[CRAIG NIGRELLI]
GOOD MORNING
I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI
IT’S THURSDAY MAY 8TH, 2025
AND THESE ARE YOUR UNBIASED UPDATES:
PRESIDENT TRUMP PROMISES A MAJOR TRADE DEAL WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF A BIG AND HIGHLY RESPECTED COUNTRY, TO BE ANNOUNCED THIS MORNING. WHO IT MIGHT BE AND WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA WHEN IT COMES TO TRADE RIVAL – CHINA.
AND — BLACK SMOKE, SO FAR. BUT ALL EYES ARE ON THE SISTINE CHAPEL CHIMNEY AT THE VATICAN TO SEE WHEN THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS PICKS A NEW POPE, AS DAY TWO IS UNDERWAY,.
L3: PRESIDENT TRUMP TO ANNOUNCE ‘MAJOR’ TRADE DEAL TODAY
TODAY — PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE THE FIRST OF WHAT HE SAYS WILL BE MANY “MAJOR” TRADE DEALS SINCE IMPLEMENTING STEEP TARIFFS ON COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD, THEN OFFERING A 90-DAY REPRIIEVE.
IN A LATE NIGHT POST ON HIS TRUTH SOCIAL PLATFORM WEDNESDAY — THE PRESIDENT SAID THE DEAL IS WITH A QUOTE “BIG AND HIGHLY RESPECTED COUNTRY” — HOWEVER, HE DID NOT SAY **WHICH** COUNTRY.
A-B-C NEWS IS REPORTING SOURCES FAMILIAR WITH THE MATTER SAY ITS IS WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM.
GENERIC SHIPPING CONTAINER VIDEO HERE PLEASE
NO MATTER WHO THE TRADE AGREEMENT IS WITH — IT WILL MARK THE FIRST SIGNED DEAL, AS TIME TICKS DOWN ON THE 90-DAY DELAY HE PUT IN PLACE ON THE TARIFFS, JUST DAYS AFTER WHAT THE PRESIDENT CALLED “LIBERATION DAY” ON APRIL 2ND
SINCE THAT PAUSE BEGAN — THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS REPEATEDLY SAID IT’S BEEN TALKING WITH MORE THAN A DOZEN NATIONS TO COME TO MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL AGREEMENTS. THIS IS WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID EARLIER THIS WEEK WHEN APPEARING WITH THE CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER.
“So I wish they’d keep, you know, stop asking, ‘How many deals are you signing this week?’ Because one day we’ll come and we’ll give you 100 deals. And they don’t have to sign. All they have to do is say, ‘Oh, we’ll start sending out ships right now to pick up whatever we want or to bring whatever we want.’ It’s very, very simple. And I think my people haven’t made it clear: we will sign some deals, but much bigger than that is we’re gonna put down the price that people have to to pay to shop in the United States.”
MEANWHILE, THE U-S HAS STILL NOT OPENED DISCUSSIONS WITH ITS LARGEST TRADING PARTNER — CHINA.
IT’S CURRENTLY THE ONLY NATION NOT RECEIVING THE 90-DAY GRACE PERIOD, WITH 145 PERCENT TARIFFS, NOW IMPOSED, ON ALL CHINESE GOODS, COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES.
CHINA HAS COUNTERED WITH 125 PERCENT DUTIES ON AMERICAN GOODS, ARRIVING OVER THERE.
TREASURY SECRETARY SCOTT BESSENT SAYS A PLANNED MEETING WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS IN SWITZERLAND THIS WEEKEND WILL SERVE AS AN EARLY PHASE OF NEGOTIATIONS — BUT HE SAYS THOSE DISCUSSIONS WILL LIKELY BE MORE ABOUT “DE-ESCALATION”.
L3: PAKISTAN CLAIMS IT DOWNED 12 INDIAN DRONES IN ‘SERIOUS PROVOCATION’ OVERNIGHT
TURNING TO INTERNATIONAL NEWS — PAKISTAN CLAIMS IT DOWNED 12 INDIAN DRONES ACROSS THE COUNTRY OVERNIGHT — IN WHAT IT CALLED A “SERIOUS PROVOCATION” THAT WOUNDED FOUR OF SOLDIERS AND KILLED AT LEAST ONE CIVILIAN.
A PAKISTANI MILITARY SPOKESPERSON SAYS ONE OF THE 12 DRONES WAS ABLE TO “PARTIALLY” ENGAGE A TARGET NEAR LAHORE – A CITY OF AROUND 13 MILLION PEOPLE NEAR THE BORDER WITH INDIA.
MEANTIME — RESIDENTS IN INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR FACED A NIGHT OF CROSS-BORDER SHELLING BY PAKISTANI FORCES, LEADING TO EVACUATIONS IN SOME AREAS.
PAKISTAN’S PRIME MINISTER HAS VOWED TO RESPOND TO INDIA’S STRIKES IN PAKISTAN AND PAKISTAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR WITH “DECISIVE ACTION.”
AND HE SAYS INDIA MUST PAY A PRICE.
L3: JUDGE BLOCKS PLAN TO DEPORT CERTAIN MIGRANTS TO LIBYA, OTHER COUNTRIES
A FEDERAL JUDGE HAS TEMPORARILY BLOCKED PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PLAN TO DEPORT MIGRANTS TO LIBYA OR SAUDI ARABIA OR ANY OTHER THIRD COUNTRY, FOR THAT MATTER.
THE ORDER COMES AS THE U-S WAS EXPECTED TO TRANSPORT THE NON-CITIZENS WHO ARE FROM THE PHILIPPINES, VIETNAM AND LAOS, TO LIBYA THIS WEEK.
LIBYA’S GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY ON WEDNESDAY REJECTED THE USE OF LIBYAN TERRITORY AS A DESTINATION FOR DEPORTED MIGRANTS WITHOUT ITS KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT, SAYING THE U-S DID **NOT** COORDINATE WITH THEM TO TRANSFER MIGRANTS.
THE LIBYAN NATIONAL ARMY — WHICH CONTROLS EASTERN LIBYA — ALSO REJECTED THE IDEA… SAYING IN A STATEMENT THAT TAKING IN MIGRANTS DEPORTED FROM THE U-S QUOTE “VIOLATES THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE HOMELAND.”
LAWYERS FOR THE DEPORTEES CLAIMED IN FEDERAL IN BOSTON, THAT ANYONE SENT TO LIBYA FACES A STRONG LIKELIHOOD OF IMPRISONMENT, TORTURE, DISAPPEARANCE OR DEATH, GIVEN LIBYA’S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD.
L3: TRUMP CHANGES PICK FOR SURGEON GENERAL
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS CHANGING GEARS WHEN IT COMES TO PICKING HIS SURGEON GENERAL.
HE HAS NOMINATED CASEY MEANS, A DOCTOR, WHO IS NOW A SO-CALLED “WELLNESS INFLUENCER” WITH CLOSE TIES TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.
THE MOVE COMES AFTER THE PRESIDENT PULLED THE NOMINATION OF FOX MEDICAL CONTRIBUTOR JANETTE NESHEIWAT.
SHE WAS SLATED TO APPEAR IN FRONT OF A SENATE COMMITTEE LATER TODAY FOR HER CONFIRMATION HEARING.
MEANS TRAINED AS A SURGEON AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY BUT DROPPED OUT OF SURGICAL RESIDENCY PROGRAM SAYING SHE BECAME DISILLUSIONED WITH TRADITIONAL MEDICINE.
SHE LATER STARTED A HEALTH TECH COMPANY, LEVELS, THAT HELPS PEOPLE TRACK THEIR BLOOD SUGAR AND OTHER MEDICAL NUMBERS.
MEANS ALSO PUSHES DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS, CREAMS AND OTHER PRODUCTS ON HER SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS.
SHE HAS BEEN A CRITIC OF PROCESSED FOOD AND BELIEVES MANY AMERICANS ARE ON UNHEALTHY DIETS THAT LEAVE THEM RELIANT ON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS WHEN IT COMES TO CONDITIONS SUCH AS OBESITY AND DIABETES.
SHE AND HER BROTHER SERVED AS ADVISERS TO KENNEDY’S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN LAST YEAR, BEFORE HE ENDORSED DONALD TRUMP.
ON HIS TRUTH SOCIAL PLATFORM, PRESIDENT TRUMP PRAISED DR. CASEY MEANS SAYING SHE HAS QUOTE “IMPECCABLE MAHA CREDENTIALS, ” MEANING MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN. THE PRESIDENT SAYS MEANS WILL WORK WITH KENNEDY TO ENSURE “A SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR AGENDA IN ORDER TO REVERSE THE CHRONIC DISEASE EPIDEMIC AND INSURE GREAT HEALTH IN THE FUTURE FOR ALL AMERICANS.”
HE ALSO SAID THE FIRST NOMINEE FOR SURGEON GENERAL, NESHEIWAT, WILL WORK A DIFFERENT CAPACITY AT HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES.
L3: CONCLAVE TO ELECT NEW POPE CONTINUES
IN ROME — CARDINALS HAVE RETURNED TO THE SISTINE CHAPEL FOR DAY TWO OF THE CONCLAVE TO PICK A NEW POPE, WHO WILL LEAD THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
EVERYONE IS KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE CHIMNEY WHERE SMOKE BILLOWS AND GIVES A SIGNAL OF WHAT IS GOING ON INSIDE.
ON WEDNESDAY, THE BURNED BALLOTS SENT OUT BLACK SMOKE, MEANING NO DECISION HAD BEEN MADE.
WHEN THERE’S WHITE SMOKE, IT MEANS THE COLLEGE OF CARDINALS HAS ELECTED A NEW PONTIFF.
THERE ARE 133 VOTING CARDINALS.
A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY IS REQUIRED TO ELECT A NEW POPE.
THE CARDINALS ARE PICKING A REPLACEMENT FOR POPE FRANCIS WHO DIED, HOURS AFTER CELEBRATING EASTER SUNDAY AT THE AGE OF 88.
L3: DISNEY ANNOUNCES NEW ‘TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED’ THEME PARK FOR ABU DHABI
FINALLY THIS MORNING — DISNEY HAS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR ITS 7-TH — AND MOST LUXURIOUS — PARK.
C-E-O BOB IGER SAYS THE NEW ABU DHABI LOCATION WILL BE QUOTE “THE MOST TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED THEME PARK THAT WE’VE EVER BUILT.”
HE SAYS WHILE COMPLETE PLANS FOR DISNEYLAND ABU DHABI HAVE NOT BEEN NAILED DOWN — IT WILL, LIKE MOST DISNEY PARKS, BE “ANCHORED BY A CASTLE.”
HOWEVER — THIS ONE WILL BE DISNEY’S “FIRST REAL MODERN CASTLE.”
DISNEY IS PARTNERING WITH MIRAL — WIDELY KNOWN FOR ITS IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES AND ATTRACTIONS IN ABU DHABI — TO CREATE A “WHOLE NEW WORLD” WITH THIS PARK.
