The Bulletin

• South Korea impeachment: South Korea's constitutional court has unanimously voted to uphold the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, ending months of legal wrangling after he briefly declared martial law in December and plunged the nation into political turmoil.

• Rubio assures no concessions to Putin: Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave assurances that the U.S. will not make concessions to Russia's Vladimir Putin that cross the red lines of Ukraine and Europe, the European Union's High Representative Kaja Kallas said.

• Potential American recession: Economists warn that President Trump's plan to implement tariffs on countless countries pushes trading partners away and could continue stinging the stock market. Here's when analysts say the U.S. could experience a recession.

• Texas pastor detained by ICE: A Texas pastor has been detained by federal immigration agents while following his usual morning routine—dropping off his youngest daughter at school and then taking his older daughter for breakfast at his wife's nearby store. Read more.

• 'Hands Off' protest locations: A new national day of protest is set to sweep across all 50 states on Saturday, April 5, with demonstrations organized under the banner "Hands Off" targeting perceived threats to democracy, bodily autonomy and climate justice. Here's a list of the protest locations.

• US and Chinese aircraft carriers in Pacific: Newsweek's weekly update maps aircraft carrier movements in the Indo-Pacific region. As of April 4, the locations of 11 vessels were publicly available via military disclosures and open-source imagery captured by satellites or ship spotters.

The rundown: Republican Senator Ted Cruz has expressed his apprehension at the tariffs unveiled by President Donald Trump on Wednesday. Here's what he said.

Why it matters: Cruz acknowledged that the new tariffs could have the effect of pushing America's trading partners into lowering their own trade barriers, after which the U.S. could pull back on its protectionist policies, describing this possibility as "a great outcome." However, he said that a "bad outcome for America" would be trading partners "jacking up" their own tariffs, resulting in "high tariffs everywhere." While Cruz's comments acknowledged potential benefits of Trump's tariffs, several sitting and former Republican lawmakers have voiced less equivocal opposition to the policy. On Wednesday, the Senate passed a resolution to terminate Trump's emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking, which forms part of the foundation for the tariffs on Canada.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Trump's Tariffs May Be a Win for China

TL/DR: "Tariffs are a tax on consumers, and I'm not a fan of jacking up taxes on American consumers," the Texas senator told Fox Business' Larry Kudlow on Thursday.

What happens now? While White House officials have said that the tariffs will remain in place and are non-negotiable, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he would be open to negotiations if countries offered the U.S. something "phenomenal."

Deeper reading Ted Cruz Speaks Out Against Donald Trump's Tariffs: 'Tax on Consumers'

The rundown: National Security Agency (NSA) Director Timothy Haugh and his civilian deputy Wendy Noble were dismissed from their positions Thursday, according to multiple outlets. Learn more.

Why it matters: The firings come on the heels of several officials from the White House National Security Council being fired on Thursday after President Trump met with conservative far-right activist Laura Loomer. According to NBC News citing one Department of Defense official and three additional anonymous sources, the reason for the dismissals is not immediately known. Haugh, an Air Force general, has led the NSA and Cyber Command since 2023, while Noble served as the senior civilian official at the agency, the Associated Press reports. NBC News notes that Haugh and Nobel are career officials with decades of experience in intelligence.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Mike Waltz Used Signal for More Sensitive National Security Chats: Report

TL/DR: The high-level shake-ups also arrived after the administration has faced bipartisan heat following national security adviser Mike Waltz and other Trump brass holding a conversation that included a journalist in a chat group on the encrypted app Signal regarding military plans.

What happens now? It was unknown to Newsweek at the time of publication who will be appointed interim leader of the NSA after the shake-up.

Deeper reading NSA Director and Deputy Reportedly Dismissed: What We Know

The rundown: Elon Musk, de facto leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and others have been sued over cuts at the Social Security Administration (SSA). Find out more.

Why it matters: Five groups and seven Social Security beneficiaries, in the lawsuit filed in a Washington, D.C., federal court on Wednesday, said SSA cuts have disproportionately impacted disability beneficiaries and violated their constitutional rights. Named in the legal action is Musk, the SSA, its acting commissioner Leland Dudek, as well as DOGE and its acting administrator Amy Gleason. In February, the SSA announced that it would reduce the SSA's workforce of 57,000 down to 50,000 and reduce regional offices from 10 to four. It said the move would streamline "redundant layers of management" and reduce "non-mission critical work."

Read more in-depth coverage:
Trump's Legal Blows This Week: Administration Hit With Maryland Injunction

TL/DR: The SSA sends monthly checks to some 70 million Americans, and is widely considered the most-popular government program, paying retirement, survivor and disability benefits.

What happens now? The SSA and DOGE have not yet made any public comment on the lawsuit.

Deeper reading Elon Musk Sued Over Social Security Cuts

The rundown: Iran is ready to defend itself against any attack, its President Masoud Pezeshkian has said, in an apparent response to U.S. President Donald Trump's ultimatum over a new nuclear deal. Know more.

Why it matters: Tensions between the United States and Iran are intensifying amid stalled negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program and a warning from Trump that military action remains on the table if a deal isn't reached by his deadline. "We do not seek war with any country, but we have no hesitation in defending ourselves, and our readiness and capability in this regard are at the highest level," Pezeshkian told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a Trump ally, in a call, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported Friday. The U.S. will launch military strikes on Tehran if its leaders do not engage in talks with Washington on limiting its nuclear program, Trump said on Sunday. "It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before," he said."

Read more in-depth coverage:
Iraqi Militia Warns Over U.S.-Iran War: "Ignite the Entire Region"

TL/DR: The ongoing deadlock raises the risk of direct conflict between the U.S. and Iran in an already unstable Middle East, where an American aircraft carrier strike group is leading a U.S. military operation against the Houthi militants in Yemen.

What happens now? Uncertainty looms over whether tensions between the U.S. and Iran will further grow. A full-blown military confrontation would not only destabilize the Middle East, but also directly impact U.S. foreign policy under Trump's second presidency.

Deeper reading Iran Ready To Defend Territory From US After Trump Ultimatum: President

The rundown: Low-tax states have seen significant population jumps in recent years. Newsweek has spoken with experts to find out why.

Why it matters: Some states are growing, others are shrinking, with institutions such as the tax think tank Tax Foundation crediting this to taxes. One expert argued that "taxes affect Americans' location decisions," while another said his research shows that tax is seldom given as a reason for moving. Texas and Florida, both zero-income tax states, have seen the largest influx of domestic immigration. Between April 2020 and July 2024, the net total of domestic migrants who moved to Florida was 872,722, while 747,730 moved to Texas, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau released at the end of last year. Other states that received some of the highest interstate migrants were North Carolina (392,010), South Carolina (314,953), Arizona (252,654) and Tennessee (252,180).

Read more in-depth coverage:
Map Shows US States With No Income Tax

TL/DR: It is widely accepted that there are multiple reasons for people to move and while tax can certainly be one of them, experts disagree on how much of a motivator it really is.

What happens now? "The factors that influence decisions about migration include family, employment, the social and natural environment of the place they reside in or move to," Professor Kenneth Johnson, a demographer at the Carsey School of Public Policy and professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire, told Newsweek.

Deeper reading Are Americans Flocking to Low-Tax States?