The Supreme Court delivered a long-awaited decision on Friday, striking down President Trump’s sweeping International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs. But while the court ruled on the legality of the tariffs themselves, it did not address whether the United States must refund more than $200 billion in revenue already collected. “The court’s decision is likely to generate other serious practical consequences in the near term. One issue will be refunds,” dissenting Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote. “Refunds of billions of dollars would have significant consequences for the U.S. Treasury.” Ruling only on the narrow legal question before them, the court did not establish a framework for refunds. Such a framework will likely be established by lower courts, particularly the United States Court of International Trade, which ruled against Trump’s tariff decision. In response to the Supreme Court decision, President Trump said, “They take months and months to write an opinion, and they don’t even discuss that point. We’ve taken in hundreds of billions of dollars … wouldn’t you think they’d put one sentence in there saying keep the money or don’t keep the money?” If refunds are ultimately required, the United States Treasury would be tasked with reimbursing importers for the levies they incurred — a process Kavanaugh deemed a “mess,” as refunds could be required to be issued to foreign nations, consumers, and manufacturers depending on court outcomes. The president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Maya MacGuineas, said that with the federal deficit in mind, the ruling was very bad news: “With today’s Supreme Court ruling affirming the illegality of President Trump’s emergency tariffs, the country will now be about $2 trillion deeper in the hole. With the national debt already the size of the entire U.S. economy and interest on the debt costing more than $1 trillion this year, this is very bad news. Congress should work quickly to fill that hole.” She added, “We are in a dismal fiscal situation, and it just got worse.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the $200 billion in tariff revenue could be used to shrink the $2 trillion deficit and pay down the $36 trillion debt. Beyond budgetary concerns, the ruling could impact Trump’s broader use of tariffs as a foreign policy tool during negotiations. In February, he threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do business with Iran, citing the country’s repression of protesters, support for proxy terrorist groups, and continued pursuit of nuclear capabilities. In May, the president warned China that tariffs would increase if the country continued not to ship rare earth minerals to the United States — materials used in products ranging from household appliances and automobiles to semiconductors for artificial intelligence chips. In addition to bringing back jobs and supply chains to the United States, Trump argues he needs tariffs to address a national security concern: the hollowing out of the manufacturing base. In an executive order signed on Liberation Day, Trump explained that the inability to scale advanced manufacturing undermines “critical supply chains; and rendered our defense-industrial base dependent on foreign adversaries.” At a White House press conference on Friday, the president confirmed he will continue issuing tariffs under authorities granted to him through Section 232, rather than relying on the broader emergency powers provided under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Lights! Camera! How-dee! The city of Los Angeles is losing film and TV productions at an alarming rate. That opens up new opportunities for cities to prove that La La Land can hunker down just about anywhere. Take Nashville, for instance. Other non-L.A. destinations have made their mark as production hubs — think Atlanta, Georgia, and Toronto. Now, it may be Nashville’s turn in the spotlight. The Tennessee locale is known as a country music Mecca. More recently, it’s welcomed a growing group of filmmakers who clamor for its talented locals, rich cultural history and, yes, a lower price tag than the City of Angels. Think “9-1-1: Nashville,” Showtime’s “George & Tammy,” Nicole Kidman’s “Holland” and the upcoming “Scarpetta” (Prime Video), Netflix’s “Ruth & Boaz,” and a film opening Feb. 20, “I Can Only Imagine 2.” Nashville 911. Ryan Murphy Television. User Error Productions. 20th Television. The sequel to the sleeper 2018 hit revisits how MercyMe became a Christian music sensation, and the struggles lead singer Bart Millard (John Michael Finley) had following his breakthrough hit. Co-director Andrew Erwin, a pioneer in the faith-based film space, tells The Daily Wire why he tackled the sequel. “It’s the movie that you didn’t know you needed,” he says. The first film appeared to wrap Bart Millard’s story up, but the singer and his fellow musician Tim Timmons — played by Milo Ventimiglia in the film — suffered subsequent tragedies that made a follow-up film make sense. Jake Giles Netter/copyright 2026 Lionsgate And Nashville has proven to be particularly welcoming to Christian artists. That wasn’t the case back in Los Angeles, Erwin said. “There’s a group of us that started doing faith stories 15, 20 years ago, and we were all struggling to get our feet under us,” Erwin says. “We could literally end any dinner party in L.A. by saying we were faith film guys. They would instantly get a fake phone call and walk out of the meeting.” Entertainment culture started to swing in their spiritual direction. “Something has shifted in the past 10 years, particularly in the last five … there has been an appetite for hope. Stories of faith were considered cheesy. Now, they’re counter-culture, rebellious. It’s kind of punk rock.” Jason Kempin/Getty Images What better place than Music City to sing from their storytelling hymnals? “There’s been a real freedom here,” says Erwin, who even bumps into fellow filmmakers at church. “You don’t have to apologize for us being able to do things that we believe.” “For whatever reason, a group of actors and writers and directors and producers are all finding (Nashville),” he continues. “I can’t give a reason why … we just feel like we’re supposed to be here.” “I Can Only Imagine 2” filmed exclusively in Nashville, save a critical sequence shot at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheater. The veteran filmmaker was initially hesitant to lean so heavily on Nashville, but the film’s team assuaged those fears. “We had been worried if the crews were strong enough … it was the best crew I ever had … the most cheerful, the most team-oriented, the least amount of divas, blue collar, everything you aspire to,” he says. He still wants the state to beef up its incentive programs to grow that crew base and keep it steadily employed. Nashville has an Oscar-winning benefactor on its side: Kidman is eager to make movies closer to her Tennessee home.  Courtesy of Prime/Courtesy of Prime – copyright Amazon Content Services LLC Plus, newer studio space is helping smooth this transition. Recent Nashville-area additions include Vu Studios in West Nashville, Worldwide Stages in Spring Hill, and Skyway Studios. Erick Goss, CEO of the Christian streaming platform Minno, says Nashville has a cultural advantage. “People recognize there’s a real creative community here in Nashville [already] with Christian and country music, a real appreciation of the arts,” says Goss, who established his kid-focused company in the city seven years ago. “It’s not like institutions have moved here, but talent has moved here,” Goss says. “It’s different than Seattle or L.A. There’s a real sense of pride and civic nature here … people love what Nashville stands for and want to be a part of it.” Some pieces of the Hollywood-like puzzle are still missing, he says. “There are really world-class storytellers here in Nashville. They don’t necessarily have access to capital in the way they need,” he says. Goss brings a wealth of experience to Minno, including time spent at Amazon and in the U.S. Military. He praises Nashville as having the “highest caliber” of talent he’s seen. What’s missing? Major tech companies that can complement the city’s blossoming production. Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Lionsgate “What company will aggregate and bring that talent together?” he asks. “We need more talented operators coming into the systems, creating companies that execute really well,” he says, noting that Erwin’s “I Can Only Imagine 2” arrives courtesy of his partnership with Lionsgate, an established film studio. The key to creating the next L.A.-style production hub is simple, Goss says. “Get the best projects, the best people, and the best money together. That’s happening. We’re beginning to see these things coalesce [in Nashville],” he says. Erwin says it helps to believe in both the city and a Higher Power. “There’s an emboldening that happens when you realize you’re not alone. I can really stay true to the stories I’ve felt called to tell and not have to apologize for it because there are a lot of others who believe what I believe,” Erwin says. “It’s been amazing to see people of faith just find Nashville.”

President Donald Trump announced on Thursday night that his administration would provide $10 million in economic assistance to the East Palestine, Ohio, community as it continues to recover from the disastrous train derailment and chemical spill in 2023. Trump vowed to “never” forget about the Americans affected by the derailment and blasted former President Joe Biden, saying he “betrayed” the residents of East Palestine. Trump’s move on Thursday came just after the third anniversary of the disaster, which forced some residents of the small Ohio community to leave their homes for months after toxic chemicals leaked into the ground and air. “To the Great People of East Palestine, Ohio, who were disgracefully betrayed and forgotten about by Crooked Joe Biden — ‘TRUMP’ has never forgotten about you, and never will!” he wrote on Truth Social. “In addition to our Administration’s Longterm Health Study for the benefit of the residents, we are providing $10 Million Dollars through the Economic Development Administration to help the Community continue its Economic Recovery from the disastrous train derailment.” The Economic Development Administration, which is part of the Commerce Department, focuses on investing in communities throughout the United States to “establish a foundation for long-term job growth and build durable regional economies.” The Daily Wire reached out to the Economic Development Administration for more information on Trump’s plan to pump $10 million into East Palestine’s local economy. Trump added on Thursday, “We want to see East Palestine grow, flourish, and be able to take advantage of our now BOOMING Economy. It was horrible what was allowed to happen there, and we are with you for the LONG HAUL.” The February 3, 2023, derailment spilled toxic and combustible chemicals, such as vinyl chloride, into the ground and water, and authorities conducted a controlled burn of the train cars carrying vinyl chloride to prevent a potentially massive explosion. The controlled burn released more chemicals into the air, and authorities in East Palestine and the surrounding areas advised residents to remain indoors. The train disaster exacerbated an already growing economic problem in East Palestine, which was struggling to retain businesses amid a declining population. East Palestine’s population shrank from over 5,500 in the 1970s to around 4,700 at the 2020 census. “There are a lot of businesses who have left our town, and we are in need of financial recovery and economic recovery,” Chris Page, the president of the East Palestine Community Improvement Corporation, said earlier this month. Trump visited East Palestine shortly after the train derailment in February 2023, handing out water bottles and talking with citizens who were concerned about the future of their community. Trump’s visit to the small Ohio village drew a sharp contrast with then-President Joe Biden, who did not visit East Palestine until a year after the disaster. “In too many cases, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal,” Trump said at the time. Along with the health and economic consequences of the disaster, some East Palestine residents also alleged in a lawsuit filed last year that the toxic chemical spill and burn-off led to the deaths of seven people, including a 1-week-old infant. The wrongful death lawsuit, which was filed against the Norfolk Southern railroad company, claims that contractors hired by the railroad company did not effectively clean up the toxic chemical waste and also alleges that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed to properly warn residents about the health risks. Norfolk Southern previously settled a class-action lawsuit with many East Palestine residents for a total of $600 million. In that settlement, residents within a 2-mile radius of the derailment received up to $70,000 for property damage and up to $25,000 for personal injuries. The plaintiffs in the wrongful death lawsuit, however, did not sign onto the class-action case that was settled.

California Republican gubernatorial candidate and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco has said he supports creating a “path to citizenship” for illegal immigrants living currently in the United States, a stance that has drawn scrutiny from conservative voters in a crowded GOP primary. During a November interview with Pastura California that recently resurfaced, Bianco laid out his plan for allowing illegal immigrants to remain in the country. “My family immigrated here from Italy and they came here for jobs, that’s what things were here for. You came here [for] a job, you said that America is the greatest country in the world and I wanna be an American and you bust your behind to make sure that you provide for your family. That’s what it was then,” Bianco said during the interview. “The people that are coming here now, especially illegally, are coming here for free stuff, and then we are the ones that are paying for that. So the immigration system has to be fixed. We have to have a secure border.” Bianco also said he believes the border “is secure right now,” though he argued the country faces a major problem with visa overstays and illegal immigrants already in the United States. “But we have to address it, we have to make it right, whether they came across illegally into the country, legally or not, is irrelevant because we allowed it to happen. So now we just have to fix it. Secure our borders, don’t let that happen again, and now we have to give a path to citizenship to the ones that are here. We have to create a way for them to become U.S. citizens and … make their families great. If they truly did come here to make their lives and their families’ lives better, we have to get to a position where we allow that to happen.” Bianco added that if illegal immigrants are caught breaking laws “and committing crimes, they gotta go back.” “As the governor of California, we will fight for a path to citizenship,” he said, adding, “We have to start working for the people that are here trying to make California great and we have to make their lives easier.” When asked about his resurfaced remarks, Bianco told Breitbart on Thursday that he’s “been very clear” on immigration and that “both sides of the political aisle” have used his comments “to benefit them.” “Immigration is being made into a political tool, and California residents are the pawns,” Bianco said. But it’s not the first time Bianco has appeared to favor illegal immigrants. Last April, Bianco told podcast host Britt Mayer that he did not want his deputies cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arguing that doing so could deter illegal immigrant crime victims from reporting offenses. “I don’t want my line deputies, my patrol deputies, absolutely cannot be cooperating with the federal government in immigration reform because the people that we go to help are calling for our help,” Bianco said. “They are being victimized. And if they are afraid to report crime because they’re afraid to be deported themselves for being a victim.” “If a woman is raped and she will not report that to law enforcement because she believes she is going to be deported, then we are failing as an absolute country because we should be only caring about who victimized that poor girl or woman or man, and how can we make sure we get that criminal off the streets and behind bars, and if they’re illegal, they need to be deported immediately,” Bianco said. Bianco also reiterated that the United States “absolutely must have a path to citizenship for people that are here.” In a statement to Breitbart, Bianco said he believes “every person who is in jail for victimizing Californians should be deported” and that “sheriffs operating jails should be cooperating with the federal government.” “The sanctuary policies prevent that from happening and force the release of criminals back into our neighborhoods,” Bianco said. “Sanctuary policies place sheriffs at risk of criminal prosecution and removal from office because of ridiculous sanctuary state laws. The vast majority of residents, including immigrants, want that to end.” The gubernatorial hopeful also said that “the threat of deportation cannot be used by criminals to prevent the reporting of crime.” “A child being molested under threat of deportation should not be afraid of turning toward a deputy for protection,” Bianco said. “With all that said, sanctuary state policies need to be repealed. They harm our communities. As California governor, I will gladly work with other governors to pressure Congress to fix a broken immigration system.”

When I ponder the deeper aspects of love and intimacy, I sometimes like to consult the wisdom of our left-wing thought leaders, in the same way I sometimes like to stick a pencil in my ear to see if I can make it come out the other side of my head, then slam the ball-peen of a hammer down on my kneecap with full force before finally jamming a lit stick of dynamite between my buttocks and blowing my own ass off. For far too long, stodgy conservative influencers like Matt Walsh and God have defined human love as that relationship in which a man and a woman come to realize that the jigsaw complementarity of male and female bodies has become a fleshly symbol of the harmonic convergence of their individual souls, so that they seek to come together through the sacrament of an indissoluble lifelong marriage, in which she submits to the authority of a member of that gender with some semblance of a capacity for reason, while he includes within the circle of his own happiness the happiness of a member of that gender that can never be made happy or if they can it just costs an absolute fortune. But unlike the sluggish thought of conservatives, the wisdom of leftism never allows itself to become mired in the stagnant tar pit of moral and physical reality. Leftism is progressive, like emphysema or one of those horrible degenerative diseases that you don’t even want to think about because it’s so much like leftism, it makes you wonder how a good God could ever allow such a thing to exist. No. Leftists have now moved beyond restrictive, outdated categories like the essential nature of the human condition, and they’ve discovered all kinds of new wrinkles to human love that past generations never even conceived of without getting arrested. For instance, through the brilliant writings of leftist academics who have dedicated their lives to the selfless work of saying ridiculous crap that only some idiot like a journalist could possibly fall for, we now know that your gender is not determined by what gender you are. That wouldn’t be fair. You didn’t ask to be born. And if you did ask to be born, you sure didn’t ask to be born with every cell of your body evolved over slow millennia to either create and nurture the next generation, or to drag your ass to work so the next generation and their mother don’t starve to death while they’re home playing Candy Land or whatever the hell they do all day when you’re slaving away to keep them in onesies with maybe a few bucks left over for a date night at the Olive Garden so you don’t go out of your freaking mind. NOW, leftists tell us, you can change your gender by simply lopping off the relevant body parts, then bullying all the sane people into pretending that did the trick, until the gnawing suspicion that everyone is lying to you causes you to spray a crowded room with gunfire before blowing your head off. And for those people who aren’t into meaningless self-mutilation — for some reason — leftists are also able to assist you in intimacy by recommending some fruitless sexual fetish that is sure to improve your love life if your love life currently consists of lowering baskets of lotion into an oubliette. As an example, there’s a new movie out called “Pillion” which charts the sado-masochistic affair between two gay bikers. The Wall Street Journal calls it a “classic rom-com with warm and fuzzy feelings.” The Washington Post calls it a “surprisingly sweet BDSM romance.” And the New York Times hasn’t reviewed it yet, because their reviewer is still in the theater watching it over and over again.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against defining love as a man submitting to wearing a dog collar for another man, any more than I’m against defining dinner as repeatedly smacking a sirloin steak into your forehead. I just wish our leftist cultural overlords would occasionally heap such praise on a movie about, say, a wife submitting to the authority of a husband who makes her happiness his own. But they can’t. Because no one ever makes that movie. * * * This excerpt is taken from the opening satirical monologue of “The Andrew Klavan Show.” Andrew Klavan is the host of “The Andrew Klavan Show” at The Daily Wire. Klavan is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the Cameron Winter Mystery series. The fifth installment, After That, The Dark, is NOW AVAILABLE. Follow him on X: @andrewklavan. The views expressed in this satirical piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.