The Ugly

France invites US scientists to work in France (Reuters)

A dozen states sued Trump and his administration on Wednesday, seeking a court order declaring that his new tariffs on foreign imports are illegal. (CNBC)

Feds plan to cut the National Suicide Hotline’s Program for LGBTQ Youth

  • In February, the program received an average of 2,100 contacts per day (Mother Jones)

Trump Blinks. US-China trade war not ‘sustainable,’ Trump’s treasury secretary says

  • US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a speech that the ongoing tariffs showdown against China is unsustainable and he expects a “de-escalation” in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies. But in a private speech in Washington for JPMorgan Chase, Bessent also cautioned that talks between the United States and China had yet to formally start. Trump placed import taxes of 145% on China, which has countered with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods. (Global News / CNN)

What the hell was the Treasury secretary doing giving a closed-door briefing on a significant policy change that hadn’t yet been officially announced? Isn’t that a setup for large-scale insider trading? Indeed, attendees at that conference surely made market bets before Bessent’s remarks became public. (Paul Krugman)

The CEOs of three of the America’s biggest retailers — Walmart, Target, and Home Depot — privately warned Trump that his tariff and trade policy could lead to higher prices and empty shelves (Axios)

Pete Hegseth’s Patriotic Duty Is to Resign

  • Pete Hegseth was never qualified to be the secretary of defense. Trump should never have nominated him, Hegseth should never have accepted the nomination, and the Senate should never have confirmed him.
  • Hegseth, a former talk-show host, has bungled one issue after another. His anti-wokeness campaign has removed I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings from the Naval Academy’s library while leaving Mein Kampf on its shelves. (The Atlantic)
  • Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Minnesota Army National Guard and served at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.