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April 1, 2025 14 mins

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https://nypost.com/2025/04/01/us-news/frustration-grows-with-commerce-secretary-howard-lutnick-ahead-of-trump-tariff-announcement-loose-cannon-with-half-baked-ideas/ https://nypost.com/2025/04/01/us-news/musk-shares-mind-blowing-chart-showing-millions-of-noncitizens-given-social-security-numbers-under-biden/ https://nypost.com/2025/04/01/us-news/body-of-fourth-us-soldier-who-vanished-in-lithuania-during-training-exercise-recovered-after-extensive-search/ 

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello America.
Joc, here with your RantingPolitics headline updates, where
we are diving into today's mostexplosive political stories
that you need to know aboutComing up.
We're diving into the growingfrustrations with Commerce
Secretary Howard Lutnick, who'sbeing called a loose cannon with
half-baked ideas ahead ofTrump's big tariff announcement.

(00:21):
I mean, who doesn't love alittle drama in the Cabinet?
Trump's big tariff announcementI mean who doesn't love a
little drama in the cabinet?
Then Elon Musk drops what hecalls a mind-blowing bombshell
about millions of non-citizensreceiving social security
numbers under Biden.
The numbers are wild folks.
And finally, some somber news,as the body of a fourth US
soldier has been recovered inLithuania after a training

(00:42):
exercise went tragically wrongnear the Belarus border.
Stick around for all this andmore in your daily dose of
unfiltered news and common sensecommentary.
This is Ranting PoliticsHeadline Updates.

(01:10):
Trouble's brewing in Washingtonas Commerce Secretary Howard
Lutnick finds himself in hotwater ahead of President Trump's
highly anticipated LiberationDay tariff announcement.
According to the New York Post,frustration with the former
Cantor Fitzgerald CEO hasreached fever pitch, with one
insider comparing the situationto being a mosquito at a nudist
colony.

(01:31):
Where do you even start?
Lutnick, who previouslyco-chaired Trump's transition
team, is reportedly rubbingcolleagues the wrong way with
both his policy approach andcommunication style.
The most notable gaffe Hisrecent proclamation that a
tariff induced recession wouldbe worth it.
Not exactly what you want tohear from your commerce
secretary when the economy's oneveryone's mind.

(01:53):
But wait, there's more.
Lutnik also raised eyebrows bypublicly encouraging Americans
to buy Tesla stock during a FoxNews appearance in March.
As if that wasn't enough,sources close to the White House
describe him as a loose cannonwith half-baked ideas that he
just randomly spews on livetelevision.
One administration insider toldthe Post they want Lutnick to

(02:15):
think before he speaks, addingthat TV interviews aren't just a
forum to test run your latestthought bubble, ouch.
Despite keeping a tight lid oninternal divisions during
Trump's second term, this rareglimpse into administration
infighting shows just how muchLutnick has managed to irk his
colleagues he's frequently seenwith Trump.
As the president prepares forWednesday's reciprocal tariff

(02:37):
announcement, which willcoincide with the adoption of
25% tariffs on all goods fromCanada and Mexico, as well as
worldwide auto imports, thefrustration appears widespread,
with another source confirmingit's 100% accurate that
annoyance with Lutnick isgrowing throughout the
administration.
The Commerce Secretary hasapparently developed a habit of

(02:58):
inserting himself into policydiscussions beyond his purview,
further agitating those aroundhim For what it's worth.
The White House is publiclystanding by their man.
Spokesperson Kush Desaidefended Lutnick, calling him an
integral addition to the Trumpadministration's trade and
economic team, whose long andimmensely successful private

(03:19):
sector career makes him valuableto the president's America
First agenda.
Lutnick's approach to tradepolicy has sent ripples
throughout the administration,creating a delicate balancing
act for Trump's economic team.
Despite the internalfrustration, lutnick remains a
key figure in shaping thepresident's ambitious tariff
strategy, which is set tofundamentally restructure

(03:41):
America's trading relationships.
Market analysts are closelywatching Wednesday's
announcement, with manypredicting a more measured
approach than initially feared.
President Trump himself hintedMonday that his reciprocal
tariffs may be less dramaticthan anticipated, potentially
blunting impact on the stockmarket and easing some of the
tension surrounding Lutnik.
The White House continues topresent a unified front, with

(04:04):
spokesperson Khush Desaiemphasizing that every member of
the Trump administration isplaying from the same playbook
President Trump's playbook.
This public solidarity suggeststhat, despite the behind-the
scenes frustration, lutnik'sposition remains secure for now.
Regarding Lutnik'scontroversial Tesla stock
recommendation, theadministration has reframed it

(04:25):
as a defense of Americanindustry, while deranged
Democrats like Tim Walz areopenly calling for the ruin of
an iconic American company thatemploys tens of thousands of
everyday Americans.
The Trump administration iscommitted to unleashing
prosperity for all of ourcompanies, desai stated,
effectively turning criticisminto a partisan counterattack.

(04:47):
The upcoming Liberation Dayrepresents a critical moment for
both Lutnick and theadministration's broader
economic agenda.
With tariffs set to impactvirtually all trading partners,
the question remains whetherLutnick's bold some would say
reckless approach will yield theeconomic sovereignty Trump has
promised or create new headachesfor an administration already

(05:08):
managing significant policyshifts.
Trump's team is walking atightrope, leveraging Lutnick's
business acumen while attemptingto rein in his most
unpredictable impulses beforethey impact market confidence or
undermine the administration'scarefully crafted economic
narrative.
Or undermine theadministration's carefully
crafted economic narrative.
In a move that's raisingeyebrows across the political
spectrum, elon Musk shared whathe described as mind-blowing

(05:33):
data during a get-out-the-voterally in Wisconsin this weekend.
The tech billionaire presenteda chart that allegedly shows
millions of non-citizens receiveSocial Security numbers during
President Biden's administration.
The rally, which took placejust days before a highly
contested state judicial race,featured Musk alongside Doge
colleague Antonio Gracias, whotook the stage to explain their

(05:55):
findings from an audit offederal programs, with a
dramatic graphic displayedbehind them, titled New
Non-Citizen Social SecurityNumbers Issued.
Gracias walked the audiencethrough what he described as an
accidental discovery.
We started at the top of thesystem, mapping the whole system
of social security, tounderstand where all the fraud
was.
Gracias explained to the crowd.

(06:16):
When we saw these numbers, wewere like what is this?
According to the chart,non-citizen social security
number issuance steadilyincreased year over year under
Biden, reaching a staggeringpeak of over 2 million in fiscal
year 2024 alone.
Fiscal year 23 and fiscal year25 each showed approximately 1

(06:39):
million non-citizens receivingsocial security numbers.
This revelation comes as partof Doge's broader investigation
into various federal agencies.
We went there to find fraud andwe found this by accident.
Gracius told the stunnedaudience, with Musk adding that
the chart was truly mind-blowing.
The Wisconsin event gainedadditional attention after Musk

(07:01):
handed out $1 million checks totwo voters who signed a petition
against activist judges, a movethat survived a legal challenge
when the state's Supreme Courtdeclined to intervene.
This bombshell comes shortlyafter President Trump signed an
executive order directing publicassistance programs to stop
providing access to non-citizens, emphasizing that such services

(07:23):
are intended exclusively for UScitizens.
According to the New York Post,these findings are already
influencing policy decisionsacross multiple federal
departments.
The deeper we dive into Doge'saudit of the Social Security
Administration, the moreshocking the findings become.
According to Musk and Gracius,their investigation uncovered

(07:44):
approximately 7 million socialsecurity accounts belonging to
people supposedly over 120 yearsold, a number that defies both
logic and human longevityrecords.
Last week we removed about 7million social security accounts
for people who were listed asbeing over 120 years old.
Musk stated during theWisconsin town hall Just let

(08:06):
that sink in 7 million accountsfor people who would be older
than the oldest human being everdocumented.
But that's not where theirregularities end.
Doge's audit allegedly foundthat the social security
database included a staggering20 million dead people who were
still marked as alive in thesystem.
That's 20 million individualswho are deceased but potentially

(08:29):
still appearing as active ingovernment records.
These revelations come amidincreased scrutiny of federal
benefit programs and raiseserious questions about database
management and potential fraudwithin the Social Security
system.
The findings align with theadministration's recent
initiatives to tighten access topublic benefits.
The Department of Housing andUrban Development has already

(08:51):
launched a new program with theDepartment of Homeland Security,
specifically designed toimprove communication between
agencies to prevent non-citizensfrom accessing public housing
benefits.
This initiative appears to be adirect response to concerns
about improper benefitdistribution identified through
DOGE's ongoing investigations.

(09:12):
While critics might questionthe timing and presentation of
these findings at a politicalrally, the sheer scale of the
numbers presented paints atroubling picture of potential
systemic issues within one ofAmerica's most critical public
benefit programs.
In a somber update fromLithuania, officials have
confirmed that the remains ofthe fourth and final US soldier

(09:34):
who disappeared during atraining exercise have been
recovered.
The discovery comes after anexhaustive, week-long search
operation through challengingterrain near Pabraid, close to
the Belarus border.
The soldier, whose identity hasnot yet been released, was
found just one day afterrecovery teams located the
remains of three other Americansoldiers when their armored

(09:56):
vehicle was discovered submergedin a peat bog.
All four belonged to the 1stBrigade Combat Team of the 3rd
Infantry Division and had beenmissing since March 25th.
Major General ChristopherNorrie, commander of the 3rd
Infantry Division, expressedprofound grief in a statement.
This past week has beendevastating.
Today, our hearts bear theweight of an unbearable pain

(10:19):
with the loss of our finaldog-faced soldier.
Though we have received someclosure, the world is darker
without them.
The soldiers had been operatingan M88A2 armored recovery
vehicle during the trainingexercise, a massive 63-ton
machine equipped with a cranedesigned to extract other
armored vehicles.
Us Army officials have statedthat the cause of the accident

(10:41):
remains under investigation.
These American troops were partof ongoing NATO training
operations in the Baltic region,specifically practicing
maneuvers in the area'snotoriously difficult, swampy,
heavily forested terrain.
The training exercises areparticularly significant given
the region's proximity toBelarus and Russia.
While there is absolutely noindication that the tragedy is

(11:06):
connected to regional tensions,this incident occurs against a
backdrop of heightened vigilancealong NATO's eastern flank.
The New York Post reports thatapproximately 16,000 US troops
are currently deployed acrossthe Baltic states, with the
majority stationed in Poland.
This training accident takes onadditional significance given
the escalating tensions betweenLithuania, a NATO member state,

(11:28):
and its neighbors Belarus andRussia, both staunch allies.
Just two weeks before theincident, lithuania made the
dramatic announcement that itwould begin laying mines along
its borders with Belarus,reflecting growing concerns that
Russia could potentially expandits Ukrainian offensive with an
incursion into NATO territory.
Lithuania isn't alone in thesedefensive preparations.

(11:50):
Poland has also begunconstructing similar border
fortifications as part of abroader regional response to
perceived threats from the east.
These developments mark asignificant escalation in the
Baltic security environment.
The American military presencein this strategic region is
substantial, with approximately16,000 US troops currently

(12:11):
deployed across the area.
The distribution includesaround 14,000 troops stationed
in Poland, 1,000 in Lithuaniaand 700 in Estonia.
These forces representAmerica's commitment to NATO's
eastern flank at a time ofheightened geopolitical
uncertainty.
While military officials haveemphasized that the tragic
training accident appearscompletely unrelated to these

(12:32):
broader tensions, itnevertheless underscores the
strategic importance of theongoing American military
presence in this increasinglyvolatile corner of Europe.
The challenging terrain thatclaimed these soldiers' lives is
precisely the environment thatNATO forces must master to
effectively defend thealliance's eastern borders.
Well, folks, that wraps uptoday's episode of Ranting

(12:55):
Politics Headline Updates.
We've covered SecretaryLutnick's controversial comments
causing friction in the Trumpadministration ahead of
tomorrow's big tariffannouncement, elon Musk's
mind-blowing revelation aboutmillions of non-citizens
receiving social securitynumbers during the Biden years,
and the tragic recovery of ourfourth fallen soldier in
Lithuania near the Belarusborder.

(13:17):
These are the stories thatmatter, delivered straight, with
no partisan spin, just thefacts, some common sense and our
unwavering belief thatAmerica's best days are ahead.
If you're hungry for moreunfiltered news, follow us on X
at Ranting RP.
You can also catch us onYouTube, spotify, iheartradio
and Apple Podcasts, and don'tforget to visit

(13:39):
RantingPoliticscom for more ofAmerica's fastest growing daily
news rundown, designed for yourcommute.
This is JOC signing off andthank you, our loyal listeners,
for choosing Ranting Politicsheadline updates.
We'll be back soon with theupdates you need to navigate
these interesting times.
Until then, stay tuned, stayinformed and, as always, stay

(14:00):
free.
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