Week 34 — The Return – The Weekly List

This week was a lot! The week opened with debate over Trump’s attack on Iran front and center, as increasing evidence came forward (I wrote more here) that the strikes did not in fact “obliterate” Iran’s nuclear sites. Trump and his regime sought to change and control the narrative on Iran by attacking the media, and calling those who questioned the outcome various forms of unpatriotic. Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ and very unpopular tax bill passed the Senate, 51–50, as details emerged that it would balloon the national debt by $3.3 trillion, benefit the top 20% of earners, harm the bottom 20%, and kick at least 17 million Americans off of Medicaid. Two Republicans who were against the bill, and have stood up to Trump and been the target of his threats, said they would not seek re-election in 2026. Meanwhile, with one week to go until July 9, the end date of Trump’s 90-day tariff pause, not a single deal has been finalized. With all this happening, he harkened back to ole faithful, immigration, with a trip to Florida’s hastily constructed ‘’Alligator Alcatraz,’ to change the subject to his comfort zone, even as his polling numbers on immigration continue to fall.

The pushback to Trump suffered a major blow this week, with a Supreme Court ruling that will limit nationwide injunctions by federal courts to state or region. Notably, the 6–3 majority opinion was written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who has previously been chastised and threatened by Trump and his supporters, but with this ruling was showered with his praise. The ruling will have major impacts on the ability to slow or halt Trump’s agenda.

While all this is happening, it is important to not lose sight of what is happening at our federal agencies. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. convened a panel of anti-vaxxers to make decisions on vaccinations, more than 200 employees of the Environment Protection Agency said in a letter that their agency is being politicized, and more. Read the full list if you can. Also noteworthy is the continued targeting of schools and colleges, with ongoing cuts, freezing of funding, and legal threats. Notably, the president of the University of Virginia resigned this week under pressure from Trump and conservatives.

A Gallup poll found a sharp decline in pride of being American: Democrats hit an all-time low of 36%, down from 80% in 2015. Independents hit an all-time low of 53%. Republicans held relatively steady at 92%. In 2001, Republicans were at 90%, Democrats 87%, and Independents 84%.
On Wednesday, in a new assessment, CIA Director John Ratcliffe cited a “body of credible intelligence,” including “historically reliable” sources and methods, finding the strikes had “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear program.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard also sought to downplay the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) report leaked in Week 33, saying “new intelligence confirms” that Iran’s nuclear facilities have been “destroyed” and will take “years” to rebuild.
Trump told reporters that the U.S. and Iran would talk next week, adding, “We may sign an agreement. I don’t know, to me, I don’t think it’s that necessary,” and claimed that the conflict was effectively “over” after the strikes, and the strikes had “obliterated” the three nuclear sites.
Trump also accused the media of unpatriotic behavior for reporting skeptically on the Iran strikes. Critics accused Trump of politicizing intelligence and pressuring officials to make an assessment that may be premature.
While Trump said, “We finished them off. I don’t believe that they’re going to go back into nuclear anytime soon,” the Iranian foreign minister said on Iranian State TV that the facilities were not destroyed and his country will have leverage in negotiations.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 79% of Americans said they worried that Iran may target U.S. civilians in response to the U.S. airstrikes, and 84% said they worried in general about the growing conflict. Some 36% said they supported the strikes.
On Thursday, at 8 AM ET, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chair of the Joints Chief of Staff Gen. Dan Caine held a press conference, as previewed by Trump. Hegseth castigated the media for its coverage, repeating that they were not supporting the armed services.
Hegseth, who appeared visibly angry, attacked members of the press, including the Pentagon reporter from Fox News, saying, “you’ve been about the worst.” He called the attack “the most complex and secretive military operation in history,” and heaped praise on Trump repeatedly.
Caine went into great detail about the operation itself, but did not discuss the results of the strike, saying, “we don’t grade our own homework.” He said the bombs were designed to explode deep underground, but did not offer specifics.
Iran’s parliament approved legislation to suspend cooperation with and access for the International Atomic Energy Agency to its nuclear sites, until the sites are secured. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claimed “victory” in a televised speech.
On Thursday, Trump threatened the NYT and CNN with lawsuits over publishing stories about the findings of the DIA in Week 33, claiming that the reporting damaged Trump’s reputation, and that the articles were “false,” “defamatory,” and “unpatriotic.”
Trump also called on the reporters at CNN and NYT to be fired, posting on Truth Social, “Rumor is that the Failing New York Times and Fake News CNN will be firing the reporters who made up the FAKE stories on the Iran Nuclear sites because they got it so wrong.”
The Times responded, saying, “No retraction is needed. No apology will be forthcoming. We told the truth to the best of our ability. We will continue to do so.” CNN also responded, rejecting Trump’s claims. Both outlets stood behind their reporters.
On Friday, CNN reported that Gen. Caine told U.S. senators during their briefing that the U.S. did not use bunker-buster bombs on one of the three Iranian nuclear plants, because the site was so deep that the bombs would likely not be effective, contradicting Trump’s public statements.
On Friday, after the House was briefed on the Iran strike, Rep Bill Foster, (D-IL) the only Ph.D. physicist currently serving in Congress, said that he was “very disappointed” with the limited information provided during a briefing with senior White House officials.
On Sunday, WAPO reported on a call between Iranian senior officials, intercepted by U.S. intelligence. In the conversation, the Iranian officials remarked that the U.S. strikes were not as destructive and extensive as they expected.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attacked the Post, accusing them of “helping people commit felonies” by publishing leaks, saying that “unnamed” officials would know the impact of the strikes “is nonsense,” and adding, “Their nuclear weapons program is over.”
On Sunday, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told CBS News that Iran could be enriching uranium in a “matter of months,” adding, “one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there.”
Grossi’s findings were similar to those of several European intelligence agencies, and consistent with the DIA report. He also said stockpiles of near-bomb-grade uranium could have been moved before the strikes, an assessment that some U.S. intelligence agencies agree with.
Jake Sullivan, national security adviser under Biden, said a new deal with Iran is critical, citing “it is probable” that Iran still has some stockpiles of enriched uranium, and if they decided to build a nuclear bomb, they could do so “in as little as a year.”
On Wednesday, WSJ reported Trump is considering naming Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s replacement in September or October, even though Powell’s term isn’t up until next May, in an attempt to undermine him.
Trump also said of Powell, “He goes out pretty soon, fortunately, because I think he’s terrible.” On that and other volatility created by Trump, the U.S. dollar dropped to its lowest level against some major currencies since 2021, in continuation of the “Sell America” trade.
Trump also weighed in on Israeli politics, posting on Truth Social, “Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State,” calling the corruption trial “a WITCH HUNT.’
WAPO reported federal officials were instructed to stop routing the grant-making process for awarding billions of federal funds through DOGE, a sign of the DOGE team’s waning influence since Elon Musk left Washington D.C.
However, DOGE has had access to sensitive data from at least seven departments and agencies, raising concerns that information such as competitors’ trade secrets and details about government contracts has been collected, potentially giving Musk’ a competitive advantage over his rivals.
Ahead of the first meeting of HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.’s newly constituted Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, after he fired all 17 members and appointed eight new ones, one of the newly appointed panelists resigned, leaving the committee with seven.
On Wednesday, at the committee’s first meeting, the new chair opened by inviting people to share their criticism of vaccines, and by chastising the media for fanning the “flames of vaccine hesitancy” by labeling some of the panelists as anti-vaccine.
Typically panelists are vetted for months or years. Kennedy’s picks were announced less than two weeks prior. Senator Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate health committee, whose vote clinched Kennedy’s Senate confirmation, called for the meeting to be delayed.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, which normally participates, boycotted the meeting, saying, “we won’t lend our name or our expertise to a system that is being politicized at the expense of children’s health.” Scientists who normally participate also boycotted the meeting.
The panel voted 5–1 to rescind a longstanding recommendations for flu vaccines containing thimerosal, an ingredient not used in childhood shots since 2001, and that the anti-vaccine movement has falsely linked to autism. Dozens of studies have shown it is harmless.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced it would be ending the importing, processing, and distribution of data from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder, a vital tool for meteorologists during hurricane season.
On Monday, more than 270 employees of the Environmental Protection Agency said in a letter to Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin that the Trump regime is engaging in unlawful partisan activity and endangering public health.
The employees denounced and rebuked the regime’s efforts to politicize, dismantle, and sideline the main federal agency tasked with protecting the environment and public health.
NBC News reported according to internal ICE data of undocumented immigrants detained between October 1 and May 31, just 6% have been convicted of homicide and 11% convicted of sexual assault, despite regime claims that “75% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens.”
On Thursday, the Trump regime said they planned to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia again, this time to a different country, calling into question the the strength of the DOJ’s criminal case, after the federal judge in Tennessee appeared skeptical in Week 33.
On Friday, the federal judge ordered a delay in the release of Abrego Garcia, after his attorneys raised concerns that he would be deported upon release. The judge added the delay will remain in place pending further court orders.
NPR reported Sae Joon Park, a 55 year-old Army veteran who lived in the U.S. for 50 years and was awarded a purple heart, self-deported to South Korea. His removal order was based on charges related to drug possession and failure to appear in court 15 years ago due to PTSD.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon said it would create two expanded military zones in Arizona and Texas which would be patrolled by U.S. military forces, the latest expansion by the regime to militarize the Southern border, even as crossings dwindled.
ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project under the Freedom of Information Act revealed immigration arrests have increased nationwide, and more than doubled in 38 states since Trump took office, averaging 666 immigration arrests per day.
After White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller excoriated senior ICE officials, ICE began pursuing more aggressive tactics and is now averaging more than 1,000 arrests per day, still far below Miller’s goal of 3,000 per day.
NYT reported the country’s immigration detention system is buckling under the increase in arrests. As of June 15, 56,000 immigrants were in government custody, well above the capacity of 41,000. Conditions are described as dire, and the worst in decades.
So far in 2025, 10 immigrants have died in custody. Some have gone a week or more without a shower. Some sleep pressed tightly together on the floor. Others are unable to get necessary medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and other chronic health problems.
NPR reported according to a June 11 memo, the DOJ directed its attorneys to prioritize revoking citizenship in cases involving naturalized citizens who commit certain crimes. Denaturalization is a tactic that was used heavily used during the McCarthy era.
On Friday, in a major victory for Trump, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 limiting the ability of lower courts to block executive branch policies nationwide. The ruling means the 28 states that did not challenge Trump’s birthright citizenship order can move ahead, for now, with the order.
The Supreme Court ruling will not take effect for 30 days, which would allow district court judges to consider whether to take up class-action suits seeking to bar enforcement of the executive order on a statewide, regional, or even national basis.
The Supreme Court did not rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s order. The 14th Amendment says “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”
In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said enforcement of Trump’s order is “an assault on our constitutional order,” adding, “Today’s decision is not just egregiously wrong, it is also a travesty of law,” and “No right is safe.”
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warned, “if judges must allow the executive to act unlawfully in some circumstances, as the court concludes today, executive lawlessness will flourish, and from there, it is not difficult to predict how this all ends. Eventually, executive power will become completely uncontainable, and our beloved constitutional republic will be no more.”
Notably, the majority opinion was written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who had been under attack by Trump and his supporters in public and private. Trump said Friday, “I want to thank Justice Barrett, who wrote the opinion brilliantly.”
Legal experts anticipated a flood of individual lawsuits and requests for class actions. Two class-actions lawsuits were filed in Maryland and New Hampshire. At an impromptu news conference, Trump said, “Our country should be very proud of the Supreme Court today.”
Later Friday, the Trump regime said it would move swiftly to aggressively challenge federal court blocks on his agenda. Priorities include injunctions related to the Department of Education, DOGE, and an order halting the dismantling of the USAID.
NYT reported in Trump’s first 20 weeks in office, his regime has filed 19 emergency applications asking the justices to pause lower court losses, the same number Joseph Biden filed in four years, and far more than the 8 filed over 16 years between George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Many of the emergency decisions were rushed, and came after the court made a decision without hearing oral arguments. Most decisions were delivered with little or no reasoning, with the exception of Friday’s ruling.
On Friday, Hegseth said the U.S. Navy was renaming the U.S.N.S. Harvey Milk, named after a Navy veteran who was one of the first openly gay elected officials, for Oscar V. Peterson, a chief petty officer who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for valor during World War II.
On Friday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued Fox News seeking $787 million in damages as well as an apology and retraction, saying the network defamed him in its coverage by calling him a liar about the timing of a phone call with Trump.
WAPO reported GOP Rep. Nancy Mace privately asked the Trump regime to unfreeze $285 million in funding for a Mercedes-Benz plant to convert to the production of electric vehicles in her state. The funding was part of a Biden grant program from 2022 climate legislation.
On Thursday, CNBC reported the Trump Organization removed a reference to “Made in USA” for its recently announced T1 smartphone from its website. The T1′s webpage now has a reference to “American-Proud Design.” Experts said the phone would likely be made in China.
On Friday, 12 days until the end of the 90 day pause, Trump told reporters that he made trade deals with “four or five different countries,” without providing evidence of any. He also again claimed to have a deal with China, which was only a framework.
Trump also said he would terminate trade discussions with Canada “effective immediately” over Canada’s plan to collect digital services taxes from U.S. technology giants, and called on Powell to resign, telling reporters, “I’d love for him to resign, if he wanted to.”
On Friday, retail company Nike said Trump’s tariffs on China will cost the company about $1 billion, and the company expects “surgical” price increases in the U.S. starting this fall.
On Sunday, Trump told Fox News he has a buyer for TikTok’s U.S. operations who are “a group of very wealthy people.” He added that he would need China’s approval, but “I think President Xi will probably do it.” It was unclear whether the deal would comply with the U.S. law.
On Wednesday, the Trump regime said California’s Education Department had violated federal law by allowing transgender girls to compete on female sports teams, claiming it discriminates against girls, and giving the state 10 days to reverse its policies.
On Friday, the Education Department said it was investigating more than 50 public and private universities as part of Trump’s anti-DEI executive order, saying schools could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships, or student life.
On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Harvard as part of its investigation into whether Ivy League universities have coordinated their pricing, claiming a subpoena was necessary because earlier information was “inadequate” and “substantively deficient.”
On Monday, the HHS Office for Civil Rights said in a letter to Harvard that an investigation of antisemitism on campus that found the school is in “violent violation” of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Harvard in turn condemned the Trump regime’s threats.
On Monday, a conservative think tank with deep ties to Trump filed a civil rights complaint against Cornell University, alleging that the school violated civil rights law with its DEI practices, saying it placed “an illegal identity-based ideology above equal opportunity and merit.”
On Tuesday, the University of Pennsylvania said it has struck a deal with the Trump regime that it will no longer allow transgender women to participate in women’s sports. The regime said the school agreed to “adopt biology-based definitions for the words ‘male’ and ‘female.’”
On Friday, the Trump regime said it would appeal a federal judge’s decision in Week 33, blocking Trump’s proclamation barring international students from attending Harvard.
On Friday, Jerry Ryan, the president of University of Virginia since 2018, resigned after facing heavy pressure from conservative critics and the Trump regime over the school’s DEI practices, saying he would resign with a “very heavy heart” rather than “fight the federal government.”
On Thursday, Kenneth Chesebro, a lawyer who was an architect of a plan to use phony slates of pro-Trump electors to overturn the 2020 presidential election, was disbarred in New York by the New York State appellate court indefinitely.
On Friday, a federal judge struck down Trump’s executive order targeting Susan Godfrey, citing the series of orders against law firms included “grave constitutional violations,” and marking a victory for the fourth of four law firms who challenged Trump’s order rather than capitulate.
On Saturday, Musk slammed Trump’s tax bill, posting on X it is “utterly insane and destructive,” and “will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm,” adding the amount the bill would add to the national debt would undermine the saving from DOGE.
On Sunday, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said he would not seek re-election in 2026, after Trump targeted him for voting against his tax bill in a procedural vote, threatening him with a primary challenge, and accusing him of “grandstanding” and “making a BIG MISTAKE.”
On Sunday, Trump urged Senate Republicans to override the Senate parliamentarian in order to be able to include provisions in his tax bill, posting on Truth Social, “An unelected Senate Staffer (Parliamentarian), should not be allowed to hurt the Republicans Bill.”
On Monday, Senate Republicans voted for an unprecedented accounting maneuver that would allow the Senate to mask the cost of extending Trump’s 2017 expiring tax cuts, estimated to be $3.8 trillion by the Joint Committee on Taxation, instead claiming that the cost is nothing.
On Monday, Republican Rep. Don Bacon, who represents a swing district in Nebraska, announced he would not seek a sixth term. Bacon, who had been at the center of many debates in Congress, was one of the few House Republicans who stood up to Trump.
On Monday, Musk promised a new political party if Republicans passed Trump’ tax bill, saying he would swiftly form a new “America Party” and nearly the entire House and Senate G.O.P. “will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social, threatening to take away funding for Tesla and SpaceX, posting, “Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.”
Shortly after, Trump told reporters, “He’s upset that he’s losing his EV mandate and … he’s very upset about things but he can lose a lot more than that,” adding, “DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.”
Bloomberg reported Trump’s bill will cost the bottom 20% of taxpayers an average of $560 a year, while giving a boost of $6,055 to the top 20%. Poorest Americans would bear the brunt of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. The bill would also add an estimated $3.3 trillion to the national debt.
WAPO reported at least 17 million Americans would lose their health insurance under the bill. NYT fact-checked claims Trump made, including falsely claiming taxes would go up without his bill, and that this would be the largest tax cut for the middle class.
On Tuesday, after 43 roll-call votes and 27 hours of voting, the longest voting session in Senate history, the Senate passed Trump’s bill 51–50, with Vice President JD Vance as the tiebreaker, and three Republicans voting no.
Polls showed most Americans opposed Trump’s tax bill, by nearly a 2 to 1 margin, with 55% disapproving and just 29% approving. Just 67% of Republicans approved of the bill.
NYT reported the U.S. dollar has had its worst start since 1973, falling nearly 11% year to date, over concerns of Trump’s efforts to remake the world order, including his trade war and its impact, and a more isolationist foreign policy.
Later Tuesday, when asked by reporters if he would seek to deport Musk, who is a naturalized citizen, under the new denaturalization effort outlined by the June 11 DOJ memo, Trump said, “We’ll have to take a look.”
Trump also threatened Zohran Mamdani, Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, saying if he doesn’t cooperate with ICE, he will have him arrested. Trump also said Mamdani must “behave” if elected NYC mayor, or face funding cuts.
Trump threatened to denaturalize Mamdani, saying, “We don’t need a communist in this country, but if we have one, I’m going to be watching over him very carefully.”
On Tuesday, Trump visited what Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dubbed ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ which will go into operation soon. Advocates criticized the harsh conditions, tents with stacked bunkbeds and no air conditioning in Florida heat, which Trump hoped would be a deterrent.
The facility is located in a subtropical wetland, teeming with alligators, crocodiles, and pythons. Trump mused, “We’re surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is really deportation,” and added, “We’d like to see them in many states.”
WAPO reported while speaking to reporters, Trump referred to a railroad when he meant an airport, and confused the Everglades in Florida with the Meadowlands in New Jersey.
While the visit and Trump’s rhetoric were meant to highlight his hardliner approach and appeal to his base, polling by Quinnipiac found that 57% of registered voters disapproved of his immigration policies, up from 46% in January.
WAPO reported a culture of secrecy in Trump’s second regime, where career staffers and new political appointees are purposefully not putting things in writing, as in one instance to “avoid a paper trail.” Workers also try to communicate outdoors.
Career officials expressed concern of being viewed as resistant or rebellious against Trump. New political appointees worry their agency’s deliberations will appear in news coverage and result in a hunt for leakers. The result was been confusion, slow work, and low morale.
NBC News reported that Democratic legislatures in Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Wisconsin have introduced bills that would withhold federal payments if the federal government is delinquent in funding owed to them.
On Tuesday, the Trump regime said FBI headquarters would remain in downtown D.C., moving to the Ronald Reagan Building, the former home to USAID. The move reversed decades of planning to relocate the agency to the suburbs, enraging some regional leaders.
On Tuesday, the Trump regime withheld nearly $7 billion in federal funding for after-school and summer programs, support for students learning English, teacher training, and other services. The Education Department notified states that the money would not be available.
The regime did not provide an explanation, and did not give a timeline of when the money would be released, simply saying the funds were under review. The impact was described by an advocate as catastrophic, and likely to be challenged in court.
On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the Trump regime from deporting hundreds of thousands of Haitians, saying Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem “does not have statutory or inherent authority” to end the immigration protections, known as Temporary Protected Status.
Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle its lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” segment with Trump, adding, “The settlement does not include a statement of apology or regret.” The settlement came as Paramount seeks to complete its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump tours “Alligator Alcatraz,” a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)