Donald Trump has paused his global tariffs plan for 90 days, except for China. House Republicans push forward legislation to rein in federal judges. And a hearing over evidence in the Idaho college murders case gets contentious.
Here’s what to know today.
How Trump changed his mind on tariffs
Less than 24 hours after a series of harsh tariffs targeting the U.S.’s friends and foes alike took effect and a week after the levies were unveiled in a Rose Garden ceremony, President Donald Trump pressed pause on his plan — for 90 days, at least, and with at least one exception: China.
Trump’s early afternoon announcement followed a harrowing week in which Republican lawmakers and confidants privately warned him that tariffs could wreck the economy.
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Meanwhile, a stock market downturn played out in plain view. (So did a fight between billionaire Elon Musk and Trump’s senior trade adviser Peter Navarro).
And speaking of advisers, some people in Trump’s circle had been in a near panic about the bond markets in the lead-up to yesterday’s announcement, according to a senior administration official. Interest rates on 10-year Treasury bonds had been rising, contrary to what normally happens when stock prices fall and investors seek safety in treasuries. The unusual dynamic meant that tariffs could push up prices while interest rates would remain high.
So, in light of the bond market, two of Trump’s most senior advisers — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — presented a united front yesterday and urged the president to suspend the tariffs.
Trump did.
After the announcement, markets soared, with the S&P 500 climbing more than 9%, the Nasdaq closing up more than 12% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending nearly 3,000 points higher. Bessent insisted the tariffs were just a negotiating tactic against other countries. Still, uncertainty remains over what will come next in the U.S. trade war with China after Trump raised duties for the country to 125% in response to China’s retaliatory hike to 84%.
The episode laid bare the rifts within Trump’s team of senior advisers as the White House struggled to offer a clear, consistent argument about the duration of the tariffs. It also underscored the peril of a policymaking process that is often tied to the wishes and vagaries of one man.
More tariffs coverage:
- Hours before announcing the tariffs pause, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “This is a great time to buy.” Democrats and ethics experts are raising questions about the post.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ March inflation report is set to be released today, but analysts say any results indicating a slowdown in price growth probably don’t mean much anymore.
- The tit-for-tat escalation between the U.S. and China has only involved tariffs so far. But there are other measures China might take.
- Irregular trade including smuggling will most likely rise amid the stand-off, an economist warns.
- As critics decry Europe’s response to Trump’s tariffs as glacial, supporters say, not so fast.
House passes ‘No Rogue Rulings Act’ to rein in federal judges
The Republican-led House voted to limit district court judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions that have hampered some of President Donald Trump’s executive actions — but the bill will almost certainly be blocked in the Senate by a Democratic filibuster.
The bill, called the “No Rogue Rulings Act,” comes as Trump ramps up his attacks on the judiciary. The president and his allies have grown frustrated over decisions blocking actions on deportations, sweeping spending cuts and mass firings at federal agencies, ending birthright citizenship and other matters. Trump has pushed for House Republicans to take a more extreme step and attempt to impeach judges, but leaders have acknowledged such resolutions would not have enough support. Despite the focus on the Republican Party, the bill’s author, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, said Democrats would benefit from the legislation, too.
More politics news:
- House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would aim for a vote today to advance a Senate-adopted budget resolution after canceling Wednesday’s vote.
- Trump ordered federal agencies to revoke the security clearances of and investigate two high-level former government officials who questioned his election fraud claims and conduct in his first term.
- A federal judge in Texas has issued an order temporarily blocking the use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport people held in a South Texas immigration detention center without due process.
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s visit yesterday to Washington D.C., angered fellow Democrats, with some feeling like she was used as a bipartisan Oval Office prop.
Attorneys spar over what evidence to use in Idaho college murders trial
The prosecution and defense in the trial of Brian Kohberger, the man accused of murdering four University of Idaho students, clashed in an evidentiary hearing, arguing over which terms can be used to describe Kohberger and whether certain pieces of evidence should be used in trial. The decisions that come from the hearing will shape the trial, which is expected to begin in August.
Kohberger is accused of fatally stabbing four people at an off-campus home in November 2022. The killings stunned the small college town of Moscow and captured the nation’s attention as authorities searched for a suspect in the days and weeks after.
During yesterday’s hearing, Ada County Judge Steven Hippler agreed that the terms “sociopath” and “psychopath” should be not used to describe Kohberger in court but declined to agree with a defense to bar the use of the word “murderer.” Hippler has not yet ruled on the defense team’s efforts to remove the death penalty as punishment, whether text messages between the surviving roommates and 911 audio are hearsay and whether prosecutors will be able to introduce a 3-D model of the victims’ home.
Read All About It
- The death toll in the roof collapse at a Dominican Republic nightclub rose to 184, officials said. The tragedy has plunged the nation into mourning, as some still await answers about their loved ones missing in the rubble.
- A transgender military pilot filed a defamation lawsuit against a conservative influencer who falsely claimed that she was flying the helicopter that collided with a commercial jet near Reagan National Airport in January.
- Former first lady Michelle Obama shot down divorce rumors while talking about making decisions for herself about how she spends her time.
- A 64-year-old New York man said he never felt like fit in with his three siblings. It turns out he was switched at birth.
Staff Pick: A Texas GOP Senate primary pits ‘con man’ against ‘anti-Trump’
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.Getty Images
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s decision to challenge Sen. John Cornyn in a GOP primary next year isn’t just a fight over one of 100 Senate seats. As politics reporters Ben Kamisar, Bridget Bowman and Frank Thorp V explain, it’s the latest battle in a long-running war between the right-wing vanguard of the Republican Party and its more old-line establishment in Texas and, in the age of Donald Trump, throughout the country.
Both Cornyn, a three-decade veteran of high offices in Texas, and Paxton, who leaned on Trump’s help to beat state impeachment charges in 2023, are trying to claim the mantle of the president’s biggest defender and supporter in the race. The primary is going to command national money and attention — and even have Democrats wondering if a divisive primary could play into their hands.
— Scott Bland, senior politics editor
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