Good morning and a happy Palm Sunday!

Tariffs, Tantrums, and the War on Universities: One Cup of Coffee Away from Collapse

The tariff war has officially entered its improv comedy phase. After slapping a headline-grabbing 145% tariff on Chinese goods, Trump apparently had second thoughts, at least when it came to the big names in Big Tech. Late Friday, buried in the U.S. Customs notice dump, came news of a sweeping exemption: smartphones, computer chips, and other electronics would not be subject to the new tariffs after all. Apple, Nvidia, and Microsoft breathed a collective sigh of relief, and so did the stock market.

Of course, Apple’s sigh might’ve been a little more smug than most. It’s worth remembering that Apple CEO Tim Cook donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, and now his company’s entire Chinese manufacturing pipeline has been spared. Just a coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe the art of the deal looks a lot like protecting your friends while the rest of the economy burns. For an administration supposedly dedicated to bringing jobs back to the U.S., it’s a curious carve-out. Then again, so is putting a real estate investor in charge of Middle East diplomacy, and here we are.

Meanwhile, up in Cambridge, Harvard University is suing the Trump administration for what it calls an “existential gun to the head.” The trigger? A not-so-veiled threat from Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who recently confused AI with A1 steak sauce, not once, but repeatedly, in public remarks. This is the same person now dangling $9 billion in federal research funding over Harvard’s head, demanding compliance with vague and undefined policies to combat antisemitism. The move comes just weeks after Columbia University was punished with a $400 million grant cut under similarly opaque pretenses.

The American Association of University Professors, co-plaintiff in the suit, isn’t buying it. They say this has little to do with protecting students and everything to do with ideological enforcement. When a cabinet secretary who can’t tell the difference between artificial intelligence and a barbecue condiment is threatening elite research institutions over their politics, it’s not just embarrassing, it’s authoritarianism with a bad marinade.

Down in North Carolina, the GOP’s judicial coup attempt ran face-first into a surprisingly principled wall. Republican judicial candidate Jefferson Griffin tried to overturn the election of Allison Riggs by tossing out over 60,000 legally cast ballots. His argument? Technical errors, missing ID numbers, paperwork details that would’ve invalidated the votes of military members, overseas residents, and voters from Democratic-leaning districts. But in a move no one saw coming, four Republicans on the North Carolina Supreme Court sided with Riggs and the voters. Griffin’s attempted heist was blocked. At least that part of the coup failed.

But not all of it. In the same decision, the court ruled that military and overseas voters now have just 30 days to “cure” their ballots by submitting additional ID, or lose their votes entirely. Justice Riggs, whose father served in the military for 30 years, called it what it is: an unacceptable betrayal. One dissenting justice didn’t mince words either. “Some would call it stealing the election. Others might call it a bloodless coup,” he wrote. Either way, it’s a chilling reminder that even the victories come wrapped in compromise.

And speaking of compromise, let’s talk about Palm Sunday. That’s when Russia launched two ballistic missiles at the center of Sumy, killing 31 civilians, including two children, and injuring 84 more. The attack targeted homes, schools, vehicles, and, according to reports, the regional Human Rights Protection Center, which was completely destroyed. Ukrainian officials said it wasn’t just another strike, it was an intentional massacre timed for a religious holiday. Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister confirmed that Kyiv had agreed to a full ceasefire back in March. Russia never did. Instead, they escalated.

The timing is especially grim. The strike came just after Trump’s hand-picked envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss a “peace framework.” If that sounds familiar, it's because this is the second time such a pattern has emerged: diplomacy, followed by civilian death. Ukrainian intelligence officials say Russia uses these meetings as cover—strategic distractions to lull the West while they commit more atrocities. Lavrov, meanwhile, praised Trump for understanding the conflict better than any other Western leader, singling out his disdain for NATO. It’s the kind of backhanded compliment you get when your foreign policy is indistinguishable from the invader’s.

And in a moment of farce that could only belong to this administration, Trump accidentally dialed H.R. McMaster, his former national security adviser, instead of South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. Realizing his mistake, Trump reportedly unleashed a furious verbal tirade before hanging up. The irony is rich: the man who can’t even manage his contact list is currently overseeing covert messaging surveillance, Signal leaks, and retaliatory prosecutions. Signal-gate meets speed-dial meltdown. You can’t script this stuff, but if you could, HBO would probably pass on it for being too on the nose.

We end this morning on a note of courage. In Boise, Idaho, Mayor Lauren McLean is refusing to take down the pride flag, despite the state’s new HB 96 law banning it from flying on government property. The law, which restricts flags to a short list, including the U.S. flag, state flags, and tribal symbols, has no enforcement mechanism. And McLean, to her credit, isn’t budging. City officials say the flag will stay up. "We are proud to show every member of our community that they are welcome, seen, and supported." In a week defined by chaos, capitulation, and cruelty, that kind of quiet defiance is worth holding onto.

Stay loud. Stay grounded. And stay ready.