Signal Chat Controversy Dominates Political Headlines This Week

The week in politics ended like it began with the Signal chat app controversy stealing most of the headlines. Here is a look at the latest on this situation as well as what else is happening in Washington, D.C.

New Auto Tariffs Set to Go into Effect on April 2

Another week, another round of tariffs. U.S. President Donald Trump rolled out a new round of auto tariffs on Wednesday. The president made the announcement through an executive proclamation signed in the Oval Office. The 25% tariffs on all vehicles coming into the U.S. will also apply to car parts. The new tariffs are slated to go into effect on April 2.

Trump said that parts coming from Mexico and Canada will not face the extra duty so long as they comply with the parameters of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Economists are already predicting that the price of vehicles and their parts will soar in the near term.

The move is sure to raise tensions as an international trade war brews. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded quickly to the news; however, she said that the European Union (EU) will wait to announce retaliatory tariffs until a thorough assessment of the situation has been made.

Signal Group Chat Controversy Not Dying Down

The controversy surrounding the leaked military plans via an unsecure chat messaging app is not dying down anytime soon. On Wednesday, The Atlantic published additional snippets of the text messages that were mistakenly texted to its editor-in-chief a few weeks ago. The text messages were meant to be contained in a group chat that included some of the top officials of Trump's cabinet, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Arriving in Hawaii on business on Wednesday morning, Hegseth doubled down on his claims that the text messages did not include classified information. This assertion is in contradiction to a statement from an official with the Defense Department who said that the details were highly classified at the time that the first messages were sent.

President Trump is siding with his Cabinet, downplaying the security breach and calling the scandal a "witch hunt." Trump is also claiming that he does not know if the details of the strike against the Houthis in Yemen were classified information.

The drama continued on Thursday when a federal judge told the Trump administration that they need to preserve all of the messages that were sent using the Signal app between the dates of March 11 and 15. Judge James Boasberg issued the ruling that requires that officials file a status report by Monday. Judge Boasberg is also presiding over the recent case that was brought to the federal court system after President Trump invoked a rarely used war power, resulting in the deportation of migrants to El Salvador earlier in the month.

The Justice Department said that the Trump administration is already taking steps to preserve the text messages in question.

Rep. Elise Stefanik No Longer in Running for Role of UN Ambassador

Leaders on both sides of the aisle were left stunned on Thursday when the Trump administration said that it was pulling its support for Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve in the coveted role of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN). President Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, stating that while Stefanik is doing a great job, the Republican Party needs her more in Congress. Should Stefanik have made it through the confirmation process, the GOP would be looking at a battle to fill her open seat in New York.

The GOP is clinging to a slim majority in the House of Representatives. Party leaders had expressed concern that the seat left by Stefanik might go to a Democrat, further eroding the tight margin. Stefanik is a rising star in the Republican Party and had previously given up her plum leadership position to be considered for the role at the UN.

About 10,000 Jobs on the Chopping Block at the Department of Health and Human Services

The week also brought another round of massive job cuts at the federal level. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Thursday that it is reducing its workforce by an additional 10,000 positions. The reductions are in addition to the 10,000 workers who voluntarily left the federal agency earlier in the year. The next round of attrition will leave about 62,000 full-time employees at the key agency, down from about 82,000 just months ago.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that HHS will reduce its current 28 divisions to 15, saving the agency about $1.8 billion every year. The HHS was quick to point out that Medicare and Medicaid will remain intact as the restricting process begins.

Trump Speaks with Newly Appointed Canadian Prime Minister

President Trump spoke on the phone with the new Canadian prime minister on Friday morning. Trump said that the conversation with Prime Minister Mark Carney was "extremely productive." The call marked the first time that the two leaders have officially spoken. Trump confirmed that he will speak with Carney again after Canada's upcoming election.

The call comes as tensions between the two countries escalate due to the ongoing trade war instigated by Trump's decision to impose tariffs. Carney addressed the conflict earlier in the week, saying that the previous friendly relationship between the two neighboring countries was over.

JD Vance and Second Lady Visit Greenland in Official Capacity

Vice President JD Vance joined his wife, Usha Vance, for an official visit to Greenland on Friday. It was originally reported earlier in the week that the second lady would travel to the Danish territory for a cultural learning experience that included watching a dogsled race. However, the plans changed at the last minute with the vice president joining her aboard Air Force Two for the one-day visit.

The cultural experience was scrapped in favor of a visit to the U.S. Space Force outpost located about 1,000 miles from Greenland's capital city of Nuuk. The decision for the vice president to accompany his wife raised questions about the reason behind the trip. Vance is now the highest-ranking American leader to visit the island. A White House spokesperson said that Vance received briefings on security in this part of the world while also meeting with U.S. service members on the military base.

Vance also addressed the media before heading back to the U.S. During the remarks, he accused Denmark of not doing its part to protect the people of Greenland.

Trump Pardons Trevor Milton, Former CEO of Nikola

President Donald Trump pardoned Trevor Milton, the CEO of the former hydrogen and electric truck firm Nikola, defending his decision by saying that Milton was charged simply because he was a supporter of Trump in the past. Milton was convicted on federal charges of securities and wire fraud in October of 2020. The charges were brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York in large part due to what prosecutors said were misleading statements about all aspects of his business.

Milton was sentenced to four years in prison in 2023, however, he has been out on bail awaiting his appeal. Trump granted Milton a full pardon on Thursday, sparing him any time in person and relieving him of being responsible for court-ordered payments to shorted shareholders.

Trump addressed the pardon on Friday, telling reporters that Milton's case had been unjustly moved to New York from Utah. The president also said that Milton had been targeted as a Trump supporter.

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