Week 19 — The Return

This week marks another inflection point in Trump’s pace of breaking norms, and unfortunately a turn for the worse.

For the first few weeks after Trump’s inauguration (Weeks 12–15), his pace of breaking norms was frenetic. The regime used terms like “flood the zone” and “shock and awe” to describe their efforts to overwhelm the system with actions, many of which seemed to be plucked out of the pages of Project 2025.

Then, three weeks ago, I observed a shift. Why? The stock market and economy started to falter, citizens started showing up at town halls and taking to the streets, and Trump’s approval began to crater. Week 16 slowed, Week 17 slower yet, and last week, Week 18, I was really encouraged that we had slowed his roll as he was feeling the heat. It felt like We the People and the courts together were holding back the levee of awfulness.

This week the levee broke.

Democrats will have their opinions about the judiciousness of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer flipping from a “no” vote on Wednesday, to a “yes” vote on Thursday, joining Senate Republicans to vote for a GOP funding bill that is a continuing resolution for six months, nullifying one of the only, if not only, levers of power in the short-term. This came after House Democrats voted unanimously (save one) against the measure, and sent it to the Senate, where 60 votes were needed, with the understanding that their Senate colleagues would for the first time say no to Trump. Schumer and nine colleagues did not. I wrote more about it here.

Whatever your opinion about Schumer’s move, the purpose of this project is to track our descent into authoritarianism. Observing it in that vein, his move was undoubtedly obeying in advance. We have seen plenty of that already in the lists from corporate executives, elected Republicans, and others seeking power, or trying to stay safe. This week, we also started to see universities obeying in advance, firing or expelling students and staff in an effort to not lose federal funding.

I can also attest to there being an abrupt shift in the pace of broken norms after that Friday vote, almost immediately. Week 19 started off slowly, but after the vote, Trump seemed more brazen than ever, openly defying federal judges and calling for their impeachment, issuing executive orders, firing officials meant to serve out terms, and so on. It was as if Trump felt further liberated, having completely vanquished the legislative branch. All that remains is We the People and the courts. We are holding up for now, admirably.

This week, Trump noticeably shifted his focus back to immigration. Recall he ran on the economy and immigration, and has messed up the former pretty badly already, so it was time to throw some shiny coins and change the subject. He is testing boundaries on deportations, even birthright citizenship, that are extremely troubling, and could be a harbinger of dangerous things to come. Several of Trump’s action in this week’s list, in what one legal scholar mused were asserting “dictatorial power,” will likely be eventually tested at the Supreme Court, and could expand presidential powers. That is a stated goal in Trump’s gleeful defiance.

1. NYT reported the Republican Party has ceded power to Trump, enthusiastically, eroding the influence of the legislative branch. GOP lawmakers embraced a stopgap funding bill that gives Trump wide discretion on funding, a role traditionally played by Congress.
2. Republicans have been silent or cheered as Trump and Musk’s DOGE canceled programs and grants appropriated by Congress, and fired thousands of workers without consulting lawmakers who are charged with overseeing federal agencies. No oversight hearings have been held.
3. Republicans also given up their power to overturn Trump’s tariffs. The power to levy tariffs is vested with the legislative branch. The precedent the GOP is setting may weaken Congress’s role going forward, as Trump and Musk have been essentially granted free rein.
4. On Friday, WAPO reported that Trump’s speech at the Department of Justice broke all norms, as it is rare for a president to visit the DOJ, and ignore the separation meant to be between them. Trump delivered an hour long campaign style speech, filed with tangents and misleading information.
5. The room was packed with Trump’s staunch allies, including Michael Flynn, whom he pardoned in 2020, calling him a “patriot.” He thanked deputy AGs Todd Blanche and Emil Bove and AG Pam Bondi. He called Judge Aileen Cannon, who dismissed his criminal charges, “brilliant.”
6. Trump falsely claimed that Democrats had interfered in the 2020 election and threatened to imprison his perceived opponents, saying, “What a difference a rigged and crooked election had on our country…And the people who did this to us should go to jail.”
7. Trump called the DOJ “a corrupt group of hacks and radicals” who wrongly prosecuted him during the Biden administration. He also said it should be a crime to describe his election victory in ways other that what he believes to be the truth.
8. Shortly after, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said her agency had opened an investigation into so-called leaks. She accused WAPO of publishing leaked information on Iran and Israel, and NBC of publishing leaked information on the state of U.S.-Russia relations.
9. On Wednesday, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on Trump’s executive order to punish law firm Perkins Coie, warning the order could damage the integrity of the entire legal profession, and intimidate lawyers from taking cases that impact Trump or his interests.
10. On Friday, Trump targeted a third law firm, Paul Weiss, citing the firm’s pro bono work for DOJ cases against Jan. 6 insurrectionists. Trump’s executive order strips government security clearances, limits access to federal buildings, and takes steps to rescind government contracts.
11. On Monday, Trump’s acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sent letters to 20 law firms requesting information about their DEI programs, saying the agency was seeking to “root out discrimination,” which meant discriminating against white candidates.
12. On Wednesday, police said that Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s sister was targeted with bomb threats in South Carolina, days after Barrett received sharp criticism from conservative circles for her recent vote against Trump on a procedural matter.
13. WSJ reported judges who have ruled against the Trump regime have also been targeted by Musk, who called for their impeachment; Republican members of Congress, who called them “hacks” and “corrupt;” and by a member of Bondi’s staff who called their rulings “a judicial power grab.”
14. On Wednesday, Shelly Lowe, the first Native American to lead the National Endowment for the Humanities, was fired by Trump. Lowe, who was Senate confirmed in 2022, was appointed to a four year term.
15. On Wednesday, the Trump regime abruptly cleared out a second group of migrants from Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and returned them to stateside facilities. The move came days before a court hearing. A court filing described the use of strip searches and restraint chairs.
16. On Wednesday, Trump maligned Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer while meeting with a foreign dignitary, saying, “Schumer is a Palestinian as far as I’m concerned…He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore.” His slur was condemned by rights groups.
17. NYT reported in arresting Mahmoud Khalil, the Trump regime cited a provision in the Immigration and Nationality Act to argue his actions harmed U.S. foreign policy interests by fomenting antisemitism, and argued he was “aligned with Hamas.”
18. Trump has threatened to deport others. Legal experts said the regime’s move could stifle dissent. Even if Khalil prevails, the move will cause other immigrants to believe they are also at risk. A judge blocked the regime from deporting Khalil while the case moves forward.
19. Stuart Karle, a First Amendment lawyer and adjunct professor at Columbia, warned students who were not U.S. citizens to avoid publishing work on Gaza or Ukraine, or protesting their former classmates’ arrests, saying their academic accomplishments and freedom could be at risk.
20. Columbia journalism school dean Jelani Cobb warned students to be careful about what they post on social media, citing Columbia’s inability to defend international students from federal prosecution: “Nobody can protect you. These are dangerous times.”
21. NYT reported ICE had knocked on the door of Ranjani Srinivasan, an international Fulbright recipient from India studying at Columbia, starting on March 7. When she learned her visa had been revoked because of her involvement in pro-Palestinian protests, she fled to Canada.
22. WAPO Editorial Board wrote Khalil has not been charged with a crime, and there is no evidence he is involved in terrorism, noting, “the danger is that more legal immigrants — possibly U.S. citizens as well — will be punished for exercising their First Amendment freedoms.”
23. On Thursday, in a letter to Columbia, the Trump regime demanded dramatic changes in school discipline and admissions before reinstating $400 million in grants, citing the school has failed to protect “American students and faculty from antisemitic violence and harassment.”
24. Later Thursday, Columbia announced its University Judicial Board had suspended or expelled some students who had taken over Hamilton Hall during pro-Palestinian protests last spring. The school said the actions followed a lengthy process that involved hearings.
25. On Friday, Trump’s Education Department announced that more than 50 other universities face federal investigations as part of Trump’s effort to end DEI. Funding could be lost over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships, or any aspect of student life.
26. NYT reported Helyeh Doutaghi, a scholar in international law, and activist for pro-Palestinian causes, was put on administrative leave by Yale University after a news website, powered in part by artificial intelligence, accused her of having links to a terrorist group.
27. On Thursday, Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a Lebanese citizen who worked at Brown University as a professor and doctor with a valid visa, was detained at Logan Airport after returning from Lebanon and deported despite a federal judge’s order blocking her expulsion.
28. On Monday, the DOJ told a federal judge in Boston that Dr. Alawieh’s deportation was based on photos on her phone, claiming she was “sympathetic” to Hezbollah, including that she attended Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral.
29. On Monday, in a campus-wide email, Brown University advised international students and staff, including those with visas and green cards, to avoid travel outside of the U.S. “out of an abundance of caution.”
30. GBH reported Fabian Schmidt, a green card holder from New Hampshire, was interrogated at Logan Airport and then detained by ICE at detention facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Schmidt has been in the U.S. since 2007. No reason was given to his family for the detention.
31. NYT reported that Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney, 35, was detained by ICE and held for 12 days, including being shackled in chains and taken to a prison facility, after an ICE officer flagged her visa application paperwork, before being allowed to return to Vancouver.
32. On Thursday, the Trump regime asked the Supreme Court to allow his birthright citizenship ban in the states that have not sued to block it. Judges in lawsuits joined by 22 states and D.C. have blocked his ban. The regime seeks to put the ban in place in 28 states and other U.S. territories.
33. On Friday, the Texas Tribune reported that the Trump regime has reconfigured and expanded detention centers, and is starting to detain families together, after former President Joe Biden had undone that practice due to the adverse impact on children.
34. On Friday, Trump’s DOJ dismissed a challenge made during the Biden era to an Iowa immigration law, which made it illegal for some undocumented immigrants to enter the state.
35. On Friday, NYT reported the Trump regime is considering a travel ban on 43 countries, broadening restrictions from the first regime. Citizens from 11 countries would be fully banned: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.
36. On Wednesday, in a flurry of press releases, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin rolled back dozens of Biden’s environmental rules, impacting areas such as electric vehicles, coal plants, and clean water.
37. AP reported that as part of DOGE’s cuts, the EPA plans to eliminate its scientific research office, firing as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists, and other scientists, 75% of the research program’s staff.
38. On Tuesday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the EPA from pulling back $14 billion in Biden-era grants after a lawsuit filed in Week 18. The EPA had cited a Project Veritas video, and a DOJ official had resigned over the effort in Week 17.
39. On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Musk made an unannounced visit to the National Security Agency, a week after posting on X that the agency needed to be overhauled over a picture about recruiting on college campuses that included an image with diversity.
40. On Thursday, NYT reported DOGE has reconstructed its website to become less transparent, after journalists found rampant mistakes in prior versions. DOGE has eliminated identifying details about contracts they claimed to have canceled, making it much more difficult to check.
41. On Thursday, WSJ reported Trump demoted William Paul, the acting chief counsel at the Internal Revenue Service, and replaced him with Andrew De Mello, a Trump loyalist who will make it easier for Musk’s DOGE to share its trove of taxpayer personal data.
42. On Thursday, ABC News reported the Trump regime halted FBI background checks for senior staff, and transferred the process to the Pentagon, saying the FBI process was too intrusive. A former FBI official said the move would break “historic, long-standing precedent.”
43. On Thursday, NBC News reported the Trump regime asked the U.S. military to draw up plans to increase troop presence in Panama, to achieve Trump’s goal of “reclaiming” the Panama Canal. One official claimed the objective is to diminish China’s influence there.
44. On Thursday, when asked by a reporter about annexing Greenland, Trump said, “I think it’ll happen,” saying the U.S. needs the island “for international security.” The outgoing prime minister of Greenland blasted Trump to stop “treating us with disrespect. Enough is enough.”
45. On Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters after being sworn in, “I’ve been clear. We will never, ever, in any way, shape or form, be part of the United States,” adding, “America is not Canada.”
46. On Thursday, Trump escalated his trade war, imposing a 200% tariff on champagne and other alcohol products from the European Union. As the stock market fell in reaction, when asked if he would reconsider by reporters, Trump said, “I’m not going to bend at all.”
47. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that the Trump regime is focused on “the real economy,” and “not concerned about a little bit of volatility over three weeks.”
48. Later Thursday, stocks tumbled, as the S&P 500, down 10.1% in recent weeks, officially hit correction territory. The stock market soured on Trump, including his on-again, off-again tariffs and mass layoffs.
49. On Friday, consumer sentiment nosedived another 11% in mid-March, well below expectations, and down a total of 22% in the past three months. Consumers expressed concern about their personal finances, worsening inflation, Trump’s tariffs, and the chance of a recession.
50. On Saturday, Raphaël Glucksmann, a French member of the European Parliament, called on Trump’s America to return the Statue of Liberty, saying some Americans “have chosen to switch to the side of the tyrants.”
51. On Sunday, Treasury Sec. Bessent told “Meet the Press” that “there are no guarantees” there will not be a recession, but said he was confident “the American people will come our way,” and claimed, “I’m not worried about the markets.” The S&P 500 was down for four straight weeks.
52. On Monday, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development said Trump’s trade wars have abruptly set the world economies on a path to slower growth and faster inflation.
53. On Thursday, WSJ reported the Trump family has held talks to take a stake in the U.S. arm of crypto exchange Binance, as the company’s founder Changpeng Zhao pushes for the Trump regime to pardon him for a 2023 guilty plea for violating anti-money-laundering requirements.
54. On Friday, AG Bondi told Fox Business that she has opened an investigation into vandalism against Tesla. Bondi also parroted Musk, saying the DOJ was investigating “how is this being funded, who is behind this, doing this?”
55. On Thursday, 21 Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump regime, over the regime’s firing more than 1,300 employees of the Education Department, calling the dismissals “illegal and unconstitutional.”
56. On Wednesday, the American Federation of Teachers sued Trump’s Education Department for shutting down access to affordable student loan repayment plans for millions of borrowers.
57. On Thursday, a federal judge in California ordered the Trump regime to reinstate probationary employees terminated at six agencies, saying the Office of Personnel Management had improperly ordered mass firings without the power to do so.
58. Later Thursday, a second federal judge in Maryland agreed with 20 Democratic attorneys general, saying thousands of federal workers at 18 agencies should be reinstated, and that the mass firings violated regulations governing the layoff of federal workers.
59. The rulings came as the Thursday deadline by Trump for agencies to turn in their plans for “reductions in force” neared. Some agencies had already started their plans. It was unclear which layoffs could go forward given recent court rulings.
60. On Thursday, America’s largest federal employees’ union filed a lawsuit against Trump’s Department of Homeland Security and its leadership to stop the regime from canceling its collective bargaining agreement for 47,000 Transportation Security Administration workers.
61. On Thursday, farmers and nonprofits sued the Trump regime over its freezing of billions of dollars of loans and grants awarded through the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act. Farmers said they had taken out loans and hired workers and subcontractors, based on promised funds.
62. On Thursday, Johns Hopkins University, a leader in scientific research, said it would need to cut more than 2,000 workers, after Trump’s USAID funding cuts slashed at least $800 million from its budget. The cuts will also impact its school of public health.
63. On Friday, WAPO reported that federal workers across agencies and around the country who were working remotely are being informed to report to offices within a period of days. In some cases, the office locations are hundreds of miles away.
64. NYT reported while DOGE has taken credit for canceling $500 million in leases of federal buildings, the cuts come as Trump demanded employees report back to the office, and also could undermine vital services, such as area Social Security offices.
65. NYT reported current and former employees of the Social Security Administration warn that staffing cuts made by DOGE, at a time when the agency’s staffing is at a 50 year low, is already damaging the agency’s ability to serve the public and could destabilize the program.
66. On Saturday, the Seattle Times reported that Ned Johnson, 82, had $5,201 removed from his bank account, after Musk’s DOGE listed him as being dead. The move came after DOGE said it had 10 staffers “in hunt for dead people.”
67. WAPO reported SSA is considering adding a new anti-fraud step which would require millions of customers to file claims in person at a field office rather than over the phone. The move would cause particular hardship for the elderly and disabled, and comes amid office closings.
68. WAPO reported Musk’s DOGE plans to cut up to 25% of staff at The Taxpayer Advocate Service, the IRS help office, that assists people struggling with their finances, and helps with identifying theft or other tax issues.
69. On Thursday, a town hall hosted by GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards descended into chaos, after he was heckled over comments he made about Trump, Musk, and Ukraine. One veteran was removed by police, and shouted, “You don’t get to do this! You need to stand up for us.”
70. On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance was booed for roughly 30 seconds after his attendance was announced at a concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
71. On Friday, Musk shared a post on X absolving Hitler, Stalin, and Mao of genocide, instead suggesting they did not cause the death of millions of people, rather public sector workers did. Facing backlash, Musk deleted the post.
72. On Thursday, the Trump regime pulled its nomination of Dr. David Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before his Senate confirmation hearings, over concern of his comments questioning certain vaccines.
73. On Saturday, WAPO reported the Trump regime removed an inspirational mural of Anthony Fauci that hung in the hallway of the National Institute of Health, and read, “Science is telling us that we can do phenomenal things if we put our minds and our resources to it.”
74. On Friday, WAPO reported that Arlington National Cemetery had scrubbed all references to Black, Hispanic and female veterans from its website, in an effort to comply with the Pentagon’s efforts to erase all DEI references from its online presence.
75. Late Friday, Trump signed an executive order seeking to dismantle seven federal agencies, including the parent of Voice of America, a congressionally chartered independent agency. The order seemed designed to test the bounds of executive power.
76. Trump also dismantled agencies whose work it is to prevent and end homelessness; to resolve work stoppages and labor disputes; to expand economic opportunity for underserved communities; and to promote growth of minority-owned businesses.
77. Trump also rolled back more than a dozen Biden-era executive orders focused on gender, labor policies, and industry regulations. So far Trump has rolled backed more than 100 Biden orders in his first seven weeks.
78. Trump also announced plans to abolish two national monuments in California established by Biden, the Chuckwalla National Monument and the Sáttítla Highlands National Monument.
79. On Saturday, tens of thousands marched in Budapest in protest of Trump ally Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. In Belgrade, hundreds of thousands marched to call on Serbian strongman President Aleksandar Vucic, an ally of Russia, to step down.
80. On Saturday, the State Department expelled South Africa’s Ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, after comments he made to a think tank in Johannesburg which were critical of Trump.
81. On Saturday, NYT reported FBI Director Kash Patel announced an reorganization of the bureau’s hierarchy, dividing the bureau into three regions, a break from the structure in place since 9/11. It was unclear how Patel came into this plan given his small and junior circle.
82. On Saturday, CNN reported there were 80 protests at Tesla showrooms around the country, amid the backlash to Musk and DOGE.
83. WAPO reported four Senate Democrats sent a letter to the Office of Government Ethics, recommending an investigation of Musk and Trump’s promotion of Tesla at the White House as an ethics violation. There is also concern about conflicts of interest going forward.
84. The event sparked a wave of conservative support for Tesla, and endorsements from GOP Senator Ted Cruz, Fox News host Sean Hannity, GOP candidates and activists. Analysts say their support is likely not enough to outweigh the lost of traditional customers.
85. On Saturday, the Trump regime issued an executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, in order to deport Venezuelans at least 14 years old who the Trump regime claimed were gang members.
86. The Act is an obscure law, used only three times in U.S. history, which allows the president, in the case of a foreign government invasion, to remove unauthorized immigrants from that nation, without full due process.
87. Shortly after, the American Civil Liberties Union issued a lawsuit seeking to block the move. A federal judge, James Boasberg, issued a temporary restraining order, prohibiting the Trump regime from removing any Venezuelans until a hearing could be held.
88. On Saturday, the Trump regime defied the judge’s order. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X on Sunday that the regime had sent hundreds of Venezuelans, who they claimed were gang members, to El Salvador, who Rubio said had agreed to hold the them “for a fair price.”
89. Shortly after, the government of President Nicolás Maduro condemned the deportations, saying in a statement that the Trump regime’s actions flew in the face of U.S. and international laws, and said it “constitutes a crime against humanity.”
90. ABC News reported the Trump regime made a calculated decision to ignore the judge’s order which instructed any plane “going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States,” citing the flights were over international water so the order did not apply.
91. On Monday, Judge Boasberg set a hearing for 5 p.m. Monday to question whether the Trump regime violated his order, telling the regime to be prepared to tell him whether those flights took off or landed after his order to stop them
92. On Monday, Trump’s so-called Border czar Thomas Homan told Fox News that the regime would continue deportations despite the court order, saying, “We’re not stopping. I don’t care what the judges think, I don’t care what the left thinks. We’re coming.”
93. Later Monday, Trump’s DOJ requested to cancel the hearing, which was denied. The regime then filed papers two hours before the hearing, saying there was no reason for DOJ lawyers to appear because they did not intend to provide any additional information.
94. Shortly after, in a remarkable filing, Trump’s DOJ wrote a letter to the federal appeals court, asking them to remove Judge Boasberg from the case, citing what DOJ lawyers described as his “highly unusual and improper procedures.”
95. At the hearing, the DOJ official refused to answer basic questions, citing “national security concerns.” Judge Boasberg gave the regime until noon on Tuesday to tell him exactly what time it believes his order went into effect, and how many people they plan to deport using the 1798 Act.
96. Later Monday, AG Bondi appeared on Fox News to criticize the judge, falsely claiming he is “attempting to meddle in national security and foreign affairs,” and calling it “an intrusion on the president’s authority.”
97. The DOJ also said in a court filing later that night that Boasberg “lacks jurisdiction because the presidential actions they challenge are not subject to judicial review.”
98. In a sworn statement overnight, ICE Acting Field Office Director Robert Cerna said “many” of the alleged gang members deported did not have a criminal record in the U.S. He argued “the lack of specific information about each individual actually highlights the risk they pose.”
99. On Tuesday, Trump demanded on Truth Social that Judge Boasberg be impeached, calling the judge a “Radical Left Lunatic,” “Crooked,” and “a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama.”
100. On Tuesday, Republican Rep. Brandon Gill filed articles of impeachment against Judge Boasberg, accusing him of having abused his power.
101. Shortly after, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, in a rare statement, rebuked Trump, saying, “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.”
102. On Tuesday, Judge Richard Sullivan, who chairs the U.S. Judicial Conference’s security committee, told reporters after a committee meeting that there was a rising number of threats made against judges, and called threats to impeach judges “concerning.”
103. Sullivan called on public officials to be “very careful and responsible” about what they say about judges, given the risk that their followers could act “inappropriately” based on what they read. Sullivan added if someone does not like a ruling, the proper thing to do is appeal it.
104. On Tuesday, lawyers for some of the deportees said in a filing, “The implications of the government’s position are staggering,” noting, “If the president can designate any group as enemy aliens” without review, there would be no limit for who could be deported, or for how long.
105. Later Tuesday, Trump told Fox News that his regime is not defying the order, falsely claiming the judge that ruled against him should not have been allowed to, saying, “That’s not for a local judge to be making that determination,” and “We have very bad judges.”
106. On Wednesday, Musk posted on X that the ruling was a “judicial coup,” adding, “We need 60 senators to impeach the judges and restore rule of the people.” Judicial impeachment would require 67 votes, not 60.
107. On Thursday, Kari Lake, Trump’s pick to lead Voice of America’s parent organization, who has yet to be confirmed by a bipartisan board, directed VOA to cancel all contracts with news wire services provided by The AP, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.
108. On Sunday, the Voice of America went dark, after transmitting news into countries where reliable sources of information were hard to come by since 1942. The Trump regime had falsely accused it of spreading “radical propaganda,” and having entrenched left-wing bias.
109. On Sunday, Trump claimed on Truth Social that he considers pardons made by former president Joseph Biden are “void” and “vacant,” citing Biden’s use of an autopen as a rationale, a false claim. Trump focused on pardons of the Jan 6. House committee members.
110. On Monday, Trump said he was ending security protection for Biden’s son and daughter, Hunter and Ashley. Trump also added that Hunter would lose his protection “immediately,” and posted that Hunter “is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa.”
111. On Tuesday, Treasury promoted Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, two veteran IRS agents who brought their concerns to Congress that an investigation into Hunter Biden was being stymied. The two were key witnesses for the GOP House’s attempt to impeach Biden.
112. On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer postponed a scheduled book tour citing “security concerns,” after on Friday, he and eight other Democrats voted along with Republicans on a continuing resolution, resulting in calls for his resignation as leader by many.
113. On Sunday, the WSJ Editorial Board criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for shutting the Office of Net Assessment over claims it “has been linked to the Russia collusion hoax.” The board said the office won the Cold War for the U.S., and the closure comes “for no good reason.”
114. On Monday, WSJ reported Musk’s DOGE has haphazardly fired federal employees without foresight or analysis of the implications. The cuts have not taken into account workers’ performance or necessity of their roles. The firings also discouraged top talent from government jobs.
115. The impact is already being felt throughout the government and country, from canceled health programs and homeless placement for veterans, slowed ability to get disabled children access to classrooms, and Yosemite National Park pausing summer reservations.
116. NYT reported that DOGE cuts have resulted in the loss of roughly 150 of 2,000 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration amid the agency’s busiest time since the Cold War. Key nuclear scientists, bomb engineers, and safety experts took the early buyout or were fired.
117. Late Monday, the Trump regime said in a filing for one of the two cases that ruled terminations illegal that it had reinstated 24,000 federal probationary employees in 18 agencies fired recently fired by DOGE. Most were placed on paid administrative leave.
118. On Monday, Musk’s DOGE forced its way into the offices of the U.S. Institute of Peace, after an institute official called the Metropolitan Police in an effort to stop DOGE, but instead the police came and allowed DOGE to enter and kicked out the institute’s officials.
119. On Monday, a bipartisan coalition alleged that a political group affiliated with Musk violated state campaign finance laws in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, citing deceptive digital ads claiming to be for the Democrat and making false claims about her positions.
120. On Monday, in a late night regulatory filing, Trump’s nominee to lead Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, William Pulte, ousted 14 board members in a surprising move. No explanation was given.
121. On Monday, Trump stacked the boards overseeing U.S. military service academies with loyalists and conservative activists, including Michael Flynn, who served in the first regime, and Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet who was charged with obstruction in the classified documents case.
122. On Monday, citing Trump’s executive order, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it was phasing out gender-affirming medical treatments for veterans, including hormone treatment for patients newly diagnosed with gender dysphoria.
123. On Tuesday, NYT reported Musk’s Starlink system is now accessible throughout the White House campus. The system is being routed through a White House data center, using existing fiber cables. White House officials said the system have been “donated.”
124. At the General Services Administration, where Starlink is also being used, the service has been added to a list of apps approved for download, along with other Musk companies, X and Tesla.
125. On Monday, an NBC News poll found that 61% of Americans say their sympathies are more with Ukraine, while just 2% say Russia; yet nearly half feel that Trump’s sympathizes with Russia.
126. On Tuesday, WAPO reported that last month Trump’s State Department quietly terminated a U.S.-funded program in place for three years that tracked Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, eliminated at the behest of Trump appointee Peter Marocco and DOGE.
127. It was unclear if the data had been deleted or compromised. The data had been used as evidence for prosecutors pursuing criminal cases, including the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the “unlawful transfer” of children.
128. On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that Musk’s DOGE dismantling of the USAID was unconstitutional, and orders Musk to restore access to their “email, payment, security notification, and all other electronic systems,” and halt any further efforts to shut it down.
129. On Tuesday, five Tesla vehicles were set on fire in Las Vegas, in what police called “a targeted attack against a Tesla facility.” The word “RESIST” was also spray-painted across the doors of the facility. Two Tesla Cybertrucks also caught on fire at a dealership in Kansas City.
130. AG Bondi released a statement calling the vandalism of Tesla property “nothing short of domestic terrorism,” adding, we will “continue investigations that impose severe consequences… including those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.”
131. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order shifting disaster preparations and readiness from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to state and local governments. Critics say the move will weaken readiness.
132. On Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. suggested that farmers let the bird flu spread, rather than cull infected birds when they are discovered, “so that we can identify the birds…that are immune.” Scientists say the move would be disastrous.
133. On Tuesday, the total number of measles cases in Texas and New Mexico rose to about 320. Public health officials increasingly worried that residents were relying on unproven remedies endorsed by Kennedy rather than getting vaccinated, and postponing doctor visits.
134. Drug stores have sold out of Vitamin A and cod liver. Public health officials say some seriously ill children have been given cod liver at home, but should have been hospitalized days earlier. They also suspect the actual number of cases is much higher than the reported number.
135. On Wednesday, NYT reported amid DOGE funding and staff cuts at the Food and Drug Administration’s food division, some food testing has been halted. A committee studying bacteria in infant formula was shuttered.
136. On Tuesday, WSJ reported that Trump fired the Federal Trade Commission’s two Democratic members, a move counter to a Supreme Court precedent that commissioners can only be removed for cause. The FTC has oversight over mergers.
137. Trump pick for FTC Chair, Andrew Ferguson, endorsed Trump’s authority for the removal, which left the five person commission with only two members, both of whom are Republicans. Ferguson has made unilateral decisions, alarming some on Wall Street.
138. Earlier in the week, Ferguson did an about face, saying in court the FTC would be able to make a deadline for a case about deceptive practices against Jeff Bezos’s Amazon Prime. Earlier, a FTC lawyer said it was short resources after DOGE cuts and could not make the deadline.
139. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to remove all DEI policies from the Foreign Service, and to take “appropriate action” against any official that has taken actions motivated by “discriminatory equity ideology.”
140. On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked enforcement of Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from military service, saying it likely violates their constitutional rights. The judge delayed her order until Friday to give the Trump regime time to appeal.
141. On Tuesday, Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty sued the Trump regime seeking to dismantle them by taking away funding, citing, “In unmistakable terms, Congress has appropriated funds” for their work.
142. On Tuesday, the UCLA Anderson Forecast, a prominent forecaster which issued forecasts since 1952, cited substantial changes to the economy as a result of Trump’s policies, and issued its first ever “recession watch.”
143. On Tuesday, Nebraska Republican Rep. Mike Flood held a town hall in a county that voted nearly 3-to-1 for Trump, and was met by more than 200 angry constituents who minutes in jeered and booed over their displeasure with actions by Trump and Musk’s DOGE .
144. NYT reported that due to the Trump regime’s action around the judge’s order in the deportation case, legal scholars no longer question whether we are in a constitutional crisis; rather they question how it will transform the country, with one saying Trump is asserting “dictatorial power.”
145. One scholar said the law has become a tool for Trump to use to harm his enemies, but Trump does not view himself as bound by the law. It is unclear if Trump will not obey orders that he disagrees with while awaiting a repeal, nor will he seek clarification.