95.1 The Bee

President Donald Trump unveiled new tariffs at a White House Rose Garden event yesterday, in which the President detailed sweeping ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on goods imported into the United States, in order to promote US manufacturing.

Mr. Trump opened his remarks declaring, “This is Liberation Day,” stating that “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.”

The President aid he would sign a “historic executive order instituting reciprocal tariffs on countries throughout the world … Reciprocal. That means they do it to us and we do it to them. Very simple. Can’t get any simpler than that.”

Trump confirmed that his administration will impose 25% tariffs on auto imports starting Thursday at midnight: “None of our companies are allowed to go into other countries. That’s why, effective at midnight, we will impose a 25% tariff on all foreign made automobiles.”  He later held up a chart while speaking, showing the United States would charge a 34% tax on imports from China, a 20% tax on imports from the European Union, 25% on South Korea, 24% on Japan and 32% on Taiwan.

In announcing the tariffs the President said: “It’s our declaration of economic independence. For years, hardworking American citizens were forced to sit on the sidelines as other nations got rich and powerful, much of it at our expense. But now it’s our turn to prosper. Taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years … But it is not going to happen anymore.”

Trump added that “jobs and factories will come roaring back” and that the reciprocal tariffs will usher in a “golden age” for the country: “We will supercharge our domestic industrial base, we will pry open foreign markets and break down foreign trade barriers and ultimately more production at home will mean stronger competition and lower prices for consumers.”

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A federal judge in New York on Wednesday permanently dismissed corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Judge Dale Ho dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it cannot be revived.  While the Justice Department sought to have the case dismissed to free up Adams to cooperate with the mayor’s immigration agenda, they had wanted the case dismissed without prejudice – meaning it could be brought again.

Judge Ho said he could find no other example of the government dismissing charges against an elected official to enable the official to facilitate federal policy goals.  In a 78-page opinion, Judge Ho wrote Tuesday: “DOJ’s immigration enforcement rationale is both unprecedented and breathtaking in its sweep, and DOJ’s assertion that it has ‘virtually unreviewable’ license to dismiss charges on this basis is disturbing in its breadth, implying that public officials may receive special dispensation if they are compliant with the incumbent administration’s policy priorities. That suggestion is fundamentally incompatible with the basic premise of equal justice under the law.”  Ho added: In light of DOJ’s rationales, dismissing the case without prejudice would create the unavoidable perception that the Mayor’s freedom depends on his ability to carry out the immigration enforcement priorities of the administration, and that he might be more beholden to the demands of the federal government than to the wishes of his own constituents. That appearance is inevitable, and it counsels in favor of dismissal with prejudice.” (per CNN.)

The Department of Justice moved to dismiss the charges in February, saying that continuing them interfered with the mayor’s ability to govern, thereby threatening “federal immigration initiatives and policies.” The department asked that the charges be “dismissed without prejudice,” allowing for the case to be potentially carried out at a later date.

Adams, who is up for reelection this fall, was indicted last year in the Southern District of New York on five counts in an alleged long-standing conspiracy connected to improper benefits, illegal campaign contributions and an attempted cover-up. He has said the charges are politically motivated and pleaded not guilty.

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Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Tuesday she is directing federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione if he is convicted of the December murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione is accused of gunning down Thompson outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan as the CEO headed to an investors conference on Dec. 4, and was later arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania five days after the murder.

Mangione is facing federal charges for stalking and killing Thompson as well as the use of a silencer in a crime of violence. One of the federal charges against Mangione, murder through use of a firearm, makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

Bondi said in a statement that “Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.  After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case as we carry out President [Donald] Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”

Bondi called the killing of Thompson “an act of political violence,” and further alleges that “Mangione’s actions involved substantial planning and premeditation and because the murder took place in public with bystanders nearby, may have posed grave risk of death to additional persons.”

Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, called the decision to seek the death penalty “political,” and said it “goes against the recommendation of the local federal prosecutors, the law, and historical precedent. While claiming to protect against murder, the federal government moves to commit the pre-meditated, state-sponsored murder of Luigi. By doing this, they are defending the broken, immoral, and murderous healthcare industry that continues to terrorize the American people.  We are prepared to fight these federal charges, brought by a lawless Justice Department, as well as the New York State charges, and the Pennsylvania charges, and anything else they want to pile on Luigi. This is a corrupt web of government dysfunction and one-upmanship. Luigi is caught in a high-stakes game of tug-of-war between state and federal prosecutors, except the trophy is a young man’s life.”

Mangione has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his legal team confirmed he consents to a preliminary hearing under the Speedy Trial Act.  He has yet to enter a plea on the federal charges, including murder through the use of a firearm, which would make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted. He is due back in federal court on April 18.

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New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker broke a record Tuesday evening after speaking for more than 24 hours in a marathon speech, in which he protested the Trump administration and what he called the national “crisis” that President Trump and Elon Musk has created.

Booker began delivering the marathon speech starting on Monday evening and continuing into Tuesday for at least 24 hours and 19 minutes — which surpassed (at 7:19 ET) the previous record set by Sen. Strom Thurmond, who filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1957 for 24 hours and 18 minutes. Booker’s speech, however, is not considered a filibuster, as it is not occurring during debate on a specific measure to block proceedings.

Booker, 55, took the floor at 7 p.m. Monday, announcing that he intended to disrupt “the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able.”  The senator painted his speech as a warning over the “grave and urgent” threat Americans faced from the Trump administration, arguing that “bedrock commitments to the country are being broken. Unnecessary hardships are being borne by Americans of all backgrounds, and institutions which are special in America, which are precious, which are unique in our country, are being recklessly — and I would say even unconstitutionally — affected, attacked and even shattered.”

The Senator from New Jersey cited the legacy of leaders including late congressman and civil rights activist John Lewis, whom he said stood up “when this country was facing crossroads, was facing crises, they stood up. I rise today in an unusual manner. Tonight, I rise with the intention of getting in some good trouble. I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis… These are not normal times in America, and they should not be treated as such.” Booker spent time reading letters from constituents who say they have been harmed by the Trump administration’s policies, and condemned the administration’s policies, including trade wars and mass firings of government workers, as well as deportation issues.

On occasion, Booker yielded to his Democratic colleagues on the floor who encouraged his effort – including Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, and Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, Andy Kim of New Jersey, Peter Welch of Vermont, Dick Durbin of Illinois and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. At noon on Tuesday, Booker briefly paused for the chaplain to say a prayer (as is required under Senate rules during a continuous session) but continued to hold the floor.

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