April 3rd, 2025: Trump’s Tariff Blitz & Israel’s Qatar Scandal
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It's Thursday, the 3rd of April. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage and still on the road. Although I am giving you a clue as to where I might be today. All right, let's get briefed.

We'll start things off today with the big news from Liberation Day. President Trump has announced sweeping tariffs on imports from multiple countries aiming to bolster American manufacturing and address trade imbalances. We'll break down which goods are affected, the potential economic impact, and how international partners are responding. Hint, not well.

Henceforth, of course, every 2nd of April shall be known as Liberation Day. I'm not sure if it's going to be an official government holiday or not. At the least, hopefully there'll be some cool Liberation Day traditions that we can start. Maybe picnicking, parades, keg stands. I tell you what, send me a note to pdb at thefirsttv.com with how you think the new holiday should be celebrated.

And later in the show, the latest on the U.S. campaign against the Houthis, with reports indicating that the sustained air assault has decimated the terror group's missile launching capabilities. Plus, a growing scandal inside the Israeli government as two aides to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu are accused of accepting money to push favorable narratives about Qatar as a key mediator in hostage negotiations with Hamas.

And in today's Back of the Brief, the saga of New York Mayor Eric Adams' corruption indictment has come to an end. A federal judge just tossed out the case and made sure that it can't come back. But first, today's PDB Spotlight.

We'll start today with the escalating global trade war. President Trump unveiled his long-anticipated Liberation Day tariffs during a speech on Wednesday afternoon, sending stock futures plunging as economists warn the financial countermeasures could dramatically raise prices for consumers.

Trump began by announcing a 25% tariff on all foreign-made automobiles, which took effect at midnight, to address what he called the, quote, horrendous imbalances that have undercut domestic vehicle manufacturers.

He followed that by announcing a baseline tariff of 10% on virtually all goods coming into the U.S., with the exception of products covered by the current North American Free Trade Treaty, that's known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The new baseline tariff, which represents an unprecedented shift in America's longstanding global trade practices, will be implemented at midnight on Saturday.

Additionally, Trump said he'll hit some 60 countries deemed by the administration as the worst trade offenders with what he described as, quote, discounted reciprocal tariffs. On a case by case basis, countries will be charged a tariff at half the rate they charge the U.S. Those tariffs are set to take effect at midnight on April the 9th.

The laundry list of impacted nations is frankly too long to rattle off, but includes a 34% tariff on China, a 20% tariff on the European Union, a 46% tariff on Vietnam, and a 32% tariff on Taiwan. It's worth noting that certain goods will be exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, at least for now, including gold, copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber.

During the press conference, President Trump called it, quote, one of the most important days in American history and a, quote, declaration of economic independence. The president vowed to use revenue generated from his new tariff regime to reduce taxes and pay down the national debt, while claiming the economic penalties on our trading partners will revive manufacturing in the U.S., creating jobs and lowering prices for consumers over the long term.

Trump stressed that he doesn't feel ill will towards the nations targeted by his tariffs. I'm sure that makes them feel better, saying he understood why foreign governments charge the U.S. such high rates. Instead, he placed the blame on past presidents and lawmakers for allowing the U.S. to be taken advantage of financially for decades. Trump stated, quote, Today we're standing up for the American worker and we're finally putting America first, end quote.

Shortly after his speech, Trump declared a national economic emergency and signed an executive order granting himself broad powers to implement the tariffs.

The new levies are expected to trigger widespread economic retaliatory measures from most of the impacted nations. The EU, for example, plans to announce duties later this month of up to 50% on some $28 billion worth of U.S. goods, including American beef, poultry, bourbon, motorcycles, peanut butter, and jeans. You know things are getting out of hand when you start putting tariffs on bourbon. Now,

Officials with the EU said Wednesday they plan to announce additional measures soon, including on the American automobile industry, though they have not yet detailed their strategy.

China, America's third largest trading partner, said earlier this week that they're working to coordinate their response with Japan and South Korea, though details of their plans are also not yet clear. But economists expect the Chinese response to be significant, as the new 34% reciprocal tariff adds to previous duties imposed earlier this year, raising the total baseline rate on Chinese imports to 54%.

But Treasury Secretary Scott Besson cautioned foreign countries to take a beat before they respond, saying in an interview with CNN, quote, doing anything rash would be unwise. He added, quote, sit back, take a deep breath. Don't immediately retaliate. Let's see where this goes. End quote. Suggesting, of course, that maybe there's room to renegotiate current trade deals.

Trump framed his new tariff regime as a necessary correction to what he describes as long-standing trade imbalances. The goal, Trump argues, is to level the playing field and incentivize companies to manufacture in the U.S. But economists warn that such an aggressive and confrontational approach to foreign trade could have devastating financial consequences for the U.S. and U.S. allies and risks sending global economies spiraling into a recession.

Ever since Trump began his tariff campaign by hitting Canada, Mexico, and China with limited trade taxes earlier this year, markets have been on edge. They were further rattled when President Trump imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum from all U.S. trading partners back on March 12th. J.P. Morgan's chief economist recently revised their economic forecast, warning that there is now a 40% chance of a U.S. recession occurring sometime this year.

All right, coming up next, new reports suggest U.S. airstrikes have crippled the Houthis' missile arsenal and fresh accusations hit Netanyahu's inner circle in a growing scandal over pro-Qatari influence. I'll be right back.

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Like a bull in a china shop, Donald Trump came in to drain the swamp in Washington, D.C. But with his bold reform and rejuvenation agenda comes so many legal questions. Nationwide injunctions. Are they constitutional? What's the deal with birthright citizenship? What about the administrative state? Can he actually clean the deep state and end the politicization of the federal bureaucracy?

I'm Josh Hammer, host of America on Trial with Josh Hammer. Subscribe to America on Trial with Josh Hammer for your daily updates on all of these questions and more. Welcome back to the PDB. The White House says a March airstrike in Yemen killed the Houthi's top missile expert. Yet nearly three weeks later, the Pentagon has still declined to confirm it.

As we've discussed here on the PDB, the 15 March strikes were the largest American military operation in the Middle East since President Trump returned to office. It was billed as a response to a Houthi campaign of missile and drone attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea. More than 100 attacks have been launched since the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, and the Houthi leadership says their actions are in solidarity with Hamas.

While defense officials have been quiet about the claim, the White House was quick to declare the mid-March mission a success. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CBS News just days after the strikes that American forces had taken out, quote, their head missileer. That sent journalists everywhere scrambling to their dictionaries to find out if missileer is actually a word. Just kidding. Nobody uses dictionaries anymore. Come on.

As you may recall, in the exposed signal group chat by The Atlantic, remember that, which included Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Vice President J.D. Vance, among other administration officials, and of course, The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Waltz touted the killing in real time, claiming, quote, positive ID of the, quote, top missile guy entering a building that was then destroyed.

But behind the scenes, doubts have set in. Defense officials speaking anonymously to Reuters say there's still no confirmation the intended target was killed. The Pentagon, which typically validates high-value kills within days, declined to comment. Inquiries are now being punted back and forth between the White House and the military, neither offering confirmation.

Independent analysts are similarly unconvinced. Open source intelligence experts tracking Houthi communications report no mention of the death of the commander of the terror group's strategic missile forces. According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, the missile commander effectively serves or served, depending on his condition, as a Houthi's top missile architect. Experts warn that the Houthis have a habit of delaying death acknowledgements, especially when senior commanders are involved.

The Joint Staff's operations chief, Air Force Lieutenant General Alexis Krinkovich, offered a more generic assessment in the 15 March strikes, saying that they hit a drone facility and, quote, several key leaders.

Still, the American strike campaign has taken its toll. On Monday, Trump declared the terror group had been "decimated," posting on Truth Social that "many of their leaders are no longer with us." Israeli military sources speaking to Channel 12 backed that claim, saying the Houthis now possess only a fraction of their ballistic missile launchers. Much of that reduction is thanks to recent joint Israeli-American strikes across northern Yemen.

As for whether the Houthi's top missile expert is among the dead, well, that answer remains unknown. But U.S. officials say the terror group's production capacity has been throttled in the ongoing strikes. Okay, shifting to Israel. A burgeoning foreign influence scandal is threatening to engulf Prime Minister Netanyahu's inner circle as two of his senior aides stand accused of covertly pushing pro-Qatari narratives to journalists, according to newly unsealed court documents.

The case, dubbed Qatargate, because you have to put gate at the end of any scandal these days, centers on allegations that longtime Netanyahu advisor Jonathan Yurik and former spokesman Eli Feldstein accepted payments in exchange for manipulating Israeli media coverage to portray Qatar, a key intermediary in hostage negotiations with Hamas, in a favorable light while undermining Cairo's role.

Israeli police have leveled a sweeping set of charges. Bribery, fraud, money laundering, breach of trust, and unlawful contact with a foreign agent. Language that underscores the gravity of the inquiry and the potential legal peril facing both individuals. They remain in custody through, at least today, with a judge ruling there exists, quote, reasonable suspicion they engaged in unauthorized public relations activity on behalf of a foreign government. According to court filings, Fiskevich,

Feldstein was recruited by the Third Circle, that's a U.S.-based lobbying group operated by pro-Qatar operative Jay Footlick, to amplify narratives bolstering Qatar's diplomatic role.

Investigators believe Israeli businessman Gil Birger served as a conduit for these payments, funneling money from Footlick to Feldstein during the former spokesman's tenure inside the prime minister's office. Public broadcaster Khan aired audio last month of Birger acknowledging he had funneled the payments on Footlick's behalf.

with Feldstein allegedly instructed to present Doha's talking points as insights from senior Israeli defense officials, a move that, if substantiated, could suggest international efforts to launder foreign propaganda through the Israeli security establishment.

Urick, for his part, is accused of facilitating the entire arrangement and presenting the messaging to journalists under the guise of internal government sourcing. It's a particularly damning allegation, given his longstanding proximity to Netanyahu.

The scope of the probe widened earlier this week with the inclusion of Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Zvika Klein, who traveled to Qatar in 2024 and published an infusive report detailing his interactions with senior Qatari officials. Klein, now suspected of unlawful contact with a foreign agent, maintains his visit was conducted at the official invitation of the Qatari government. However,

However, internal police memos suggest Feldstein may have orchestrated the trip while still on the government payroll, a claim that Klein denies. While not a suspect himself, Netanyahu has been questioned by police amid allegations that Yurik may have leaked classified cabinet material. The prime minister responded with defiance, releasing a video accusing authorities of holding his aides, quote, hostage and branding the investigation a political hit job.

Last month, Netanyahu's cabinet voted unanimously to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronan Barr, a move that, according to several petitions now before the high court, was aimed at crippling the Qatargate probe. Netanyahu has denied the charge, but Barr, in a letter to ministers obtained by Israeli media, appeared to validate the concern. The court has since frozen his dismissal pending review.

At the investigation center lies a simple yet explosive premise that Qatar, through covert payments and carefully orchestrated media campaigns, sought to shape Israeli public perception and influence wartime decision-making, reaching deep into the prime minister's office through a network of well-placed intermediaries.

All right. Coming up next in the back of the brief, a federal judge shuts down the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams permanently. We'll have those details next.

In today's back of the brief, it looks like New York City Mayor Eric Adams can breathe a sigh of relief regarding his federal indictment on allegations of foreign corruption As a brief reminder, Adams was indicted last September, accused of accepting illegal gifts and contributions from Turkish nationals during his mayoral campaign Allegations further claimed that once in office, Adams pressured city officials to grant favors to foreign interests in exchange for political support

Well, on Wednesday, the U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York dismissed the corruption case against Adams with prejudice, which means that the charges can't be brought again at a future date. The ruling comes after the Department of Justice requested in February that the case be dropped, arguing the proceedings were interfering with the mayor's ability to govern, thereby impeding the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration, according to a report from the Associated Press.

The move by the DOJ was controversial, to say the least, and prompted eight federal prosecutors to resign over concerns that political considerations were taking precedent over prosecutorial decisions. U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho appeared to agree on Wednesday, saying he was extremely, quote, troubled by the DOJ's rationale.

Ho wrote, quote, everything here smacks of a bargain, dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions. Still, Ho said his hands were essentially tied and that he had little choice but to dismiss the indictment as U.S. courts don't have the authority to compel federal prosecutors to pursue charges.

It's worth noting, however, that the DOJ had requested that the judge dismiss the charges without prejudice, meaning they could have revived the indictment down the road. Judge Ho rejected that portion of the request, arguing that it would, quote, end quote.

But the politics of this case are not one-sided. Adams and the Trump DOJ have both argued that the indictment brought under the Biden administration was political retribution for Adams' sharp criticism of former President Biden's lax immigration policies.

For his part, Adams praised the judge's decision to drop the case. Well, that makes sense, stating he had done nothing wrong and that the charges should never have been brought. As for allegations of political favoritism, Adams pushed back, saying, quote, I have always been solely beholden to the people of this city. No special interests, no political opponents, just everyday New Yorkers, end quote.

And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Thursday, the 3rd of April. Now, if you have any questions or comments or suggestions, don't forget, for Liberation Day traditions, just reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And don't forget to listen to the show ad-free. Well, it's simple. Become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief.

by visiting pdbpremium.com. See, I told you it was simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back later today with the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.