Donald Trump has signed an executive order to maintain “acceptable pressure in showerheads” and combat “the Obama-Biden war on showers.”
The Wednesday order takes aim at Biden-era regulation that restricts the number of gallons of water per minute that come through the hardware, as well as other appliances.
“I like to take a nice shower, take care of my beautiful hair,” Trump told reporters. “I have to stand in the shower for 15 minutes until it gets wet. Comes out drip, drip, drip. It’s ridiculous.”
This comes after the president urged the world to “be cool” on Wednesday as his sweeping import taxes took effect, crashing global markets and sending shockwaves through the U.S. economy.
Minutes after trading began on Wall Street, he declared: “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!”
But hours later, the president performed an extraordinary U-turn, pausing and reducing tariffs on most nations for 90 days while increasing levies on imports from China.
Markets surged. White House officials – who just one day earlier said Trump would never back down – claimed “this was his strategy all along” and “the art of the deal” at work.
Social media exploded with accusations that the president had orchestrated a reverse “pump and dump” scheme.
Key Points
- Trump plans to fix showerheads and dishwashers so everything gets more clean — including his ‘beautiful hair’
- ‘More great days coming’ Trump promises after dramatically changing course on tariffs with 90-day pause
- Trump accused of ‘market manipulation’ with tariff pause
- EU pauses tariff retaliation for 90 days ‘to give negotiations a change’
- Financial markets rebound in relief
- Schumer denounces ‘government by chaos’ as trade advisers scramble to defend policy disaster
Press pool told to stand down after S&P 500 loses five percent
17:18
,
Gustaf Kilander
At the White House, the press pool was waiting to enter the Cabinet Room to hear from @realDonaldTrump and his cabinet.
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) April 10, 2025
Moments after @AP sent this alert out, the pool was told to stand down for the time being. https://t.co/AohLu5vymI
Trump plans to fix showerheads and dishwashers so everything gets more clean — including his ‘beautiful hair’
17:15
,
Gustaf Kilander
Julia Musto writes:
President Donald Trump is working to make showerheads great again.
He signed an executive order on Wednesday that would maintain “acceptable pressure in showerheads” and combat “the Obama-Biden war on showers.” The order targets Biden-era regulation that restricts the number of gallons of water per minute that flow through the hardware and other appliances.
“I like to take a nice shower, take care of my beautiful hair,” the president told reporters, in the midst of tariff-induced global upheaval in the markets. “I have to stand in the shower for 15 minutes until it gets wet. Comes out drip, drip, drip. It’s ridiculous.”
“What you do is you end up washing your hands five times longer, so it’s the same water,’' he added. “And we’re going to open it up so that people can live.”
Read more:
Trump targets Dominion lawyers on same day judge finds Newsmax defamed voting software company
17:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Justin Baragona writes:
On the same day a Delaware judge ruled that MAGA cable channel Newsmax had made false and defamatory statements about Dominion Voting Systems following the 2020 election, President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting the law firm representing the voting software firm.
Having already helped Dominion grab a landmark $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over its election lies, Susman Godfrey is just the latest firm singled out for punishment by the president for assisting or employing Trump’s political rivals.
Read more:
Live: Trump holds cabinet meeting after 90-day pause on tariffs
16:55
,
Gustaf Kilander
Trump considers Turkey visit as part of Middle East trip
16:54
,
Gustaf Kilander
New: Trump is considering visiting Turkey as part of his Middle East trip next month, after making stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar & the UAE, a senior WH official & two sources familiar with the planning tell @MarquardtA
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) April 10, 2025
& me
The sources cautioned no final decision has been made
House passes SAVE Act
16:45
,
Alex Woodward
The House just passed the SAVE Act, which would require voters to show a birth certificate, passport, or another document that proves their citizenship when they register (or change their registration) to vote.
Its fate in the Senate is unclear, though unlikely to pass.
Michael Waldman, the president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law said in a statement: “The House has just passed one of the worst pieces of voting legislation in American history. The Senate must stop it. The SAVE Act would put voting out of reach for millions of American citizens. It should not become law.”
Here’s our story about the bill and what it means:
Kathleen Sgamma withdraws from consideration to be the director of the Bureau of Land Management
16:35
,
Gustaf Kilander
Sen. Mike Lee: "I've been informed this morning that Ms. Kathleen Sgamma has withdrawn her consideration to be the director of the Bureau of Land Management at the Department of Interior."
— Kathryn Watson (@kathrynw5) April 10, 2025
Lee says he was informed by the White House.
RFK Jr’s MAHA followers turn on him after he endorses measles vaccine
16:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing pushback from his Make America Healthy Again fans after endorsing the measles vaccine as “the most effective way to prevent the spread.”
Kennedy, known for his long history of making anti-vaccine statements, endorsed the MMR vaccine after visiting Texas, where a second child died from complications related to measles.
“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” he wrote on X.
Ariana Baio has more:
Judge denies Trump’s attempt to dismiss Central Park Five's defamation claim
16:24
,
Alex Woodward
A judge has denied Trump’s attempt to dismiss the Central Park Five's defamation claim against him after he falsely accused them of murder during his debate with Kamala Harris.
“The broadcast was liable for its defamatory publication. … Here, Plaintiffs were not just in the process of being exonerated, their name had been cleared for over twenty years, so Defendant cannot argue that stating that they pleaded guilty to crimes is substantially true, when the truth is that Plaintiffs are not guilty at all of those crimes,” the judge wrote.
The judge’s ruling dismissed some of the arguments from the plaintiffs, but it kept the suit alive so they could amend their complaint.
House passes budget resolution
16:19
,
Gustaf Kilander
The House has passed a budget resolution in a win for Trump and his agenda.
The reconciliation process can now begin, as the Republicans attempt to craft a package with $1.5 trillion in cuts.
The resolution passed by a vote of 216 to 214, with Reps. Thomas Massie and Victoria Spartz joining all Democrats in voting no.
White House official: Tariffs on China now at 145 percent
16:08
,
Gustaf Kilander
Just broke on CNBC: A WH official confirms to me the new tariff against China this term now totals **145%**, not 125% as the President said yesterday.
— Megan Cassella (@mmcassella) April 10, 2025
The EO spells out the “reciprocal” rate jumped from 84% to 125% overnight. Combined with the 20% fentanyl tariff, we’re at 145%
Trump has flirted with a third term - but most Americans don’t want to see him run
16:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Kelly Rissman writes:
President Donald Trump has been musing about running for a third term — a Constitutionally challenging feat that very few Americans want him to pursue, according to a new poll.
The 22nd Amendment prohibits anyone from being elected to office more than two terms, but Trump has floated the idea of running again in 2028 and insisted he’s “not joking” about it.
More than half — 52 percent — of Americans expect Trump will try to serve a third term, but only 17 percent think he should make that attempt, a new Economist/YouGov poll shows. Over two-thirds of those who believe he will attempt to run again — 70 percent — are Democrats compared to 34 percent of Republicans.
Read more:
‘The damage is done’: Why the risk of global recession remains despite Trump’s tariff pause
15:30
,
Joe Sommerlad
Economic experts have told The Independent the risk of a global recession remains despite the 90-day delay in Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff increases.
Pau S Pujolas, who wrote a study that was cited by the Trump administration to justify the tariff hikes, says the president’s “recklessness” means it may be too little, too late.
“Yes, the damage is done,” he said.
“Global value chains are suffering with all the recklessness, uncertainty is a good friend of recession.
“This is not a serious way to manage an economy. Firms and households need clear, predictable policies to take the right decisions and make the economy blossom.”
Rachel Clun has more.
US stock markets tumble as reality bites
15:15
,
Joe Sommerlad
The Dow Jones, after rising nearly 3,000 points on Wednesday in response to widespread relief over Trump’s decision to pause his tariff regime for 90 days, has fallen back down this morning by almost 930 points, or 2.29 percent.
WEEEEEEE! pic.twitter.com/Ggu4k1wBuP
— Eric Michael Garcia (@EricMGarcia) April 10, 2025
The S&P 500 has meanwhile dropped 2.6 percent and the Nasdaq Composite dived 3.1 percent.
The former is coming off its best day since 2008 while the latter posted its second-best daily gains in history yesterday.
In better news, U.S. inflation is also down, although that comes with a big caveat: the data for March provides a snapshot of a period before fears over Trump’s tariffs rocked Wall Street.
Here’s Kelly Rissman’s report on the Consumer Price Index.
What is market manipulation? ‘Pump and dump’ explained after Trump’s tariff U-turn
15:00
,
Joe Sommerlad
Stock markets around the world nosedived on Monday after traders, businesses and economies reacted to Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement of higher tariffs on nearly every U.S. trading partner.
By Tuesday, trillions had been wiped from the value of global stock markets in response. Trump initially stuck to his guns, saying: “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” less than 10 minutes after the opening bell rang on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday.
But within a few hours he reversed course, announcing there would be a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs for 75 countries because people were getting “a little bit afraid”.
After that dramatic pivot, stock markets rebounded.
And it didn’t take long for social media to erupt with accusations that the president had played a reverse “pump and dump” scheme with the American economy, while Democrats like Adam Schiff accused him of market manipulation.
BREAKING: I’m demanding answers from the White House and Office of Government Ethics about whether anyone in the Trump family or administration profited off of this tariff chaos through insider trading: pic.twitter.com/GkGl4XZ7NO
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) April 10, 2025
So what exactly does that mean and why is it considered a serious act?
Rachel Clun explains.
Trump insists ‘big, beautiful bill’ back on track and announces end to Sanctuary Cities
14:45
,
Joe Sommerlad
House Speaker Mike Johnson is going to have another crack at passing his Republican budget resolution, acting as the vessel for major parts of Trump’s agenda, later this morning and has been saying during a press conference just now that he believes he has everybody onside.
Johnson with Thune: “Our first big, beautiful reconciliation package here involves a number of commitments, and one of those is that we are committed to finding at least $1.5T in savings for the American people while also preserving our essential programs."
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) April 10, 2025
Keen for some good news to change the subject from tariffs, Trump has meanwhile been cheerleading the development on Truth Social.
Great News! "The Big, Beautiful Bill" is coming along really well. Republicans are working together nicely. Biggest Tax Cuts in USA History!!! Getting close. DJT
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) April 10, 2025
No more Sanctuary Cities! They protect the Criminals, not the Victims. They are disgracing our Country, and are being mocked all over the World. Working on papers to withhold all Federal Funding for any City or State that allows these Death Traps to exist!!!
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) April 10, 2025
In pictures: NYSE traders much happier after Trump tariff pause
14:30
,
Joe Sommerlad
As the New York Stock Exchange reopens for business this morning, let’s check in with the traders.
These boys normally only make the press when the markets are in meltdown but they’ve rarely looked cheerier than they do here.
Note the Santa hat Trump mascot.
Trump touted his coal production order but environmentalists say it will harm Americans’ health and wallets
14:15
,
Joe Sommerlad
The president signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at ramping up American coal production but environmental advocates say it will hurt Americans’ wallets as well as Mother Nature.
The president said the move would revive an industry “that was abandoned despite the fact that it was the best, certainly the best in terms of power, real power.”
“I call it beautiful, clean coal,” he said. “We’re ending Joe Biden’s war on beautiful, clean coal, once and for all.”
But environmentalists say increased coal-fired plants would harm Americans – and that the president’s terminology is egregiously inaccurate.
Julia Musto reports.
Trump’s tariff pause won’t help these small businesses that are already hurting
13:55
,
Joe Sommerlad
A tattoo equipment supplier in Pennsylvania is worried they won’t make it to summer.
A three-person team making optical scanners in San Diego saw their bills double overnight.
A coffee shop in New Orleans may be forced to raise its prices.
Here’s Richard Hall on the American businesses not helped by Trump’s tariff walkback because they rely on goods from China.
Billionaire Trump backer mercilessly teased after hailing president’s ‘Art of the Deal’ tariffs climbdown
13:35
,
Joe Sommerlad
Although the president did eventually take up the 90-day tariff pause proposed by hedge fund manager Bill Ackman in his impassioned X post, the financier is now facing ridicule for his toadying reaction.
Trump tech bros have lost a whopping $80 billion in net worth since ‘Liberation Day’
13:15
,
Joe Sommerlad
The same Big Tech CEOs who stood in the crowd and cheered as Donald Trump was inaugurated in January have lost a combined $80 billion in net worths since he announced sweeping tariffs on nearly every one of the U.S.’s trading partners last week.
Between “Liberation Day” on April 2 and Wednesday, April 9, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla CEO Elon Musk have seen their net worth plunge, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index.
‘We need to make more stuff in America’: Potential Democratic candidate for 2028 strikes different tone on tariffs
12:55
,
Joe Sommerlad
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was in the Oval Office yesterday and broke with many of her colleagues when she described the president’s volatile tariffs favorably as the sort of “blunt tool” necessary to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.
Seemingly joining her California counterpart Gavin Newsom in making an early play for future conservative votes, Whitmer’s comments drew praise from Trump, who may have been as surprised by them as anyone.
‘This was the plan’: Fox News hosts unashamedly celebrate Trump backing down on tariffs
12:35
,
Joe Sommerlad
Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters and Jeanine Pirro were among the conservative network’s hosts claiming last night that the president’s 90-day tariff freeze was a brilliant masterstroke and not a desperate rowback.
Watch: Republican senator admits he doesn’t know Trump’s ‘endgame’
12:15
,
Joe Sommerlad
Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, normally a MAGA stalwart, confesses that the president has lost him on this one.
Kash Patel replaced as interim head of the ATF by secretary of the Army
11:55
,
Joe Sommerlad
The Trump administration has abruptly replaced FBI Director Kash Patel as acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll has been named interim head of ATF while continuing to lead the Army, a person familiar with the matter told The Independent.
It’s an unusual dual position that Patel was similarly in when he was tapped to lead both the FBI and ATF in February.
Here’s Ariana Baio with more on the thinking behind the move and on Driscoll.
Breaking: EU pauses tariff retaliation for 90 days ‘to give negotiations a change’
11:51
,
Joe Sommerlad
The European Union (EU) has just announced it will put its own countermeasures against Donald Trump's tariffs on hold for three months “to give negotiations a chance”.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on X: “We took note of the announcement by President Trump. We want to give negotiations a chance.
“While finalising the adoption of the EU countermeasures that saw strong support from our member states, we will put them on hold for 90 days.”
We took note of the announcement by President Trump.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 10, 2025
We want to give negotiations a chance.
While finalising the adoption of the EU countermeasures that saw strong support from our Member States, we will put them on hold for 90 days.
If negotiations are not satisfactory, our…
Voices: MAGA is in meltdown – but the adolescent bad-mouthing has to stop
11:35
,
Joe Sommerlad
Here’s Sean O’Grady’s take on Musk’s spat with the aforementioned Peter Navarro this week as the tariff tension boiled over into public view.
Elon Musk’s DOGE ‘auditors’ set to be audited by federal Government Accountability Office
11:15
,
Joe Sommerlad
The tech billionaire’s controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked by Trump with stripping back excess spending from the federal government, is reportedly being audited by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The GAO – a non-partisan, independent agency that works for Congress – has been investigating DOGE since last month, according to sources and records reviewed by Wired.
The audit is understood to be specifically targeting DOGE’s access to and use of sensitive government data.
Mary Papenfuss reports.
Trump accidentally phoned former official HR McMaster – then abused him when he realized who was on the line
10:55
,
Joe Sommerlad
These billionaires were firmly behind Trump and Republicans – until the tariffs were announced
10:35
,
Joe Sommerlad
The likes of Elon Musk, Jamie Dimon and Bill Ackman have all had to eat their words this week after previously expressing confidence in the president’s plans for the economy.
Here’s Mike Bedigan.
House Republicans scuttle MAGA budget vote after Mike Johnson fails to win over holdouts
10:15
,
Joe Sommerlad
In amongst all the excitement yesterday, the House speaker backed down and canceled plans to vote on a Republican budget resolution acting as the vessel for major parts of Trump’s agenda.
The Republican had set up votes Wednesday on a budget resolution authored by his peers in the Senate as the GOP moves on to the next step of the reconciliation process.
But Johnson, who can suffer just three defections among his caucus before a vote fails, is still reportedly facing more than a dozen likely or potential “no” votes from the GOP herd if the vote goes ahead.
A rule vote, the first hurdle for the legislation, did pass on Wednesday afternoon with the thinnest of margins, 216-215.
But it became clear after Johnson and House leadership left open a preceding vote for more than an hour that he and his Republican colleagues did not have the votes to advance the Senate framework.
Here’s John Bowden on what the speaker had to say for himself and what happens next.
Reaction: Schumer denounces ‘government by chaos’ as trade advisers scramble to defend policy disaster
09:55
,
Joe Sommerlad
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer attempted to speak for all of Planet Earth yesterday as he reacted with withering exasperation to Trump’s inevitable rowback in the face of intensifying market pressure.
"He keeps changing things from day to day ... You cannot run a country with such chaos, with such unpredictability."
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 9, 2025
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Pres. Trump lowered reciprocal tariffs for 90 days because he is "feeling the heat." https://t.co/4Ach4lCh98 pic.twitter.com/VLsjkMdIZZ
The president’s economic advisers Peter Navarro and Howard Lutnick, two of the key faces of the tariff debacle, were meanwhile forced to face the music, insisting that the “golden age” Liberation Day was supposed to welcome is still happening, just not right now.
“You can feel it,” Lutnick insisted.
Peter Navarro: "This is one of the greatest days in American economic history." pic.twitter.com/dHhG74NkIT
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 9, 2025
Lutnick: "We have so many countries who want to do deals with us. It's just not possible to talk with all over 75 companies -- uh, countries, sorry." pic.twitter.com/QU0qGIne6Y
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 9, 2025
