Week 17 — The Return – The Weekly List

Undoubtedly the biggest story of this week was a shocking, unprecedented, explosive meeting in the White House, which shook the world order. We have witnessed many stunning events during the Trump eras, but for me, other than Jan. 6, watching Trump and Vice President JD Vance bully and lambaste Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with cameras rolling, was an unimaginable, horrifying scene for the history books. In what Trump said would “be great television,” the event marked a shift in the world order, with the U.S. betraying nearly century-old alliances to chum with one of the most violent and villainous dictators of our time, Russian President Vladimir Putin. Not only did Trump betray Europe this week, he also picked a fight with two other close allies, Canada and Mexico, citing a so-called national emergency to impose tariffs, in defiance of a trade agreement he negotiated and signed during the first regime!

This week also marked what feels like a remarkable shift in the behavior of the Trump regime. I started to observe last week that Trump was slowing his roll. This week Trump’s flood the zone became but a trickle. What happened? I sense Trump knows the country’s mood has shifted — he has gone too far, too fast — and he is in real trouble.

I wrote more extensively about the dynamics in a piece called The worm has turned. Suffice it to say that Trump’s two favorite yardsticks, approval polling and the markets, are heading in the wrong direction, and fast. Trump’s net approval has gone from +8 to net negative. Polling shows low satisfaction on his handling of the issues, and grave concern that he is not focusing on what Americans want him to focus on. The “Trump Slowdown” and stagflation are on the lips of Wall Street, as the markets slump.

This week there was also a notable increase in activism, and what I would term a burgeoning ‘rebellion,’ is popping up all over the country! As I started the return of this project, I had noted that activism needs to be organic and in reaction to something. That’s why there wasn’t a huge Women’s March — we did not yet know what we were countering, exactly. Now we know! This week, the signs continue of a rebellion underway nationwide, from protests at national parks, to Tesla showrooms, to town halls — even a ski resort where Vice President JD Vance was forced to quite literally pack up and leave! After this weekend, Republican leaders have advised lawmakers to stop hosting in-person town halls because citizens are so upset they have become confrontational!

The courts have also, while flooded with lawsuits opposing Trump’s illegal measures, provided pauses and other stops to his roll. A major ruling Thursday which found Trump’s mass firings to be illegal may have halted them in their tracks for now; although more likely the regime is reacting to the public dislike of their cruel firings and their economic repercussions. Even Elon Musk, who last week was parading himself around with a chainsaw has gone rather quiet this week, as Tesla sales and stock price, perhaps a barometer of public sentiment on him, continue to plummet.

As a final note, keep an eye on the state of our media. I’ve purposefully featured some of the disturbing items at the top of my lists to highlight their importance. I wrote more about my thoughts in a piece called Is our media up to the task of covering Trump 2.0?

On Wednesday, WAPO owner Jeff Bezos announced the Post would only publish opinion pieces which advocate “personal liberties and free markets,” and not publish opposing viewpoints on those topics. The section’s editor, David Shipley, resigned. 75,000 subscribers canceled.
On Wednesday, Trump’s White House barred staffers from the AP, Reuters, HuffPost, and Der Tagesspiegel, a German newspaper, from covering Trump’s cabinet meeting. Two conservative outlets, Newsmax and The Blaze, were invited to take their places.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the move was “restoring power back to the American people.” Jacqui Heinrich, the senior White House correspondent at Fox, posted the move “does not give the power back to the people — it gives power to the White House.”
NYT reported sources, both Democrat and Republican, who used to speak publicly against Trump, now will only do so anonymously, fearing repercussions, including from FBI director Kash Patel, who has an enemies list, and Trump stripping security clearance and protection.
NYT reported that Voice of America journalists who write pieces critical of Trump have been subject to human resources investigations. At least a couple of articles which were critical of Trump were not published or were watered down after publication.
On Thursday, five former defense secretaries who served in Republican and Democratic administrations — Lloyd Austin, Jim Mattis, Chuck Hagel, Leon Panetta and William Perry — denounced Trump’s firing of the Joint Chiefs chairman and other senior military officials for partisan reasons.
The five said in a letter, we “urge the U.S. Congress to hold Mr. Trump to account for these reckless actions and to exercise fully its Constitutional oversight responsibilities,” adding Trump “offered no justification” and citing the officers’ “exemplary operational and combat experience.”
On Wednesday, Trump held his first cabinet meeting, amid tensions within the regime. Trump immediately ceded the meeting to Elon Musk, who was dressed in a black t-shirt with the phrase “Tech Support,” and black MAGA hat, and is not a cabinet member.
Trump signaled his full support of Musk, including his five bullets emails, which Musk said was to suss out if recipients were alive. Trump claimed that “everyone at the table is very much behind” the effort, too, and added, “If they aren’t, I’d want them to speak up.” No one did.
Musk noted that DOGE will make mistakes, for example “accidentally” cancelling the U.S. Agency for International Development efforts to prevent the spread of Ebola, but claimed DOGE had restored it. Musk’s claim is false: Ebola prevention efforts have been largely halted.
Trump said that Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, would fire 65% of EPA staff, a loss of nearly 10,000 jobs, which would hobble the agency. Within minutes, the White House sent an email to EPA managers to prepare for a reduction in force.
NYT reported Lynn Dekleva, who recently took a senior role at the EPA, formerly worked as a lobbyist at the American Chemistry Council, where she lobbied for formaldehyde, and spent 32 years at Dupont. At the EPA, she will have authority to approve new chemicals for use.
NYT reported the Trump regime will drop a 2023 EPA lawsuit on behalf of poor and minority communities against chemical manufacturer Denka Performance Elastomer for its plant in Louisiana, accused of releasing high levels of carcinogens.
On Wednesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he is rescinding a Treasury Department license allowing Chevron to produce and export Venezuelan oil, citing President Nicolás Maduro was not legitimately elected, and has not accepted deported Venezuelans fast enough.
Trump also shared an AI-generated video on social media, depicting the Gaza strip being transformed into a glitzy ‘TRUMP GAZA,’ with images of Musk and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sunbathing alongside him. The video draw rebukes from Arabs and Muslims.
On Wednesday, a memo by Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Personnel Management, warned federal agencies to prepare for additional “large-scale reductions” in the federal workforce, calling the federal government “bloated” and “corrupt.”
On Wednesday, NYT reported financial disclosures by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s nominee to oversee Medicare and Medicaid who is about to begin Senate confirmation, has sold some holdings, but will still have millions of dollars in investments that pose conflicts of interest.
On Wednesday, NBC News reported that the FDA canceled a scheduled March meeting of the vaccine advisory committee to select the strains to be included in next season’s flu shot. No explanation was given.
On Friday, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moved to ban public input, as HHS announced plans to rescind its decades-long practice of allowing public comment on policy decisions.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she was dismissing discrimination cases filed against police and fire departments, over what the Biden administration had called racially unfair hiring practices.
On Wednesday, two of Trump’s nominees for top posts at the Justice Department, Harmeet Dhillon and John Sauer, said at their Senate confirmation hearings that some court orders could be ignored. Sauer said, “It’s hard to make a very blanket, sweeping statement.”
On Thursday, Andrew Tate, a conservative social media influencer held in Romania for human trafficking and other criminal charges, was released after a senior Trump official spoke to Romanian officials. Tate and his brother Tristan flew in a private jet to Florida.
On Monday, Trump’s DOJ said it would review the conviction of Tina Peters, the former clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, who was found guilty last summer of tampering with voting machines, in a failed attempt to prove the 2020 election was rigged against Trump.
On Tuesday, Trump’s DOJ sought a last minute delay in a case against two former Cognizant Technology Solutions executives charged in a foreign bribery scheme, citing needing clarity on Trump’s executive order pausing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
ABC News reported FBI Director Kash Patel suggested on a call with heads of the bureau’s 55 field offices bringing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the martial-arts entertainment giant, to improve agents physical fitness. UFC is owned by Dana White, a Trump donor.
Late Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled with the Trump regime, issuing a stay of a federal court’s order forcing the regime to pay nearly $2 billion in unpaid invoices from foreign-aid contractors by 11:59 p.m. Chief Justice John Roberts offered no rationale for the decision.
Late Wednesday, a Pentagon memo released as part of a lawsuit filed by LGBTQ rights groups revealed the Trump regime plans to remove all transgender troops and recruits from the military, unless they are granted a waiver.
On Wednesday, House Republicans took the first vote in passing Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” which despite the party’s populist messaging, would mostly help rich people, and result in cuts to key programs that help the poor like Medicaid and food assistance.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced egg prices could jump 41% in 2025. Trump had promised to bring the prices down, but prices reached an all-time high in February. It was unclear how DOGE layoffs and attempts to rehire staffers will impact efforts.
On Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social that his 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, and additional 10% on China, would go into effect on March 4. He claimed without evidence that illicit drugs “are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada.”
Trump had also told reporters on Wednesday, without evidence, that the European Union “was formed in order to screw the United States,” adding, “they’ve done a good job of it.” Trump threatened a 25% tariff on the EU too.
Trump’s announcement came as the economy continued to show signs of weakness on Thursday, with pending home sales dropping to the lowest level on record, weekly jobless claims jumping, and other signs of economic strain due to the impacts of Trump’s tariffs.
On Friday, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said her country is overreliant on the U.S., and needs “new alliances and new partnerships” in Europe and parts of Asia, “not only the trade side, but also on the security front.”
Shareholders of Tesla turned on Musk as the stocked continued to fall, down 40% from its December high, asking him for five things he has done in the last week. Sales in Germany plummeted 76% in February, part of a wider slump in Europe over Musk’s political activism.
On Thursday, Vought, also acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, dropped at least four of the agency’s enforcement lawsuits against Capital One, Rocket Mortgage, Vanderbilt Mortgage & Finance, and Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.
On Tuesday, the CFPB dismissed its lawsuit against the operator of the Zelle payments network, JP Morgan, Bank of America and Wells Fargo. The lawsuit alleged that the firms failed to properly investigate fraud complaints and reimburse victims.
On Thursday, Musk posted on X, without evidence, that air safety is “at risk due to current technology, and that he was sending Starlink technicians into the FAA. The FAA, which regulates Musk’s company SpaceX, and is considering using Starlink, did not comment.
Musk has also appealed to retired air traffic controllers to come back to work, after recent firings at the FAA which included at least one air traffic controller, posting on X that there is “a shortage of top notch air traffic controllers,” and if you are open to it, please come back.
WAPO reported FAA employees expressed alarm over possible conflicts of interest with Musk, after the agency is close to shifting a $2.4 billion contract for its communications systems from Verizon to Starlink at the last minute, while DOGE employees are inside the agency.
NASA employees are also concerned that DOGE and the weekly emails Musk is requesting could give Musk information about Bezos’ Blue Origin, the biggest competitor to Musk’s SpaceX.
WAPO reported a handful of Senate Republicans have joined Democrats in privately pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the foreign aid freeze, saying State is not operating in accordance with the law by neglecting to notify and consult with Congress.
Senators asked Rubio to exempt programs that are vital to U.S. national security, warning China, Russia, and Iran are seeking to exploit what is happening. And noted the National Endowment for Democracy, a nonprofit that promotes democracy, is funded directly by Congress.
The Senators also expressed frustration with Rubio, saying they had not received responses from their former colleague to requests about what foreign aid programs were being paused and which waivers were granted, slamming it as lacking “structure and clarity.”
After their letter want unanswered, the two senior Senators on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Lindsey Graham and Brian Schatz, went to Rubio on Friday demanding he not take any “irreversible and costly actions” related to USAID staff that could damage vital programs.
WAPO reported Marc Meyer, the acting inspector general for USAID, has yet to release two reports on the impacts of Trump’s foreign aid freeze on crucial services in Africa and the Middle East, for fear of retaliation by Trump. The reports were meant to be released two week ago.
NYT reported that on Wednesday a wave of emails went out from the State Department formally terminating funding for 5,800 projects financed by USAID, including for programs combating polio, H.I.V. and malaria, and nutrition programs around the world.
On Thursday, the Trump regime fired 800 employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with a letter saying, “your ability, knowledge and/or skills do not fit the Agency’s current needs.” Scientists say the move puts lives at risk.
NYT reported in addition to the firings and resignations of about 1,000 of Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 17,000 employees, more than a dozen senior leaders, including those with the most experience leading disaster recovery, are leaving weeks ahead of hurricane season.
Bloomberg reported that at least two dozen senior officials at the Social Security Administration resigned as a reorganization plan mandated by Trump was unveiled.
WAPO reported that federal agencies have started closing offices and firing employees that enforce civil rights and anti-discrimination laws, as part of Musk’s DOGE. Experts say these in-agency offices safeguard employees’ rights.
CNBC reported that Musk’s DOGE plans to fire nearly all the 1,700 staffers at the CFPB, as part of “winding down” the agency. In court filings, Vought has claimed that they are streamlining the agency, not eliminating it.
On Thursday, a federal judge ordered OPM to rescind its directives to more than two dozen federal agencies that initiated mass firings of probationary employees, after a lawsuit brought by unions, ruling that the terminations were likely illegal.
It was unclear what impact the ruling would have on employees already terminated, or if the Trump regime would obey the ruling. The judge specifically blocked the Defense Department from proceeding with an effort to fire civilian employees.
On Friday, WAPO reported the Trump regime is racing to expand capacity for immigration detainees, focusing on reopening prisons and U.S. military sites. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it would reopen a private prison in Newark, New Jersey.
On Friday, WAPO reported the Internal Revenue Service leaders rejected a request from the Department of Homeland Security to give ICE the home addresses for 700,000 individuals suspected of being in the country illegally.
WAPO reported DOGE is also seeking IRS tax records, looking for so-called fraud by cross-referencing benefits rolls with taxpayer data. The request prompted alarm within the IRS.
On Friday, WAPO reported Denise Cheung, a senior career prosecutor, resigned after being told by Trump regime officials to claim fraud in a $20 billion Biden-era EPA program. At least some the funds have been frozen. The tip for fraud came from right-wing group Project Veritas.
Cheung said in her resignation letter that interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin in D.C. told her to submit a seizure warrant application without probable cause, and she refused. Martin submitted it without any prosecutor signing off, and was rejected by a judge for lacking evidence.
Cheung said Martin and acting deputy AG Emil Bove wanted her to act on President’s Day. When she refused, Bove shopped the case to other offices. Prosecutors at the U.S. attorney’s office in the southeastern U.S. also refused. Bove continued trying to find an office to take the case.
On Friday, Reuters reported Martin demoted several senior prosecutors in the DC office, including Kathryn Rakoczy, one of the lead prosecutors of members of the far-right Oath Keepers, and Elizabeth Aloi, who prosecuted Peter Navarro for defying a congressional subpoena.
NBC News reported among the seven top prosecutors demoted were Greg Rosen, who was in charge of the Capitol Siege Section, involved in charging crimes related to Jan. 6, which was disbanded when Trump took office and pardoned defendants.
Late Friday, U.S. Army Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, the head of the military’s health agency and one of the most senior Black female officers in the Army, was forced by the Trump regime to retire.
Late Friday, the board of the Virginia Military Institute voted 10–6 not to extend the contract of Major General Cedric T. Wins, the college’s first Black superintendent.
On Monday, Hegseth announced he is re-renaming Fort Moore to its previous name, honoring the Confederate general Henry Benning. Military law does not allow bases to be named for Confederate generals, so Hegseth cited an enlisted military member with the same last name.
On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order for the first time making English the U.S.’s official language. Trump’s order rescinded former president Bill Clinton’s federal requirement that agencies provide language assistance to non-English speakers.
On Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in his first White House, visit tried to charm Trump with a letter from King Charles inviting Trump for a second visit to the palace. Starmer told reporters, “This is really special,” and “This has never happened before.”
Reportedly, at their White House visits, French President Emmanuel Macron and Starmer showered Trump with flattery ahead of his visit with Zelensky, in hopes of getting him to agree that any peace deal with Russia should include security guarantees for Ukraine, with the U.S. playing a part.
On Friday, in Zelensky’s first visit to the White House, scheduled for the two countries to sign a minerals deal, the meeting ended up in a public confrontation between Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Zelensky, unlike anything between foreign leaders in modern times.
Seemingly planned, Vance started the verbal altercation by telling Zelensky that it was “disrespectful” for him to come to the Oval Office and not be thankful to Trump. Trump then said, “you’re not really in a good position right now,” adding, “you’re gambling with World War III.”
Trump berated Zelensky, saying, “You don’t have the cards. You’re buried there, your people are dying,” and stood up for Putin, saying he “went through a hell of a lot with me. He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia.”
Trump threatened to abandon Ukraine if Zelensky did not go along, then journalists were escorted out of the Oval Office, and a planned joint press conference and minerals signing ceremony were canceled by Trump. Zelensky left the White House without speaking to reporters.
Trump closed out the meeting with Zelensky, saying, “This is going to be great television.” After the meeting, Trump did an imitation of Zelensky in front of the cameras, saying, “All of a sudden, he’s a big shot.” Later he posted Zelensky is not ready for peace, he “can come back when he is.”
Although the AP and Reuters were banned from the White House hand-picked press pool covering the Oval Office event, Russia-state media outlet TASS was invited in, and remained until other reporters posted on social media about their presence.
Brian Glenn, a reporter from Real America’s Voice, a far-right cable outlet that has spread conspiracy theories, heckled at Zelensky, “Why don’t you wear a suit?” echoing a comment by Trump. Zelensky wears standard-issue field uniforms as a display of solidarity with troops.
The White House also selected Real America’s Voice to take a newly created “secondary TV” role in the White House press pool, alongside CNN. Glenn received backlash for his rude demeanor to Zelensky, and given Musk’s attire.
Messages of support for Ukraine were posted on X by the leaders of Canada, European countries, and the head of the European Commission. Poland’s leader said, “you are not alone.” The Czech president said, “We stand with Ukraine more than ever. Time for Europe to step up.”
Nearly all Republicans fell in line with Trump, save for a few House Republicans. Senate Republican, Lisa Murkowski posted on X on Saturday, “I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin.”
With the exception of Hungary, every European country offered support to Ukraine. The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas posted, “Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader,” adding, “It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.”
On Friday, Norwegian fuel supplier Haltbakk Bunkers said in a Facebook post that it would stop supplying U.S. Navy ships with fuel in response to how Zelensky was treated at the White House.
Former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev, the first Russian official to publicly comment, called the altercation a “dressing-down at the Oval Office,” and praised Trump for “telling the truth” to Zelensky’s face and urged him to suspend military aid for Ukraine.
Sen. Graham, leaving the White House, therefore presumably speaking for Trump, advised Zelensky to use his interview on Fox News that evening to apologize and tell the world that he “screwed up big time,” warning, “Zelensky is going to have to fundamentally change or go.”
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who along with Graham had met with Zelensky prior to the Oval Office visit posted on X, “Answer to Vance: Zelenskyy has thanked our country over and over again both privately and publicly,” adding he stood up to a dictator, and “Shame on you.”
As Trump was leaving the White House for the weekend to head to Mar-a-Lago, boxes that were previously seized by the FBI from Mar-a-Lago in August 2022, and became the basis for the classified documents case against Trump, were loaded on Air Force One, a symbolic gesture.
NBC News reported earlier this week the State Department terminated a USAID initiative that provided Ukraine hundreds of millions of dollars to help restore its energy grid, after attacks by the Russian military.
Later Friday, federal employees started receiving another email from Musk, this time from individual agencies and not the OPM, with the subject line, “What did you do last week? Part II,” asking for five things employees did last week.
ABC News reported amid continued confusion, Musk posted on X that for some departments like State and the Defense Department, leadership would be “gathering the weekly accomplishments on behalf of individual contributors.”
Late Friday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump regime’s plan to withhold federal funds from hospitals in four states that offer gender-transition treatment for people under 19.
On Saturday, NYT reported House Republicans, egged on by Musk and some Trump allies, are escalating calls to remove federal judges who stand in the way of Trump’s agenda, an extraordinary attempt to breach the separations of power.
WSJ reported, in an effort to curry favor with Trump, House Republicans have put forward bills to extend Trump’s time in office to more than two terms, to rename Washington Dulles, to update Mount Rushmore, and to turn Trump’s birthday into a new federal holiday.
On Saturday, thousand of protestors gathered at 433 national parks as part of a nationwide “Protect Your Parks” protest, to oppose Musk’s DOGE firing of 1,000 National Park Service and over 3,000 U.S. Forest Service employees, with more to come.
On Saturday, hundreds of people protested JD Vance at Sugarbush resort in Vermont. Protestors lined the streets and the mountain, with signs reading “VANCE IS A TRAITOR GO SKI IN RUSSIA” and “NO KINGS.” Vance was moved to an undisclosed location, and left early.
On Saturday, protestors gathered at more than 50 Tesla showrooms across the country to protest the work of Musk’s DOGE, as part of a “Tesla Takedown.” Nine protestors were arrested at a raucous demonstration at a New York City showroom.
WSJ reported that town halls held by Republicans have become so confrontational, GOP leaders have told lawmakers to stop hosting in-person events. Residents have been outraged by Musk’s DOGE, and the potential cuts in Medicaid as part of the Republican budget.
Late Saturday, federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson granted a permanent injunction, blocking the Trump regime from firing Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel, saying the firing was unlawful. The regime immediately said it would appeal.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Starmer hosted 18 European leaders in London. Starmer embraced Zelensky with a warm hug. Protestors outside Downing Street in London wrapped themselves in Ukrainian flags and held up signs supporting Ukraine and against Russia.
After the meeting, Starmer told reporters, “we are at a crossroads in history,” and said “a number” of European countries would join the U.K. and France in ramping up their military spending and assembling a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine against Russia.
Zelensky also met with King Charles III at Sandringham, the monarch’s country home in Norfolk, a symbolic gesture. An official at Buckingham Palace said Zelensky was “warmly received.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he plans to bring up Trump’s threats to make Canada the 51st state when he meets with King Charles III. Charles is considered the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the British Commonwealth of former colonies.
On the Sunday shows, national security adviser Mike Waltz said of Zelensky, “We need a leader that can deal with us.” Rubio said he “found every opportunity to try to ‘Ukraine-splain’ on every issue.” House Speaker Mike Johnson said he “acted so inappropriately” and should have “shown more gratitude.”
Senator Chris Van Hollen told “Fox News Sunday” that he regretted voting to confirm his former colleague Rubio to be secretary of state, saying, “he’s simply taking his directions at the State Department from Elon Musk and essentially parroting the president’s position.”
WAPO reported that Washington under Trump is viewed as “largely aligned” with Moscow’s vision, in the fallout of the Friday White House meeting. Trump echoed many of Putin’s talking points, and helped achieve Putin’s goal of driving a wedge between the U.S. and its allies.
On Sunday, Trump’s former National Security Advisor, H.R. McMaster, criticized him on “60 Minutes,” saying, “Trump is being played,” and “Putin couldn’t be happier.” Trump fired back on Trump Social, calling McMaster a “WEAK AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE LOSER!”
Late Sunday, Trump announced the first national crypto reserve, posting on Truth Social, “I will make sure the U.S. is the Crypto Capital of the World.” Trump’s idea was met with blowback, for using U.S. taxpayer money on risky assets, and for various conflicts of interest.
Late Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sought to assure investors that Trump’s tariffs will not cause inflation to increase. A Bloomberg News/Harris poll found that nearly 60% of Americans expect Trump’s tariffs to lead to higher prices.
Late Sunday, Musk posted on X that he believes Tesla’s profit can rise 1,000% in the coming five years. The stock opened stronger on Monday, before closing down. Musk’s first full month in the White House marked Tesla stock’s worst month since 2022, down 28% in February alone.
On Sunday, Nicholas Enrich, a senior official at the USAID, was put on administrative leave shortly after he wrote memos contradicting statements by Rubio, who claimed lifesaving assistance was exempted. Enrich said dismantling of the agency will result in unnecessary deaths.
Enrich filed a declaration in support of groups suing to block the Trump’s regime foreign aid freeze, attesting in a series of memos to the impact of the freeze, saying the regime prevented USAID “from delivering life-saving activities.”
On Monday, Thomas Corry, a top spokesperson for HHS, abruptly resigned just two weeks after joining as assistant secretary for public affairs, after clashing with RFK Jr. and top aides over the agency’s muted response to an intensifying measles outbreak in Texas.
WAPO reported that RFK Jr.’s focus on Vitamin A to combat the measles outbreak has alarmed public health experts, fearing he is sending the wrong message, and distracting from the important of immunization.
On Monday, James Dennehy, New York’s top FBI agent, said in an email he had been forced out of his job. Dennehy angered regime officials by supporting bureau leaders who refused to turn over names of agents, and by refusing to hand all files about Jeffrey Epstein to AG Bondi.
ABC News reported Bondi has taken heat from the Trump regime, MAGA fans, and Democrats over the release of the “Epstein Files — Phase 1,” in an over-hyped and orchestrated event alongside FBI Director Patel. The files that were released did not provide any new information.
On Monday, the director of the National Science Foundation, which funds scientific research, ordered 84 of the 170 employees who were fired last month to be reinstated immediately, citing the federal court ruling.
On Monday, NYT reported that overnight Sunday, DOGE erased or altered more than 1,000 contracts, or $4 billion it had claimed to cancel from its “wall of receipts,” representing more than 40% of all the contracts listed on its site last week.
On Monday, the stock market plunged in the afternoon, after Trump announced that his tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China would take effect on Tuesday. The Dow Jones fell by 650 points, the S & P 500 saw its worst selloff in 2025, and the NASDAQ traded below its Election Day level.
Later Monday, Trump paused all military aid to Ukraine, including weapons in transit. Regime officials said the aid will be frozen until Trump determines Zelensky has made a commitment to peace, a move which has few precedents in U.S. history.
CIA director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday that the U.S. had also paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine, as a warning of the consequences of not cooperating with Trump.
Sec. Hegseth ordered U.S. Cyber Command to halt offensive cyber and information operations against Russia on Saturday. The pause will last as negotiations continue.
Hours later, the European Union proposed a 150 billion euros fund to boost military spending, along with other measures, the most ambitious spending package post Cold War, signaling the EU plan to move forward without U.S. support.
On Monday, Vance sparked outrage from the U.K. and France, after saying on Fox News that Trump’s mineral deal is a better security deal for Ukraine than 20,000 troops from “some random country that hasn’t fought a war in 30 or 40 years.”
On Tuesday, the State Department said in an email that it would halt a global air quality monitoring program that had been in place for more than a decade at 80 U.S. embassies, “due to budget constraints.”
On Tuesday, CNBC reported Trump pushed the limits of presidential power, imposing tariffs by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, claiming a national emergency due to illicit global fentanyl trade and immigrants crossing the U.S. borders.
Commerce Secretary Lutnick said tariffs would be lifted if the three countries proved they were stopping the flow of fentanyl, as measured by the number of fatal overdoses. The number of fentanyl-related overdose deaths had already been steeply declining over the past year.
Trudeau told reporters, “The U.S. started a trade war last night with their closest ally and friend,” while “talking about working positively with Russia” to appease Putin, a “murderous dictator,” calling it “very dumb.” Trump countered, referring to him as “Governor Trudeau.”
On Tuesday, Zelensky posted on X of the White House meeting, that is was “regrettable that it happened this way.” Zelensky offered effusive praise for Trump, noting “the moment when things changed” was when “Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins.”
On Tuesday, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis defended Zelensky and called for military support to be restored, saying, imagine being the “head of state for a country that has experienced systematic murder rape, kidnapping and torture of tens of thousands of people.”
On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would take away federal funding from universities that allow what he referred to as “illegal protests.” Legal experts said the move would violate the First Amendment.
On Tuesday, the Trump regime backed off its memo ordering mass firings, after the court’s Thursday ruling that it was illegal. OPM said in a memo that it was “not directing agencies to take any specific performance-based actions regarding probationary employees.”
Notably, nearly 30% of civil servants in the federal government are veterans. Democrats planned to highlight this by bringing fired veterans to Trump’s State of the Union on Tuesday night.
On Tuesday, WSJ reported the Commerce Department is considering overhauling a Biden-era broadband initiative that makes the internet available in rural areas, with new rules which would make it easier for Musk’s Starlink to be involved, and get $10 to $20 billion of contracts.
On Tuesday, U.S. stocks extended their losses, with the Dow Jones down by 670 points. Major retailers like Best Buy and Target said they expected to feel the impact of tariffs in the short-term, and pass higher prices along to consumers. Fears of stagflation also emerged.
Shortly after the stock market closed, Sec. Lutnick said Trump will “probably” announce a compromise with Canada and Mexico as early as Wednesday, which could scale back the 25% tariffs.
On Tuesday, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found Trump’s approval on key issues was dropping: 31% approve of his handling of cost of living, 36% approve on international trade, and 39% approve on foreign policy.
On Tuesday, Trump gave the longest State of the Union in history (99 minutes). Trump was defiant, mostly focused on campaign issues like “wokeness” and immigration. He lambasted Democrats and singled out Biden 12 times, calling him “the worst president in American history.”
Trump reiterated that the U.S. should acquire Greenland, saying, “I think we’re going to get it — one way or the other,” and retake control of the Panama Canal, saying it was “built by Americans for Americans, not for others” and built at a “tremendous cost” to the U.S.
He celebrated his disruption, and voiced his support for DOGE, but offered little on his plans or policies going forward. CNBC noted Trump said the “little disturbance” from his tariffs was okay, as the market reeled after the stock market plummeted for the second straight day.
WAPO fact checkers noted that Trump made 26 claims that were untrue, misleading, or lacked context. Many of the claims are things he has said repeatedly, on topics related to election results, border crossings, regulations, the economy, and inflation.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 against the Trump regime again, upholding a lower court ruling mandating that State and USAID unfreeze $2 billion of foreign aid to global health groups for work already done.

Washington, DC — February 28 : President Donald J Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Oval Office at the White House on Friday, Feb 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)