National Populist Newsletter
February 23rd - March 2nd
United States
Immigration
Idaho State Rep. Joe Alfieri (R) helped kill a bill that would have non-profits in the state from harboring, concealing, or shielding from detection illegal aliens living and working in Idaho. Despite the Idaho State House being nearly 90 percent Republican, there were still enough anti-immigration enforcement types to align the state with the Trump Administration. (Kootenai Journal)
A new report from the Federation for Immigration Reform found that the population of illegal aliens living in the U.S. has increased from 14.5 million in 2020 to 18.6 million people. President Biden essentially added a new Oregon to the U.S. population of just illegal aliens.
Economy
BlackRock Inc., which Republicans have criticized over the last few years for various reasons, has acquired the operation rights to ports near the Panama Canal from a Hong Kong-based firm. The deal, valued at $23 billion, would give BlackRock Inc. control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including those near the Panama Canal. President Trump praised the deal and considered it a significant victory over the CCP. Still, it also is immensely beneficial to BlackRock to protect them from any possible regulations they may face under the Trump Administration. BlackRock is one of many firms trying to buy goodwill after going in on many progressive ideas over the last five years. (CBS News)
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta produced its models for the first quarter of 2025 and predicts the economy will retract by 2.8 percent. That’s a slight improvement from earlier predictions of 3 percent, but it’s still not good. Until late February, the model predicted a 2-4 percent growth, but fears over trade wars, a government shutdown, and instability around the globe have sent expectations plummeting. (Reuters)
The Republican-controlled Senate voted to repeal a rule that would subject digital payment apps to the same consumer protections as credit cards and bank accounts. This includes the ability to ban people without cause, essentially allowing digital banking platforms to stop people’s ability to bank depending on their speech or politics. (Democracy Now)
Trump Administration
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a visa-restriction policy targeting foreign government officials and others who "knowingly facilitate the transit of aliens intending to immigrate into the United States illegally" (Reuters)
President Trump plans to revoke temporary protective status for 240,000 Ukranian nationals living in the country. This is all part of Trump’s larger effort to rescind TPS for the 1.8 million immigrants living in the U.S. under the program. (Forbes)