Get to know San Antonio mayoral runoff candidates
We asked each a series of fun questions to learn more about them as a person.
Catch up quick: Ortiz Jones, a former Air Force undersecretary under the Biden administration, won about 27% of the vote in the May 3 election. Pablos, a former Texas secretary of state appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, won nearly 17%.
Early voting is underway now through June 3. Find polling times and locations online.
Election day is June 7.
Here are the questions:
How do you start your morning?
What's your favorite restaurant in the city?
Tell us a fun fact about you.
What are your hobbies when you're not working?
What's your favorite TV show?
What's your favorite movie?
What's your favorite book?
What's your favorite band or musician?
What's your proudest personal achievement?
What do you consider your top career accomplishment?
Here's what they told us.
Gina Ortiz Jones
Thinking about how many people in our city would suffer if our next mayor was a green light for Trump/Abbott.
Dinner: Leche de Tigre, Breakfast: the (El Rodeo De) Jalisco on Potranco and Dugas.
I've been shark cage diving off the coast of South Africa.
Reading, running and grabbing a spicy margarita with friends.
"The Sopranos."
"(The) Godfather (Part II)."
Hannah Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil."
George Strait.
Being a good big sister and daughter.
From Air Force intelligence officer deployed to Iraq, to 27th Under Secretary of the Air Force, my service has always been to our country.
Rolando Pablos
I spend time praying and meditating. It helps me compose myself and reflect on the blessings in my life.
Mi Tierra. I love it and Market Square because our city's culture is so alive there, and it's filled with visitors from other cultures.
My family immigrated from Mexico in 1976, when I was 8 years old. I appreciate the sacrifices my parents made, and we have lived the American dream.
I love hunting. I'm a "foodie" and enjoy trying different restaurants. And I'm a big fan of all genres of music and enjoy concerts.
"Entourage."
"Lost in Translation."
The Bible and "The Road Less Traveled."
Rush.
My 30-year marriage to my wonderful wife and our four remarkable children. I'm also blessed to have a very tight-knit extended family.
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The Hill
7 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump's broad tariffs go into effect, just as economic pain is surfacing
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump began levying higher import taxes on dozens of countries Thursday, just as the economic fallout of his monthslong tariff threats has begun to create visible damage for the U.S. economy. Just after midnight, goods from more than 60 countries and the European Union became subject to tariff rates of 10% or higher. Products from the European Union, Japan and South Korea are taxed at 15%, while imports from Taiwan, Vietnam and Bangladesh are taxed at 20%. Trump also expects the EU, Japan and South Korea to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S. 'I think the growth is going to be unprecedented,' Trump said Wednesday afternoon. He added that the U.S. was 'taking in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs,' but he couldn't provide a specific figure for revenues because 'we don't even know what the final number is' regarding tariff rates. Despite the uncertainty, the Trump White House is confident that the onset of his broad tariffs will provide clarity about the path of the world's largest economy. Now that companies understand the direction the U.S. is headed, the administration believes they can ramp up new investments and jump-start hiring in ways that can rebalance the U.S. economy as a manufacturing power. But so far, there are signs of self-inflicted wounds to America as companies and consumers alike brace for the impact of new taxes. What the data has shown is a U.S. economy that changed in April with Trump's initial rollout of tariffs, an event that led to market drama, a negotiating period and Trump's ultimate decision to start his universal tariffs on Thursday. Economic reports show that hiring began to stall, inflationary pressures crept upward and home values in key markets started to decline after April, said John Silvia, CEO of Dynamic Economic Strategy. 'A less productive economy requires fewer workers,' Silvia said in an analysis note. 'But there is more, the higher tariff prices lower workers' real wages. The economy has become less productive, and firms cannot pay the same real wages as before. Actions have consequences.' Even then, the ultimate transformations of the tariffs are unknown and could play out over months, if not years. Many economists say the risk is that the American economy is steadily eroded rather than collapsing instantly. 'We all want it to be made for television where it's this explosion — it's not like that,' said Brad Jensen, a professor at Georgetown University. 'It's going to be fine sand in the gears and slow things down.' Trump has promoted the tariffs as a way to reduce the persistent trade deficit. But importers sought to avoid the taxes by importing more goods before the taxes went into effect. As a result, the $582.7 billion trade imbalance for the first half of the year was 38% higher than in 2024. Total construction spending has dropped 2.9% over the past year, and the factory jobs promised by Trump have so far resulted in job losses. The lead-up to Thursday fit the slapdash nature of Trump's tariffs, which have been variously rolled out, walked back, delayed, increased, imposed by letter and frantically renegotiated. The process has been so muddled that officials for key trade partners were unclear at the start of the week whether the tariffs would begin Thursday or Friday. The language of the July 31 order to delay the start of tariffs from Aug. 1 said the higher tax rates would start in seven days. On Wednesday morning, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, was asked if the new tariffs began at midnight Thursday, and he said reporters should check with the U.S. Trade Representative's Office. Trump on Wednesday announced additional 25% tariffs to be imposed on India for its buying of Russian oil, bringing its total import taxes to 50%. A top body of Indian exporters said Thursday the latest U.S. tariffs will impact nearly 55% of the country's outbound shipments to America and force exporters to lose their long-standing clients. 'Absorbing this sudden cost escalation is simply not viable. Margins are already thin,' S.C. Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations, said in a statement. Import taxes are still coming on pharmaceutical drugs and Trump announced 100% tariffs on computer chips. That could leave the U.S. economy in a place of suspended animation as it awaits the impact. The president's use of a 1977 law to declare an economic emergency to impose the tariffs is also under challenge. The impending ruling from last week's hearing before a U.S. appeals court could cause Trump to find other legal justifications if judges say he exceeded his authority. Even people who worked with Trump during his first term are skeptical that things will go smoothly for the economy, such as Paul Ryan, the former Republican House speaker, who has emerged as a Trump critic. 'There's no sort of rationale for this other than the president wanting to raise tariffs based upon his whims, his opinions,' Ryan told CNBC on Wednesday. 'I think choppy waters are ahead because I think they're going to have some legal challenges.' Still, the stock market has been solid during the recent tariff drama, with the S&P 500 index climbing more than 25% from its April low. The market's rebound and the income tax cuts in Trump's tax and spending measures signed into law on July 4 have given the White House confidence that economic growth is bound to accelerate in the coming months. As of now, Trump still foresees an economic boom while the rest of the world and American voters wait nervously. 'There's one person who can afford to be cavalier about the uncertainty that he's creating, and that's Donald Trump,' said Rachel West, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation who worked in the Biden White House on labor policy. 'The rest of Americans are already paying the price for that uncertainty.'
Boston Globe
7 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Trump's broad tariffs go into effect, just as economic pain is surfacing
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Despite the uncertainty, the Trump White House is confident that the onset of his broad tariffs will provide clarity about the path of the world's largest economy. Now that companies understand the direction the U.S. is headed, the administration believes they can ramp up new investments and jump-start hiring in ways that can rebalance the U.S. economy as a manufacturing power. Advertisement But so far, there are signs of self-inflicted wounds to America as companies and consumers alike brace for the impact of new taxes. What the data has shown is a U.S. economy that changed in April with Trump's initial rollout of tariffs, an event that led to market drama, a negotiating period and Trump's ultimate decision to start his universal tariffs on Thursday. Advertisement After April, economic reports show that hiring began to stall, inflationary pressures crept upward and home values in key markets started to decline, said John Silvia, CEO of Dynamic Economic Strategy. 'A less productive economy requires fewer workers,' Silvia said in an analysis note. 'But there is more, the higher tariff prices lower workers' real wages. The economy has become less productive, and firms cannot pay the same real wages as before. Actions have consequences.' Even then, the ultimate transformations of the tariffs are unknown and could play out over months, if not years. Many economists say the risk is that the American economy is steadily eroded rather than collapsing instantly. 'We all want it to be made for television where it's this explosion — it's not like that,' said Brad Jensen, a professor at Georgetown University. 'It's going to be fine sand in the gears and slow things down.' Trump has promoted the tariffs as a way to reduce the persistent trade deficit. But importers sought to avoid the taxes by importing more goods before the taxes went into effect. As a result, the $582.7 billion trade imbalance for the first half of the year was 38% higher than in 2024. Total construction spending has dropped 2.9% over the past year, and the factory jobs promised by Trump have so far resulted in job losses. The lead-up to Thursday fit the slapdash nature of Trump's tariffs, which have been variously rolled out, walked back, delayed, increased, imposed by letter and frantically renegotiated. Advertisement The process has been so muddled that officials for key trade partners were unclear at the start of the week whether the tariffs would begin Thursday or Friday. The language of the July 31 order to delay the start of tariffs from Aug. 1 said the higher tax rates would start in seven days. On Wednesday morning, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, was asked if the new tariffs began at midnight Thursday, and he said reporters should check with the U.S. Trade Representative's Office. Trump on Wednesday announced additional 25% tariffs to be imposed on India for its buying of Russian oil, bringing their total import taxes to 50%. He has said that import taxes are still coming on pharmaceutical drugs and announced 100% tariffs on computer chips, meaning the U.S. economy could remain in a place of suspended animation as it awaits the impact. The president's use of a 1977 law to declare an economic emergency to impose the tariffs is also under challenge. The impending ruling from last week's hearing before a U.S. appeals court could cause Trump to find other legal justifications if judges say he exceeded his authority. Even people who worked with Trump during his first term are skeptical that things will go smoothly for the economy, such as Paul Ryan, the former Republican House speaker, who has emerged as a Trump critic. 'There's no sort of rationale for this other than the president wanting to raise tariffs based upon his whims, his opinions,' Ryan told CNBC on Wednesday. 'I think choppy waters are ahead because I think they're going to have some legal challenges.' Advertisement Still, the stock market has been solid during the recent tariff drama, with the S&P 500 index climbing more than 25% from its April low. The market's rebound and the income tax cuts in Trump's tax and spending measures signed into law on July 4 have given the White House confidence that economic growth is bound to accelerate in the coming months. As of now, Trump still foresees an economic boom while the rest of the world and American voters wait nervously. 'There's one person who can afford to be cavalier about the uncertainty that he's creating, and that's Donald Trump,' said Rachel West, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation who worked in the Biden White House on labor policy. 'The rest of Americans are already paying the price for that uncertainty.'
UPI
36 minutes ago
- UPI
Trump's sweeping new tariffs take effect
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, just hours before his new sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries would take effect. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump's sweeping new tariffs on dozens of nations went into effect early Thursday following months of delays and threats from the American leader. "IT"S MIDNIGHT!!! BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TARIFFS ARE NOW LOWING INTO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA," Trump said on his Truth Social platform announcing the levies were now in effect. The American president has long relied on tariffs as a punishment, a negotiating tool and a measure to right what he views as negative trade imbalances that the United States has with other countries. He has described these deficits as an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the United States' national security and economy. Under the executive order he signed last week, most countries' imports to the United States will be subjected to a baseline 10% tariff, which went into effect at midnight Wednesday. Other governments, such as South Korea, the European Union, Britain and Japan, will have more complicated and different tariff rates as they rushed to make deals with the Trump administration ahead of last month's deadline. Brazil, for instance is facing a total 50% tariff after Trump slapped a 40% levy against it over the prosecution of his ally, former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. He also raised tariffs to 50% on India on Wednesday over the country's continued purchase of Russian oil. Canada, the United States' closest partner, was hit with a 35% tariff, up from 25%. On Wednesday, Trump also announced he would be imposing a 100% tariff on semiconductor chips. According to the nonpartisan Yale Budget Lab think tank, U.S. consumers will face an overall average effective tariff rate of 17.3% -- the highest since 1935, during the Great Depression. The think tanks states that the average per-household income loss will be $2,400 this year. Textiles and clothing will be disproportionally affected by the tariffs, with consumers expected to face 40% higher costs for shoes and 38% higher prices for apparel. Meanwhile, the nonpartisan Tax Foundation states that Trump's tariffs could raise $2.1 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years, but will reduce total revenue raised by $1.6 trillion and reduce GDP by 0.8%. Despite what analysts say, the Trump administration has been bullish on the tariffs, saying they will generate billions for the United States. During a press conference at the White House with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday, Trump said, "I think we'll be taking in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs." "We have a great country. We have a country that is going to be very rich. It's a country that we're very proud of, but it's going to be very rich," Trump said. Trump initially announced the so-called reciprocal tariffs in April but then paused them for all countries but China for 90 days to allow time for the governments to hash out deals with the United States. In July, he delayed them again until Aug. 1. Then a day before the tariffs were to go into effect, he pushed their deadline a week.
