Richard Luthmann and I were back for the fortieth edition of The Unknown.
We began with a debate on the Big Beautiful Bill. This bill, if passed, would make Trump’s tax cuts from his first term permanent.
The bill would add to deficit, according to projections, but this is because it will tax cuts permanent. I support the bill, however, the budget, which will hopefully pass later, must have significant spending cuts.
Next, we debated the recent ruling from the US Court on International Trade.
A panel of federal judges on Wednesday blocked President Trump from imposing some of his steepest tariffs on China and other U.S. trading partners, finding that federal law did not grant him “unbounded authority” to tax imports from nearly every country around the world.
The ruling, by the U.S. Court of International Trade, delivered an early yet significant setback to Mr. Trump, undercutting his primary leverage as he looks to pressure other nations into striking trade deals more beneficial to the United States.
Before Mr. Trump took office, no president had sought to invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a 1977 law, to impose tariffs on other nations. The law, which primarily concerns trade embargoes and sanctions, does not even mention tariffs.
The ruling was quickly reversed after the broadcast aired by an Appeal’s Court.
US President Donald Trump has been allowed to keep collecting tariffs while the White House appeals against a ruling that dealt a major blow to a key part of his economic policies.
A day earlier the Court of International Trade ruled that an emergency law invoked by Trump did not give the president unilateral authority to impose tariffs on nearly every one of the world's countries.
The New York-based court said the US Constitution gave Congress exclusive powers to regulate commerce with other nations, and that this was not superseded by the president's remit to safeguard the economy
The stay issued by the Appeals Court gives a temporary reprieve, but the issue will still be decided in the courts.
President Trump is using a little-known law, International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) from 1977, to impose sweeping tariffs.
IEEPA doesn’t mention tariffs and is for “international transactions.”
As with the Alien Enemies Act (AEA), I think President Trump is conjuring up an emergency to bypass regular order and impose his agenda, where safeguards are required.
In the What the Hales segment starting twenty-six minutes in, we discussed how the former champion of the first amendment, Megan Fox, now wants to criminalize speech.
Rich Luthmann previously made a satirical video which showed a photo of Megan purporting to give a photo of Jeremy Hales oral sex. That video has been falsely labeled “revenge porn” with Hales falsely claiming the Federal Bureau of Investigations is involved.
Megan also didn’t take too kindly to Rich releasing her home address, even calling the Ontario County, NY, Sheriff’s Department.
After that segment, we also discussed our recent interview with Arizona State Senator Mark Finchem.
I recently met up with State Senator Finchem in Idaho, where he met with several state legislators there: primarily State Senator Tammy Nichols and State Representative Heather Scott, both Republicans.
State Senator Finchem co-chairs the Ad hoc joint committee on family court orders, which has held two hearings thus far.
State Senator Finchem told Rich and I that he believes a similar committee will form in Idaho in June 2025.
State Senator Finchem also explained that Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed HB 2256, which would have banned coerced therapeutic interventionist appointments in child custody cases, because she, a former social worker, is protecting the system.
