Trump admin probes imports of computer chips, pharmaceuticals

Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli. It's Tuesday, April 15th, 2025, and these are your unbiased updates

Tariff talk turns to computer chips, the review that is now taking place

and the push to see if America can handle the workload despite all of the foreign manufacturing

And saying it will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights

Harvard University decides to forego more than $2 billion in federal funding

The decision by the Ivy League school when it comes to on-campus protests and activism

From the Straight Arrow News Studio, bringing the stories that matter to you

from across the United States and around the world. These are today's unbiased updates

The Trump administration is taking the next steps toward imposing more tariffs on key items

by launching investigations into imports of computer chips, chip-making equipment, as well as pharmaceuticals. In notices posted to the Federal Register late Monday

the Commerce Department said it's investigating how imports of computer chips, equipment to make

them, and products that contain them, which include many daily necessities such as cars

refrigerators, and smartphones, affect national security. Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act

of 1962 permits the president to order tariffs for the sake of national security. Although

While President Trump paused most of his biggest tariff increases last week for 90 days

excluding imports from China, he has said he still plans on imposing tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs

lumber, copper and computer chips. The Commerce Department's investigation is to assess whether the United States can meet its own demand

for computer chips and the role of foreign manufacturing, assembly, testing and packaging in meeting those needs

Meantime, Trump's top economic advisor said Monday the U.S. is close to deals with more than 10 trading partners over the current tariffs that are on hold

And the president himself suggested he might temporarily exempt the auto industry from tariffs he previously imposed to give carmakers time to overhaul their complex supply chains

saying they need a little bit of time to relocate production from Canada, Mexico and other parts of the world to the United States

The Trump administration is making it clear a Maryland man who was deported due to an administrative error will not be brought back to the United States by the U.S. government

As President Trump met with the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, in the Oval Office on Monday

Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said the decision to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not in the United States' hands

No version of this legally ends up with him ever living here because he is a citizen of El Salvador

That is the president of El Salvador. Your questions about it per the court can only be directed to him

Miller also contends that Braygo Garcia lost his deportation protection when President Trump designated the MS-13 gang a terrorist organization

The man's family has denied administration claims that Garcia has ties to the gang

There is still a chance Abrego Garcia could be returned to the U.S

But as Straight Arrow News reporter Kara Rucker explains, El Salvador's president is nixing the idea

In a meeting with President Trump on Monday, El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele

said it was preposterous to think his country could send back a Maryland man who was wrongly deported by the Trump administration labeling Kilmar Abrego Garcia a terrorist and saying he has no authority

to return him to the United States. Take a listen. Do you plan to return him? Well, I'm

supposed to suggest that I smuggle a terrorist into the United States, right? How can I smuggle

How can I return him to the United States? I smuggle him into the United States? Of course

I'm not going to do it. It's like, I mean, the question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a

terrorist into the United States? I don't have the power to return him to the United States

Trump directed reporters with questions to Attorney General Pam Bondi, who said this about Abrego Garcia's court-ordered return. First and foremost

he was illegally in our country. He had been illegally in our country. And in 2019

two courts, an immigration court and an appellate immigration court, ruled that he was a member of MS-13 and he was illegally in our country

Right now, it was a paperwork, it was additional paperwork that needed to be done

That's up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That's not up to us

Bondi called the incident an international and foreign affairs matter and says the U.S. would facilitate Abrego Garcia's return if El Salvador decides to send him back

by providing a plane. Justices Elena Kagan and Kentonji Brown-Jackson wrote a statement in

reference to the affirmation, writing, the government's argument, moreover, implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person, including U.S. citizens, without legal consequence

so long as it does so before a court can intervene. Immigrant advocacy group CASA gave a statement about the case

saying they are outraged by the unlawful deportation, describing Abrego Garcia as, quote

an excellent father of three children and arguing the defiance of the court order from the federal government puts his life in danger

The Trump administration reported Abrego Garcia is alive and detained in El Salvador

That was our Kara Rucker reporting. Abrego Garcia's attorneys told ABC News they will be asking a judge to hold members of the Trump administration

in contempt for defying the judge's order to facilitate his return, saying that may be the only way to get them to move quickly on this case

This morning, a reprieve for more than half a million migrants who entered the United States under the Biden administration

but were recently urged to self-deport by the Trump administration. A federal judge in Boston has blocked the Trump plan to terminate their legal status as of next Thursday

The migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela have legal protection known as immigration parole

Under the program, the Biden administration allowed the migrants to fly to the United States if they had a sponsor in the U.S

Once here, the government granted them immigration parole and allow them to work in the U.S. lawfully for two years

However, the new administration had said recently they would need to self-deport by April 24th or face arrest and deportation by federal agents

Judge Indira Talwani ruled those mass parole terminations could not happen without each case reviewed individually

Harvard University says it will not play ball with the Trump administration refusing to accept a proposed agreement to eliminate its DEI programs and screen international students for ideological concerns including anti That decision now costing the Ivy League school

billions of dollars in federal funding. Straight Arrow News reporter Lauren Keenan has details

In a memo to the public, Harvard's president, Dr. Alan Garber, said late Friday the Trump

administration expanded its list of demands for schools if they want to maintain their financial

relationship with the federal government. Garber says the federal government is not interested in

working with Harvard to address anti-Semitism in a cooperative and constructive manner

adding that some of the government's demands are aimed at combating anti-Semitism

The majority represent direct governmental regulation of the intellectual conditions at Harvard, Garber writes. The letter sent to Harvard from the General Services Administration

the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

details a list of changes the Ivy League College should make in principle in order to keep its

federal funding. The Trump administration last month said 60 schools were under investigation

for civil rights allegations, and Harvard was one of those universities. The provisions include

governance and leadership reforms, merit-based hiring practices, merit-based admissions, international admission reform, student discipline reform and accountability

discontinuing diversity, equity and inclusion, and auditing programs with egregious records of anti-Semitism or other bias

President Garber provided the letter in his memo and says the demands by the federal government

are to gain control over the Harvard community. The administration's prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government

It violates Harvard's First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government's authority under Title VI

And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production and dissemination of knowledge

No government, regardless of which party is in power, should dictate what private universities can teach

whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue, Garber writes

It's unclear what next steps the Trump administration will take. We have reached out to the Department of Education for comment

That was our Lauren Keenan reporting. The Trump administration has focused on colleges and universities as part of its crackdown on DEI programs and anti-Semitism on campuses nationwide

Earlier this year, it cut $400 billion in funding for Columbia University over its handling of the pro-Palestinian protests that erupted on campus and left many Jewish students in fear

as the war in Gaza took place in the Middle East, pitting Israel against Hamas

Colombia then acquiesced to many of the White House demands. And just last week, the White House said it halted more than $1 billion in federal funding

for Cornell University and roughly $790 million for Northwestern University. The Trump administration has ordered the National Institutes of Health to study

detransitioning among transgender individuals and any regret they may experience following gender-affirming care, according to an internal memo obtained by multiple outlets

The memo was sent out two weeks ago by then-acting director Matthew Mamoli. It reportedly instructs

the NIH to study the effects of, quote, social transition and or chemical and surgical mutilation

in children who transition with the White House specifically requesting research on regret and detransition in both children and adults who have undergone gender care which can be a range of social psychological and medical treatments

The memo also stated the research is very important to President Trump and Department

of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who are calling for NIH funding

announcements for the research within six months. Finally this morning, the WNBA is welcoming its

rookie class with the 2025 draft, getting a new injection of star power after last year saw a

surge in popularity for the league. But like anything else, there have been growing pains

Straight Arrow News Sports reporter Chris Francis has a look at some of this year's top draft picks

and the details on changes the league is making to ensure player safety. The WNBA is one month

from their 29th season and has a new crop of star players to bolster its popularity. Monday

the league's entry draft was held and like last season when Kaitlin Clark was the number one

overall pick, this year's top player is also no surprise. UConn's Paige Beckers, who led the

Huskies to an NCAA title just a week ago, is on her way to Dallas to revive a Wings franchise

that finished 9-31 last season. Another feather in the cap of the league. WNBA Commissioner

Kathy Engelbert talked about capitalizing on the growth Monday. The momentum from last year

has carried over in a big way fueled by obviously incredible fan engagement

rising TV viewership in a league stacked with extraordinary talent. But there are some things

the league has addressed in the offseason, namely players health and safety and the battle against

online hate and vitriol. Engelbert announced what she called a four pronged approach to those issues

and has set up a task force to make improvements. The four touch points include monitoring a player's social media

for negative comments and threats using artificial intelligence, better in-arena fan conduct standards

better security measures at league and player facilities, and dedicated mental health clinicians on call for players should they need them

I think there is just a continuing drain on all of us

on players, on staff, staff at our teams, I'm sure on all of you too

just continue an unaccountability for people who type things in social media

And our players are digital natives. They're in their 20s, young 20s. And then obviously more veteran players are 20s into 30s

and they take everything very hard, and it's a toll on them. Some of the youngest players were drafted Monday

After Beckers went number one overall, the Seattle Storm selected 19-year-old 6'6 center Dominique Malanga

from France at number two. The third and fourth picks were back-to-back from the Washington Mystics

They chose Sonia Citrone from Notre Dame and Kiki Irifin from Southern Cal, an instant rebuild

in D.C. And the fifth pick in the third round went to the expansion Golden State Valkyries

who made their first-ever draft pick 19-year-old guard, Justejochite from Lithuania. Several teams like Washington, Connecticut and Dallas had multiple first round picks

Raising up the bottom teams is crucial for the league's success. WNBA training camps open in just two weeks

Those are your unbiased updates for this Tuesday. A quick reminder before we go, it's tax day, so if you have not already, don't forget to file your return

We'll see you back here tomorrow. For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelly. Have a great day