Happy Monday! Some scientists have claimed that those “dire wolves” were actually not a resuscitation of an extinct species. Jurassic Park averted?
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were evacuated from their home early Sunday morning following a suspected arson attack. A 38-year-old man, Cody Balmer, has been arrested in connection with the incident at the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg and will be charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault. The suspect allegedly scaled a 7-foot-high security fence, evaded police officers, and forcibly entered the mansion where Shapiro, his family, and friends were staying during Passover, using a homemade incendiary device to start the fire. No one was injured in the fire, which resulted in significant damage to parts of the home. “This type of violence is not OK,” Shapiro said in brief remarks. “I don’t give a damn if it’s from one particular side or another. It’s not OK.”
- Russia launched a missile attack on the northern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday, killing 34 people and injuring more than 100 others. The strikes—which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said deliberately targeted a civilian area—came two days after a meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg to continue the Trump administration’s push for a ceasefire. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saturday that talks between the U.S. and Russia were proceeding well, but “instant results” were not possible.
- Representatives from the U.S. and Iran held their first round of talks in Oman on Saturday, part of the Trump administration’s efforts to reach a deal that curbs Iran’s nuclear program. The negotiations were mostly conducted through intermediaries, but reportedly involved direct contact between U.S. and Iranian officials. The White House described the talks, which included Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as “very positive and constructive.” The next round of negotiations is scheduled for April 19.
- Tariff exemptions on consumer electronics like smartphones and laptops are temporary, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told ABC News on Sunday, signaling that additional duties are still to come. The statement marked an apparent reversal from the Trump administration’s Friday move to exclude the products from blanket levies on imported Chinese goods. President Donald Trump further muddied the waters later on Sunday, writing on Truth Social that the imports are still subject to 20 percent tariffs he unveiled before his ramped-up “reciprocal” tariffs on April 2. “There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday,” he said. “These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’” Amid the escalating trade war, China has announced plans to respond with additional tariffs on U.S. goods, export restrictions on critical minerals, and a range of other actions against U.S. companies.
- Justice Department attorneys told U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis on Sunday that the Trump administration had no legal obligation to assist in the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national and Maryland resident who was deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador due to an “administrative error.” The lawyers wrote that the Justice Department understood the Supreme Court’s Thursday ruling ordering the White House to “facilitate” Garcia’s return to mean only that immigration officials would be required to admit Garcia if he attempted to re-enter the United States. The Justice Department also claimed that any attempt by Xinis to force the U.S. to engage with El Salvador on returning deportees would constitute a violation of the separation of powers. Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, is set to visit the White House later today.
- An immigration judge in Louisiana ruled Friday that Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student and U.S. green-card holder, can be legally deported in connection with his prominent role in leading anti-Israel protests on Columbia’s campus last year. Judge Jamee Comans said that the government was entitled under the Immigration and Nationality Act to deport Khalil, a legal permanent resident, for opposing the United States’ foreign policy interests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had released a memo last week that did not allege Khalil had engaged in any criminal activity, but argued his participation in “antisemitic protests and disruptive activities” had fostered “a hostile environment for Jewish students in the United States.” Khalil’s attorneys have until April 23 to request relief from deportation.
Slouching Towards Tyranny
‘Actual Trade Predators’
After years in a toxic relationship, the U.S. and China may finally be on the verge of a messy (economic) breakup.
Last week, President Donald Trump announced plans to walk back nearly all of his tailored, or “reciprocal” levies, with one major exception: China. As Washington and Beijing unleash a volley of tariffs and counter-tariffs, the tit-for-tat could soon escalate into a bona fide trade war.
But trade tensions between the two countries had been escalating well before Trump’s sweeping tariffs rollout this month. The Biden administration had levied tariffs against certain Chinese goods, and those tariffs were themselves an extension of duties Trump had put into effect during his first term. In early February, however, the second Trump administration—citing the inflow of fentanyl into the United States—had established 10 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, with Beijing vowing “countermeasures” that included levies on U.S. energy. One month later, the Trump administration increased the tariffs by another 10 percent, sparking additional industry-specific tariffs from China. And on April 2, the Trump administration imposed its “reciprocal tariffs,” bringing China’s total tariff rate to 54 percent. After multiple ensuing ...
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Today’s Must-Read
Not since the Apollo program has America been so enthralled by the promise of technology. Elon Musk, President Donald Trump’s closest adviser, founded and runs a company most famous for commercial spaceflight and its mission to establish a colony on Mars. NASA intends to put American boots back on the moon for the first time since 1972. Recent developments in artificial intelligence promise to transform how we work and live. A new generation of innovators—the “tech right”—champion such developments, sketching an almost utopian vision of humanity’s future. For all their rough edges, the rise of Musk, Marc Andreessen, Jeff Bezos, and the like represents something profoundly promising: long-dormant hope bubbling beneath the surface of our postmodern pessimism.
Toeing the Company Line
No Confidence
Markets issue their verdict on the American people.
Gardening in the Demon-Haunted World
Totalitarians can never accept when they are wrong, so they cast out those who oppose them.
Passover and the Masters We Choose
Plus: How the exodus story was a prelude to the Law, and why Passover matters to Muslims.
Why Passover Matters to Muslims Too
Passover is the most frequently mentioned story in the Quran.
A Prelude to the Rule of Law
How the exodus was a precursor to freedom.
The Prophet of the Great White North
How one Canadian philosopher predicted American turmoil.
Looking for Purpose in Thailand
Modernity isn’t meaningless, or so The White Lotus suggests.
Real Friends Show Up
Lithuania demonstrates the value of strategic alliances.
Razing HHS to Make America Healthy Again
MAHA and the challenges of policymaking.
Trump’s Pause on Bribery Enforcement Sparks Uncertainty Over Handling of White-Collar Crime
Critics view the move with concern, but there have been bipartisan calls for reforming the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
A Hell of Our Own Creation
The Remnant with Benicio del Toro.
Destroying Global Trade
The pandemic didn’t teach us anything.
Worth Your Time
- When Israelis gathered for the Passover Seder on Saturday, many left an empty chair for the hostages still in Gaza. For the Times of Israel, Melanie Lidman spoke to the family members spending another holiday without their loved ones. “Relatives of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza say they feel the absence of their loved ones acutely during Passover, which commemorates the Exodus of the ancient Israelites from Egypt and their liberation from slavery,” she wrote. “April brings a host of difficult days for the Miran family: Alma’s second birthday, Omri’s birthday, and the Passover holiday. They mark all the milestones because Miran Lavi wants her daughters to experience some joy. But each time the family gathers to blow out the candles on a birthday cake or sing songs during their Passover meal, it only sharpens Omri’s absence. … Viki Cohen says her family has not marked any Jewish holidays since her 20-year-old son, Nimrod, a soldier, was taken by terrorists from his tank in southern Israel. ‘We don’t gather as a family, because it reminds us how much he is missing, and that he’s not with us, and it’s very hard for us,’ she said. The only time the extended family gathers is at protests.’”
- Writing for The Atlantic, Harvard University professor Danielle Allen set out a playbook for elite universities to rebuild trust with the American public. It’s full of engaging proposals, like this one: “Civic strength resides fundamentally in relationships, and we need to do a better job of developing relationships across our many lines of division. In part by self-selection, many conservative academics choose career paths in right-leaning think tanks instead of teaching in top universities. To some extent, they are also excluded from those universities. Both dynamics—self-segregation and exclusion—are at work. We need to change that. A good way to start would be to establish two-year visiting professorships on elite campuses for academics in right-leaning think tanks. Doing so would help revitalize the debate culture of our campuses and reanimate the fundamental ideal of academic freedom on which we all depend for the pursuit of truth.”
Presented Without Comment
Business Insider: The White House Says Trump’s Weight and ‘Frequent Victories’ at Golf Games Are Evidence of Good Health
Also Presented Without Comment
The Telegraph: Bernie Sanders Urges Coachella Crowd To Stand Up Against ‘U.S. Oligarchy’
In the Zeitgeist
In an absolutely thrilling finish to the 89th Masters Tournament on Sunday, Rory McIlroy defeated Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to complete a career Grand Slam. Here’s a look at his emotional finish:
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