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- Salty Ginger Talk Newsletter
US retailers meet with Trump administration to talk tariffs , business climate
Our take: There is little doubt that President Trump’s tariff war with most of the world has roiled markets. Kudos to him for not kowtowing to Wall Street and doing what he thinks is best for the country. Whether he is right or not is both up for serious debate and remains to be seen.
That said, a good leader will seek out the perspective of other smart people, even when they may disagree. It appears the president did just that with some of the biggest retail businesses in the country.
Retailers have been some of the hardest hit by Trump’s trade policies, particularly due to their reliance on global supply chains. The White House has not issued an official statement on what was discussed, but representatives from several participating companies described the meeting as constructive.
A spokesperson for Target confirmed that the company had a “productive meeting” with the US president and reiterated that the company would maintain value for American consumers. Walmart and Home Depot also gave the same sentiments and promised to continue the conversation with the administration.
The Trump administration’s tariffs have affected several goods retailers sell in their stores, including metals, electronics, clothing, and household furnishings. Executives say the pause-play-pause import levies from Trump have made it difficult to manage inventory and set pricing strategies.
Walmart, for instance, has said it sources roughly two-thirds of its merchandise domestically but still relies on imports for specific product segments. The company is taking steps to contain costs and adjust to potential price fluctuations.
This is a great approach by all involved. The government's primary role in the economy is to create a business-friendly environment that encourages growth and capital investment. The tariffs make that difficult for many companies, retailers in particular. Getting the leadership from all parties together and getting all perspectives is a great approach, and we are happy to see all parties working together to try and make the best decisions for the country and the economy.
COURTESY: MSN
Senator Warren claims she has not seen any decline in Biden in 2024
Our take: We make no bones about the fact that we are not fans of Elizabeth Warren. She is the worst kind of poser in our view. She is smart and has spent most of her adult life living in the rarified air of Ivy League institutions and the U.S. Senate, but tries to act like she is a commoner. We enjoy when she gets called out on her hypocrisy, which happened recently on a podcast.
Warren was pressed about her past comments in an interview on the “Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso” podcast, where the host asked the Democratic senator if she had any “regret” over defending Biden’s mental ability.
“I said what I believed to be true,” Warren said in the interview released Sunday.
“You think he was as sharp as you? ” Fragoso responded.
“I said I had not seen decline, and I hadn’t, at that point,” the Massachusetts Democrat replied.
“You did not see any decline from 2024 Joe Biden to 2021 Joe Biden? ” Fragoso questioned.
“Not when I said that, you know, the thing is, he — look, he was sharp, he was on his feet. I saw him live at the event. I had meetings with him a couple of times,“ she responded.
“Senator, ‘on his feet’ is not praise,” Fragoso shot back. “‘He can speak in sentences’ is not praise.”
“All right, fair enough, fair enough,” Warren responded.
The transcript does not do justice to what a good job the podcast host did in calmly confronting Warren on her past statements. Anyone who has an aging friend or relative that saw President Biden on television for a few seconds could see the obvious signs of mental decline. Yet those closest to him, such as Senator Warren, lied to the American public for years.
They claimed Biden was fine and had never been better, while at the same time those closest to him were making plans on what to do if he died in office. While this is not the first time someone other than the president has been calling the shots (see Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan if you need a refresher), it has been wrong in every instance.
We are glad there is at least some public acknowledgement being forced by people who could see the truth and refuse to just gloss over it.
COURTESY: MSN
Idaho woman forcibly dragged out of meeting sues for $5 million
Our take: Freedom of speech is one of the bedrock principles the United States has been built on. It is in the First Amendment instead of the 5th or 6th Amendment for a reason. That said, it is important to note that the freedom of speech in the constitution is specific to the government, not private entities.
Hundreds of thousands of businesses restrict speech regularly, which is their right, especially when one is actually at work or representing the company in an official capacity. Things get murky when a company takes action against a person who exercises their freedom of speech on their own time away from work or when you attend an event sponsored by a private group.
That is the case for this story. An Idaho woman attended an event sponsored and held by the Republican Central Committee. At the meeting, she yelled and interrupted the event and was asked to leave. When she refused to leave, she was physically removed by “security,” which was really a group of men who appointed themselves as such at this event.
Police reports indicate Teresa Borrenpohl had yelled out at an event hosted by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee at the Coeur d'Alene High School several times before she was approached and asked to leave. She told the Idaho Capital Sun she was expressing displeasure at the meeting and "screamed," admittedly "out of turn," right before the incident occurred.
On April 21, Borrenpohl filed a notice of a tort claim seeking $5 million in damages against several people involved in the incident.
“Town halls are intended to foster conversation and discourse across the aisle, which is why I am deeply alarmed that private security dragged me out of the public meeting for simply exercising my fundamental right of free speech,” Borrenpohl said in a statement announcing the claim.
A police report outlines a video of an interaction at the center of the charges, taken by Laura Tenneson. Here's what the detective reported seeing:
A man approaches Boorenpohl, who was sitting several seats into a row of the auditorium, asking her to "get up or be arrested." Although the video shows he is wearing jeans, a black jacket, and a cap, the report identified him as Sheriff Bob Norris of Kootenai County, where Coeur d’Alene is located. (The sheriff's office did not comment on Norris' actions but confirmed with USA TODAY that there were no other personnel present at the event.)
There are 2 things to note here from our perspective. First, bad call by the sheriff from our perspective. Unless he was specifically appointed as security for the event, it seems like a bad idea to proclaim himself as such and then physically confront a woman at the event who was being disruptive but, by all accounts, non-violent.
Second, we are not sure that “freedom of speech” applies to this situation. If this event was specifically sponsored and hosted by a government entity, there is no doubt she would be correct. It does not appear that is the case.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. We would suggest to all parties involved that some type of settlement is a far better pursuit than going to the mat and taking this all the way to a trial. Trials rarely result in clear winners, only losers on both sides and attorneys who make money from the entire spectacle.
COURTESY: THE NEW YORK TIMES
Tip of the day: Professional development will help you feel connected to your career and grow as a professional. Listen to advice from your boss, but be the leader of your own path. Focus on where you want to be, rather than where you are now. Take steps each day that advance you toward your goal.
Quote of the day: “Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.” - Will Rogers