News when you want it with Bloomberg News Now, I'm Doug Prisner. The Trump administration is investigating the addition of journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to a text group of top US officials discussing plans for military strikes in Yemen. Now. The group was communicating through the encrypted messaging chat app Signal. Today, President Trump suggested procedures might not change in the aftermath of this incident.
Well, I don't know what.
I don't know anything about Signal. I wasn't involved in this, but I just heard about it, and I hear it's used by a lot of groups. It's used by the media a lot, it's used by a lot of the military, and I think successfully. But sometimes somebody can get onto those things. That's one of the prices you pay when you're not sitting in the situation room.
That is President Trump, speaking earlier from the White House. He went on to say that he did not believe that the disclosures demanded a criminal investigation or even a directive banning the use of Signal. Meantime, his National Security advisor, Mike Waltz, took responsibility for the misapp tonight. He was speaking on Fox News. I take responsibility. I built the I built the group.
Okay, So.
But look, that's the part that we have to figure out, and that's the part that we were embarrassing. Yes, we made a mistake.
We're moving forward and we're going to continue to knock it out of the park for this president.
That is National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, speaking earlier to Fox News. He went on to say that he's never met Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of the Atlantic magazine, and Waltz said he has spoken to Elon Musk to look at how Goldberg was added to the Signal Group chat. We know that markets are bracing for another round of US tariffs, set to take effect on April second. Well tonight President Trump, saying he does not want to have
too many exceptions. Trump told Newsmax he'll probably be more lenient than reciprocal, because if the tariffs were reciprocal, that would be very tough for people. Meantime, US tariffs on copper imports could be imposed within several weeks, months earlier than the deadline for a decision. We are told the investigation is already looking like little more than a formality. Now.
Analysts have been expecting the US to impose a tariff of twenty five percent on copper by the end of the year, and that in turn could royal the global market and impact copper prices. Republican leaders are close to agreeing on a plan to pass an extension of President Trump's twenty seventeen tax cuts and increase the debt ceiling. Now, the GOP Congress is aiming to approve an economic package by the end of May, although House lawmakers are working
to get it passed before the Memorial Day weekend. Here is House Speaker Mike Johnson.
I mean, I'm trying to get this to the President's desk for signature at least by Memorial Day. I think it's very important. I think the timing is very important because we have to bring stability to the markets. We've got to make sure everybody's tax rates are locked in and they know that so people can make decisions about
expanding their businesses and jobs and other things. It'll settle the bond markets, it will secure the border, it will help us to restore and maintain piece through strength, and of course it will prevent the largest tax increase in US history.
That is how Speaker Mike Johnson speaking to reporters earlier. He went on to say that the Senate is coming around to supporting a debt sealing increase as part of the legislation sent him. Majority leader John Thune said he believes there is consensus forming around that debt sealing plan. The Treasury Department is planning to lay off a substantial number of employees. This would be as part of the
Department of Government Efficiencies initiative that being doged. The Treasury has more than one hundred thousand workers across several bureaus. Consumer confidence tumbled in March to the lowest level in four years. The drop today, reported by the Conference Board, marks the fourth straight monthly decline. Stephanie Guichard is senior economist at the Conference Board.
What has been driving the decline is especially the expectation component of I index, where we see consumers negative about the future of the labor market, future label conditions, and importantly getting more and more worried about future income.
Stephanie gusharv from the Conference Board. There Today, the US announced Russia and Ukraine agreed to a cease fire in the Black Sea. This will ensure safe navigation and prevent the use of commercial shipping for military purposes. Now, the Kremlin confirmed this agreement, but it said it was conditional on lifting sanctions on banks and companies involved in agricultural exports. Wendy Sherman is a former US Deputy Secretary of State.
I think that the White House wants people to feel that there's forward progress. The Russian said, only if you live sanctions. And already, in my view, the Trump administration has given Russia way too much. Already said that we believe that Ukraine should never become part of NATO.
That was former US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman speaking there time. Ukrainian President Voladimir Zelensky said his forces would observe the partial truce immediately. He also said Ukraine unconditionally supports the idea of a full sease fire. And that is news when you want it with Bloomberg News. Now, I'm Doug Krisner, and this is Bloomberg