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Driving the Week: World Braces for Trump's 'Liberation Day' on Wednesday (Politico Playbook)

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48 hours out from what Trump has called 'Liberation Day' -  a moment of protectionism so significant Steve Bannon wants it to be made a federal holiday - there’s still no real clarity about what’s coming, Politico Playbook's Jack Blanchard writes. Every business leader and K Street lobbyist will tell you that the thing they hate most is uncertainty. And once again, they have it in spades.

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Of all Trump’s activities as president, it’s his high-risk moves on the economy which will cost him most dearly with US voters if things go wrong, according to Politico Playbook. His comments to NBC News on Saturday that he "couldn’t care less" if tariffs send the price of cars rocketing are the sort of thing that will come back to haunt him if his big bet on a tariff-based economy backfires.

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On that note: The Dow Jones suffered its worst day in weeks on Friday... Goldman Sachs yesterday upgraded their US recession risk to 35%... and Japan’s Nikkei index fell 4% during early trading this morning. The direction of travel, for the moment, seems clear.

Latest from DC.

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Trump Doubles Down on 'Law and Order' - Minus the Law Part.

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Alarming: Trump Says He’s 'Not Joking' About Third Term And Notes An Apparent Loophole (New York Post)

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In a phone interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker on Sunday morning, President Trump said that "a lot of people want me to do it," referring to serving a third term in the White House. 

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He refused to rule out the idea of a third term - which, for the record, is prohibited by the US Constitution. "There are methods," he said, when asked directly. "I have the highest poll numbers of any Republican in the last 100 years... We’re in the high 70s in many polls - in the real polls - and you see that. We’re very popular. A lot of people would like me to do that."

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According to Gallup, Trump’s approval rating currently sits at 43% - the lowest of any Republican at this stage of the race in the history of Gallup polling.

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Going After the Judiciary: Trump Increasingly Goes Straight to the Supreme Court (CNN)

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And the Trump administration is continuing to push the Supreme Court to wade into it's war against the judiciary. On Friday, it asked the highest court to to wade into the fraught legal battle over enforcing the Alien Enemies Act, the wartime authority he used to rapidly deport alleged members of a Venezuelan gang.

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The emergency appeal, which asks the justices to overturn an order from US District Judge James Boasberg blocking further deportations under the act, further thrusts the Supreme Court into Trump’s whirlwind. It is perhaps the most significant matter now pending on the court’s docket dealing with his second term and it sits at the center of an explosive confrontation between the White House and the judiciary.

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Trump doubled down, via his usual communication method of choice, and posted the following on Truth Social on Sunday:

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"People are shocked by what is going on with the Court System. I was elected for many reasons, but a principal one was LAW AND ORDER, a big part of which is QUICKLY removing a vast Criminal Network of individuals, who came into our Country through the Crooked Joe Biden Open Borders Policy!"

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"These are dangerous and violent people, who kill, maim and, in many other ways, harm the people of our Country," he continued. "The Voters want them OUT, and said so in Record Numbers. If it was up to District Judge Boasberg and other Radical Left Judges, nobody would be removed, the President wouldn’t be allowed to do his job, and people’s lives would be devastated all throughout our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

What I'm Reading.

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Check out the podcast: Click here to listen to the AI-generated audio companion to today's Daily Read newsletter. And 'Follow' the Sheekey Daily Read podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts to listen and be notified when the latest are available.

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French Politics Shock: Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred from 2027 Presidency Run After Court Conviction (Bloomberg)

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Judges at the Paris criminal court found Le Pen and her National Rally party guilty of diverting millions of euros in European Union funds to finance activities related to their domestic agenda. Because of this, Le Pen will be barred from running to be France’s next president in a verdict that reshapes the nation’s political landscape.

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No Longer a Safe Haven? As Trump Sinks US Dollar, Once-Unthinkable Worry Grips Markets (Bloomberg)

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As US stock prices tumbled this month, John Sidawi, a fund manager at Federated Hermes, noticed something strange: The dollar, long a go-to hiding place during market selloffs, wasn’t rallying this time as investors rushed for safety. It was sinking, too... as hot money poured into gold, the yen, European stocks - almost anywhere but the US.

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That, as with so much of the volatility that has whipsawed global markets recently, has a singular explanation: President Donald Trump.

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The dollar has dropped against all but a handful of the 31 major currencies over the last three months, sending Bloomberg’s dollar index down nearly 3%, its worst start to a year since 2017. The price of gold - a rival haven - has surged to a record high of over $3,000 an ounce. By mid-March, speculative traders started betting against the dollar for the first time since Trump’s election amid fear his policy shifts could drive the world’s largest economy into a recession.

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Mission to Greenland: Vice President JD Vance Finds the Weather and the Reception Chilly (New York Times)

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Europe's Latest 'Trump Whisperer': Finland’s President Alexander Stubb Boosts Trump Ties Over Golf (Politico)

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Devastation in Asia: Myanmar Quake Toll Reaches 1,644 as Foreign Rescue Teams Arrive (Bloomberg)

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Myanmar's death toll from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake reached 1,644, with over 3,408 injured and 139 missing, amid extensive damage in the city of Mandalay.

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International rescue teams, including those from China, India, and Russia, have arrived to help search for survivors, while countries like the US have pledged to send rescue teams and emergency aid.

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Higher Education Latest: Columbia University President Steps Down After Trying to Meet Trump Demands (Bloomberg)

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Changing a DC Tradition: White House Correspondents' Association Cancels Comedian Headliner for Annual Dinner (Politico)

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Not Good: 75% of US Scientists Consider Leaving Country for Europe, Canada, According to New Poll (Nature)

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What Audrey Kotick is Reading: March Madness Delivers as Duke Dances On (ESPN)

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The NCAA Tournament delivered this weekend. Duke rolled past Alabama 85-65 in a dominant showing on Saturday. Freshman guard Kon Knueppel led the way with 21 points, while Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach were everywhere on defense. It's Duke’s 18th Final Four appearance - and the first under Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils looked poised, fast, and fearless.

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Florida staged a wild comeback to knock out Texas Tech 84–79, storming back from a 9-point deficit with just three minutes to go.

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Also on Sunday, Auburn took command with 17 unanswered points in the first half to beat Michigan State 70-64 and complete a sweep of No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four. And Houston’s relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the team to a 69-50 victory and into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021. 

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The Final Four will begin next Saturday, April 5, in San Antonio, Texas. Game times TBD - but we already know one thing: Go Blue Devils!

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Women's Bracket Latest: South Carolina Gamecocks Rally in Final Minute to Hold Off Duke, Advance to Final Four (ESPN)

Best of SNL.

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On this weekend's Saturday Night Live, two explorers (voiced by Bowen Yang and Michael Longfellow) lay the 'haphazard groundwork' for Manhattan in an SNL animated short, and for anyone who knows NYC, it's a hilarious comedic journey that touches on some of the quirks that make this the best city in the world. Click here to watch the 2-minute short:

Plus, don't miss some of the best one-liners from 'Weekend Update':

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"Well this week we learned our entire national security team has the texting skills of my Aunt Janet."

-- Colin Jost, on 'Weekend Update'

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"FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the agency is launching an investigation into anti-Elon Musk vandalism at Tesla dealerships, calling the acts 'domestic terrorism.' Which, January 6 rioters will tell you, is a federal crime punishable by a full pardon."

-- Michael Che, on 'Weekend Update'

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"The genetic testing company 23andMe says it is bankrupt - and also, 2% Cherokee!"

-- Colin Jost, on 'Weekend Update'

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"Scientists say they have developed a way of making foie gras that does not involve force-feeding ducks. 'Wow, that's great,' said ducks, 'what about the murder?'"

-- Colin Jost, on 'Weekend Update'