(The Center Square) – Democrats announced fresh plans to thwart President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Monday as Trump plans new tariffs to protect Hollywood from foreign movies.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer said Monday afternoon that he would co-sponsor legislation from Sen. Ed Markey to exempt small businesses from Trump’s tariffs. 

“Protecting small businesses shouldn’t be a partisan issue,” Schumer said. “It’s a national priority.” 

Trump announced a slate of higher tariffs on April 2 but suspended them seven days later. Trump said the 90-day pause was designed to give his trade team time to make deals with foreign countries to reduce the U.S. trade deficit. Trump kept a 10% baseline tariff on foreign imports and a 25% tariff on foreign-made passenger vehicles and auto parts.

Trump also hit China with 145% tariffs as the nation’s two largest economies face off over trade. China retaliated with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods. Trump also put tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. 

On Sunday, Trump said he would direct the Department of Commerce to put 100% tariffs on foreign-made films, which drew silence from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Motion Picture Association.

“The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States. Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It is, in addition to everything else, messaging and propaganda! Therefore, I am authorizing the Department of Commerce, and the United States Trade Representative, to immediately begin the process of instituting a 100% Tariff on any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”

The White House said Monday that no decision had been made on Trump’s movie tariff, but all options were under consideration. 

At the same time, Trump’s auto tariffs have been slow to produce firm commitments that automakers will make more vehicles in the U.S. 

Last week, Detroit-based automaker General Motors told shareholders that it expected tariffs would cost the company about $4 billion to $5 billion, and it lowered its financial guidance for the year. GM CEO Mary Barra said the company has been in near continuous talks with President Donald Trump’s administration since the inauguration in January. Barra declined to say if the company would raise vehicle prices or move production from Mexico to the U.S.

On Monday, Ford suspended its financial outlook for the year.

“Given material near-term risks, especially the potential for industrywide supply chain disruption impacting production, the potential for future or increased tariffs in the U.S., changes in the implementation of tariffs including tariff offsets, retaliatory tariffs and other restrictions by other governments and the potential related market impacts, and finally policy uncertainties associated with tax and emissions policy, the company is suspending guidance,” the company said in a statement. “These are substantial industry risks, which could have significant impacts on financial results, and that make updating full year guidance challenging right now given the potential range of outcomes.”

The company said that tariff costs would cut about $1.5 billion from its adjusted pretax earnings.

(The Center Square) – Support for “arguably the world’s most successful research park” through federal legislation encouraging investments in intellectual property and American global technology leadership is being led in part by North Carolinians of both parties in Congress.

Research Triangle Park, largest sprawling development of its kind across 7,000 acres with more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers, would stand to benefit greatly from the newest bicameral attempt to pass the PREVAIL Act. Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of the Tarheel State is alongside bill author Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, in the upper chamber and Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., is partnered with Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, in the House.

“It’s critical that we work across party lines to ensure the people who are driving our country’s innovation have the tools they need to thrive,” Ross said. “When we support innovators, we bolster American competitiveness and the American economy.”

The acronym is for Promoting and Respecting Economically Vital American Innovation Leadership.

The legislation would update and improve the patent system to protect essential property rights, she said. Tillis calls them commonsense changes.

“To maintain the United States’ position as the global leader in technology and innovation, we must work with inventors – large and small – to improve and streamline our patent system,” Tillis said. “We must restore faith and confidence in the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.”

Before the grand idea of RTP credited to Gov. Luther Hodges, North Carolina was No. 47 of 48 states in 1950 in per capita income. University graduates regularly left for other locales and tobacco, textiles and the furniture industry drove the economic engine.

Three-quarters of a century later, North Carolina is No. 34 – inclusive of behind the District of Columbia – though growing to the ninth largest population at about 11 million and ranking top five for states drawing the most people by moves. Agriculture remains the No. 1 industry with growth in biotechnology, aerospace, transportation and information technology making great strides.

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board is within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Congressional supporters say the process has evolved into a “forum where patent claims are consistently invalidated through proceedings that are duplicative of – not an alternative to – the federal district court.”

A release says reformation includes:

• Require standing for Patent Trial and Appeal Board challengers and limit repeated petitions challenging the same patent.

• Harmonize Patent Trial and Appeal Board claim construction and burden of proof with federal district court.

• End duplicative patent challenges by requiring a party to choose between making its validity challenges before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or in district court.

• Increase transparency by prohibiting the Patent and Trademark Office director from influencing Patent Trial and Appeal Board panel decisions.

Supporters include the Council for Innovation Promotion, known also as C4IP; the Biotechnology Innovation Organization; and the Innovation Alliance.

In the 118thh Congress, the Senate version of the PREVAIL Act was introduced in July 2023 and died Dec. 2 just before end of session, having come through the Judiciary Committee and been placed on the Legislative Calendar under General Orders. The House version was introduced in June 2023 and died the same day in the Judiciary Committee.

(The Center Square) – Louisiana is looking to join several states in cracking down on access to mobile applications for underage individuals.

Under House Bill 570, teens would need parental permission to download apps like TikTok, Snapchat or Instagram.

The legislation, which passed without objection, aims to give parents greater control over the digital lives of their children by requiring app stores to verify the age of users and confirm parental consent for anyone under 18.

The bill passed the House Commerce Committee without objection. 

“Our phones are now the white van,” said Michelle Johnson, a supporter of the bill who warned lawmakers about the link between social media and child exploitation. “We wouldn’t let a strange man lure our kids off the street, but we allow it online every day.”

The bill’s supporters, including Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, argue that placing the responsibility on app stores is both practical and protective of user privacy.

Nicole Lopez, Meta’s Director of Global Litigation Strategy for Youth, told lawmakers the company backs HB570 as a “privacy-protective solution” that streamlines parental control without overburdening app developers.

“Parents already verify age and grant permissions when they buy a phone for their teen,” Lopez said. “This bill would make that process apply to all app downloads, not just purchases, using the infrastructure Apple and Google already have.”

Lopez noted that Meta has already migrated over 25 million American teens into stricter “Teen Accounts” with limited messaging and default privacy settings. The company says 80% of U.S. parents support legislation requiring parental consent for app downloads by teens under 16, based on polling data.

The bill would also help ensure compliance with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which restricts the collection of data from users under 13.

Not everyone is on board. On Monday, critics argued the bill threatens user privacy, shifts liability unfairly to app stores, and may not stand up in court.

“HB570 would compromise the privacy of all users by requiring more data collection just to verify someone’s age,” said Aden Hizkias with the Chamber of Progress, a tech industry coalition. “This shifts responsibility away from social media companies and undermines First Amendment rights.”

Justin Hill, a policy analyst with NetChoice and a former Missouri lawmaker, warned that similar laws in Utah and Ohio have already been blocked by courts.

“This exact bill has been filed and hasn’t passed elsewhere. Courts have said forcing people to upload ID just to access digital content violates constitutional protections.”

In an interview, Carver said that the bill has been tailored so that it does not target specific content, such as social media platforms, thereby avoiding a constitutional challenge. 

“This would apply to all 1.5 million apps on the stores, so we’re not limiting anyone’s access to speech,” Carver said. 

Hill pointed out that the practical implications are enormous.

“On Day 1, you’d need to submit ID to the app store just to download or update apps. If you want your son to have access, you’d need to prove you’re their parent — how do you do that without a birth certificate?” Hill asked. 

John Tamny of the Parkview Institute called the proposal “a trivialization of parenting,” saying Apple and Google already provide tools for parents to manage screen time and restrict access to apps.

“We’re pretending parents are powerless when, in reality, they’re already well-armed.”

HB570 would require major app stores like Apple and Google to collect minimal information about a user’s age and parental status before allowing teens to download apps. Once verified, parents would receive requests to approve or deny any attempted downloads by their child.

However, the bill does not address what happens if a child uses a parent’s already-approved device.

“That’s something that will have to be left to the parents,” said Rep. Kim Carver during the hearing. “We don’t want to get into the business of telling parents how to parent.”

Supporters emphasized that the legislation is narrowly tailored to avoid the constitutional pitfalls that have plagued other state efforts. Unlike earlier laws that singled out specific apps or websites, HB570 applies to all app stores equally.