The Lineup: New sanctions on Russia; trade threats escalate; stocks down the drain; EPA chief in toxic dump. It’s April 7^th and it snowed in the East.

What is to be Done?: The Trump administration announced new sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, including seven of Russia’s richest men and 17 high government officials in renewed efforts to punish the Putin crowd for interfering in the 2016 election. The targets include Vladimir Putin’s son-in-law and a fuel and metals magnate who attended Trump’s inauguration.

A senior administration official said in a conference call with reporters that, “Most importantly this is in response to Russia’s continuing attack to subvert Western democracies.”

It’s interesting that Trump, who’s been pretty easy on Russia, is hitting so close to Putin.

The sanctions freeze the assets of these so-called “oligarchs” and prevents any Americans from doing business with them or their businesses. It also restricts middle-men from doing business for them.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said, “Russian oligarchs and elites who profit from this corrupt system will no longer be insulated from the consequences of their government’s destabilizing activities.”

This happens as Special Counsel Robert Mueller is looking into possible financial connections between people close to Putin and people close to Trump

The Trade War That Isn’t: The Dow Jones dropped 572 points yesterday on increasing fears of a trade war with China as both Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping increase their threats.

The stock market hates uncertainty, and nothing is less certain than what Donald Trump will say or do next.

President Trump dropped a bomb Thursday night, suggesting another $100 billion in tariffs on China. His brand new economic adviser Larry Kudlow knew nothing about it in advance. So much for economic advice. “I’m not saying there won’t be a little pain,” Trump said in a radio interview yesterday. “But we’re going to have a much stronger country when we’re finished.”

Some conservatives fear that the trade dispute may cancel the benefits of the Republican tax cuts.

China promised a “fierce counter strike” of trade retaliation if those new tariffs go into effect.

Keith Bradsher writes in The NY Times, “At the heart of the dispute is a fundamental question: Which of the countries is more willing to endure short-term pain on trade for the long-term gain of playing a leading role in industries like robotics, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, electric cars, artificial intelligence and more.”

The Firing Line: Chief of Staff John Kelly last week urged President Trump to fire EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, but Trump has resisted, The NY Times Reports. Pruitt has been accused of lavish spending and travel as well as getting a sweetheart deal renting a condo from the wife of an energy lobbyist, then bullying the people who confronted him about it. Trump likes him.

Pruitt has an obsession with his personal security. The Associated Press adds to his troubles with a report that says, “Altogether, the agency spent millions of dollars for a 20-member full-time detail that is three times the size of his predecessor’s part-time security contingent.”

Nation: The infamous Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, who murdered their parents in Beverly Hills in 1989, have been placed in the same housing unit in a California prison after nearly 30 years of separation. They were 18 and 21 when they shotgunned their parents. Now they are 47 and 50. — Texas Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold resigned yesterday, finally facing up to the revelation that  he used taxpayer money to settle with a former aide who accused him of sexual harassment and other improper conduct.

Canada: Fourteen people were killed when a bus carrying a Junior League hockey team were killed in a collision with a tractor trailer. Fourteen more were injured, some critically.

The bus was taking The Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League to a scheduled game last night. The members of the team range from 16 to 21.

It Can’t Happen Here: The Department of Homeland Security has solicited bidders to build a worldwide monitoring service to track traditional and social media that mention the DHS. It sounds harmless in a way. They just want to know what’s being reported and said about them.

Some of the language is subtly disturbing, including a requirement that the program must be able to analyze the “sentiment” of DHS coverage.  Most chilling, the proposal includes a requirement for a  “media influencer database, including journalists, editors, correspondents, social media influencers, bloggers etc.”

They want to take names.

Danger, Will Robinson: A Houston company announced that plans to launch a space hotel in 2021 and accept guests by 2022. The hotel would accommodate six people for a 12-day holiday in space. The price; $9.2 million per person. So, just try to imagine the price of the macadamia nuts in the mini bar.

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