Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance listen to Col. Susan Meyers as they tour the U.S. military’s Pituffik Space Base, March 28, 2025, in Greenland.
Happy Friday to everyone but American consumers, who are increasingly expecting a recession, according to the latest consumer sentiment index numbers released Friday.
Also happy Friday to Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who skipped last night’s late-night vote to confirm Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to attend the Masters golf tournament. Drinking an Azalea in Augusta definitely beats being stuck in the windowless Senate chamber into the wee hours.
Caine’s confirmation came hours after Col. Susannah Meyers, commander of a U.S. military base in Greenland, was removed from her post for sending an email “distancing” herself from Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the island.
“Actions to undermine the chain of command or to subvert President Trump’s agenda will not be tolerated at the Department of Defense,” a Pentagon spokesperson said shortly after the news broke Thursday night.
And in the latest installment of the China v. U.S. trade war, China announced it would ratchet up tariffs on U.S. goods to 125% starting tomorrow.
Here’s the lunchtime lowdown:
Consumer Sentiment Plunges, Again
Consumer sentiment fell across all political, income and age categories, according to an index released by the University of Michigan today. Consumers’ expectations for inflation to rise over the next year were the highest since 1981, and expectations for unemployment to rise were the highest since 2009, readings that amount to “warning signs that raise the risk of recession,” the survey’s director said. Read more.
Frozen Out in the Frozen Tundra
After Vice President JD Vance visited Greenland on March 28 as part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign to claim the island for the U.S., Meyers, the commander of the U.S. Space Force’s Pituffik base on the island, sent an email saying the “concerns of the U.S. administration” that Vance discussed were “not reflective of Pituffik Space Base,” according to Military.com. Late Thursday, Meyers was ousted for “loss of confidence in her ability to lead.”Read more.
Pulse Check for Trump
Trump – who, at 78, is the oldest person to be elected president – heads to Walter Reed Medical Center outside of Washington today for his annual physical. Trump has historically given the public little information on his health, with his annual reports offering fewer specifics than former President Joe Biden’s. Read more.
China Ups the Ante
China announced Friday that it will increase taxes on U.S. imports to 125% starting tomorrow, after the Trump administration clarified that its duties on Chinese imports now total 145%, which a spokesman for China’s Finance Ministry said “will become a joke in the history of the world economy.” In his first public comments on the trade tiff, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the tariffs will “isolate” the U.S. and that “there are no winners in a tariff war.” Read more.
SCOTUS Steps In Over Wrongly Deported Man
The Supreme Court last night ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador. A district judge then directed the administration to “take all available steps” to return the man to the U.S. and has set a hearing for Friday afternoon. Garcia has been held in a notorious Salvadoran prison since March 15. Read more.