President Donald Trump directed U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to open a Section 301 investigation into Brazil, CNBC reported June 2. Greer says the probe targets unfair trade practices harming American companies and workers. The administration is also proposing a 25% tariff on Brazilian goods if the investigation backs up those claims.

Section 301 is the same trade law Trump used against China in his first term. It gives the White House a hard tool to punish foreign trade abuse without waiting for Congress to act.

A 25% tariff is not paperwork. It is a cost shock. If your business buys Brazilian inputs, your margins can change fast. If your job competes with Brazilian imports, this could help level the field.

The media will frame this as Trump “escalating trade tensions.” The better question is why major exporters should get easy access to the U.S. market while gaming rules that hit American workers. Brazil now faces a formal process that can end in tariffs, a negotiated fix, or both. Watch the product list next, because the real pain depends on which Brazilian goods get targeted.

Rep. Ashley Hinson won the Iowa Republican Senate nomination after President Trump backed her bid. She now runs for the open seat being vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst. Democrats see the race as one of their best shots because there is no incumbent. Hinson has the Trump endorsement, a strong Iowa profile, and a midterm base that knows Senate control matters.

The DOJ opened a criminal investigation tied to E. Jean Carroll’s testimony in the Trump civil case. Old clips show Carroll talking about “revenge,” saying she enjoyed making Trump angry, and joking about “prick[ing] his little balloon constantly.” If sworn statements are now under review, this changes the whole lawfare story. Civil verdicts do not make credibility questions disappear.

Adam Hamawy, a plastic surgeon, won a New Jersey Democratic congressional primary. The issue is his past testimony as a character witness for Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, later convicted in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot. Democrats nominated him anyway. Voters now get to decide whether that past judgment matters.

More than 70 House Republicans filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to reject Boulder County’s climate damages lawsuit against oil companies. Their argument is simple: counties should not set national energy policy through lawsuits. If local governments can sue over global emissions, costs will move into gas, electricity, and heating bills. This is climate politics through the courthouse.

The FBI charged 35 people in West Virginia under Operation Turf War, targeting drug trafficking and firearms crimes. FBI Director Kash Patel said the operation answered a community call for help in high-crime areas. The bureau also tied the sweep to a nationwide summer crime initiative. For towns hit by fentanyl, meth, and gun crime, arrests beat speeches.

Most Americans do not understand how the system actually works. They know the headlines, but not the machinery behind Congress, agencies, courts, spending, and executive power. The Government 101 Field Guide is the field manual I wish every citizen had before Washington started lying to them. Get it here:

Remember the push to bury the Biden-era lawfare machine under “old news” once Trump returned to office? That story did not go away. It moved into document requests, inspector general reviews, and slow federal cleanup work that rarely gets the front-page treatment.

They buried it because the original narrative depended on speed and emotion. Raid first. Leak second. Moralize third.

Then when the process starts exposing who authorized what, who coordinated with whom, and who stretched the rules, the cameras vanish.

What it means now is simple: accountability will not come from cable panels, it will come from paper trails, sworn testimony, and criminal referrals if the facts support them.

I’ll keep tracking the stories they hope die quietly. What did I miss? Hit reply.

Stay free,

Brett Lee Editor, Project Liberty projectlibertyus.com

Follow: @projectlibertyus | @real brett lee