Week 20 — The Return – The Weekly List

This week we had two devastating examples of obeying in advance, both of which will reverberate in their respective fields. On Thursday, law firm Paul Weiss reached a settlement with Trump. This comes a week after a federal judge put a halt on a similar Trump executive order targeting 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. Shortly after Paul Weiss capitulated, Trump doubled down with an even more extreme order.

Columbia University also capitulated in an effort to keep $400 million in federal funding that the regime had threatened to withhold. That move too sent shockwaves through an already reeling academic community. Many expressed fear that the move would have a chilling effect on academic independence and free speech. Professors compared Trump’s threats and Columbia’s obeyance to lessons they were teaching students on what happens in authoritarian regimes, saying they could never imagine it happening here.

Meanwhile, as Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts start to work their way through the system, we are seeing disastrous outcomes across the federal government, as well as the start of an exodus — a brain drain — of U.S. researchers. The Social Security Administration is in complete disarray amid Musk’s cuts, as is the Internal Revenue Service as we enter tax season. And with all this chaos and confusion it has also come into question, as senior IRS officials predict a 10% drop in 2025 tax revenue, whether DOGE will actually save or cost U.S. taxpayers money (read more in my article here).

Finally, we closed out the week with a shocking breach of national security, as a journalist from The Atlantic was mistakenly added to a Signal group chat discussing a pending attack in Yemen. The Trump regime did its best to deploy its strategy of deny, deflect, and attack, a form of gaslighting which was frequently successfully used during the first regime. Trump even threw his shiny coins to distract that night — signing an executive order changing how people vote (not his purview) and saying Jan. 6 insurrectionists should be compensated. However, even with the regime’s now well-developed playbook and disinformation networks, the truth saw the light of day with disclosures from The Atlantic on Wednesday morning. In the end, this and so many other examples we have covered in this project highlight the fact that the Trump regime is a true kakistocracy.

NYT reported U.S. border officials are using more aggressive tactics called “enhanced vetting” at U.S. ports of entry, including scrutinizing green card and visa holders who have been critical of Trump or his agenda. Agents have wide latitude to search phones and computers.
The regime has also become more aggressive with tourists. Two Germans were detained when they tried to enter the U.S. legally at the southern border, causing Germany to update its travel advisory. The UK also beefed up its travel warning for travel to the U.S.
On Wednesday, Le Monde reported a French scientist, traveling to a conference in Houston on March 9, was denied entry into the U.S., after an immigration officer searched his phone and found messages in which he was critical of Trump.
In response to blowback, the Department of Homeland Security claimed the French scientist was turned back because he was in possession of “confidential” data from the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The scientists refuted the DHS claim.
Star concert pianist András Schiff announced that he will no longer perform in the U.S., citing Trump’s “unbelievable bullying” on the world stage. Schiff has in the past also boycotted Russia and his native Hungary over those countries’ strongmen rule.
Canada joined other countries in updating its travel advisory to the U.S. Denmark, Finland, and Germany advised travelers whose gender on their passport does not match that assigned at birth that the U.S. now only recognizes two sexes, criticized by some scientists as inaccurate.
A Tourism Economics report found foreign travel to the U.S. is expected to decline by 5.1% in 2025, revised downward from a previously projected increase of 8.8%. Spending is expected to decline by 10.9%. Since the report was published “the situation has deteriorated further.”
Among reasons were Trump’s policy decisions, which have angered some and prompted fear of a stronger dollar. Others expressed fear about entry. The number of Canadians traveling to the U.S. in February dropped by 23%, an absence already noticeable in New York.
On Tuesday, the Conference Board’s monthly index of consumer confidence in where the economy is heading tumbled 9.6 points to 65.2, the lowest reading in 12 years. Confidence in the current situation also fell for the fourth consecutive month.
On Tuesday, a CNBC survey of corporate CFOs found most were “pessimistic” and believe a recession is coming. They cited Trump being “too chaotic for business to navigate effectively”; “Extreme”; “Disruptive”; “Aggressive”; “A wild ride.”
WAPO reported that more than 130 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump regime over executive orders and other actions. Federal judges have issued 40 temporary restraining orders or injunctions. The Trump regime has had a favorable ruling in 13 cases.
On Wednesday, the Trump regime said it would pause $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania, citing on X the school’s “policies forcing women to compete with men in sports,” a further escalation on the regime’s attacks on transgender people.
Trump’s executive order barring transgender women from sports resulted in U Penn’s athletic department removing a website about DEI and its transgender policy. The order also led the NCAA to forbid transgender women from competing in women’s events.
On Wednesday, Trump’s Education Department said its investigation of Maine’s education office found it in violation of Title IX antidiscrimination law by allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports and use girls’ facilities. The regime gave Maine 10 days to comply.
On Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was demanding a “full throat apology” from Maine Gov. Janet Mills after she stood up to Trump in Week 16, and “a statement that she will never make such an unlawful challenge to the Federal Government again.”
NPR reported in a memo last month, the General Services Administration said it no longer prohibits contractors from having segregated restaurants, waiting rooms, and drinking fountains, rolling back an executive order signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965.
On Wednesday, NYT reported that after its fallout with the U.S., Canada is preparing to join the European Union’s new project to expand its military industry. The move would boost Canada’s military manufacturers, and lowers it reliance on the U.S.
WSJ reported with U.S. protections looking shaky under Trump, European countries are also discussing a nuclear umbrella, upending decades old practices established by the U.S. under NATO. Of the eight nuclear powers, only two are in Europe: France and Britain.
WSJ reported European stock markets are up in 2025, far outpacing the U.S., with falling inflation, and relaxing debt limits for a sharp increase in defense spending. China too is increasing domestic spending. All of which could cause Europe and China to be less reliant on U.S products.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin extolled a call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as ushering in a “new world order.” Although Trump asked Putin for a full 30 day ceasefire, Putin declined and agreed to a limited ceasefire related to energy targets, then violated it.
On Wednesday, AP reported that Musk’s DOGE official, Jeremy Lewin, who has taken a central role in DOGE’s cuts at several federal agencies, was installed into a leadership role at USAID, an agency DOGE has helped to dismantle.
NYT reported Trump and DOGE cuts have put the Veterans Affairs mental health system in turmoil, impacting vets of wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Clinicians warn that forced changes like working from cubicles, replacing virtual sessions, will exacerbate staffing shortages.
On Wednesday, NYT reported that Musk has made the maximum allowable donation to members of Congress who endorsed impeachment of, or other actions against, federal judges that get in the way of Trump’s agenda.
On Friday, NYT reported ahead of a Wisconsin Supreme Court election, Musk’s America PAC has started offering $100 to registered voters to sign its petition against “activist judges.” The move was similar to Musk’s controversial $1 million a day lottery ahead of the presidential election.
On Wednesday, CNBC reported on an online map called DOGEQUEST, which highlights locations of Tesla owners, dealerships, and superchargers across the U.S. Musk responded to the map, posting on X that encouraging Tesla destruction is “extreme domestic terrorism.”
On Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urged Fox News viewers to buy Tesla stock, saying, “It’ll never be this cheap again,” in breach of the Code of Federal Regulations which prohibits executive branch employees from using their public office for endorsements.
On Thursday, data from national shopping site Edmunds showed Tesla owners are trading in their cars, noting March represented “the highest ever share” of Tesla trade-ins toward new or used cars from other brands. Tesla also closed a showroom in Bethesda, Maryland, opened in 2013.
On Friday, Trump escalated his threats to those who vandalize Tesla cars, posting on Truth Social that they are “sick terrorist thugs,” and suggesting, “Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador.”
On Monday, NYT reported an internal DOJ and DHS intelligence assessment warned the regime against conflating legal protests against Musk with vandalism, adding attacks on Tesla facilities were “conducted by lone offenders,” and not meant to injure anyone.
The assessment added that while law enforcement should pursue those who commit vandalism, they should not investigate “constitutionally protected activity” directed at Musk, who has overseen a far-reaching effort to reduce the size and function of the federal government.
On Thursday, Politico reported the U.S. Agriculture Department halted $500 million of food shipments set to go to food banks across the country, without explanation, as part of the Trump regime’s funding freeze.
On Thursday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Social Security Administration from granting Musk’s DOGE agents access to the agency’s data systems, and ordered any agent who has accessed sensitive data to “disgorge and delete” it.
On Friday, Leland Dudek, the acting commissioner of the SSA, claimed in interviews with news outlets that he might need to shut down the agency’s entire system, since he considered many SSA employees, including himself, to be affiliated with DOGE.
Dudek’s remarks raised alarm bells with lawmakers and advocates. The president of the AARP said, “Social Security has never missed a payment.” Later the Judge clarified her order, although said she was puzzled by Dudek’s misinterpretation.
WAPO reported that Treasury Department and IRS officials are predicting that tax revenue due April 15 could drop by 10% or more compared to 2024, amid the turmoil created at the Internal Revenue Service by Musk’s DOGE.
WAPO reported that after much fanfare, DOGE is struggling to find fraud or make cuts in the SSA. Musk’s assertion, which was frequently parroted by Trump, that tens of millions of dead people over 100 were receiving benefits was based on Musk’s misinterpretation of SSA data.
As Musk promised $1 trillion in cuts, the SSA inspector general found less than 1% of payments, or $9 billion, were improper, and of that, more than two-thirds were clawed back. DOGE has also left SSA vastly understaffed, and has cut contracts which could lead to larger net losses.
WAPO reported that DOGE cuts at SSA have sent the agency into chaos. The agency, whose budget has been flat over the past decade, was already struggling to keep up with the explosion of baby boomers. Scammers are also taking advantage of the confusion and chaos.
The agency’s website crashed four times in the past 10 days. Offices have been shuttered. Call wait times can be for hours, if calls get through at all. Retirees, disabled claimants, and legal immigrants who need Social Security cards report less access or being shut out of the system.
On Thursday, U.S. ambassadors, congressional staffers, and intelligence researchers had their social security numbers doxxed in a trove of JFK papers released by Trump. The regime offered them free credit monitoring.
On Wednesday, a letter signed by 28 Senate Democrats called on Trump to reverse his firing of the two Democratic FTC commissioners, saying it “contradicts long standing Supreme Court precedent” and “undermines Congress’s congressional authority.”
On Wednesday, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, one of the fired commissioners, told CNBC that is not just about the FTC and her job, “this is about policing the ability of the FTC to police markets.” She added if she can be fired, “I don’t know why Jerome Powell can’t be fired.”
On Wednesday, Trump instructed Federal Reserve Chair Powell to cut rates, posting on Truth Social, “The Fed would be MUCH better off CUTTING RATES,” adding, “Do the right thing.” The Federal Reserve is an independent agency.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Trump forced Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner to resign. Musk had previously said that Amtrak should be privatized.
On Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission dropped a yearslong case against crypto firm Ripple Labs, whose CEO Brad Garlinghouse has close ties to Trump. Garlinghouse posted on X that it was “a long overdue surrender by the SEC.”
On Tuesday, World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency company started by Trump and his sons, announced plans to sell a digital currency called stablecoin known as USD1, deepening Trump’s ties to crypto as his regime relaxes enforcement.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported law firm Paul Weiss said in a court filing that it was fired by a client, Steven Schwartz, over Trump’s executive order that restricted their access to government buildings and employees.
Perkins Coie said in a lawsuit that it is at risk of losing at least seven clients and “significant revenue” due to Trump’s executive order, which it said violated the firm’s rights under the Constitution.
On Thursday, Trump rescinded his executive order targeting Paul Weiss, after the law firm settled, pledging to use “merit based” hiring practices, not pursuing any DEI policies, and providing $40 million in pro bono in legal services to support certain White House initiatives.
Trump announced the agreement in a post on Truth Social, and added that Paul Weiss Chairman Brad Karp “acknowledged the wrongdoing of former Paul, Weiss partner, Mark Pomerantz, the grave dangers of Weaponization, and the vital need to restore our System of Justice.”
NYT reported that the version of the agreement Paul Weiss agreed to did not include any mention of not pursuing DEI policies or of Pomerantz. The deal drew swift condemnations from lawyers outside the firm.
On Friday, Trump’s DOJ filed a motion to disqualify Judge Beryl Howell from presiding over the lawsuit brought by Perkins Coie against the regime, claiming she had “repeatedly demonstrated partiality against and animus towards the president.”
Late Friday, Trump issued an order broadening his retaliation against law firms, directing the heads of the DOJ and DHS to “seek sanctions” against lawyers or law firms that he believes unfairly challenge his regime, in “frivolous, unreasonable and vexatious litigation.”
NYT reported experts say Trump’s judicial defiance is more aggressive than the 21st century descent in Hungary, Poland, and Turkey. In just two months, Trump has claimed the power to disregard or override court orders. Trump has encountered little pushback.
On Friday, Columbia University gave in to Trump’s demands in hopes of keeping $400 million in funding, including banning masks, granting 36 campus police officers the power to arrest students, and appointing a senior provost to oversee the Middle East and other departments.
On Sunday, WSJ reported universities have switched from standing up to Trump to looking to appease him. Schools are quietly hiring lobbyists and reaching out to politicians in an effort to keep their federal funding. Few lawmakers, and almost no Republicans, side with higher education.
Trump allies are seeking to use proposed measures such as forcing schools to fund a portion of unpaid student loans and raising taxes on endowments as punitive policies to make universities less progressive.
WAPO reported university administrators across the country warned that Columbia’s capitulation would have a chilling effect on academic independence. Free speech advocates also criticized the decision, and said it would have a profound impact on higher education.
On Monday, Columbia faculty protested the school’s decision. A political science professor likened the move to what “erosion of democracy looks like.” A public policy professor said they studied what happened “to universities in authoritarianism,” not thinking it could happen here.
On Monday, Columbia student Yunseo Chung, who moved to the U.S. with her family from South Korea when she was 7, sued the Trump regime to block them from efforts to deport her over her participation in a pro-Palestinian demonstration this year at Barnard.
On Tuesday, WSJ reported the Trump regime pushed Columbia’s president to reaffirm the school’s commitment to the deal, after weekend meetings with furious faculty, and faculty protests. She put out a statement, committing to the changes.
On Tuesday, the Boston Globe reported ICE detained Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national doctorate student at Tufts University. It was unclear why, but she did co-author an op-ed in the student newspaper that was critical of the school’s response to the pro-Palestinian movement.
On Tuesday, the American Association of University Professors sued the Trump regime, claiming the arrests of non-citizen students and faculty members who participated in pro-Palestinian protests violates the First and Fifth Amendments.
On Tuesday, NYT reported that U.S. researchers fleeing Trump’s policies are being welcomed in Europe, portending a potential brain drain. Over 350 scientists signed a petition calling on the European Commission to set up an emergency fund to accommodate U.S. researchers.
Late Wednesday, lawyers for at least five of the deported Venezuelans say their clients were not members of a gang. In the court filing, the lawyers claimed their clients were apprehended based on tattoos that looked like that of a gang, but were unrelated, including one of a soccer team logo.
On Thursday, WSJ said it spoke to families of seven of the deported Venezuelan migrants. Many worked as barbers or other jobs, and were married with small children. Several families said the accusations of being gang members was not true.
On Thursday, NYT reported a U.S. intelligence agencies’ assessment last month concluded that Tren de Aragua, the gang Trump accused some deportees of being part of, was not directed by the Venezuelan government, contradicting Trump’s assertion in invoking the 1798 Act.
On Thursday, the Trump regime transported roughly 20 people to Guantánamo Bay, claiming they have ties to a Venezuelan gang, but offering no proof. The transport put migrants at the base after two sets of transports out, most recently on March 11.
On Thursday, NYT reported that Trump regime lawyers have determined that the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 that Trump invoked to deport suspected members of a Venezuelan gang also allows federal agents to enter homes without a warrant.
On Thursday, in an angry order, Judge James Boasberg called the DOJ’s submission on flight details “woefully insufficient,” and told the regime to explain to him by Tuesday how they had not violated his ruling blocking the deportation. He also called out the DOJ for stonewalling.
On Friday, Boasberg scolded DOJ lawyers, saying they willfully defied his order, asking, “Why was this proclamation essentially signed in the dark? Then these people rushed onto planes.” During a court recess for the DOJ to get information, two of the flights had taken off.
The ACLU attorney told Boasberg that the Trump regime returned people to the U.S. because they either were not Venezuelan or were women, and the El Salvadoran government would not take them. The judge seemed incredulous, asking how the DOJ screened people.
Judge Boasberg called the ramifications of Trump’s policy “incredibly troublesome and problematic and concerning,” adding, “The government is not being terribly cooperative…but I will get to the bottom of whether they violated my order and who was responsible.”
On Friday, Trump told reporters he did not sign the Alien Enemies Act proclamation, saying, “I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it.” It was unclear who did sign it, but speculation grew that Trump was trying to shift blame to Secretary of State Marco Rubio amid legal scrutiny.
On Saturday, House Speaker Mike Johnson posted on X that the House was “working overtime to limit the abuses of activist federal judges,” saying the House committee would “expose the worst offenders in a high profile hearing” and take “legislative action.”
On Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that Boasberg was a “Constitutional disaster,” saying, “he doesn’t mind if criminals come into our Country.”
On Sunday, Attorney General Pam Bondi attacked Boasberg on Fox News, calling him an “out of control judge,” who was “trying to control our entire foreign policy.” Bondi also predicted the case will go to the Supreme Court, saying, “we are going to fight back!”
On Sunday, the Trump regime sent a flight carrying deportees to Venezuela, the first flight since Venezuela reached an agreement with the Trump regime on Saturday to resume accepting them.
On Monday, Trump continued his attacks on Boasberg, posting on Truth Social that the judge was “conflicted” and “should be disbarred!”
Shortly after, Boasberg kept his block in place, saying the Trump regime could not use the Act as a basis to deport Venezuelans, adding that the immigrants should have the opportunity to challenge whether they were part of the Tren de Aragua gang.
Hours later, an appeals court heard the case. Patricia Millett, a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, blasted the Trump regime, saying, “There were no procedures in place to notify people. Nazis got better treatment” when the law was last invoked during World War II.
Late Monday, Trump’s DOJ said it would invoke a rarely used legal doctrine known as the state secrets privilege, in order to avoid giving Boasberg detailed data about the two flights. Boasberg had asked for the flight data to assess if the regime had violated his order.
The declaration was signed by Rubio, Bondi, and DHS Sec. Kristi Noem. In it, they referred to the alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang as “terrorists.” The ACLU lawyer said there was no basis for invoking the doctrine, noting they were “thwarting” Boasberg’s instructions.
On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would impose a 25% tariff on the exports of any country that purchased oil or gas from Venezuela, saying the country “purposefully and deceitfully” sent criminals and murderers into America.
On Monday, the Trump regime said it would deport three Venezuelans to Chile, declaring them also subject to the Alien Enemies Act. The DOJ declared them to be “alien enemies.” Because the three face criminal charges in Chile, their cases are different than the hurried deportation.
On Monday, Trump ally Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said he would hold hearings next week on the matter of Boasberg, who he claimed was “operating purely political against the president.” Jordan was with Trump days before a wrestling match.
On Thursday, a federal judge blocked the Trump regime from deporting Georgetown fellow Badar Khan Sur, who was arrested by ICE and detained in Louisiana, over allegations of spreading Hamas propaganda and having ties to the terror group.
On Friday, ABC News reported that the Trump regime halted funding for a program that awarded $200 million in federal grants toward legal aid for migrant children.
On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order directing Department of Education Sec. Linda McMahon to start dismantling the department, saying, while surrounded by children, “We’re going to eliminate it,” and adding, hopefully McMahon “will be our last secretary of education.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said he will “submit legislation” to accomplish Trump’s goal, where 60 votes will be required. NAACP President Derrick Johnson called the order “unconstitutional.”
On Friday, Trump announced that management of the country’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio would be moved from Education to the Small Business Administration. Special education and nutrition services will be moved to the Department of Health and Human Services.
On Friday, WSJ reported the SBA is planning to cut more than 40% of its staff, around 2,700 employees, as part of an agency-wide reorganization. Musk had told Fox News that the SBA was on his radar earlier this month.
On Monday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking Musk’s DOGE from using private information collected at the Education Department and Office of Personnel Management, after a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of Teachers.
On Monday, the NAACP and National Education Association, the largest union representing public education professionals, sued the Trump regime over its plan to dismantle the Education Department, saying it would put “millions of vulnerable students” at risk.
On Monday, a group of teachers unions and public schools in Massachusetts sued Trump, McMahon, and the Education Department, saying Trump’s order violated the Constitution’s separation of power, by dismantling an agency created by Congress.
On Friday, Reuters reported that more than 600 SEC employees, roughly 12% of the agency workforce, accepted the Trump regime’s voluntary departure offer, after the deadline was extended to March 13, leaving the agency understaffed.
On Friday, Trump fired nearly the entire civil rights branch of DHS, an office responsible for conducting oversight of Trump’s immigration crackdown. The more than 100 employees were put on 60 day leave to find another job in the regime or be fired.
On Friday, Reuters reported that DHS is diverting thousands of agents working in areas like hunting down child abusers, money laundering, and tax fraud to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Agents from the ATF and State Department are also being redeployed.
On Wednesday, the top two Republican lawmakers who lead the Pentagon’s oversight committees, Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Mike Rogers, issued a statement expressing alarm about a potential shake-up in U.S. military commands by the Trump regime.
The letter said, “We will not accept significant changes to our warfighting structure that are made without a rigorous interagency process,” adding, “Such moves risk undermining American deterrence around the globe and detracting from our negotiating positions.”
On Thursday, Pentagon press secretary John Ullyot, who also served in the first Trump regime, was reassigned after removing an online article on the military background of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball, drawing an uproar on Wednesday.
In defending the removal, Ullyot said in a statement on Wednesday, “Discriminatory Equity Ideology… Divides the force, Erodes unit cohesion and Interferes with the services’ core warfighting mission.”
Times Union reported a U.S. Army webpage that described a Louisiana military base named after Henry Johnson, a Black New York National Guard Sergeant whose bravery in World War I earned him a posthumous Medal of Honor, was taken down after Trump’s DEI ban.
WAPO reported after three days of public outcry and lobbying by the Navajo Nation president, the Pentagon restored webpages about the Navajo code talkers, who helped the U.S. win World War II.
NYT reported that the Pentagon is set to brief Musk on Friday on the U.S. military’s plan for any war that might break out with China, providing Musk with some of the country’s most closely guarded military secrets, and dramatically expanding his role as adviser.
Musk has major conflicts of interest as both a leading supplier to the Pentagon, and as having major business interests in China. If a foreign country could learn how the U.S. would attack it, the country could alter to defend itself. It was unclear why Musk was getting the briefing.
On Friday, ahead of the unprecedented meeting, Musk called for the prosecution of any Pentagon officials who leaked “maliciously false information” about his visit to the Times.
WSJ reported that Musk had requested to receive the top-secret briefing on China. Musk had a security clearance, but it would be unusual for him to receive such a briefing.
Shortly after, amid blowback, Trump told reporters that Musk did not get a briefing on sensitive military matters, claiming, “certainly you wouldn’t show that to a businessman,” noting, “Elon has businesses in China,” and showing him war plans would be improper.
Trump acknowledged that he contacted White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the NYT story. Musk was scheduled to receive a briefing on top-secret plans for a potential war with China, but instead got an unclassified meeting.
Later, Trump attacked the reporting by the Times, claiming it was “a fake story” meant to undermine the Pentagon’s relationship with Musk. The Times stood by its reporting.
On Friday, Trump’s DOJ said it had opened a criminal investigation related to the leak to the Times that resulted in the U.S. intelligence assessment story. Deputy AG Todd Blanche called it a “selective leak of inaccurate, but nevertheless classified, information.”
The Pentagon also launched a probe, including the use of polygraphs, after Musk posted on X, calling for the prosecution of any Defense Department officials spreading “maliciously false information.”
On Friday, Voice of America reporters, Reporters Without Borders, and a handful of unions filed a lawsuit alleging that the Trump regime unlawfully shuttered Voice of America, and asked it be restored, adding, “In many parts of the world, a crucial source of objective news is gone.”
Late Friday, Trump revoked security clearances and access to classified information for a long list of his perceived enemies, including Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, Liz Cheney, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Joe Biden and “any other member of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s family.”
On Friday, the Trump regime terminated a “legal pathway” program that allowed hundreds of thousands of people from four troubled countries — Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela — to come to the U.S. and work lawfully for up to two years.
On Saturday, DHS officials closed off Canadian access to the main entrance of The Haskell Free Library, a library in northern Vermont that straddles the international border. For decades, Canadians had entered without needing to go through border control.
On Saturday, WAPO reported the IRS is close to an agreement to allow ICE to use tax data to find the addresses of those they are trying to deport, using confidential taxpayers databases. Typically, such information is considered confidential because federal law bars improper disclosure.
Undocumented immigrants have been encouraged by the IRS to file tax returns, telling them the information is confidential and it would be safe to file without being deported, with the IRS providing a separate nine-digit code. Roughly 11 million have filed this way.
On Saturday, protests continued for the fifth week at Tesla showrooms around the country, with local organizers in 28 states and D.C. There have also been more than 80 cases reported of vandalism or arson of Teslas.
On Sunday, NYT reported the Trump regime is rolling out marketing for corporate sponsors to showcase their brand as part of the White House Easter Egg Roll, a first time in the event’s 147 year history, raising ethics concerns. The guide offers packages, and to “be a part of history.”
On Sunday, the White House announced that a delegation, including second lady Usha Vance, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Energy Sec. Chris Wright would visit Greenland, amid Trump’s escalating rhetoric about taking over the island.
Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that neither Denmark or Greenland had solicited the trips, and the visit “cannot be seen in isolation from the public statements,” and demanded a “cooperation based on the fundamental values of sovereignty and mutual respect.”
The Greenlandic government expressed anger over Trump’s move, calling it “aggressive,” and asked Europe for back up. Ironically, Trump’s moves came as Greenland was wrestling with its painful colonial history under Denmark, but his entreaties may have reversed matters.
On Monday, Greenland’s prime minister posted on Facebook, warning of “American aggression” and lamented a “mess” created. He noted to reporters that the second lady was coming with the NSA, saying, “The only purpose is to show a demonstration of power to us.”
On Tuesday, VP Vance said he would travel to Greenland to join his wife. Notably they will be visiting U.S. personnel in Greenland, rather than Greenlandic or Danish officials. Vance spoke bombastically about Greenland, saying, if “we need to take more territorial interest” we will.
WAPO reported that Trump’s words and actions have been cited by authoritarian leaders in Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey to justify their crackdowns on election monitoring and other organizations, and for anti-LGBTQ actions.
NYT reported that the National Institute of Health, the crown jewel of American science, has been left in chaos and confusion by Musk’s DOGE cuts, as well as constantly changing instructions on things like ability to travel, give speeches, and purchasing basic supplies.
NIH also pays for large clinical trials in fields like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, and supports research by an additional 300,000 scientists at 2,500 media and research centers, all of which is now being threatened by cuts. Hundreds of grants have already been cut.
The measles outbreak spread to 15 states, with more than 300 reported cases in Texas alone. Almost all cases involved unvaccinated people. Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued making false and misleading statements on vaccines, including on Fox News prime time.
On Tuesday, WAPO reported HHS hired vaccine skeptic David Geier to head a federal study on the possible tie between immunizations and autism, a claim that has already been widely refuted. Geier was previously disciplined for practicing medicine without a license.
On Monday, the Trump regime filed an emergency application with the Supreme Court, asking it to block a federal judge in California’s ruling ordering the regime to rehire 16,000 federal workers who were fired for being probationary. An appeals court declined the pause the ruling.
On Monday, the United Nations instructed employees at its headquarters in New York, as well as their family members, to carry their UN identification cards and passports, for fear of being stopped by ICE officials. It was the first time the UN had sent such an advisory.
On Sunday, Trump complained about a portrait of him that has hung in Colorado’s Capitol since 2019, falsely claiming Democratic Gov. Jared Polis had “purposefully distorted” it. Polis had no involvement in the portrait which was fundraised for by private groups.
Trump also attacked the artist, Sarah Boardman, posting, “She must have lost her talent as she got older.” Experts in authoritarianism likened Trump’s obsession with the autocratic reliance on ubiquitous images of masculinity and power.
On Monday, Trump held his third cabinet meeting, at which members of his cabinet heaped praised on him, Musk, and DOGE. Trump acknowledged that Musk’s cuts were not “popular,” adding, “but it’s something that has to be done.”
Musk wore a hat, saying, “Trump Was Right About Everything.” Bondi praised “Elon’s incredible team.” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin touted the “incredible” partnership with DOGE. Interior Department Sec. Doug Burgum praised DOGE bringing to light “fraudulent contracts.”
On Monday, diligent federal employees who were still sending their list of five accomplishments, as instructed by Musk, to the OPM, received a response saying, “Mailbox is full and can’t accept messages now.”
On Monday, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, reported the Pentagon mistakenly sent him highly sensitive Yemen war plans in an unsecured Signal group chat, in which Hegseth described the operation. Goldberg was added to the chat by NSA Waltz.
The chat was an extraordinary breach, not only because a journalist was added but also because it took place outside the secure government channels that are normally used. Pentagon officials were shocked at Hegseth’s use of Signal, saying it could be a violation of the Espionage Act.
The chat had been going on for two days before Goldberg was added, and included VP Vance and Rubio. Vance called the operation a “mistake,” adding, “I just hate bailing Europe out again.” Hegseth said, “I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It’s PATHETIC.”
There were 18 people in in the chat group, called “Houthi PC small group.” Also in it were: Stephen Miller, Susie Wiles, John Ratcliffe, Tulsi Gabbard, Steve Witkoff, Scott Bessent, Brian McCormack and Joe Kent. The chat gave details of the imminent operation against the Houthis.
Trump, who campaigned in 2016 saying Hillary Clinton should be imprisoned for using a private email server, lied to reporters, saying, “I don’t know anything about it,” adding, “You’re telling me about it for the first time.”
Late Monday, questioned by reporters, Hegseth said, “you are talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who has made a profession of peddling hoaxes.” A National Security Council spokesman previously confirmed the authenticity of the chat.
Hegseth added, “nobody was texting war plans and that’s all I have to say about that.” Goldberg pushed back on Hegseth’s comment on CNN on Tuesday, “That’s a lie. He was texting war plans, he was texting attack plans.”
On Tuesday, the Trump regime sought to downplay the gravity of the incident. Trump defended Waltz, saying he “has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,” and claimed, without evidence, that a junior level staffer was the one who added Goldberg.
At a previously scheduled Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who were also in the chat, claimed that no classified information was shared, a remarkable claim.
The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also sought to downplay the incident, echoing claims that no classified information was shared in the chat, and attacked Goldberg as “sensationalist.” Goldberg said on the classified question, “They are wrong.”
Later Tuesday, Trump again backed Waltz at a meeting, saying he is “a very good man,” adding, “Sometimes people are hooked in, and you don’t know they’re hooked in.” Trump also attacked Goldberg, saying, “The person that was on just happens to be a sleaze bag.”
Waltz spun the facts, claiming on Tuesday that “there’s a lot of journalists in this city who have made big names for themselves making up lies.” He later said at a White House meeting, when asked by Trump about it, that he was “looking into” how The Atlantic accessed the chat.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Trump to fire Hegseth, calling him “the most unqualified secretary of defense in American history,” and his leadership “threatens the nation’s security.” Several Senate Democrats called for him to be fired as well.
NYT reported that Trump is leading a strategy of what expert called “disinformation overload.” Trump, Musk, and members of the cabinet tell lies that are echoed on conservative networks and podcasts, and reach millions who come to take them as truth.
On Wednesday, The Atlantic published a transcript of the Signal chat. The additional disclosures included a message sent by Hegseth the exact time the fighter jets took off, the precise timeline of the planned strikes scheduled, and the types of military aircraft involved.
Waltz later messaged in the chat about the impacts of the strike, saying a building had collapsed and multiple targets were believed to be killed, adding that the “top missile guy” had walked into his girlfriend’s building and “it’s now collapsed.”
The Atlantic also shared screen grabs showing the people in the group. Notably, Adm. Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was not included. It is highly unusual for the Pentagon’s highest ranking officer to not be included in a military operation.
American Oversight, a government watchdog group, sued Hegseth and other Trump regime officials, alleging they violated federal records laws by using Signal, and seeking “to prevent the unlawful destruction of federal records.” Judge Boasberg was assigned to the case.
On Tuesday, Trump suggested compensating Jan. 6 insurrectionists in an interview on Newsmax, claiming, “A lot of the people that are in the government now talk about it,” and adding, “They were patriots as far as I was concerned.”
Later Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order which would require people to provide documents proving they are citizens when they register to vote, a power he does not have. Voters could use passports or certain driver’s licenses to prove citizenship, but not birth certificates.
Trump’s order would also bar states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. The order came the day after Postmaster General Louis DeJoy resigned, and amid Trump’s musing about rolling the U.S. Post Office into the Commerce Department.
On Tuesday, Trump issued an unconditional pardon for Devon Archer, a former business partner of Hunter Biden, whose testimony helped enable House Republicans’ investigation of the Biden family. Archer was convicted of fraud in 2022 and sentenced to prison.
On Tuesday, WAPO reported the Kennedy Center terminated at least five members of its small social impact team, whose focus had been on reaching new and diverse audiences. Staffers were told the move was part of a reduction in workforce with more cuts coming.

Columbia University students and faculty gather at Amsterdam Avenue and West 116th Street to protest the university’s concessions to President Donald Trump in Manhattan, New York City, Monday, March 24, 2025. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)