SHOW NOTES

Filling in for Jamie Allman on NewsTalk STL 101.9/94.1 FM St. Louis, MO. Listen live from Noon-2pm CST today.

Paul Curtman

Apr 25, 2025

Click HERE to Listen Live today from Noon-2pm on NewsTalkSTL.com.

HOUR 1

TARRIFS
1. Supply Shortages Loom as U.S. Shipments from China Plummet
  The rate to ship a 40-foot container between Shanghai and Los Angeles has halved, according to data from Bloomberg, implying little demand for the critical shipping route. Trucking company Knight-Swift Transportation said in its first-quarter earnings call Wednesday it wouldn’t give guidance for the third quarter, citing trade policy uncertainty.
  The slowdown in shipping from China may also reflect companies’ rush to bring goods into the U.S. ahead of tariffs. Several regional Federal Reserve Banks this week reported strong cargo activity in March and early April as companies stocked up on inventory ahead of the tariffs. That may lessen the blow of tariffs on consumers.
2. Americans are still dreading a recession and rising inflation due to Trump’s tariffs | CNN Business
3. CLIP 1 - 44 sec: National Economic Council Chairman Kevin Hassett: "President Trump recognizes, as we all do, that we're going to get a lot of tariff revenue and it's going to help us balance the budget."
TRUMP RUSSIA
1. Trump schools reporter who asks about more pressure on Russia * WorldNetDaily * by Nicole Silverio, Daily Caller News Foundation
  1. Trump tells interviewer Crimea ‘will stay with Russia’ in any Ukraine peace deal
    Russia has long maintained strategic naval bases in Crimea, especially Sevastopol.
  2. In 2014, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea following Ukraine's political unrest.
  3. A controversial referendum claimed most Crimeans voted to join Russia.
  4. The U.S. and most of the world consider the annexation illegal.
  5. Ukraine and the UN still recognize Crimea as Ukrainian territory.
  6. Russia views Crimea as vital for its military and geopolitical interests.
  7. Zelenskyy demands full Ukrainian control over all occupied territories, including Crimea.
2. CLIP 2 - 1:30 sec: Trump: “All wars are horrible. This one is in particular bad, and I don’t know that you can ever say there’s going to be a winner to this because so many lives have been lost.”
DEMOCRAT PARTY IMPLOSION

HOUR 3

EXECUTIVE ORDERS
1. Trump targets college accreditation process in new executive order | CNN Politics
2. CLIP 5 - 2:22 sec: Force accreditation to be focused on merit rather than woke quotas. Trump asks if this will solve the problem of universities allowing people into schools who cannot do math and excluding those who worked hard to make it.
3. CLIP 6 - 35 sec: Trump signs an executive order that will force universities to disclose foreign gifts
  1. Lack of Transparency and Reporting: Under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, U.S. colleges and universities are required to disclose foreign gifts and contracts exceeding $250,000. However, investigations have revealed that many institutions failed to comply, with the Department of Education uncovering approximately $6.5 billion in previously unreported foreign funds between 2019 and 2021 .
  2. National Security Concerns: The influx of foreign funds, especially from countries like China and Qatar, has raised alarms about potential threats to national security. Officials argue that undisclosed foreign funding could compromise research integrity and intellectual property, and influence academic teachings on sensitive topics .
  3. Influence on Academic Freedom: There are concerns that substantial foreign donations may lead to self-censorship or biased academic programs that align with the donors' interests. For instance, Georgetown University received a $20 million gift from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, leading to the establishment of a center that some allege promotes a specific narrative favorable to the Saudi government
    1. Notable Foreign Gifts Causing Controversy
      - Harvard University: The Department of Education has requested detailed records from Harvard regarding foreign funding and affiliations dating back a decade, citing concerns over incomplete disclosures between 2014 and 2019 .
      - Yale University: Investigations revealed that Yale may not have reported at least $375 million in foreign gifts and contracts over four years .
      - Georgetown University: Received improperly disclosed gifts and contracts from Chinese, Saudi Arabian, and Qatari entities. The $20 million donation from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to establish the Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding has been particularly scrutinized .
      - Northwestern University: Established a branch campus in Qatar (NU-Q) and reportedly received over $600 million from Qatar since 2007. Such substantial funding has raised questions about the influence of Qatari interests on academic content and freedom .
TULSI GABBARD DISCUSSES REFORM
1. CLIP 7 - 2:21 sec: Tulsi Gabbard: Signal has been widely used in the previous administration and this is a distraction. "In the last administration, they were told to spend half their day on DEI work."
2. DNI releases secret Biden plan raising serious civil liberties concerns * WorldNetDaily * by John R. Lott Jr., Real Clear Wire
MISSOURI REINS ACT
1. Missouri is considering the REINS Act—short for Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny—through House Bill 664 and Senate Bill 350. This legislation aims to enhance legislative oversight of state agency regulations, particularly those with significant economic impacts.
  What the Missouri REINS Act Proposes
  The Missouri REINS Act would require that any proposed state agency regulation resulting in either:
  - An expenditure of public funds exceeding $250,000, or
  - A reduction in state revenue exceeding $250,000Missouri Senate
  must receive approval from the Missouri General Assembly before taking effect. This measure is designed to ensure that substantial regulatory decisions undergo scrutiny by elected representatives, thereby promoting accountability and transparency in the rulemaking process.
2. The Congressional Review Act (CRA), enacted in 1996, was designed to provide Congress with a mechanism to oversee and potentially overturn federal regulations issued by executive agencies.
  1. A 2024 study by the Institute for Policy Integrity identified 1,870 major rules issued between 1996 and the end of the Trump administration .Institute for Policy Integrity
  2. Annually, the number of major rules has varied. For instance, between 1997 and 2012, the count ranged from 50 to 100 major rules per year .
  - As of April 2025, Congress has successfully overturned 23 rules under the CRA .
  - This indicates that over 1,800 major rules have taken effect without being nullified through the CRA process.