Beltway Insider: Trump/Ukraine/Russia, Houthis, Tariffs Ignite Trade Wars, Recession, Senate Dems, VOA Shuttered

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Category: Beltway Insider

Published on Sunday, 16 March 2025 07:26

Written by Janet Walker

President Donald Trump utilizing his maximum pressure strategy have addressed several critical issues this week, including launching a military strike on the Houthi Rebels, forcing Ukraine into submission, and demanding Columbia University change its policies.

The President's job approval rating, according to The Economist for the period ending March 16, 2025,  has remained constant at 46.0% of those polled who those polled approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 1.0% to 51.0% of those polled. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

Beltway Insider: Trump/State of the Union, Disruptions, Divisions, Disunity, Medicaid, Cost-of-Living, Trumpian Politics

Trump Strongarms Ukraine, Russia to End War

The Trump Administration, over the past month, has worked to hammer Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky into accepting a cease-fire agreement, through his maximum pressure strategy, which he has also employed against the Houthi rebels.

The recent meeting of the G7 summit in Canada, which Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended, affirmed Ukraine’s territorial rights to exists, stating, "The G7 members discussed Russia’s devasting war in Ukraine.  They underscored their commitment to work together to help to achieve a durable peace and a strong and prosperous Ukraine and reaffirmed the need to develop robust security guarantees to ensure the war will not begin again."

As all parties are interested in ending this bloody devastating three-year war which have killed and wounded more than 1,000,000 soldiers and civilians and left entire regions unrecognizable, reduced to rubble from heavy Russian bombardment.

After Zelensky agreed to a thirty day cease fire, Putin flat out rejected it, and demanded Ukrainian troops surrender to Russian forces. Trust is also an issue, as Zelensky, and others are not confident that Putin will act in good faith, honoring any agreements, including sparing the lives of Ukraine POWs or others.

Putin’s effort to destroy the spirit of the Ukraine people, has been evident from the bombing of Mariupol when he targeted a maternity hospital. His continual violation of the Geneva Convention War Powers, which defines the boundaries of war, creating uncertainty in the truthfulness of his agreements.  

"He also questioned whether Russia was acting in good faith, accusing Mr. Putin of "doing everything possible to ensure that diplomacy fails." Ukraine, Mr. Zelensky reiterated, has already agreed to a 30-day, unconditional cease-fire to stop the war that Russia’s leader began by ordering the full-scale invasion three years ago," reported The New York Times.

Trump Strikes Iranian Backed Houthis

President Donald Trump ordered a full-scale military strike on the Iranian backed Houthi rebels sending a strong message to Iran, that the United States will no longer tolerate the continued attempts to disrupt maritime travel in the Red Sea.

"U.S. officials said the bombardment, the most significant military action of Mr. Trump’s second term so far, was also meant to send a warning signal to Iran. Mr. Trump wants to broker a deal with Iran to prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but has left open the possibility of military action if the Iranians rebuff negotiations," reported The New York Times.

The Houthis, a tribal people located in Northern Yemen, have been operating under the direction of Iran, and for a decade have continued to use military force to disrupt consumer shipping vessels causing lengthy detours, as nations are forced to send their ships around the Cape of Good Hope, driving up shipping costs that are passed on to the manufacture, which are then passed on to the consumer.

The Houthi’s have been actively engaging U.S. warships stationed in the Red Sea since 2023 and have attacked U.S. warships at least 174 separate times and fired upon commercial vessels nearly 150 times. In 2023, a U.S. Navy destroyer, intercepted multiple missiles launched from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. U.S. intelligence has been unable to locate the Houthi’s arsenal as they are buried deep underground and therefore unable to be detected.

President Trump has issued a strong warning to the leaders of Iran. He has thrown down the gauntlet, cautioning Tehran continued support for the Houthi rebels will result in escalation of military action.

Trump is also attempting to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran. Throughout the past decade several presidents have secured nuclear deals with Iran. During President Trump’s first term, he withdrew from the Iranian deal negotiated under President Obama and opted for the policy of maximum pressure by imposing sanctions.

World News: Trump and Putin Seek to Resurrect the Iron Curtain

Trump Tariffs Ignite Trade Wars, Allies Retaliate

The tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, in his effort to "Make America Rich Again," have been met with dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs by both Canada and the EU. Tariffs are government to government taxes for the import and export of goods into a country.

United States has been charged by our allies, and trading partners, for imports including steel and aluminum, from Canada, followed by Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and Vietnam. The EU, who is also targeted in the tariffs, imports manufactured goods, such as machinery and vehicles. And of course, electronics from China, and these same governments have charged the United States for goods that we export to their countries.

Throughout recent presidencies the tariffs have not been equal, and Mr. Trump has stated emphatically, "if we are charged 25%, then we charge 25%, if we are charged 10% then we charge 10%," in a dollar-for dollar deal. However, as the dollar-for-dollar tariffs has not always been equal, it is sticker shock for the trading partners and allies of the United States.

The uniform tariffs have been seen as targeted attacks. As this is the president’s second term, all trading partners understood this would be a part of his administration. "The sides have been here before. When Trump imposed tariffs on the European Union during his first term, its leaders responded with levies on industries based in the home states of Republican leaders, such as bourbon from Kentucky, represented by then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and iconic American products such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Levi’s jeans," The Washington Post reported.

While many see the president’s move as the beginnings of trade wars, for U.S. Steel Manufactures, the tariffs are good news and will help increase U.S. steel production. It is surprising as the United States, specifically, Pennsylvania was at one time the largest steel producer for the United States, and part of what once was a vibrant manufacturing belt across a cluster of the neighboring northcentral states of Ohio, and Michigan, and are now renamed the rust belt as all the jobs went north or south of the border.

Is a Recession on the Horizon

The possibility of the trade wars erupting and a recession for all parties are also at the forefront of the tariff argument. Tariffs will trickle down to the consumer and cause consumer prices to increase, which is one of the main motivations past presidents have not imposed dollar-for-dollar tariffs. Allowing American to keep more of the money they earn is better all around, whether it is the CEO or the entry level worker. No one wants to see higher prices on goods and services, small or large ticket items, because in the long run, when any portion of the population fails to spend everyone loses.

At this point, there are concerns that the U.S. is heading toward a recession, although the key indicators which would be present before haven’t yet materialized.

"But warning signs — which can include a surge in job losses, stalling wages and consumers spending less — would probably be evident beforehand. Claudia Sahm, chief economist at New Century Advisors, says the job market can be an early indicator of a looming recession. The unemployment rate isn’t the first thing to be affected, Sahm said, but once it starts rising, it "tends to keep going,"’ reported The Washington Post.

As the tariffs have only been in effect for three days, the idea of an economic recession is premature. The real test will arrive over the next six months, and by the fall even the president acknowledges there may be a small recession, that the economy must endure to achieve the economic boom he boosted the tariffs will bring.

World News: Europe’s Emancipation Will Take Courage and Desire

New York Political Leaders Condemns Schumer Over Vote

New York State Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, (D), crossed the aisle this week, and voted for the Republican sponsored government spending bill, which averted a full government shutdown.

By Schumer’s own admission, "the Republican bill is a terrible option," [. . .] "But I believe allowing Donald Trump to take … much more power via a government shutdown is a far worse option," reported The Washington Post.

Schumer who voted for the Republican bill, has faced condemnation from his peers. At this point, the five-term senator from New York, is working on behalf of the constituents he was elected to serve, by avoiding a government shut down. Schumer, who was reelected in 2022, will not face another election until 2028. This betrayal, as it has been called, will be in the rear view by that time. Over the next four years, finding the middle way to work with this presidency is critical.  

Coronavirus Total

At the order of the President of the United States, the U.S. no longer recognizes the value of The World Health Organization. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens should receive at least one shot of an updated COVID-19 vaccine, annually.  The death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases continue each week, fewer are dying from the newer variants.

For the seven days ending March 15, 2025, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by the World Health Organization increased by 75,179 confirmed cases totaling 777,594,331. The total worldwide death toll increased by 797 to 7,090,776 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated March 2, 2025, from the World Health Organization).

Columbia University Crackdown on Student Protestors

Columbia University, where annual tuition can run as high as $70,000 without housing, books, fees, or other necessities, has moved away from allowing pro-Palestinian protestors to continue to disrupt the university’s daily business of providing an educational service, and have initiated a crackdown on student protestors.

"Today, the Columbia University Judicial Board determined findings and issued sanctions to students ranging from multi-year suspensions, temporary degree revocations, and expulsions related to the occupation of Hamilton Hall last spring," read a statement from the university," Yahoo.com reported.

The sanctions were met with a violent uprising by students, that went beyond peaceful protest and became violent exhibitions including destruction of property and parading around with weapons such as hammers and other tools.

These pro-Palestinian protestors, determined to disrupt and destroy, have become the motivation behind severe enforcement by the President, who sent a letter Columbia University President demanding specific changes to the university policy or lose federal funding enforcing the president’s maximum pressure strategy, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and New York State.

While violence may work in other areas of the world, in the United States peaceful protest means without destruction, and without the infringing on the rights of others to support or not support the demonstrations.

World News: Damascus, the New Gordian Knot

Voice of America Shuttered in Trump DOGE Cuts

Voice of America, which broadcasts American news programming to millions worldwide, was gutted this week as its parent U.S. Agency for Global Media, was one of a group of smaller agencies gutted in another round of DOGE cuts.

"VOA Director Mike Abramowitz confirmed in a Saturday afternoon post on his personal Facebook account that "virtually the entire staff of Voice of America — more than 1300 journalists, producers and support staff — has been placed on administrative leave today," adding that he was among those affected. "Even if the agency survives in some form, the actions being taken today by the Administration will severely damage Voice of America’s ability to foster a world that is safe and free and in doing so is failing to protect U.S. interests," Politico reported.

Voice of America produced digital, television, and radio content, in 49 languages reaching a weekly audience of 361 million. The programming included news, informational and cultural segments, and in some nations it was the only voice of democracy and difference against the propaganda force fed through dictatorial regimes.

For more information on President Donald Trump: Whitehouse.gov.

Sources: Various © Articles covered by Copyright protection.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is completing the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," which is expected to be released in early 2025. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.