Week 30 — The Return

This was one wild week! We are approaching the two-third mark for Trump’s 90-day pause of his Liberation Day. He and his regime, despite their weekly start-of-week promises that deals are close at hand, have yet to sign a single one! Negotiations will not be getting any easier, as this week, the U.S. Court of International Trade struck down Trump’s tariffs, and the next day, a federal court did as well. While Trump currently has a stay on the first order, what country would want to cave to his demands now? Meanwhile, more signs appear this week of the negative impacts of Trump’s trade war domestically.

Trump also had a contentious week with his so-called big, beautiful bill, as a war broke out with Elon Musk — something we predicted would happen in this Substack series — with Musk labeling the bill a “disgusting abomination.” I wrote a lot more about the dynamics of this break up here, but suffice it to say, we are in the first inning of a battle that will undoubtedly intensify, and take us in unexpected directions.

This was another week of Trump’s blatant and unfettered corruption and ethics violations. We continue to see a slew of pardons, as well as other means of payback to those who benefited Trump’s political operation or his new crypto ventures. The quid pro quos happening in broad daylight are quite shocking! I wrote more about Binance winning favor here.

Finally of note, the complete and utter incompetence of this regime continues. This week’s list is once again filled with examples of our federal agencies, including FEMA, the FBI, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services, being led by vastly unqualified hands. At times it’s the Keystone cops, but as well, the low level of competence portends trouble for our country ahead, in ways we can hardly envision now. The brain drain of scientists through federal budget cuts and the regime’s witch hunt of international students will also have lasting impacts for decades.

1. The Securities and Exchange Commission dismissed its lawsuit against crypto exchange Binance, a case brought in 2023, dropping one of the last remaining crypto enforcement actions. Binance recently announced a deal using Trump’s crypto company.
2. WSJ reported some of Trump’s biggest inaugural donors have already been rewarded: the parent company of Pilgrim’s Pride, which gave $5 million, got government approval for a U.S. stock listing, and crypto company Ripple, which gave $4.9 million, reached a settlement with the SEC.
3. Pilgrim Pride’s parent, JBS, had pleaded guilty to foreign bribery charges, and was helped by Trump signing an executive order that paused the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Also, four of the top 10 donors were nominated to prominent posts in the second regime.
4. NYT reported that Trump has tapped Palantir with more than $113 million in federal government spending so far, to fulfill Trump’s executive order to compile data on Americans across federal agencies, raising concerns it would give Trump untold surveillance power.
5. WAPO reported Trump and his staffers made 2,262 posts on his Truth Social account in his first 132 days, more than three times the number of tweets sent in 2017. Many are amplified by his followers on other platforms, and are a direct way to communicate, bypassing the media.
6. On Wednesday, Trump lashed out at a reporter who asked him about the TACO Trade (Trump Always Chickens Out), saying, “Don’t ever say what you say, that’s a nasty question. To me that’s the nastiest question,” and “I usually have the opposite problem — they say you’re too tough!”
7. Later Wednesday, the U.S. Court of International Trade unanimously blocked Trump’s tariffs, saying Trump exceeded his authority in imposing across-the-board tariffs, after lawsuits filed by five small businesses and 12 Democratic attorneys general.
8. The court found Trump had imposed tariffs since January that were rooted in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), a law meant to address “unusual and extraordinary” threats during a national emergency, but said one did not exist.
9. The ruling also importantly found it unconstitutional for Congress to delegate “unbounded tariff power” to the president, writing, “An unlimited delegation of tariff authority would constitute an improper abdication of legislative power to another branch of government.”
10. Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq futures all rose more than 1% in relief. Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, called the ruling a “judicial coup.” A White House spokesperson said, “It is not for unelected judges to decide.” The status of the U.K. deal was unclear.
11. Trump railed against the judges, two of whom were appointed by Republicans, including one by him, posting, “Where do these initial three judges come from?” and “Is it purely a hatred of ‘TRUMP?’” and calling them “backroom ‘hustlers” trying to “destroy our Nation.”
12. Trump also blasted the conservative Federalist Society, calling its leader, Leonard Leo, a “real ‘sleazebag’” on social media, and claiming the group gave him “bad advice” on judicial picks during the first regime, adding, “This is something that cannot be forgotten!”
13. Also on Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi informed the American Bar Association in a letter that the DOJ would scale back the group’s role in vetting judicial nominees, claiming, without evidence, that it “no longer functions as a fair arbiter.”
14. Trump posted on Truth Social that the lower court ruling is being “hailed all over the World by every Country” other than the U.S., and “If allowed to stand, this would completely destroy Presidential Power,” calling it, “the harshest financial ruling ever leveled on us.”
15. On Thursday, a federal appeals court granted the Trump regime a temporary stay until June 9, in order to give the regime time to appeal.
16. On Thursday, a second judge in a federal court in D.C. ruled that Trump’s tariffs exceeded his authority under the IEEPA. The Trump regime asked the appeals court to pause this ruling too on Monday.
17. CNN reported Trump is venting frustration privately about the three Supreme Court justices he nominated, especially Amy Coney Barrett. His anger at Barrett has been fueled by allies, who have publicly and privately called her “weak,” and “a rattled law professor.”
18. On Wednesday, Elon Musk said he would be leaving the Trump regime, thanking Trump on X. The White House said Musk’s “off boarding” had started, and claimed he hadn’t been a regular presence in the West Wing in recent weeks.
19. The parting of ways came after Musk criticized Trump’s tax bill in a CBS interview to air Sunday, saying, “I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.”
20. The next day Musk’s chief lieutenant at DOGE, Steve Davis, who had been handling day to day operations, also resigned. It was unclear who would be managing DOGE, or its status, with the departures.
21. On Friday, Trump and Musk held a news conference, as a formal sendoff. While Trump initially praised Musk, the event quickly became a solo news conference by Trump on topics unrelated to DOGE. Musk said a punch from his five year-old son was the reason for his black eye.
22. On Saturday, Trump withdrew his nomination of Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally, for NASA administrator. Isaacman had sailed through Senate committee hearings, and was about to be confirmed. Trump claimed the rationale was Isaacman’s donations to Democrats.
23. On Sunday, in the interview that aired on CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” Musk said he was “a little stuck in a bind,” saying, “I don’t want to speak up against the administration but I also don’t want to take responsibility for everything the administration’s doing.”
24. On Tuesday, Musk attacked Trump’s bill in a series of 10 tweets, calling it a “disgusting abomination” and a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled” bill that would “massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit.” Speaking to House members who voted for it, he wrote, “You know you did wrong.”
25. Some Republican House members publicly expressed regret for voting for the bill, saying they were not made aware of provisions such as one limiting judges’ power to hold people in contempt for violating court orders, which would empower the Trump regime to ignore court orders.
26. The bill would also limit states’ ability to regulate artificial intelligence for a decade, giving power to the federal government. Reps. Mike Flood and Marjorie Taylor Greene said they were not given enough time to read the 1,037 page bill, and urged the Senate to strike these clauses.
27. On Tuesday, Trump’s White House sent Congress a $9.4 billion rescission package, that includes $8.3 billion in cuts to foreign aid and $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The regime said it might bypass Congress and use impoundment to claw back funds.
28. On Tuesday, the Agriculture Department paused its plan to make states provide data on recipients of food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a rare instance of the regime showing caution amid a federal lawsuit seeking to block the move.
29. Trump nominated former far-right podcast host Paul Ingrassia, who is 30 years old and has no government experience, to lead the Office of Special Counsel, an independent watchdog agency. The office pursued Hatch Act misconduct during the first regime, annoying Trump.
30. Ingrassia also has ties to antisemitic extremists, including appearing at a rally for Holocaust denier and white nationalist Nick Fuentes. He also worked on the legal team for Andrew Tate, the “manosphere” influencer and self-described “misogynist.”
31. ABC News reported Stephen Miller was at ICE headquarters last week, along with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, laying into senior officials for their slow progress in deportations, and asking to ramp up to 3,000 arrests per day.
32. AP reported ICE had a senior management shake up, to “help ICE achieve President Trump and the American people’s mandate of arresting and deporting criminal illegal aliens and making American communities safe.”
33. WAPO reported that to help meet Trump’s goals, the DOJ has resurrected a federal registration requirement, used during World War II, to criminally charge migrants who have not signed up in a new federal registry. Some judges have already tossed charges on this basis.
34. On Wednesday, DHS officers entered Rep. Jerry Nadler’s office, a floor above an immigration court in Lower Manhattan, and handcuffed and briefly detained one of his aides. ICE claimed they were told protestors were there, and were concerned for the safety of staff members.
35. On Tuesday, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka sued Alina Habba, Trump’s appointed interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, claiming that his arrest was motivated by political malice, not justice. The lawsuit also named Ricky Patel, a supervising agent with DHS.
36. On Thursday, the Trump regime published a list of places in more than 30 states that it named sanctuary counties and cities for not complying with federal immigration laws. DHS Sec. Noem said the regime is targeting politicians “who harbor criminal illegal aliens and defy federal law.”
37. However, by Friday afternoon, it was revealed that the list, posted on the Homeland Security website, included several spelling errors, and several cities said they had been included erroneously.
38. The list disappeared from the website on Sunday. The link to the page that was part of the DHS press release announcing the list also disappeared. Nonetheless, Noem told Fox News on Sunday when asked that the list was still in use.
39. NYT reported the Trump regime deported Jordin Melgar-Salmeron, a 31-year-old Salvadoran man, 28 minutes after a federal appeals court barred his removal while his case proceeded. The regime blamed “a confluence of administrative errors.”
40. A federal judge ordered ICE to release Russian scientist Kseniia Petrova, a researcher at Harvard Medical School, on bail, saying, “There does not seem to be either a factual or legal basis for the immigration officer’s actions.”
41. On Friday, the Supreme Court said it would allow the Trump regime, for now, to end a Biden-era program intended to give temporary residency to more than 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti, countries where residents face dire humanitarian crises.
42. Protests erupted in Milford, Massachusetts, after Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a Brazilian national who is a junior in high school, was detained by ICE as a collateral arrest while driving his father’s car. Gomes da Silva has been a student in Milford since he was 6 years-old.
43. A federal judge issued an emergency order on Sunday afternoon, directing the regime not to remove Gomes da Silva for at least 72 hours. The ICE field director said, “When we go out into the community and we find others who are unlawfully here, we are going to arrest them.”
44. NYT reported three federal judges, Paula Xinis, James Boasberg, and Stephanie Gallagher, are considering holding the Trump regime in contempt for violating their orders as well as obfuscations and delays in responding to information requests related to immigration.
45. On Tuesday, Noem said ICE had taken Mohamed Sabry Soliman’s wife and five children into custody, two days after he attacked Jewish protestors in Boulder, Colorado during a peaceful gathering, for expedited removal from the U.S.
46. Soliman, who was charged with a federal hate crime and attempted murder, was in the U.S. with a visa that expired in February 2023, but had filed for asylum. His family was in the U.S. on visas, which most experts said made them ineligible for expedited removal.
47. The Trump regime moved to end a $37 billion affirmative action program that was part of the Transportation Department, and had served 49,000 contractors which are women- or minority-owned, siding with two white-owned businesses that questioned its constitutionality.
48. Under former president Joseph Biden, the DOJ had defended the program, which has served as a lifeline for “disadvantaged” businesses since it was authorized in 1983. The case was brought in 2023 by two transportation companies who said they lost out on jobs.
49. On Friday, Trump posted on social media that he had fired Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, part of the Smithsonian, claiming she was “a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI.” It was unclear if Trump had the authority for this firing.
50. NYT reported Customs and Border Protection instructed federal border agents and customs officers not to attend events hosted by organizations that support women or minority groups in law enforcement.
51. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename a ship honoring gay rights activist Harvey Milk. The announcement was made on June 3, during Pride Month.
52. NBC News reported colleges across the country, including Harvard, canceled special graduation ceremonies for marginalized groups, known as affinity ceremonies, leaving alumni scrambling to try to raise funds and find spaces to host events.
53. On Friday, the Department of Education opened a civil rights investigation of Massapequa, New York for banning its mascot, shortly after Trump posted about it, claiming stopping the school district from appropriating the name was discriminating against Native Americans.
54. On Wednesday, Trump told reporters he is “going to look at” pardons for the men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, saying, “It’s been brought to my attention. I did watch the trial,” and adding, “It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job.”
55. Gov. Whitmer said on Thursday that Trump would be breaking a promise not to pardon those involved in the plot, saying she had spoken with him a month ago about the case and a possible pardon, “and he had said ‘Okay, I’ll drop it.’”
56. On Wednesday, Trump commuted the federal life sentence of Larry Hoover, a Chicago gang leader who was serving three life sentences. Hoover, who was a cause célèbre of Kanye West, will now be transferred out of a supermax prison to serve the rest of his sentence.
57. Trump also pardoned Michael Grimm, a Republican who was elected to represent Staten Island and part of Brooklyn from 2011 until his resignation in 2015. Grimm pleaded guilty in 2014 to felony tax evasion, and served seven months in prison. Grimm is now an on-air personality at Newsmax.
58. Trump also pardoned former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland, Louisiana rapper Kentrell Gaulden, former lieutenant Mark Bashaw for violating Covid-19 orders, Tanner Mansell and John Moore, James and Marlene Kernan, and Michael Harris.
59. On Tuesday, Trump’s DOJ abruptly dropped an effort from the Biden-era to compel trade adviser Peter Navarro to turn over hundreds of his emails sent during the first Trump regime to the National Archives.
60. WSJ reported that Paramount offered Trump $15 million to settle the CBS lawsuit, which is viewed by legal experts as without merit. Trump seeks $25 million and an apology. The Trump regime has also threatened another lawsuit claiming biased coverage.
61. Days later, Trump’s lawyers claimed in a court filing that he suffered “mental anguish” from the interview, and that Trump, as a “media icon,” was “forced to redirect significant time, money and effort to correcting the public record.”
62. On Wednesday, Trump announced he was nominating controversial Emil Bove, who had been serving in a senior role at the DOJ and previously represented Trump, to sit on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which covers Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
63. WAPO reported that despite the Trump regime’s claims, the U.S. and Qatari governments have not finalized an agreement to transfer the Boeing jetliner that Trump wants to use as Air Force One, amid Qatar’s request to clarify the transaction’s terms.
64. On Wednesday, Democratic attorneys general of 16 states sued the Trump regime to block cuts in programs and funding for the National Science Foundation, including programing that increased participation of women, minorities, and people with disabilities in STEM fields.
65. More than 1,700 research grants have been canceled, amounting to $1.4 billion in cuts. The attorneys general argue that the cuts were “in complete derogation of the policies and priorities set by Congress,” and put “politics ahead of science.”
66. NYT reported U.S. scientists warn that Trump’s federal science budget cuts, along with graduate and postdoctoral students having their visas canceled, will result in a brain drain for decades. China and Europe are aggressively courting top talent, and offering funding and stability.
67. The moves by Trump mark a shift in the U.S, which since the post-World War II era has been the premiere destination for top talent, and hence the most innovation. A high percentage of top students that work in labs come from abroad, now they will look to go elsewhere.
68. In an open letter, more than 6,000 scientists, academics, physicians, researchers, and others, wrote, “Science is under siege,” citing a Trump executive order that would allow his political appointees to sit in judgment of science and scientists, and “correct scientific information.”
69. On Wednesday, Trump said Harvard University should have a limit on the number of international students it admits, suggesting 15%, in order to open spots for Americans. The statement ran counter to his regime’s assertion that admissions should be based on merit.
70. On Wednesday, in a court filing, Harvard said that the Trump regime’s threats against international students has sown “profound fear, concern, and confusion,” and caused many of the school’s foreign students to seek to transfer to other schools.
71. On Thursday, the Trump regime backtracked on Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, with the acting director of ICE issuing a letter giving the school 30 days to achieve compliance.
72. On Thursday, the day of Harvard’s commencement, a federal judge blocked the Trump regime from barring international students from enrolling at the school. A school official said some students are already receiving visa denials and revocations, and are seeking to transfer.
73. On Friday, Reuters reported the State Department said in a directive that its consular missions overseas reviewing visa applications for any students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and tourists traveling to Harvard will be required to give an extra level of screening.
74. On Monday, Harvard asked a federal judge for a summary judgment ruling, seeking to unfreeze $2.5 billion of blocked funding, saying the freeze is affecting research on national security, and would destroy ongoing research into cancer, infectious diseases, and Parkinson’s.
75. On Thursday, the Trump regime looked to decouple from China, suspending sales of some technologies related to jet engines, semiconductors, and certain chemicals and machinery.
76. Later Thursday, the Trump regime also threatened to revoke the visas of 277,000 Chinese students, and going forward to have applicants from China and Hong Kong face extra scrutiny. Trump regime officials also accused Chinese students of “exploiting” U.S. universities.
77. Trump accused China of breaching the countries’ trade agreement twice on Friday, posting on Truth Social, China “HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” Trump did not elaborate on what China breached.
78. On Friday, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis reported U.S. consumer spending increased just 0.2% in April, as households put spending on hold and put money into savings instead, amid economic uncertainty created by Trump’s tariffs.
79. On Friday, shares of Gap fell 20% after the retailer warned that Trump’s tariffs would cost the company $250 million to $300 million, even as the company worked to diversify its supply chain.
80. On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that the Trump regime’s detention of Columbia University protester Mahmoud Khalil was likely unconstitutional; however he remains in detention until the judge makes his ruling on a preliminary injunction.
81. On Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Services canceled funding for Moderna to develop vaccines to combat bird flu in humans. Under former president Biden, HHS had awarded nearly $700 million. HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been critical of mRNA vaccines.
82. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control issued updated advice, keeping Covid shots on the schedule for children 6 months to 17 years old. The advice runs counter to counter to Sec. HHS Robert Kennedy, who in Week 29 said vaccines should no longer be offered to children.
83. On Friday, officials at the H.I.V. division of the National Institutes of Health informed program leaders at Duke University and the Scripps Research Institute that the Trump regime had ended a $258 million program to search for an H.I.V. vaccine.
84. WAPO reported that the White House “MAHA Report” (Make America Healthy Again) released on Thursday appeared to have content generated by artificial intelligence, which contained numerous garbled scientific references and invented studies.
85. On Tuesday, HHS rescinded Biden-era guidance requiring hospitals to perform emergency abortions if it serves as a “stabilizing medical treatment” for an emergency medical condition.
86. On Friday, the Department of Energy announced that it was terminating $3.7 billion in Biden-era grants that were awarded to 24 companies working on technology to reduce pollution.
87. Meteorologists and climate researchers ran a livestream session talking science for more than 100 hours over the weekend as a way to protest Trump’s cuts to weather and climate research.
88. WAPO reported the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, an independent agency that investigates fatal fires and explosions at chemical plants and oil refineries, would be eliminated under Trump’s budget. The move will likely face bipartisan pushback.
89. Trump’s budget would also eliminate the CDC’s global health unit, shuttering its $230 million immunization program, including $180 million for polio eradication and the rest for measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
90. WAPO reported the DOJ Civil Rights Division is reviewing its entire docket, and dismissing cases and unwinding settlements based on “disparate impact,” claiming “many” cases were “legally unsupportable” and a product of “weaponization” during the Biden era.
91. NYT reported the Federal Trade Commission is investigating roughly a dozen advertising and advocacy groups for alleged “possible collusion” in boycotting X, the social media platform owned by Musk, for fear of brands appearing alongside hateful online content.
92. WAPO reported the Trump regime is planning to terminate more than 500 contractors, which are expected to target all or most of the 800 remaining staffers at Voice of America. Most VOA employees have been placed on administrative leave since Trump’s executive order in March.
93. WAPO reported in a court filing relating to the firing of the director of the U.S. Copyright Office, the Trump regime is claimed that the Library of Congress is part of the executive branch, not the legislative branch, another example of Trump trying to erase the separation of powers.
94. WSJ reported, according to an internal presentation to senior Federal Aviation Administration management in early May, the agency faces a mass exodus of staffers between resignations and retirements, impacting areas including air traffic, legal matters, and space launches.
95. Resignations and retirements impact 3% of workers, and were part of the Trump regime’s efforts to cut labor costs. Hundreds of probationary employees were also fired. Senior officials who oversee air-traffic, airlines, and accident investigations have also departed.
96. NBC News reported DNI Tulsi Gabbard is considering ways to revamp Trump’s intelligence briefing, which he takes less often than his predecessors, to make it easier to consume and to build his trust. Among the ideas being considered is producing a video that looks like Fox News.
97. NYT reported FBI director Kash Patel is quietly reshaping the bureau, forcing out senior agents, demoting agents or putting them on leave without explanation, and forcing employees to take polygraphs in an effort to track down leaks. Unqualified loyalists have been promoted.
98. Patel disbanded the Washington field office’s elite federal public corruption squad, which investigated Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Several top agents, all women, were given an ultimatum to take a different post or retire, without cause.
99. The moves have resulted in the loss of decades of experience in national security and criminal matters, and raised questions about the remaining amount of institutional knowledge. The moves also serve to hamper agents from pursuing cases that upset Trump or his base.
100. On Monday, David Richardson, the new acting head of Federal Emergency Management Agency, told staffers he was not aware that the U.S. has a hurricane season, saying, “Yesterday, as everybody knows, [was the] first day of hurricane season. I didn’t realize it was a season.”
101. Richardson also scrapped preparing an annual disaster plan, saying the agency would use last year’s report. FEMA has been plagued by a string of high-level departures, and has been trying to balance readiness for the severe storm season with Trump’s desire to diminish the agency’s role.
102. NYT reported the National Weather Service has been granted an exemption to Trump’s hiring freeze, and is looking to hire 126 people to “stabilize” the department, after laying off nearly 600 as part of DOGE cuts.
103. On Saturday, Trump shared a fringe conspiracy on his social media that Biden was “executed in 2020” and replaced by a robotic clone. Trump has continued to target Biden, and blame him for things going wrong.
104. On Monday, the Trump regime asked the Supreme Court to allow it to move forward with a broad “reduction in force” plan, which would impact 22 federal departments and agencies, after proposed mass firings were blocked by a federal court.
105. On Monday, a federal judge blocked the Trump regime from ending its collective bargaining agreement with nearly 50,000 Transportation Security Administration workers, saying, “The First Amendment protects against retaliation for engaging in litigation.”
106. WSJ reported that at least 11 big companies, including Oracle, Morgan Stanley, and McDonald’s, are moving work away from the nine law firms that capitulated to Trump. Some are also steering business to the four firms that fought back in court in a show of solidarity.
107. General counsels questioned whether they could trust law firms that capitulated to Trump, to fight for them in court and in negotiating big deals, if they were unwilling to stand up for themselves.
108. WAPO reported subscriptions for ticket packages at the Kennedy Center plunged by 36%, compared with last year. A staffer wrote, “we feel that it is necessary to show that mismanagement by the new leadership is becoming a real problem for the health of the organization.”
109. On Wednesday, the ADP jobs report for May showed private payrolls increased just 37,000, below the 60,000 added in April and the forecast for 110,000, showing a weakening labor market amid Trump’s trade war. The reading was the lowest monthly job total in two years.
110. Trump blamed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for the weak data, posting on Truth Social, “ADP NUMBER OUT!!! ‘Too Late’ Powell must now LOWER THE RATE,” adding, “He is unbelievable!!!”
111. On Wednesday, Trump’s doubling of tariffs on steel and aluminum took effect, adding higher costs and uncertainty for U.S. businesses, especially those requiring specialized metals not domestically produced. Many said they would pass higher prices on to consumers.
112. On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office projected that Trump’s big, beautiful bill, which heavily favors the highest-income earners and big businesses, would add $3.7 trillion to the national debt, and would reduce funding for Medicaid and anti-hunger programs by $1.2 trillion.