TARIFFS on Canada, Mexico and China and other nations coming on Wednesday (Shutterstock).

Worries over the impact of tariffs expected to go into effect on Wednesday again sent stock markets sliding on Tuesday.

According to The New York Times, after an early rally, the S&P 500 was down by 1.6 percent on the day.
Since April 1, the closely-followed S&P 500 has declined from 5,600 to 4,900.

The rally was reversed when hopes that The White House would postpone the levies on foreign goods coming into the United States were dashed as President Donald Trump on Tuesday “reaffirmed” the tariffs, which will include a 104 percent “price tag” on imports from China, one of America’s largest trading partners.

This latest decline brings the index close to the definition of a “bear market,” in which more stocks are losing value than gaining value.

Ukraine opens new front vs. Russia

RUSSIA VS. UKRAINE (Shutterstock).

Calling it an “absolutely just” response to Russia aggression, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday that his country had opened up a new front.

According to United Press International, the Ukrainian move is in Russia’s Belgorod Province and that combat is underway there now, as well as in the Kursk region.

“We continue to carry out active operations in the border areas on enemy territory, and that is absolutely just — war must return to where it came from, “Zelensky said. The actions are being conducted in order to ease the pressure on other parts of the battlefront.

Associated Press wins access rights

The Associated Press has a right to full access to cover presidential events, a federal judge appointed by Donald Trump ruled on Tuesday.

A FEDERAL JUDGE reinstated the Associate Press’ access to presidential events (Shutterstock).

U.S. District Court Judge Trever M. McFadden’s ruling came in the wake of the federal government’s ban in the wake of the AP’s refusal to accept the White House’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.

“Under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists—be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere—it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints,” McFadden wrote. “The Constitution requires no less.”

There was no immediate response from the White House.

Weather: Getting a bit warmer

Warmer weather will continue its steady march in our West Orange County cities .. for a while, anyway. The forecast for Wednesday is for a daytime high of 76 with an overnight low of 53 with partly cloudy skies. Thursday will heat up to 78 (54) with mining clouds and afternoon sun, then warm up more on Friday to 80 (55) with a return to partly cloudy skies. Saturday brings an about-face as the highs drop to 72 and lows to 54 with those same old partly cloudy conditions.

Great Thoughts

“The right to be let alone is the underlying principle of the Constitution’s Bill of Rights.”
– Erwin Griswold, dean of Harvard Law School

“Printers are educated in the belief that when men differ in opinion, both sides ought equally to have the advantage of being heard by the public; and that when truth and error have fair play, the former is always an overmatch for the latter.”
– Benjamin Franklin, scientist, diplomat, publisher