Feb. 10, 2025

Eagles Soar, GITMO Controversy Unfolds, Trump Steel Tariffs, PennyWise

Show Notes
Transcript

Eagles Soar, GITMO Controversy Unfolds, Trump Steel Tariffs, PennyWise

Brace yourself for a post-Super Bowl political extravaganza as we celebrate the Philadelphia Eagles' triumph and tackle some of the most contentious issues shaking Washington. What's the real deal behind Trump's attempt to deport Venezuelan immigrants to Guantanamo Bay? We break down the federal court's decision to put a halt to this controversial plan, exploring the legal and ethical implications that have immigration rights groups up in arms. Dive into the high-stakes drama where legal battles meet humanitarian concerns, and find out why many are calling Gitmo a "legal black hole."

But that's not all! Trump has thrown yet another curveball with a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports, potentially shaking the global markets and impacting trade relations with key allies like Canada, Mexico, and several Asian countries. Are we on the verge of a trade war, or is this a strategic push to boost American industries? We dissect the potential economic ripple effects and the reactions from global players, with a special focus on the US's ambitious plans for its metals market. Plus, don’t miss out on the humorous yet serious discussion around Trump's latest cost-cutting target—the penny. Join us for a whirlwind episode that promises to stir both your curiosity and your understanding of today's political and economic landscape.

source credits:

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-court-blocks-trump-admin-from-sending-detained-venezuelan-immigrants-guantanamo-bay https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/10/global-winners-and-losers-of-trumps-steel-and-aluminium-tariffs.html https://nypost.com/2025/02/09/us-news/trump-says-hes-telling-department-of-treasury-to-stop-producing-penny/

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Welcome to Ranting Politics Headline Updates on this post-Super Bowl Monday where the dirty birds, those Philadelphia Eagles, stole the show and came away victorious.

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Congrats to you and thank you to the city of brotherly love for being a hotbed of ranting politics fanatics since the beginning.

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I'm JOC, and today we're diving into three major stories shaking up Washington.

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A federal court puts the brakes on Trump's controversial Guantanamo deportation plan, new steel tariffs are set to rattle global markets and the pennies days might finally be numbered.

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Let's break it all down.

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In a dramatic turn of events, a federal court has thrown a wrench into the Trump administration's plans to send detained Venezuelan immigrants to Guantanamo Bay.

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Send detained Venezuelan immigrants to Guantanamo Bay.

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Just yesterday, judge Kenneth Gonzalez issued a temporary restraining order blocking the transfer of three Venezuelan men currently held in New Mexico to the notorious detention facility.

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These aren't just any immigrants, folks.

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According to their lawyers, these men fit the profile of what the administration has been targeting Venezuelan men detained near El Paso who've been accused of having ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, though, I should mention, their lawyers are claiming these gang connections are completely false.

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Now let's put this in perspective.

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The administration has already started sending flights of detained immigrants to Gitmo, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirming the transfers last week.

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Trump's been pretty clear about his plans to expand the detention camp to hold up to 30,000 what he calls criminal illegal aliens.

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But here's where it gets interesting.

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Immigration rights groups are raising some serious red flags, demanding access to the people being held at the naval station.

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They're particularly concerned about Guantanamo being used as what they're calling a legal black hole, and, given the facility's controversial history with detainee treatment, it's not hard to see why they're worried.

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According to White House numbers, more than 8,000 immigrants have been arrested since January 20th as part of this broader deportation initiative, though, interestingly enough, hundreds of those arrested have actually been released back into the US.

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Fox News was first to report on this legal challenge, and it's worth noting that these immigrants are being kept separate from the 15 remaining detainees from the post 9-11 era.

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We'll definitely be keeping an eye on how this plays out in the courts over the coming weeks.

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Hold onto your hard hats, because Trump just dropped another trade bombshell.

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The president announced he's slapping a fresh 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports, and this one's going to shake up the global metals market in a big way.

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Let's break down who's coming out on top, and who's taking the hit?

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Unsurprisingly, the good old USA is positioned to be the big winner here.

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We've already seen US steel imports drop by a whopping 35% over the last decade, thanks largely to similar tariffs from Trump's first rodeo in office.

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And while aluminum imports have been creeping up, american exports of the shiny stuff have been steadily climbing since 2020.

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Now our neighbors to the north and south might want to brace themselves.

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Canada and Mexico are among the biggest exporters of steel and aluminum to the US, and they're likely to feel the pinch.

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Germany's in the same boat, though interestingly, tyson Krupp, one of Europe's steel giants, is shrugging it off, saying they're not too worried since most of their US business is already local.

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But the real story might be in Asia.

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South Korea, vietnam and Japan are all in the crosshairs.

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Get this Vietnam's steel exports to the US shot up by more than 140% last year, and Taiwan wasn't far behind with a 75% increase.

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Those kinds of numbers are exactly what caught Trump's attention.

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According to the number crunchers at CRU, we might see some short-term pain in terms of demand, but they're betting on increased investment in American steel and aluminum sectors down the line.

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And let's not forget the last time Trump played the tariff card in 2018, the government raked in over $1.4 billion in just five months.

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Last year alone, we were importing steel from 79 countries and aluminum from 89, totaling about $49 billion worth of metal.

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That's a lot of steel and aluminum that's about to get more expensive.

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In a move that's sending ripples through the Treasury Department, trump's latest cost-cutting crusade has set its sights on the humblest coin in your pocket, the penny.

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Late Sunday night, after catching the first half of the Super Bowl, the president dropped a truth social bombshell, announcing he's instructing the Treasury to halt penny production entirely.

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And when you look at the numbers, you can see why it turns out.

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We're literally throwing money away with every penny we mint.

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According to the Department of Government Efficiency, and backed by none other than Elon Musk himself, each penny costs taxpayers more than three cents to manufacture.

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That's right.

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We're spending three cents to make one cent.

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In fiscal year 2023 alone, this tiny coin cost American taxpayers a staggering $179 million.

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Here's a mind-bending stat for you.

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The mint churned out over 4.5 billion pennies last year, making up about 40% of all coins produced for circulation.

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Each one of these little zinc and copper pieces cost about 3.07 cents to produce in 2024.

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Talk about throwing good money after bad.

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Now, this isn't the first time someone's tried to give the penny the boot.

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Back in 1990, representative Jim Colby tried to eliminate pennies from all transactions, suggesting we round everything to the nearest nickel.

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Even the late Senator John McCain took a swing at it, proposing a decade-long pause on penny production to study the effects.

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Both attempts fell flat, but public opinion might finally be catching up.

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A recent poll showed 58% of voters are ready to say goodbye to the copper coin.

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With Trump's new administration teaming up with Elon Musk to hunt down government waste, it looks like the pennies' days might finally be numbered.

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As Trump puts it, they're ready to rip the waste out of the nation's budget, even if it's just a penny at a time.

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And there you have it, folks.

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Another wild day in American politics.

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We've covered the federal court putting the brakes on those controversial Guantanamo deportations, trump's latest trade shakeup with those hefty steel and aluminum tariffs and the potential farewell tour of our beloved penny.

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Just another day of the political circus that keeps us all on our toes.

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Keep up with all our latest updates and hot takes by following us on X at Ranting RP, and don't forget to check out RantingPoliticscom for deep dives into these stories and more.

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This is JOC signing off, and thank you, our loyal listeners, for choosing Ranting Politics Headline Updates.

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We'll be back soon with the updates you need to navigate these interesting times.

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Until then, stay tuned, stay informed and, as always, stay free.

Eagles Soar, GITMO Controversy Unfolds, Trump Steel Tariffs, PennyWise

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