in his role (Politico)

Trump’s Worldwide Trade and Tariff War

DHL Express is suspending deliveries to the US worth more than C$1107 (£603 / US$800) because of a “significant increase” in red tape at customs following the introduction of Trump’s new tariff regime. (BBC)

China threatens huge car shortages and shutdowns in Trump trade war

  • Rare earth metals are difficult to extract in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way, and China currently holds a near monopoly on their processing.
  • China’s recent clampdown on rare earth mineral exports could spell disaster for the global automotive industry. There are fears that essential magnet reserves may deplete within months if Beijing tightens its grip further. China broadened its export curbs earlier this month to encompass seven key rare-earth elements and magnets crucial for producing electric vehicles, wind turbines, and military aircraft. (Express)

Boeing jet returns to US from China, a victim of Trump’s tariff war

  • A Boeing 737 MAX intended for use by a Chinese airline landed back at the planemaker’s US production hub in Seattle on Sunday, a victim of the tariffs launched by the US President in his global trade offensive.
  • The airliner was meant for China’s Xiamen Airlines and painted with Xiamen livery.
  • The jet, which made refuelling stops in Guam and Hawaii on its 5,000-mile (8,000-km) return journey, was one of several Boeing 737 MAX jets waiting at Boeing’s Zhoushan completion centre for final work and delivery to a Chinese carrier. (Reuters / Bangkok Post)

‘Sell America’ » Investors are increasingly avoiding the US

  • “It’s not a complete loss of confidence, but it has been shaken by the chopping and changing in terms of US policy,” said Dragicevich. “There’s more economic risk in the US now and policy uncertainty from the Trump administration, so that’s going to dampen that demand for capital to find its way into the US markets.” (The Guardian)