5Sep, 2025
Week of Sept 1

Executive actions & nominations (Sept 1 → Sept 5, 2025)

Quick summary (at a glance)

  • The administration issued an executive order implementing the U.S.–Japan framework (15% baseline tariff; sector exceptions; retroactive to Aug 7). The White House
  • Japan is said to have committed ~$550 billion in investment; details and enforceability remain vague and disputed in reporting. ReutersCSIS
  • Several presidential nominations (and a few withdrawals) were formally sent to the Senate this week — including the BLS nominee E.J. “Erwin/E.J.” Antoni and multiple maritime, commerce, Treasury, and State nominees. The White House
  • The Western District of Virginia U.S. Attorney nomination/appointment situation remains messy after a sudden resignation — raising oversight questions. Department of Justice
  • The Department of Defense has been renamed to the Department of War — raising questions of why we seem to be going on the offensive and a precursor of what is to come. The Guardian

Below I’ve laid this out day-by-day (Sept 1 → today), each entry short, clear, and with: (1) what happened, (2) why it matters, and (3) red flags / what to watch. I triple-checked the main facts against primary sources (White House / EO text), major news coverage, and official agency pages; links are at the end.

Sept 1, 2025 — (week-opening notes)

No single White House “presidential actions” item dated Sept 1 on the official feed. This week’s actions cluster on Sept 2–5.

Sept 2, 2025 — Nominations (selected)

What happened

  • The White House sent a batch of nominations to the Senate (examples reported earlier this week include Tammy Bruce to be Deputy Representative to the U.N., plus other ambassadorial and judicial nominations). The White House

Why it matters (left-leaning lens)

  • Filling diplomatic and judicial slots shapes U.S. policy and how laws get applied for years. Ambassador picks affect trade, human rights enforcement, and global coordination on climate and labor standards.

Red flags / What to watch

  • Check nominees’ records for corporate ties or past advocacy against labor or environmental rules. Senate hearings are the moment to demand documents, voting records, and recusals where conflicts exist.

Sept 3, 2025 — Nominations (large, high-turnover batch)

What happened (core items drawn from the White House list)

  • Erwin (E.J.) Antoni — to be Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 4-year term (replacing Erika McEntarfer). Reuters
  • Laura DiBella and Robert A. Harvey — to be Federal Maritime Commissioners (two FMC vacancies). The White House Lloyd’s List
  • Steven Haines — Assistant Secretary of Commerce (replacing Grant T. Harris, resigned). The White House
  • Trent Morse — Board member, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (5-year term). The White House
  • Joshua Simmons — General Counsel, CIA (replace Kate Heinzelman, resigned). The White House
  • Christopher Yeaw — Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Stability (replace Mallory Stewart, resigned). The White House Hudson Institute
  • Withdrawals sent to Senate (documents show a few withdrawals were formally transmitted) — including Terrence Gorman (Veterans’ Appeals), Penny Schwinn (Deputy Sec. of Education), and Christopher Gilbert (U.S. Attorney, Western District of Virginia). The White House

Why it matters

  • The BLS commissioner is central to trust in labor and inflation data. A politicized BLS can distort economic policy debates and hurt working people. Reuters
  • FMC appointees shape port rules and shipping costs — important for supply-chain resilience and import/export fairness. Lloyd’s List
  • Appointing a State Arms Control lead with a strong defense/industrial background matters for treaty posture and arms-control diplomacy. Hudson Institute

Non-MAGA critique & red flags

  • E.J. Antoni (BLS) — He comes from the Heritage Foundation; critics warn this could politicize federal statistics. The BLS needs technical independence. Senators should press for traceable evidence that nominees will not change data collection or revision processes for political ends. Reuters
  • FMC slate (DiBella / Harvey) — Both tied to Florida economic-development networks; the pattern looks like regional patronage. Watch for business or port-industry conflicts of interest. Public benefit must trump private port contracts. Lloyd’s List
  • CIA General Counsel (Joshua Simmons) — He’s a career legal adviser in State; the GC role requires both independence and a record on civil-liberties protections. Senators should probe his positions on surveillance, targeting, and whistleblower protections. The White House International Court of Justice
  • High turnover — Several positions are “vice X resigned.” Replacing many career or long-tenured officials quickly reduces institutional memory and weakens checks on power. That invites policy instability and potential cover-ups.

What to watch in confirmation process

  • Demand full financial disclosures and recusal agreements.
  • For BLS: technical briefings showing no political interference with sampling methodology, seasonal adjustment rules, or revision policy.
  • For FMC: disclosure of port contracts, grants, and any ties to private investors who will benefit from tariff or regulatory changes.

Sept 4, 2025 — Executive Order: Implementing the United States–Japan Agreement

What happened (straight fact)

  • The President issued an executive order implementing the U.S.–Japan framework agreement. It: (a) sets a baseline 15% tariff on most Japanese imports (with sector-specific treatment for autos, aerospace, generics, and certain natural resources); (b) makes many aerospace products duty-free; and (c) applies retroactively to entries on or after 12:01 a.m. EDT on August 7, 2025. The EO text is posted on the White House site. The White House

Public reporting & the investment pledge

  • The administration and press report that Japan agreed to $550 billion in U.S. investment commitments as part of the deal; reporting describes that figure as a mix of equity, loans, and guarantees, but details on legal commitments, timelines, and enforcement mechanisms remain thin in official documents. Reuters The White House

Non-MAGA critique (what concerns should people have?)

  • Transparency & enforcement: The EO says Japan will “provide” investments selected by the U.S. government, but the EO itself does not include binding enforcement language, timelines, or independent audits. That leaves open the question: What counts as deliverable capital and who verifies it? The WhiteHouse Reuters
  • Retrospective tariff changes: Making the tariff change retroactive to Aug 7 could trigger refunds or complex customs reconciliations. Retroactivity can quietly shift who benefits (importers, large corporations) and who bears short-term costs (workers facing supply shifts). The White House
  • Delegation power: The EO delegates broad authority to Commerce and DHS to implement and to define “products of Japan.” That gives agency officials latitude — which can be necessary — but also raises risk of opaque rule-making without adequate public oversight. The White House
  • $550B — real or aspirational? Media reporting indicates the $550B figure has been repeatedly touted by administration officials, but independent analysts urge skepticism until commitments are legally documented. Watch for any “investment committee” structures, profit-sharing arrangements, or conditionality clauses that could hide giveaways to corporations or leave public oversight weak. Reuters CSI S

What to watch next

  • The Commerce Department notice(s) to the Federal Register (they’re required within days under the EO). Those notices will show details — exclusions, HTS modifications, and timelines. The White House
  • Treasury / Commerce briefings or Japan government releases spelling out the $550B mechanics. Insist on documentation: who signs, what legal form the commitments take, and how compliance will be verified. Reuters

Sept 5, 2025 — Notes & continuing developments

  • Press coverage and fact-checking are ongoing. Several outlets flagged the $550B number as a headline figure with sketchy public back-up and urged caution. Independent watchdogs will need to follow the Federal Register and any intergovernmental memoranda of understanding. Reuters CSIS
  • While this was being completed for posting, there was a news flash, Trump has changed the name from Department of Defense to Department of War. The Guardian

Red flags across the week — grouped (short checklist)

  1. Data agencies at risk of politicization — BLS nominee comes from a partisan think tank; confirmers must protect statistical independence. Reuters
  2. Big trade deal with thin public enforcement language — $550B headline needs legal documents to be meaningful. Demand more than press statements. The White House Reuters
  3. Rapid turnover & withdrawals — multiple resignations and withdrawals reduce continuity and increase opportunities for back-channel deals. The White House Department of Justice
  4. Potential cronyism in nominations — regional and industry ties for FMC nominees warrant careful vetting. Lloyd’s List
  5. Delegated, fast rulemaking — the EO authorizes quick HTSUS modifications that could be implemented with limited notice. Watch the Federal Register for the rule text. The White House
  6. Potentially antagonizing the world — Changing the name of the Dept. of Defense to Dept. of War is peek at the hand of Trump’s plans.

How to push for accountability (practical next steps)

  • Demand the Federal Register notices tied to the EO and bookmark them. The notice will show the exact tariff changes and any exclusions. The White House
  • Ask the Senate to hold thorough confirmation hearings that dig into conflicts, data-methodology protections (for BLS), and nominees’ ties to industry. Use the hearing record to request documents. The White House
  • Watch the Commerce Department for the investment documentation — e.g., MOUs, formal guarantees, or project lists. If nothing public appears, press for FOIA and independent audits. Reuters
  • Civil-society monitoring — labor, environmental, and procurement transparency groups should monitor how investments are selected and whether they create jobs with good wages and protections. CSIS

Final notes — verification & sources

I verified the EO text and tariff rules directly from the White House presidential actions page (executive order text). I cross-checked major facts about the Japan package and the $550B headlines against Reuters and independent policy analysts, and I used the White House nominations posting plus Department of Justice and reputable trade/port trade outlets for nominee backgrounds and the U.S. Attorney developments. Key supporting documents and reporting are below.

Primary sources used (top references cited inline above)

Additional reporting/background consulted

All sources referenced above / used to triple-check facts