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News Roundup: April 13, 2025

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JMJ

I'm writing this on April 13th since it's Holy Week and I wanted to get it out now.


Trends that I've noticed ...


  1. Trump just made a big mistake, one that China will capitalize on over the next few weeks if not decades. The USA's short political cycle leads to short-term thinking, a problem China doesn't have with its decades long leadership cycle.  My point is that this week China matched Trump's escalated tariffs and then dropped a few bombs:
    1. First, they announced they wouldn't be matching Trump's tariffs any further.  The analysts are saying that it makes no difference because the current level of tariffs means that they countries have cut off economic ties.  So basically, Trump can go ahead and fulfill his threat of increased tariffs, but at this point the sting has been removed.
    2. They publicly called out Trump's tariffs as a joke, insulted him and went on bolstering their expanding trade relations. Capitalizing on their new found friends from those attacked by the USA.
      1. They are not running to the US for a deal and the US really needs them to make a deal. 
      2. It's obvious to me that they've been getting ready for this Trade War for eight years and the time has been well spent.  Everything that they are saying in public is designed to demonstrate that they are a strong, reliable, trustworthy partner that respects the rule of law.  
      3. They are putting forth the perspective that China is the "Mature Adult" in the room and just punched the bully in the nose. 
        1. Now this isn't true, China doesn't respect any international law that goes against its interests. 
        2. Now that Trump is also not respecting the rule of law he's playing their game. A game I don't think he is able to win.
        3. But with the West's short political cycles and even shorter attention span they are ill prepared for an infinite game (link).
    3. So ... China called Trump's bluff and Trump just folded.  He has issued exceptions to a number of key imports ... then claimed he didn't (truth is stranger than fiction).  I wouldn't be surprised if China leaves their counter-tariffs in place for a few weeks just to make a point.
    4. Trump probably doesn't realise it yet, but I suspect that China just won more than just the first round of the TTW (Trump Trade War). China will come out of this stronger, more respected and more trusted than the USA.  All because the USA gave the world no other alternative.
    5. Now the AITR (Adult In The Room = China) has urged Trump to completely remove his tariffs (link). I don't think Trump realises it, but if he does he will be kowtowing to China.
  2. Funny that I led with a political issue, when perhaps I should have placed Pope Francis on top.
    1. Pope Francis has survived this bout of illness and that is a blessing from God. 
    2. It will be interesting to note if he sees the world differently and changes his course, or if he is panicked because he knows that his time is short.
    3. Pray for Pope Francis and for the next Pope - that HE be TRULY GREAT.  We need a GREAT PIUS XIII to chart this course.
  3. Wars are continuing and the USA, acting with incredible hubris is negotiating without the Ukraine.
    1. This sends a message that the USA will sell off Europe's land to a strong opponent like Russia.
    2. This will create a further divide.
    3. In the end, the USA will effectively be alone. There may be deals with Canada and Mexico. Also there will be deals with the smaller states. In the end it will not be good for Ukraine, Europe, Taiwan and the nations that encircle the South China Sea.

The fact is that the relative stability that we've been experiencing post WW2 is over.  What will emerge will be different.  Different bad or good remains to be seen.

All I know is that the chaos in the world now matches that of the Catholic Church.

P^3



Popes Past Present and Future

Pope has restful night at Rome's Gemelli hospital - Vatican News
Pope Francis’ condition remains stable as recovery progresses - Vatican News
LES FEMMES - THE TRUTH: Death and Its Tempations: Praying for Pope Francis!
First photo of Pope Francis since entering hospital | Catholic News Agency
RORATE CÆLI: Hospitalized Francis announces Vatican III
Pope's clinical condition continues to show slight improvements - Vatican News
Pope no longer requires mechanical ventilation - Vatican News
Pope is improving and increasingly uses less high-flow oxygen - Vatican News
Pope's medical staff to speak to press on Saturday evening - Vatican News
Pope Francis to be discharged from hospital on Sunday - Vatican News
Reply to “Placidus” on the Papacy of Francis - OnePeterFive
Pope St. John Paul II's prophecy of peace, 20 years later - Vatican News
Pope: The Church is a ‘new and reconciled humanity’ - Vatican News
Pope Francis remains in stable condition - Vatican News
Pope Francis continues to improve at Casa Santa Marta - Vatican News

The Church, The Crisis and the Persecution

Slaying Dragons Series – Slaying Dragons Press
India: Anti-conversion Bill Amendment Would Impose the Death Penalty | FSSPX News
Rome Renders Its Verdict on Maria Valtorta | FSSPX News
RORATE CÆLI: The Pope and Tradition - Op-Ed by Abp. Héctor Agüer
Bishop Schneider Against Archbishop Viganò – and Vice Versa – Gloria.tv
Crowds flock to newest Catholic saint in Assisi — a millennial teen | AP News
RORATE CÆLI: The Crisis of the Church: What to do about the Decrease in the Number of Priests, and the Free Fall in the Number of Seminarians? - Article by Abp. Héctor Agüer
RORATE CÆLI: Laetare Sunday Sermon: Jerusalem is at hand
RORATE CÆLI: Epiphany Parish in Tampa converted to Shrine dedicated to the Traditional Latin Mass
RORATE CÆLI: Sermon for the Annunciation 2025
RORATE CÆLI: The Decadence of the Church and the Francis Pontificate - by Archbishop Héctor Agüer
RORATE CÆLI: A Follow-Up on Cardinal Pell -- Are They Trying to Get Him Even After Death?
A Tale of Two Cities: ICKSP kicked out of Oakland, TLM Sheltered in Tampa Bay - OnePeterFive
Pope: The Church is a ‘new and reconciled humanity’ - Vatican News
RORATE CÆLI: Ted is Dead
Spain and the Council of Trent | District of the USA
Vatican: A Bonus for Large Families | FSSPX News
RORATE CÆLI: The Atlantic on TLM Catacombs
RORATE CÆLI: Announcing a Complete Guide to the Theology and Use of the Chapel Veil
A prayer before connecting to the internet | Fr. Z's Blog
Windsor Latin Mass at the St. Benedict Tridentine Community, Windsor, Ontario
RORATE CÆLI: An Exemplary Traditional Catholic Apostolate, Under Persecution and in Dire Need of Help

SSPX

Resources for a Good Lent | District of the USA
Letter from the Superior General to friends and benefactors n. 93 | FSSPX News
Rome Renders Its Verdict on Maria Valtorta | FSSPX News
Conference by the Superior General of the Society of Saint Pius X | FSSPX News
One Deficit Reveals Another | FSSPX News
Spain and the Council of Trent | District of the USA
C'est tellement simple ! • Abbé Nicolas Cadiet • LPL

World, Wars and Conflict

Trump Economics

The leader of the free world doesn’t believe in the free world | Lowy Institute
US allies are already worried about another round of Trump | Lowy Institute
Fraser Institute
King Charles gives his Canadian attendant a sword as sovereignty threats intensify | CBC News
Trump ambassador nominee: Canada is a sovereign state | Reuters
Rosenberg: Canada needs to impose export bans, cut taxes
Canada is “out of this world angry” at Trump’s tariffs | Vox
Fact check: Nine Trump false claims about Canada | CNN Politics
What Trump gets wrong about Canada-U.S. dairy trade | CBC News
5 things Lutnick said about Ford and Canada's relationship with Trump | National Post
Bell: Trump-Lutnick tag team ratchets up tormenting and mocking Canada | Calgary Herald
He's the face of Trump's tariffs. But 9/11 attacks put Howard Lutnick on the national stage | CBC News
U.S. wants to ditch trade ‘status quo,’ Lutnick says after Canadian talks - National | Globalnews.ca
Trump vents fury about his criminal cases in extraordinary speech at DoJ | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Aylmer - LA soupe canadienne - YouTube
Canada reconsidering F-35 purchase amid tensions with Washington, says minister | CBC News
Carney Reviews Canada's Order of F-35 Jets Amid Rift With US | Financial Post
Newspapers across Canada react to Mark Carney’s appointment as prime minister
Clearing Up the Canada Tariff Misinformation - YouTube
Clearing Up the Canada Tariff Misinformation - YouTube
He Audited the Pentagon. Here’s Where the Waste Really Is - YouTube
Smith meets Carney, demands oil policy changes and warns national unity at stake | Alberta | thecanadianpressnews.ca
Facing Trump’s threats, Canada shifts defense links away from US
U.S. limits Canadian access to border-straddling library, citing security concerns | Politics | thecanadianpressnews.ca
Residents, politicians react to U.S. decision to limit Canadian access to border-straddling library | | thecanadianpressnews.ca
The Hub | More Signal. Less Noise.
Trump want to sell us fighter jets that can't fight. No thank you. | Calgary Herald
Canadians to Maine: No, thanks! - YouTube
See Canadian official’s response to Trump’s verbal attack on Canada - YouTube
‘Artificially drawn line’: The border and Trump’s plan for Canada - YouTube
‘Desperate’: Elon Musk begs employees to 'hang onto your stock' as Tesla flounders  - YouTube
'When I Say They Should Be A State, I Mean That': Trump Makes The Case For Bringing Canada Into U.S. - YouTube
Prime Minister Carney meets with premiers and shares his plan to build one strong Canadian economy | Prime Minister of Canada
U.S. border: Eggs seized more often than fentanyl
Canada updates U.S., China travel advisories after recent frictions | Business News | thecanadianpressnews.ca
Trump says he didn’t sign proclamation invoking Alien Enemies Act | CNN Politics
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Empowers Parents, States, and Communities to Improve Education Outcomes – ]
Trump signs order to increase critical mineral production in the U.S.
U.S. Firm Backed by Gates and Bezos Seeks Congo Lithium Exploration | OilPrice.com
Canada’s response to U.S. tariffs - Canada.ca
Canada-United States relations
Canada-U.S. relations in Senate reports | Les relations canado-américaines dans les rapports du Sénat
Trump says he didn’t sign proclamation invoking Alien Enemies Act | CNN Politics
FURIOUS Canada CHECKMATES Trump as BOYCOTT SURGES - YouTube
How Trump blew up the world order - and left Europe scrabbling
Trump officials shrugging off Signal leak once decried Clinton's server | AP News
B.C. energy minister says treaty not a 'bargaining chip' in U.S. trade dispute | Politics | thecanadianpressnews.ca
The Week in Polling: The Liberals inch ahead while the New Democrats collapse; Canadians want a PM who can manage Trump - The Hub
Trudeau was warned about Trump's trade plans before phone call: briefing note | National News | thecanadianpressnews.ca
Trump aims to outlaw most government unions on ‘national security’ grounds - Defense One
Trump trade policy: 4 years of high drama. Limited results. | AP News
US stock market dips days before Trump's new tariffs take effect - live updates - BBC News
'A hostile state': Why some travellers are avoiding the US
Brian Lee Crowley: The best response to Trump is to not lose our heads—and to keep our powder dry - The Hub
Trade Tariffs on Canadian Pharmaceuticals—Implications for US Drug Supply and Costs | Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology | JAMA | JAMA Network
How NORAD could be hurt by US-Canada tensions - Defense One
Trump news: Canada escapes reciprocal tariffs
Canada Trump tariff exemption ‘like dodging a bullet into the path of a tank’, says business leader | Canada | The Guardian
Live updates: Economists fear possible recession after Trump tariffs, China retaliates | AP News
Trump to investors: My policies will never change By Investing.com
DOGE: Department of Government Efficiency
Congress could halt Trump's tariffs, but Republicans aren't ready to act | AP News
Economist David Rosenberg on Trump admin: 'These people don't understand what a tariff is' - YouTube
Travel news: Canadians should ‘expect scrutiny’ at U.S. border
‘It’s a golden ticket’: U.S. doctors explain the urge to come to Canada - National | Globalnews.ca
Trump's Misleading Tariff Chart - FactCheck.org
Economist David Rosenberg on Trump admin: 'These people don't understand what a tariff is' - YouTube
Howard Lutnick on Trump Tariffs, Trade Relations, China - YouTube
Nobel-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz on Trump, tariffs and democracy | Front Burner - YouTube
Canada says its friendship with the US is ‘over.’ Now what?  - POLITICO
Canada election: Carney says law protecting dairy supply management system not necessary
Backing a dairy cartel is not standing up for Canadians: Selley | National Post
Supply Management | National Farmers Union
Dairy and poultry supply management in Canada - Wikipedia
What supply management means for Canadians
See how Trump's tariffs were calculated
Canadian Survey of Consumer Expectations—First Quarter of 2025 - Bank of Canada
Module 3 - Up Our Game Canada
Council of Economic Advisors Chair Nominee Stephen Miran’s Critique of the Global Monetary System—Part I | American Enterprise Institute - AEI
Bank failures in Canada: a history — CDIC
‘Not going to support that guy’: Canadians freeze visits to the U.S. over Trump - POLITICO
GM cutting jobs, idling Canadian electric van plant
Analysis: Why Beijing is not backing down to Trump on Tariffs
Why Trump wants allies to take on China in a trade war | CNN
Europe will to go after Big Tech if U.S. trade talks are not 'satisfactory', von der Leyen warns | Fortune Europe
House passes bill to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, drawing ire of voting rights groups - ABC News
Trump Exempts Phones, Computers, and Chips from New Tariffs, Including on Chinese Imports
China Raises Tariffs on US to 125% and Says It Won’t Go Higher
Trump exempts smartphones and computers from new tariffs
Trump's changing tariffs causes panic buying and paralysis
'Asleep at the wheel': Michigan city braces for impact of Trump's tariffs | National News | thecanadianpressnews.ca
The Week in Polling: Canadians think Trump is trying to influence our election; CPC ahead with young voters but struggling with old voters; Nearly half of Canadians want next PM to bring stability rather than change - The Hub

Trump Wars

Putin PANICS as Ukraine OUTPLAYS Him - YouTube
Trump orders strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen
Putin would 'breach' Ukraine deal if it is not defended, says Sir Keir Starmer
Ukraine's 'chaotic' withdrawal from Russia, in its soldiers' words
As the Baltics "Putin-proof", are they really Russia's next move?
Why Trump is struggling to win fast ceasefire in Ukraine
Ukraine’s Odesa ‘on fire’ from ‘massive’ Russian strikes as Trump projects optimism ahead of peace talks | CNN
Japan's leader calls for finding common ground ahead of key meeting with China and South Korea
Trump says 'there'll be flexibility' on reciprocal tariffs
Top Trump officials accidentally shared war plans with media
Defense One
Heads must roll for Signal-chat debacle - Defense One
‘Sloppy,’ ‘incompetent’ intelligence chiefs hammered for Signal chat - Defense One
Hundreds in Gaza join rare protests against Hamas rule, call for an end to the war | The Times of Israel
Atlantic magazine publishes attack plans editor shared in White House group chat - live updates - BBC News
Russia says sanctions must be lifted before Ukraine maritime ceasefire can start
Told to fix notorious prison, Israel just relocated alleged abuses, detainees say | AP News
‘Obviously classified’: Experts say Hegseth chat leaks invited danger
In the wake of Hegseth’s software memo, experts eye further change
China is waging cognitive warfare. Fighting back starts by defining it. - Defense One
How a beatdown at sea turned Russia's navy into China's junior partner - Defense One
BREAKING: Covert Strategies REVEALED As U.S., Russian & Iranian Alliances Shift | TBN Israel - YouTube
Donald Trump 'very angry' with Vladimir Putin over ceasefire negotiations
Why Norway is restoring its Cold War military bunkers
Germany decides to leave history in the past and prepare for war
Russia says 'work ongoing' with US after Trump says he is 'angry' with Putin - BBC News
An Old Peace Plan for the Holy Land - OnePeterFive
Europe’s defense puts a fresh twist on steel, growth engine of old
Could this device help catch Osprey clutch problems before disaster?
How China is expanding its anti-satellite arsenal - Defense One
Navy expands use of AI for target spotting, tracking - Defense One
Trump fires head of NSA and Cyber Command - Defense One
Hegseth to visit Panama as Trump says US is ‘reclaiming’ its canal
Spies from China, elsewhere are wooing current and former feds, agencies warn - Defense One
US weapons support for Ukraine doesn’t compete with Taiwan goals: report - Defense One
Hegseth vows US will ‘take back’ Panama canal from Chinese influence
Opinion: Why The U.S. Military’s NGAD Could Be The Loneliest Generation | Aviation Week Network
Module 3 - Up Our Game Canada
New Tab
White House promises details as Donald Trump, oldest president in US history, has medical check-up | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Nuclear talks between US and Iran begin in Oman
Ukraine war latest: US envoy Witkoff proposes giving Russia 'ownership' of Ukrainian regions, Reuters reports
Witkoff meets Putin as Trump urges Russia to 'get moving' on Ukraine ceasefire
Trump envoy's embrace of Russian demands worries Republicans, U.S. allies | Reuters
China Pours More Fuel on the Trade War Fire and Calls the US a 'Joke' - Business Insider
Harvard Economist Reveals Shocking SECRET About Trade War with China - YouTube
Trump TRADE WAR BACKFIRES as China CHECKMATES HIM - YouTube
US and Iran hold 'constructive' first round of nuclear talks

Science+Technology

China now has a 'kill mesh' in orbit, Space Force vice chief says | Space
Boeing wins contract for NGAD fighter jet, dubbed F-47
Something Bizarre Is Happening to People Who Use ChatGPT a Lot
Early methods for studying affective use and emotional well-being on ChatGPT | OpenAI
Was an illegal sonic weapon used against peaceful protesters in Serbia? | AP News
Mud, water and wood: The system that kept a 1604-year-old city afloat
'This is the information age': How Microsoft founder Bill Gates mapped out the new internet era back in 1993
Vanguard 1 is the oldest satellite orbiting Earth. Scientists want to bring it home after 67 years | Space
OTD in Space – March 17: U.S. Launches Its Second Satellite, Vanguard 1
Ocean liner off Florida's Gulf Coast to become world's largest artificial reef
Why the Biggest Battery Company is Betting Against Lithium - YouTube
The Back Page | American Physical Society

Misc

Statement from Minister Joly and Minister Hussen on the situation in Syria - Canada.ca
Chris Voss: FBI-Backed Tactics for Better Communication - YouTube
Butter vs. olive oil: How do fats compare in terms of death risk?
The US island that once belonged to Russia
Sacred Initiation and Baptismal Symbolism in Tolkien’s Stories - OnePeterFive
Voters in Gabon choose a new president in the first election since the 2023 military coup | CNN
'We thought it was the end of the world': How the US dropped four nuclear bombs on Spain in 1966

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