17 votes

Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of April 21

Automatically posted
Tags: politics.usa, usa, recurring.weekly

This thread is posted weekly - please try to post all relevant US political content in here, such as news, updates, opinion articles, etc. Extremely significant events may warrant a separate topic, but almost all should be posted in here.

This is an inherently political thread; please try to avoid antagonistic arguments and bickering matches. Comment threads that devolve into unproductive arguments may be removed so that the overall topic is able to continue.

25 comments

  1. DefinitelyNotAFae
    Link
    Wife of Maryland man sent to concentration camp - Kilmar Abrego Garcia - forced into safe house after government posts address online

    Wife of Maryland man sent to concentration camp - Kilmar Abrego Garcia - forced into safe house after government posts address online

    Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura said she began fearing for her safety and the safety of her three children after the Department of Homeland Security shared a protective order from 2021 that prominently featured her address to the department’s 2.4 million followers on X.

    11 votes
  2. [2]
    KapteinB
    Link
    In Congress, a Day Can Last Months if Politics Demands It (The New York Times)

    In Congress, a Day Can Last Months if Politics Demands It (The New York Times)

    House Republicans are so intent on avoiding tough votes on President Trump’s tariffs that they have rewritten the calendar.

    11 votes
    1. CannibalisticApple
      Link Parent
      That is highly disturbing and should probably be reported more widely, because couldn't this effectively pause all Congressional activity??

      That is highly disturbing and should probably be reported more widely, because couldn't this effectively pause all Congressional activity??

      6 votes
  3. [4]
    hobbes64
    (edited )
    Link
    Dow tumbles 900 points as Trump’s Powell attacks add to investors’ concerns My only hope is that Trump continues to be stupid enough to force the Republicans in Congress to do their job and remove...

    Dow tumbles 900 points as Trump’s Powell attacks add to investors’ concerns

    My only hope is that Trump continues to be stupid enough to force the Republicans in Congress to do their job and remove him before we are actually in a depression or war. At least they could end his tariff nonsense but that won’t be enough if he continues to attack the federal reserve.

    Edit: the link I provided has live updates so it may show a different headline. The market dropped another 100 points since I posted this 10 minutes ago

    10 votes
    1. [2]
      Eji1700
      Link Parent
      They'll never remove him unless they see an out, and this isn't it. At best they'll finally say "oh it's not the presidents job to do this" and mildly stand up to him until someone jangles some...

      They'll never remove him unless they see an out, and this isn't it. At best they'll finally say "oh it's not the presidents job to do this" and mildly stand up to him until someone jangles some keys and gets his attention on another pet issue.

      7 votes
      1. okiyama
        Link Parent
        It looks like Stephen Miller is next up. If we don't get decades of progress, we're going to get a secret police.

        It looks like Stephen Miller is next up. If we don't get decades of progress, we're going to get a secret police.

        3 votes
    2. Raspcoffee
      Link Parent
      I'm amazed to be honest - giving the USAID and all other federal workers being scrapped I was thinking the US economy would begin taking large hits as harvest would affect the rural areas, which...

      I'm amazed to be honest - giving the USAID and all other federal workers being scrapped I was thinking the US economy would begin taking large hits as harvest would affect the rural areas, which would hurt supply chains in more urban areas. Well, paired with all other issues that come with firing federal workers.

      The tariffs on top of it is just going to cause so many issues. I really wonder whether Trump will double down after the 90-day 'pause' or whether he'll actually be pressured by people around him. I can't see either happening, so I have no idea what's going to happen.

      We live in a time.

      7 votes
  4. [4]
    updawg
    Link
    Kristi Noem's purse with her passport, badge, and $3000 stolen while she was eating dinner. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/us/politics/kristi-noem-purse-stolen.html

    Kristi Noem's purse with her passport, badge, and $3000 stolen while she was eating dinner.
    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/us/politics/kristi-noem-purse-stolen.html

    8 votes
    1. [3]
      Halfloaf
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Holy moly - this from the director of homeland security. Edit: I missed this in the original article - she was carrying $3000 in cash? That feels very shady....

      Holy moly - this from the director of homeland security.

      Edit: I missed this in the original article - she was carrying $3000 in cash? That feels very shady.

      https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/21/politics/homeland-security-kristi-noem-purse-stolen/index.html

      6 votes
      1. [2]
        updawg
        Link Parent
        Yeah, this has the potential to turn into something huge.

        Yeah, this has the potential to turn into something huge.

        4 votes
        1. ackables
          Link Parent
          I just want to point out that if you are incredibly wealthy, having $3k in cash on you is the same as us having $100 in our wallet. Definitely a decent chunk of change, but how long do you think...

          I just want to point out that if you are incredibly wealthy, having $3k in cash on you is the same as us having $100 in our wallet. Definitely a decent chunk of change, but how long do you think $3k would sustain Kristi Noem’s lifestyle? It would be flight risk money for us, but going to the mall money for her.

          Edit: Also, she’s not riding the train to work and mingling with a bunch of people. She’s going from gated community to private car to restricted access office. Having a wad of cash isn’t as big a risk when you are that insulated from the public in your day to day life.

          9 votes
  5. DefinitelyNotAFae
    Link
    U.S. Texts Barnard Employees and Asks if They Are Jewish The university gave out contact information without telling employees and now the government is fishing for people experiencing...

    U.S. Texts Barnard Employees and Asks if They Are Jewish

    The university gave out contact information without telling employees and now the government is fishing for people experiencing antisemitism, and Jewish staff are rightly very concerned

    8 votes
  6. Raspcoffee
    Link
    US sets tariffs of up to 3,521% on South East Asia solar panels I had to double check whether it was 3,521 and not 3.521, as the comma and dot are used oppositely in Dutch with regards to numbers....

    US sets tariffs of up to 3,521% on South East Asia solar panels

    I had to double check whether it was 3,521 and not 3.521, as the comma and dot are used oppositely in Dutch with regards to numbers.

    If I had to make a guess, it's more about lowering solar panels altogether... Drill baby drill, and all that.

    It's so stupid and childish.

    6 votes
  9. DefinitelyNotAFae
    Link
    Pritzker balances messaging as some Dems encourage party to avoid LGBTQ issues This is functionally what I want to see - you don't have to back down, even if you focus on "the economy" stupid....

    Pritzker balances messaging as some Dems encourage party to avoid LGBTQ issues

    This is functionally what I want to see - you don't have to back down, even if you focus on "the economy" stupid. (Nor is it clear at all that anti-trans sentiment is what killed Harris's campaign given exit polling.)

    4 votes
  12. [2]
    KapteinB
    Link
    Ahead of Canada’s Election, Secretary of State Marco Rubio Speaks Out on Trump’s Plans to Annex the Country (Time)

    Ahead of Canada’s Election, Secretary of State Marco Rubio Speaks Out on Trump’s Plans to Annex the Country (Time)

    On the eve of Canadians gearing up to vote in a federal election, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed President Donald Trump’s previous comments about making Canada the “51st state.”

    3 votes
    1. KapteinB
      Link Parent
      I don't admire Rubio, who is working for an idiot but has to pretend he's not working for an idiot. But he made his own bed by working for an idiot. It does sound like they haven't actually...

      “What the President said, and he has said this repeatedly, is he was told by the previous Prime Minister [Justin Trudeau] that Canada could not survive without unfair trade with the United States, at which point [Trump] asked, ‘Well, if you can't survive as a nation without treating us unfairly in trade, then you should become a state,’” Rubio said.

      When asked if the U.S. still wants to make Canada the 51st state, Rubio responded with: “I think the President has stated repeatedly he thinks Canada would be better off as a state.”

      I don't admire Rubio, who is working for an idiot but has to pretend he's not working for an idiot. But he made his own bed by working for an idiot.

      It does sound like they haven't actually started any processes or negotiations, other than slapping some tariffs on Canada and expecting them to come begging for statehood.

      4 votes