Trump’s tariffs hit China where it hurts — more must follow



Donald Trump’s first term reshaped American politics. Against all odds, he upended the establishment’s consensus on trade, immigration, and foreign policy. He redefined the Republican Party’s platform with an "America First" agenda and proved that conservative populism is not only viable but dominant.

But resistance to his presidency was fierce. From day one, entrenched Washington elites and career bureaucrats worked to undermine him. Even within the Republican Party, many clung to outdated, donor-driven priorities instead of embracing the agenda voters demanded.

The United States must fully decouple from China, starting with a ban on Chinese ownership of American land and critical industries.

As a result, key elements of the MAGA movement — securing the border, dismantling the administrative state, and reducing dependence on China — faced obstruction from politicians more concerned with preserving their own power than delivering on their promises.

Better team, clearer vision

A second Trump administration cannot afford to be held back by the same forces. This time, there are no excuses. The lessons have been learned, and the roadblocks are clear. The next four years must be marked by decisive action, free from outdated GOP orthodoxy and bureaucratic sabotage. Fortunately, the Trump White House now has a team fully aligned with this vision.

To make any of the proposed changes meaningful, we must address the cultural decay that has worsened over the last four years — and that the GOP’s inaction allowed to fester for much longer. Cultural battles are just as important, if not more so, than economic or foreign policy. In his first term, President Trump reshaped the judiciary, defended religious liberty, and resisted the left’s radical cultural agenda. But the left’s extremism has only intensified — targeting children with gender ideology, undermining women’s sports, and weaponizing the legal system against conservatives.

This time, we must go further: defunding left-wing indoctrination in schools, banning irreversible gender-altering procedures on minors, and enshrining parental rights in law. Thankfully, President Trump has already signed executive orders banning biological males from competing in women’s sports and protecting children from the transgender medical industry, taking key steps to dismantle the radical left’s agenda for good.

We must overhaul the federal government to serve the people — not leftist NGOs and special interests that thrive on taxpayer-funded slush funds. One of the greatest threats to the nation comes from the unelected ruling class in Washington. To counter this, the Trump administration launched the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending. This initiative is streamlining operations, cutting bureaucracy, and ensuring taxpayer dollars are used effectively.

Tackling China

With strong leadership and a clear path to a revitalized America, we must also use the new MAGA consensus to address the greatest external threat to U.S. prosperity: China.

For decades, the political class sold out American workers, offshoring jobs and manufacturing in pursuit of cheap labor and corporate profits. Trump’s first term reversed this trend by renegotiating trade deals and imposing tariffs that revitalized American industry.

But the job isn’t finished. The United States must fully decouple from China, starting with a ban on Chinese ownership of American land and critical industries. Trump’s tariff proposals mark an important first step, but this moment demands bold action. A pollution tariff would be a powerful tool, forcing China to pay for its lower environmental standards while leveling the playing field for American manufacturers.

In 2020, then-U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer proposed to the World Trade Organization that failing to enforce minimum environmental standards should qualify as an “actionable subsidy,” allowing the U.S. to counter it with tariffs. Now, freed from officials who prioritized cheap Chinese imports over American workers and environmental concerns, the United States must ensure that domestic manufacturing and production take precedence over globalist interests.

Momentum for this shift is already growing. Lighthizer’s successor, Jamieson Greer, recently observed, “There’s an unlevel playing field, and I think other countries take advantage of a total lack of environmental regulation. ... How do we actually address that issue? I think we do have to think of creative notions on how to do it.”

As Lighthizer’s former chief of staff, Greer understands the challenge and is well-positioned to take real action against China’s cheating this time around.

Global elites are content to let America decline, effectively handing the future to Communist China. But with strong leadership, this century can and will belong to the United States. A second Trump term is the best — perhaps the only — opportunity to fully implement the "America First" agenda and secure American dominance for generations.

No more half measures. No more bureaucratic sabotage. No more pandering to the old GOP establishment. A second Trump administration must act boldly, decisively, and relentlessly to make America great again. The stakes are too high for anything less.

Trump EPA going on deregulation spree that's already hurting climate alarmists' feelings



The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday that it is planning to undertake a sweeping series of deregulatory actions in accordance with President Donald Trump's executive orders and campaign promises.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin identified dozens of Obama and Biden-era regulations that his agency will repeal, stating, "We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S., and more."

In addition to unchaining industry and eliminating some of the bureaucratic red tape that drove up living costs, the agency appears keen to reclaim ground lost to climate alarmists over the past two decades, effectively eliminating the EPA's authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions.

'This EPA is planning to take a wrecking ball to environmental law.'

The agency deregulation push includes plans to:

  • unwind numerous regulations on power plants, the oil and gas industry, and coal-fired power;
  • revise limits, guidelines, and standards for the steam electric power-generating industry;
  • reconsider various industrial regulations concerning air standards;
  • unwind the mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that requires big emitters to report their emissions annually for publication;
  • reconsider the Risk Management Program rule that purportedly improves chemical accident prevention at facilities that use extremely hazardous substances;
  • unwind the vehicle regulations "that provided the foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate";
  • reconsider the Obama EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding and all subsequent actions that rely on its assertion that the combined emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride from motorized vehicles "threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations" — a claim Zeldin said is "considered the Holy Grail of the climate change religion";
  • eliminate the remaining DEI initiatives at the agency;
  • ensure the death of the Biden administration's controversial "Good Neighbor Plan," which tried to force so-called "upwind" states to curb air pollution impacting "downwind" states — a plan whose standards the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June were likely to cause "irreparable harm" to nearly half the states in the union; and
  • utilize "enforcement discretion to further North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene."

The EPA suggested that these and other deregulatory actions could "roll back trillions in regulatory costs and hidden 'taxes' on U.S. families" as well as create jobs.

Climate alarmists are up in arms over the announcement.

Jason Rylander, legal director of the Climate Law Institute at the Center for Biological Diversity, told NPR, "This EPA is planning to take a wrecking ball to environmental law as we know it."

"The intent appears to be to neuter EPA's ability to address climate change and to limit air pollution that affects public health," added Rylander.

Amanda Leland, executive director of the leftist international Environmental Defense Fund, said in a statement, "EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin today announced plans for the greatest increase in pollution in decades. The result will be more toxic chemicals, more cancers, more asthma attacks, and more dangers for pregnant women and their children. Rather than helping our economy, it will create chaos."

The New York Times indicated that Gina McCarthy, an EPA administrator in the Obama administration, is sad to see some of her handiwork undone, calling it "the most disastrous day in EPA history."

"Rolling these rules back is not just a disgrace, it's a threat to all of us," said McCarthy, who also served as former President Joe Biden's national climate adviser. "The agency has fully abdicated its mission to protect Americans' health and well being."

Democratic lawmakers have similarly denounced the EPA's deregulatory plans.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) stated, "EPA's attacks today on clean air, clean water, and affordable energy are done for the planet's biggest polluters. Americans will pay dearly — with their health and with their wallets.

"This sellout has a long road ahead of it through the Administrative Procedures Act, which we will fight every step of the way," added Whitehouse.

Republicans and others long critical of the burdens of over-regulation celebrated the EPA plan.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) called it a "historic move that will bring much-needed relief to Montanans."

West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R), chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, is apparently thrilled that the EPA is "taking steps towards eliminating job-killing regulations that hamper energy production and harm workers and consumers across our country."

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Trump admin blows away environmental justice offices, cans more federal bureaucrats



"Environmental justice" is the name given to leftist efforts to Trojan-horse identity politics into policy decisions regarding the environment.

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation, an intergovernmental organization the Clinton administration had a hand in forming, put it plainly, stating, "The pursuit of environmental justice aims to address historical inequities, marginalization and discrimination in how environmental benefits and burdens are enjoyed or suffered by certain communities."

President Donald Trump, who made clear upon retaking office that racist DEI initiatives would not be tolerated in his administration, is laying waste to so-called environmental justice programs, starting with the offices at the Environmental Protection Agency and at the Department of Justice.

'President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to do just this.'

EPA spokeswoman Molly Vaseliou told the deep state-subscribed publication Politico that 168 employees at the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice were placed on administrative leave on Thursday, adding that "their function did not relate to the agency's statutory duties or grant work."

Bureaucrats at the environment-themed DEI office reportedly received a formal notification Thursday evening via email, which stated, "Effective immediately, you are being placed on administrative leave with full pay and benefits. This administrative leave is not being done for any disciplinary purpose."

"EPA is working to diligently implement President Trump's executive orders, including the 'Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,'" Vaseliou told the New York Times in a statement. "President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American people to do just this."

While the EPA still has another 100 or so environmental justice employees spread across the country, they are similarly expected to get the boot.

The DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division had its own environmental justice office shuttered in the wake of Attorney General Pam Bondi's nullification of her Democratic predecessor's memorandums titled "Actions to Advance Environmental Justice" and "Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy." The office was established by the Biden administration in 2022.

On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order requiring that the head of every federal agency, department, or commission see to the elimination of all DEI offices, positions, initiatives, programs, contracts, and performance requirements. Trump specified in his order that all environmental justice offices and positions had to be terminated "to the maximum extent allowed by law."

When rescinding former Democratic presidents' "harmful executive orders and actions" on Jan. 20, Trump noted that "climate extremism has exploded inflation and overburdened businesses with regulation."

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Climate Protestors Disrupt Chris Wright Hearing For Energy Secretary

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LA Already Shipped Firefighting Equipment To Ukraine, And Now Biden Is Planning Another Handout As California Burns

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The Supreme Court Shouldn’t Let The Federal Government Control 70 Percent Of A State’s Land

The case in Utah raises issues not only about land use concerns but also core principles of federalism relevant to the entire country.

US energy independence is under threat from a court ruling



Two new energy enterprises in the Port of Brownsville were on the cusp of ushering in a new era of business and industry for the region. Together, they would bring in billions of dollars in investment, provide major infrastructure improvements, and create thousands of jobs.

And they would lead to a domino effect of benefits for the community, such as the $30 million Texas A&M training facility that broke ground at the port this year.

This is not governmental cooperation through agency and legal means. It’s obstructionist.

Both projects received the green light in the federal permitting process, and one had even begun construction.

But then everything came to a screeching halt at the whim of a court in Washington, D.C.

For the sake of the people of South Texas, this unprecedented move — tossing out preapproved permits, including one for a facility that is already under construction — needs to be challenged.

The Rio Grande LNG terminal, projected to be one of the world's largest liquified natural gas export projects, would cost an estimated $18 billion. It is expected to generate 5,000 construction jobs, over 400 permanent positions, and potentially another 3,000 indirect jobs in the local community.

Meanwhile, Texas LNG was finalizing its investment plans to start construction. This project, too, was set to invest billions and create thousands of jobs throughout its construction phase.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission had approved permits for both projects. The companies went above and beyond to comply with environmental regulations, even incorporating a carbon capture and storage facility to reduce emissions. Ironically, the court cited these environmental efforts as the reason to revoke their permits. In response, both projects have now abandoned their carbon capture efforts to comply with the court’s demands.

As Charles McConnell, a former official in the Environmental Protection Agency under the Obama administration, wrote, “This is not governmental cooperation through agency and legal means. It’s obstructionist.”

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has urged FERC to appeal a court decision that halted the construction of two major liquefied natural gas terminals. Cruz’s letter to the FERC chairman stressed the need for regulatory clarity to ensure that legal disruptions do not discourage investors from backing future projects that could position America as the world’s leading energy producer.

“If project developers come to believe that federal permits can be overturned due to procedural missteps by the regulator, apart from any actions or fault by the developers, U.S. infrastructure projects will slow and stall,” Cruz wrote.

But for the people of South Texas, this outlandish reversal is a lot more personal. We need more industry and business to help our region flourish. The projects were expanding business access to South Texas significantly. Rio Grande LNG was already in the process of making the channel another 10 feet deeper to make the Port of Brownsville accessible to more ships. With the federal court ruling, all that progress will come to an end — and with it, a golden opportunity to turn South Texas into a hub of prosperity.

It’s easy to get lost in the legal jargon of the permitting process and lawsuits. But what FERC and the courts do has real-world implications for everyone in South Texas. More industry leads to more jobs, and more jobs lead to more opportunities, which in turn would create more opportunities for South Texans to escape poverty.

The new LNG developments could set the region up for success in decades to come — but not if bureaucratic obstructionists continue to stand in the way.

If Kamala Were Committed To American Energy, She’d Lift Her Administration’s LNG Export Ban

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