Week 28 — The Return

This week has the fewest broken norms since Trump’s inaugural. As in the prior four weeks, Trump finds himself struggling for wins on his main issues — the economy, immigration and foreign policy — and in many ways, his presidency is floundering and in retreat (I wrote more here). Reminiscent of the first regime, when Trump was failing he would strike out to release anger and change the subject, this week Trump aired petty grievances against several celebrities, and made unwarranted accusations about some.

Likewise, his regime undertook a series of actions this week that appear aimed at petty retribution, with most likely to be challenged in court and be halted. The regime too is struggling to find victories or achieve major goals. This week real questions come into play about the effectiveness of leadership and abilities of federal agencies. Airports experienced more blackouts. Severe storms rocked the country, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service are in a state of disrepair after DOGE cuts (I wrote more here).

As we hit the midpoint of Trump’s 90-day pause for holding back on tariffs, Trump has little to show for his negotiating skills, just a “framework” with the U.K. and a longer pause with China. Trump lashed out at corporations and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. House Republicans stumbled with passing his “big, beautiful bill,” as Moody’s lowered its credit rating on U.S. debt with talk of this bill raising the deficit by trillions. The regime also lost two major court battles this week.

1. NYT reported Michael Collins, who was fired in Week 27 as acting chair of the National Intelligence Council, was instructed by DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s chief of staff to redo an intelligence assessment that found Tren de Aragua was not acting on behalf of the Venezuelan government.
2. Collins was asked in an email to “rethink” the earlier analysis, days after the Times reported his assessment contradicted Trump’s rationale for invoking the Aliens Enemies Act; after reassessing, the council reaffirmed its original findings.
3. CBS News President Wendy McMahon resigned amid conflict with parent Paramount over its handling of the Trump lawsuit. McMahon, an ally of “60 Minutes” former producer Bill Owens, said in a memo, “it’s become clear the company and I do not agree on the path forward.”
4. Both McMahon and Owens had said they adamantly opposed a settlement with Trump. Both had also said they would not apologize to Trump as part of any settlement.
5. WAPO reported the Trump regime was preparing to pay the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed while storming the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, a $5 million settlement of their $30 million lawsuit, marking a shift in the Justice Department’s position.
6. Reuters reported that Trump’s planned birthday military parade will include as many as 25 Abrams tanks rolling through Washington D.C., at a cost of $25 million to $45 million.
7. CNN reported that Trump first approached Qatar to inquire about purchasing the gifted Boeing 747. Trump had wanted to replace the existing Air Force One more quickly than Boeing could deliver. Boeing provided a list of other clients around the world.
8. On Friday, Bloomberg reported Trump put his plans to create a U.S. sovereign wealth fund on the back burner, after three months of regime research determined the fund would not be able to give the broad investments flexibility Trump was seeking.
9. On Friday, a University of Michigan survey of consumer confidence dropped to 50.8, the fifth consecutive drop, and the second lowest reading on record. Tariffs were mentioned by three-quarters of consumers, up from 60% in April. Inflation expectations rose to 7.3%.
10. On Friday, Moody’s lowered the U.S. credit score to Aa1 from Aaa, joining the other two credit agencies. Moody’s cited the increase in government debt, as House Republicans pushed forward on the massive tax-and-spending bill that would add trillions to the federal debt.
11. On Thursday, Walmart reported quarterly results and warned that Trump’s tariffs are “still too high” and “it’s more than any supplier can absorb,” and saying consumers should expect to see rising prices by the end of May, and then much more in June.
12. On Friday, with little progress, Trump said he and his regime don’t have time to meet with all the countries targeted by his tariffs, saying he will write to trading partners in the next two to three weeks, “telling people what they will be paying to do business in the United States.”
13. Trump blasted Walmart on Truth Social on Saturday, posting, “STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain,” adding, “Between Walmart and China they should, as is said, “EAT THE TARIFFS.””
14. Trump also blasted Apple, saying, “I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” adding, “I don’t want you building in India,” saying the company should produce more in the U.S. He also publicly criticized Apple’s CEO Cook for not accompanying him to the Middle East.
15. Trump also criticized Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, posting on Truth Social that he is “a man legendary for being Too Late” and “will probably blow it again.”
16. Bloomberg reported at the midpoint of Trump’s 90 day pause, his trade war has unsettled global economies. The impact of the tariffs has yet to be really felt, but that will shortly change. So far, Trump has reached a framework with the U.K. and a pause with China.
17. Bloomberg reported on a grim outlook for corporations across the U.S., Europe, and China ahead of Trump’s tariffs disruptions. The proportion of S&P 500 companies that raised their earnings outlook, compared to those that held or reduced, fell to the lowest level since 2010.
18. On Monday, Subaru of America said it would be hiking prices of several models in response to “current market conditions,” to pass along the costs of Trump’s tariffs to consumers.
19. The European Union and Britain agreed to deals on defense, security, and food export at a landmark summit, the most significant reset of the relationship since Brexit.
20. On Sunday, Centrist Nicusor Dan won Romania’s presidential election, over a pro-Trump hard-right rival, who had been critical of Ukraine and E.U. leadership. One of Dan’s first official conversations was with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
21. CNBC reported that as Trump’s meme coin dinner approaches, with the top holders of $TRUMP gaining access to the White House and Trump himself, the majority of the largest holders are foreigners.
22. Target stores posted weaker than expected results, blaming tariffs in part, but also citing a backlash to the company’s rollback of key diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
23. NYT reported that the organization RAINN (the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network) removed more than two dozen resources for LGBTQ people, immigrants, and other marginalized groups, over concern of losing federal funding by violating Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.
24. NYT reported that roughly one-quarter of corporate sponsors of New York City’s annual Pride celebration have withdrawn support, citing retaliation from the Trump regime for celebrating gay and transgender rights.
25. On Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled that Elon Musk’s DOGE must resume efforts to hand over documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan watchdog group.
26. Days later, the Trump regime asked the Supreme Court, in an emergency application, to shield DOGE from having to comply with FOIA requests.
27. WAPO reported that some National Weather Service forecasting teams are so understaffed after DOGE cuts that the agency is offering to pay moving expenses to any staffers willing to relocate to those offices ahead of peak severe weather and hurricane season.
28. WSJ reported that David Richardson, Trump’s newly appointed head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has no emergency management experience, and with hurricane season starting in less than two weeks, does not yet have a hurricane plan in place.
29. In a meeting with staff, Richardson said that “clarifying the intent of the president,” who has called for FEMA to be terminated, is challenging. He also expressed surprise at the vast range of FEMA responsibilities, saying, “I feel a little bit like Bubba from ‘Forrest Gump.’”
30. A weather office in Kentucky plagued by staffing cuts under Musk’s DOGE, and having lost an overnight shift, planned days ahead among themselves to stagger their work schedules to essentially work around the clock, in order to be in the office as tornadoes approached.
31. On Friday, at least 27 people died after severe storms swept through the central United States. It marked the third day of significant severe weather, with hundreds of thousands losing power in the Great Lakes region. More storms were expected.
32. NYT reported Trump has taken multiple actions that will hamper the country’s ability to understand and respond to climate change, including dismantling climate research, firing some of the nation’s top scientists, and halting tracking of major sources of greenhouse gases.
33. ABC News reported air traffic controllers at Denver International Airport lost communications with planes for 90 seconds on Monday, and had to scramble to use backup frequencies.
34. An analysis by the NYT found that only two of the 313 U.S. airports meet the staffing targets set by the Federal Aviation Administration and the union representing controllers.
35. On Monday, air traffic controllers at Newark Liberty International Airport lost contact with planes for a fourth time in the past three weeks.
36. On Tuesday, the FAA ordered airlines to cut back their traffic out of Newark. Under a new interim order, arrivals and departures will be capped at 28 each per hour while construction of a runway is ongoing.
37. WAPO reported many of the changes DOGE made to the Social Security Administration have been abandoned or been reversed, while others have damaged customer service and satisfaction. The changes came as the agency sees a record surge of retirement claims in recent months.
38. DOGE cuts led to a shortage of basic supplies for employees. DOGE’s fraud phone check had been ineffective in finding fraud and resulted in calls going unanswered, even after being told by career officials that there was no fraud. The AI bot installed by DOGE has been ineffective.
39. Reuters reported that food rations that could supply 3.5 million people are rotting in storage, after staff cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development disrupted distribution, amid rising global hunger levels.
40. Reuters reported that HIV testing and monitoring in South Africa, where one in five adults live with the virus, has fallen by 21%, after the Trump cut funding. The U.S. had provided 17% of the country’s HIV budget prior to Trump’s cuts.
41. On Wednesday, testifying before Congress, HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., when asked if he would vaccinate for measles, chickenpox and polio, said, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me,” and when pressed again, said he “didn’t want to give advice.”
42. A Reuters analysis found that while Kennedy has vowed to address autism, pledging $50 million to identify environmental causes, the National Institutes of Health autism-related research dropped by $31 million to $116 million in the first four months of 2025.
43. The Food and Drug Administration announced that this fall it would limit who could get Covid vaccines to adults over 65 and those with certain medical conditions. Until now, the shots were recommended for anyone 6 months or older.
44. WAPO reported that mass firing by Musk’s DOGE and Trump have left federal employees feeling devalued, demoralized, and scared for themselves and the country. Many suffered from insomnia, panic attacks, and suicidal thoughts for the first time.
45. Many have been fired, rehired, then let go again. Many have been ridiculed as “lazy” and “corrupt,” been locked out of their offices by police, or been uncertain of whether they would receive their next paycheck. Many believe cruelty is part of the plan.
46. On Wednesday, outgoing interim U.S. attorney for D.C. Ed Martin said that on his last day he would review Biden’s pardons, and the actions of prosecutors of the Jan. 6 insurrection cases. He also criticized local judges, the attorney general of D.C., the mayor, and city leaders of D.C.
47. On Thursday, Martin disclosed to employees in a goodbye email that he is under investigation by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, an ethics office that handles attorney discipline in D.C. Martin added that the office had wrongly disclosed the investigation to a unit of his office.
48. Martin also told reporters if the DOJ cannot prosecute Trump’s foes, they will publicly shame them, saying, “If they can be charged, we’ll charge them,” adding if we cannot, “we will name them…in a culture that respects shame, they should be people that are ashamed.”
49. On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the Trump regime to immediately release Georgetown University academic Badar Khan Suri, after two months detention, saying the regime had failed to provide evidence for why he should be detained.
50. The Trump regime’s DOJ added criminal felony last minute for Russian Scientist Kseniia Petrova, a Harvard researcher, who has been fighting deportation proceedings. She has been held in an ICE detention center in Louisiana for three months, after being detained at Logan Airport.
51. A federal judge dismissed trespassing charges against 98 of the 400 migrants detained along a “national defense” military installation zone set up by the Trump regime along a 180-mile stretch on New Mexico-Mexican border, saying it was unclear migrants knew the boundary.
52. On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security asked for 20,000 National Guard troops to help carry out Trump’s mandate “to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens.” The troops would be used for immigration roundups across the country.
53. WAPO reported DHS is considering a reality show based on immigrants competing for citizenship. The series was pitched by Rob Worsoff, the producer behind “Duck Dynasty.” A DHS spokesperson said the project is at the very early stages of being vetted, and has not been approved.
54. AP reported Trump suspended the system for those seeking asylum, after generations of those fleeing persecution for their religion, sexuality, or for their politics were able to seek refuge in the U.S. Attorneys who work with asylum seekers say they suspect asylum seekers are being immediately expelled.
55. On Friday, New York City announced it will close the Asylum Application Help Center, created in July 2023, which helped more than 100,000 migrants with applications and legal issues, blaming “gaps in state funding” for migrant-related costs.
56. On Friday, the Supreme Court, in a brief 7–2 order, blocked the Trump regime from restarting deportations in Texas under the Aliens Enemies Act, faulting the regime with not giving adequate time for due process, but could continue to deport under other provisions.
57. Shortly after, Trump berated the court, posting on Truth Social, “THE SUPREME COURT WON’T ALLOW US TO GET CRIMINALS OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!” adding the court “is not allowing me to do what I was elected to do,” calling it “a bad and dangerous day for America.”
58. Hours later, a federal judge in Washington gave the Trump regime one week to identify their plans to return Kilmar Abrego García and 137 other Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador under the wartime Alien Enemies Act.
59. Federal judge Paula Xinis, who is overseeing the Abrego Garcia case, expressed frustration, saying she ordered the regime to give daily updates on progress, and was met with “a bunch of ‘I don’t knows,’” after his attorneys said the regime has not made “the slightest effort.”
60. Xinis unsealed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s declaration which claimed disclosure of certain information requested by Abrego Garcia’s attorneys could “cause significant harm to the foreign relations interests” and national security interests, calling on the DOJ for proof.
61. Federal judge James Boasberg ordered the Trump regime to turn over all “documents memorializing, documenting, or describing the arrangements between the United States and El Salvador” concerning the detention of the Venezuelan migrants.
62. On Monday, the Supreme Court overruled a federal court, lifting a ban on removing deportation protections for nearly 350,000 Venezuelans protected under the program known as Temporary Protected Status.
63. On Tuesday, AP reported ICE appeared to have begun deporting migrants from Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan, in violation of a court order saying migrants must get a “meaningful opportunity” to argue that sending them to a third country threatens them.
64. Later Tuesday, in a hastily called court hearing, a federal judge ordered the Trump regime’s ICE to keep custody of the migrants being flown to South Sudan. The judge warned regime members would be held in criminal contempt if they violated his order barring swift deportation.
65. On Tuesday, while testifying before the Senate, DHS secretary Kristi Noem incorrectly defined habeas corpus as “a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.” The right allows people to challenge their detention.
66. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on which he previously served, several Senate Democrats expressed regret for voting to confirm Rubio. Rubio defended Trump’s foreign policy and aid cuts, and said, “your regret for voting for me confirms I’m doing a good job.”
67. Rubio said he had revoked thousands of visas already, adding, “but we probably have more to do,” and “A visa is not a right. It’s a privilege.”
68. On Monday, interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba posted on X that the DOJ had charged Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver with “assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement” at a clash outside a Newark immigration detention center.
69. Habba said however, she had dismissed a misdemeanor charge for trespass against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. McIver called the charges “purely political.” The Trump regime’s narrative has been contradicted by video footage and by witnesses at the scene.
70. Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ’s civil rights division, said she had opened a civil rights investigation into the Mayor of Chicago to see if he engaged in so-called discrimination by looking to hire Black people to senior positions. She cited a speech he gave at a church celebrating this.
71. Dhillon also announced the DOJ would drop police-accountability agreements with Minneapolis and Louisville, days before the five year anniversary of George Floyd’s death. The DOJ also closed multiple investigations of other local police departments from the Biden-era.
72. WAPO reported the Justice Department is considering removing a protection for lawmakers by allowing federal prosecutors to indict members of Congress without approval from the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section, which is meant to prevent politically motivated prosecution.
73. The DOJ said it would use the False Claims Act, a law meant to punish corrupt recipients of federal funding, to go after institutions like Harvard for their DEI efforts, claiming these are “violations of civil rights.” Experts expect this use of the law to face legal challenges.
74. On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a memo to senior Pentagon leaders, said he had directed Sean Parnell, his chief spokesman, to convene a panel to review the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, to ensure senior military officials are held accountable.
75. On Tuesday, the DOJ opened a criminal investigation of Andrew Cuomo, who is the front runner in the New York City mayoral primary against Eric Adams, accusing him of lying to Congress about decisions he made as governor during the coronavirus pandemic.
76. WAPO reported more than 500 Voice of America contractors are scheduled to be fired in accordance with Trump’s order as early as May 30 as legal battles continue, including many journalists who escaped tyranny in their home countries.
77. On Friday, the Trump regime asked the Supreme Court to block a federal judge’s “far-reaching order” temporarily halting mass layoffs and program closures, saying the order was “based on the extraordinary view” that the president couldn’t direct executive agencies.
78. On Friday, traveling back from his trip to the Middle East, Trump posted on Truth Social that singer Bruce Springsteen, who has been critical of him, was “Highly Overrated” and “dumb as a rock” and he “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT. On singer Taylor Swift, Trump posted, “she’s no longer ‘HOT.”
79. Trump’s White House doubled down on Trump’s post in a statement on Springsteen, saying, “When this loser Springsteen comes back home to his own City of Ruins in his head, he’ll realize his Glory Days are behind him and his fans have left him Out in the Street.”
80. On Monday, Trump called for a “major investigation” of celebrity endorsement of Kamala Harris on Truth Social, claiming without evidence that Oprah Winfrey, Springsteen, and Beyoncé were paid for their endorsements.
81. On Monday, Trump sought to politicize former President Joseph Biden’s diagnosis of prostate cancer, saying, “somebody is not telling the facts,” and adding, “I’m surprised that it wasn’t, you know — the public wasn’t notified a long time ago because to get to stage nine — that’s a long time.”
82. Propublica reported that Trump’s State Department conducted a months-long effort to push African Nations to use Elon Musk’s Starlink. Diplomats said they were alarmed by the efforts.
83. On Thursday, Elon Musk’s xAI claimed in a statement that an “unauthorized modification” caused its Grok chatbot to generate unprompted responses about “white genocide” in South Africa, after Grok was asked questions on unrelated topics.
84. Both Musk and Trump have repeatedly made false claims about white genocide. Trump told reporters, “It’s a genocide that’s taking place,” adding, “It’s a terrible thing that’s taking place, and the farmers are being killed. They happen to be white.”
85. Despite a DHS policy that anti-Semitic activity on social media is grounds for rejecting an immigration request, at least one of the Afrikaners who was admitted last week had posted that Jews were “untrustworthy” and “a dangerous group.”
86. Trump was set to meet with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday, and despite the stated topic being trade, instead pressed him to pare back racial equity laws, and to do more to protect Afrikaners, from among other things, supposed discrimination.
87. Ramaphosa brought along South African golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and tried to flatter Trump. Instead Trump, with Musk in attendance, continued to push false claims of white genocide, and ambushed Ramaphosa with a video that mischaracterized graves.
88. Trump claimed, “We have had a tremendous number of people, especially since they’ve seen this, generally they’re white farmers, and they’re fleeing South Africa.” The exchange became heated. South Africa’s agriculture minister, who is white, called the claims “nonsense.”
89. On Thursday, the Trump regime said it would investigate former director of the FBI James Comey, after he posted an image of seashells on a beach arranged to spell out “86 47,” and writing, “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” 86 is slang for removing or killing.
90. The regime claimed Comey’s post, which Comey deleted shortly after posting it, was a threat against Trump. Trump told Fox News that Comey “knew exactly” what it meant. Director of National Intelligence Gabbard told Fox News Comey should go to jail for “issuing a hit.”
91. On Monday, after a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump backed off his demand for Russia to declare a cease-fire, and appeared to back out of any involvement in ongoing negotiation, after promising to broker peace within 24 hours during his campaign.
92. On Monday, a federal judge ruled the Trump regime’s unilateral effort to disband the U.S. Institute of Peace exceeded his constitutional authorities, and ruled all action taken by DOGE, including the removal of the board and the transfer of its property, to be “null and void.”
93. The judge added that DOGE used “acts of force and threat using local and federal law enforcement officers, represented a gross usurpation of power,” that “unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP, who deserved better.”
94. Bill Long, Trump’s pick to lead the Internal Revenue Service, promoted a nonexistent tax credit, which he told the Senate he believed was real during his confirmation hearing. The IRS told Senate Democrats that promoters of nonexistent credits could face criminal penalties.
95. Long made these recommendations after leaving Congress, and per NYT reporting worked with multiple entities that made questionable promises of large IRS refunds. If confirmed, Long would be the sixth person to lead the agency this year.
96. On Tuesday, in an interview, Musk said he plans to spend “a lot less” on politics going forward, saying, “I think I’ve done enough.” Musk has posted far less political content on X in April (52 posts per day) than in March (103 per day), in his content has shifted to promoting his companies.
97. The 2025 Axios Harris Poll survey of public perception of 100 brands (1 being best, 100 being worst) found Musk’s companies Tesla had plummeted 50 points from 33 to 83 in one year, and SpaceX dropped 36 points from 48 to 84.
98. The Pentagon formally accepted the gift of a luxury jet from Qatar for use as Air Force One. Boeing is also continuing to build two new versions of the presidential plane.