Week 62 — The Return

This is the longest list of broken norms during the second regime, so far. I would encourage you to read through the list in its entirety, because amid the chaos of the week, many stories that would normally garner broad attention received little or no coverage. Some mark escalations, like the regime serving a grand jury subpoena to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, while others, like the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery altering history, remind us that details matter.

This is perhaps the most unhinged we have seen Trump during his second regime. Part of this feels like a continuation of a theme we have covered: the notion of his running out of time with midterms ahead, and his acknowledgment that in a fair election, Democrats will likely prevail. But this is also a new version of Trump, who by common sense should be listening to voters ahead of midterms (polls tell us they are overwhelmingly against what he is up to); either he does not care, or perhaps, cannot stop himself.

I’ve been ruminating on a framework to understand Trump’s recent illogical, intemperate, unbounded behavior. That’s the thing — it doesn’t feel like he can regulate and stop himself, and as we’ve covered, he has surrounded himself solely with sycophants who will almost never tell him no or that he is wrong. I found an op-ed by Thomas Edsall that helped me make sense of things. Edsall writes, based on speaking to experts, that Trump is “showing symptoms of an addiction to power,” noting, “the size and scope of his targets for subjugation are spiraling ever upward.” One expert described to Edsall Trump’s malignant narcissism: “Because there is little internal capacity for self-soothing or self-valuation, he requires continuous external affirmation to feel real and intact.”

This week we have stories indicating Trump is still consumed with his petty grievances, as he vents against federal attorneys and Attorney General Pam Bondi for being weak and ineffective. But in a broader sense, his statement to the NYT that the only thing that could stop him was “My own morality. My own mind” indicates a man who has increasingly lost touch with reality and its consequences. My guess is Trump is headed for troubled waters not far ahead, and a crash down to reality for him and his regime.

1. The FBI searched the home of WAPO journalist Hannah Natanson for classified information, an exceedingly rare action. Over the past year, Natanson had covered the Trump regime’s effort to fire federal workers and redirect much of the workforce to enforcing Trump’s agenda.
2. The regime claimed the search was part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials. Agents seized Natanson’s devices, her phone, two laptops, including one for personal use, and a Garmin watch.
3. On Saturday, Trump and the White House posted on X that the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery changed out an image of Trump in their America’s Presidents exhibit, and deleted the part of the text on the placard that mentioned his two impeachments and the Jan. 6 riots.
4. On Wednesday, a 37 year-old U.S. citizen, Renee Nicole Good, was shot three times and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, who was there as part of Trump’s recent deployment of more than 2,000 federal agents, amid his escalation against the state.
5. Hours later, Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem claimed in a news conference that the incident was “an act of domestic terrorism” in which “an anti-ICE rioter weaponized her vehicle against law enforcement.”
6. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, at a news conference, called on ICE to leave the city, saying, “We do not want you here,” adding he had “dreaded this moment,” having warned on the danger of ICE presence, and of Noem’s claims, “Having seen the video myself…that is bulls**t.”
7. Trump posted on Truth Social, “The situation is being studied,” but blamed it on the “Radical Left,” and baselessly claimed, “The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer.”
8. Noem claimed the ICE agent was being treated at a hospital, after claiming the victim tried to run him over, adding, “she hit him.” Trump claimed that “It is hard to believe he is alive.” Video showed the car did not knock over the officer, and shortly after he was seen walking away unassisted.
9. Speaking with NYT reporters in the Oval Office, Trump claimed Good tried to run over the agent. When pressed by reporters, his assistant shared a video to prove his point but which contradicted his statement. Trump claimed, “That was a vicious situation,” but stuck to his lie.
10. Trump also told the NYT that he is looking into stripping some Americans like Somalis of their naturalized status, saying, “I would do it in a heartbeat if they were dishonest,” adding, “I think that many of the people that came in from Somalia, they hate our country.”
11. Later Wednesday, Noem claimed that Good’s SUV had been “stalking and impeding” ICE “all throughout the day.” Noem claimed Good refused commands to get out of her vehicle, and “attempted to run a law enforcement officer over.” Witness videos did not show this.
12. Experts questioned Noem’s repeated use of the term “domestic terrorist” about Good, who was a mother of three and a poet, and a U.S. citizen with no criminal background. Good’s wife said she was a Christian and “literally sparkled,” adding, “We had whistles. They had guns.”
13. NYT reported in the past four months, ICE agents have fired on at least nine people in five states and Washington D.C. All nine were fired on while in their vehicle. In all nine cases, ICE agents claimed that they fired in self defense, fearing they would be struck by the vehicle.
14. Hours after the shooting, less than three miles away Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis canceled classes after an ICE raid. U.S. Border Patrol agents clashed with teachers and protesters, and deployed teargas. Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino was present.
15. Later Wednesday, thousands of protestors took to the street in Minneapolis, and in other cities around the country, including New York City, Boston, Portland and Durham, North Carolina to protest the death of Good and ICE deployments.
16. The ICE agent was identified as Jonathan Ross, who had been dragged by a vehicle in a previous incident. WAPO found Good’s SUV did move toward Ross, but he was able to move out of the way and fire three shots. NYT found Good was turning away from Ross as he opened fire.
17. On Thursday, the Trump regime deployed an additional 100 agents to Minnesota. Gov. Tim Walz activated the state’s National Guard late Wednesday, “out of an abundance of caution.” Mayor Frey said Trump would use any kind of chaos as a chance to “occupy Minneapolis.”
18. On Thursday, Minnesota law enforcement officials said the FBI was blocking their investigation of Good’s death. Gov. Walz said of excluding the state from the investigation, “It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome.”
19. The FBI on Wednesday had agreed to a joint investigation with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, before excluding them from access to case materials or evidence. Noem said Minnesota law enforcement did not have any jurisdiction in the investigation.
20. On Thursday, at a press conference at ICE headquarters in NYC, Noem again baselessly claimed Good was shot because she had committed “an act of domestic terrorism,” claiming officers “commanded” Good to get out of her vehicle “several times; she did not.”
21. Vice President JD Vance told reporters, without evidence, that Good was part of a “left-wing network” targeting ICE, and called it a “tragedy of her own making,” claiming, “she tried to ram somebody with her car.” When pressed on his statements, Vance gave vague answers.
22. An editorial in the National Catholic Reporter said Vance’s comments “justifying the death of Renee Good are a moral stain on the collective witness of our Catholic faith. His repeated attempts to blame Good for her own death are fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel.”
23. Later Thursday, local police in Portland said a man and a woman were shot by federal agents who were part of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The mayor of Portland called on ICE to end all operations in the city pending the completion of a full investigation.
24. A spokesperson for DHS said the agents targeted an undocumented immigrant and a member of Tren de Aragua. An attorney for the man shot said the government “claimed without evidence” that his client was in the gang “just as they have many other Venezuelan citizens.”
25. On Thursday, ICE agents arrested a 17 year-old employee at a Target in Minneapolis, forcing him to the ground and causing him to bleed, while he cried repeatedly that he was a U.S. citizen. They later dumped him at a Walmart eight minutes away.
26. On Friday, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty asked residents to submit videos, photos, and eyewitness accounts of the shooting. Moriarty said Vance’s claim that the agent had “absolute immunity” was not true.
27. On Friday, DHS released a video from one of the ICE agents’ perspective, meant to show their side of the story. Good is heard telling Ross, “That’s fine dude, I’m not mad at you.” Good’s wife told her, “Drive, baby, drive.” After Ross shot her, an agent is heard saying, “Fucking bitch.”
28. A YouGov poll found 52% of Americans strongly disapprove (40%) or somewhat disapprove (12%) of ICE, while 39% strongly (24%) or somewhat (15%) approve. A Civiqs poll found 42% were for abolishing ICE, a new high for the pollster, and up from 25% in January 2025.
29. On Friday, Department of Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins targeted Minnesota, posting on X, that the USDA was “SUSPENDING FEDERAL FINANCIAL AWARDS to Minnesota and Minneapolis, effective immediately,” adding, “No more handouts to thieves!”
30. On Saturday, tens of thousands of protestors marched in Minneapolis over the fatal shooting of Good and ICE tactics. More than 1,000 rallies were also planned nationwide. Signs in Minneapolis read, “Abolish ICE” and “No justice, no peace — get ICE off our streets.”
31. On Saturday, three Minnesota congressional Democrats were denied access at a regional ICE headquarters near Minneapolis, despite federal law prohibiting DHS from blocking members of Congress from entering ICE detention sites.
32. Later Saturday in court, it was revealed that Noem had quietly signed a new policy into place the day after the shooting, under which lawmakers would need to give a week’s advance notice before conducting oversight visits to ICE facilities.
33. On Sunday, a YouGov poll found that 28% of Americans believe that the ICE agent was justified in the shooting in Minneapolis, while 53% said he was not justified, including 58% of Independents.
34. On Sunday, Noem told Fox News that she will send “hundreds more” federal agents to Minneapolis “today and tomorrow” to support ICE, citing the welfare fraud scandal, and saying the deployment was “to uncover the true corruption and theft that has happened.”
35. On Sunday, Trump described Good and her wife to reporters as a “professional agitators,” saying that authorities would “find out who’s paying for it,” while offering no evidence of his claim. He also claimed, “At a very minimum,” she was “very disrespectful to law enforcement.”
36. On Monday, NYT reported the FBI was looking into Good’s possible connections to activist groups that protest ICE, as part of the regime’s efforts to deflect blame for the incident. It appeared unlikely that the agent who killed Good would face criminal charges at the federal level.
37. On Monday, the Trump regime sent another 1,000 ICE officers to Minnesota, bringing the total to 3,000, far more than the roughly 600 police officers in the city.
38. Videos showed ICE using increasingly aggressive tactics, in what some there described as akin to a military operation in residential areas, and being under siege by the federal government. ICE was seen to be indiscriminately sweeping up residents, often using racial profiling.
39. An investigation by ProPublica found over 40 cases of ICE agents using chokeholds and other moves that can block breathing on U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, something outlawed after the murder of George Floyd there. DHS also prohibits their use “unless deadly force is authorized.”
40. Influential podcaster Joe Rogan, who many credited with helping Trump win young men in 2024, criticized ICE’s tactics, saying, “are we really going to be the Gestapo,” adding, “most people” believe ICE should arrest criminals, and believe ICE is “operating illegally.”
41. On Monday, the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul filed a lawsuit against DHS to stop ICE’s “federal invasion,” calling it an “unlawful, unprecedented surge” of federal agents that “is a violation of the Constitution and federal law.”
42. The state of Illinois and the city of Chicago also sued the Trump regime, saying DHS “is imposing a climate of fear,” and adding, Border Patrol agents “have acted as occupiers rather than officers of the law,” that has led to “catastrophic” results and is a violation of the 10th Amendment.
43. On Tuesday, Noem said the Trump regime was ending temporary status protection for Somalis, and that they will be required to leave the U.S. by March 17, claiming “country conditions in Somalia have improved to the point that it no longer meets” the TPS requirements.
44. On Tuesday, Trump vowed on Truth Social a “DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION” for Minnesota Democrats, claiming, “All the patriots of ICE want to do is remove them from your neighborhood and send them back to the prisons and mental institutions from where they came.”
45. On Tuesday, six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned over the DOJ’s push to investigate the widow of Good, and Harmeet Dhillon, head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, saying she would not open an investigation into whether Ross violated federal law.
46. Among the resignations was Joseph Thompson, the second in command in the office. Thompson had been overseeing the sprawling fraud investigation, which had been Trump and Noem’s stated rationale for deploying troops.
47. WAPO reported five senior prosecutors in the criminal section of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, including career attorneys, longtime chief and deputy Jim Felte and Paige Fitzgerald, also resigned. The departures stripped both offices of their most experienced prosecutors.
48. NYT reported in recent days, ICE had arrested dozen of refugees from Somalia who had previously passed security screenings before being admitted to the U.S., after Trump vowed to “re-examine thousands of refugee cases.” Their lawyers said they were brought to Texas.
49. The Department of Labor drew scrutiny for posting the phrase on X, “One People, One Realm, One Leader,” similar to what the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum described as one of the central slogans used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
50. The Trump regime’s EEOC demanded that the University of Pennsylvania turn over information about a “list of Jews,” including Jewish professors, staff, and students, with personal emails, phone numbers, and addresses as part of their effort to combat antisemitism.
51. On Wednesday, the day after Jan. 6, Trump lied to NYT reporters in an interview, saying he “always respect the results of elections,” but baselessly claimed U.S. elections are always “rigged” and “dishonest,” and added that if Democrats “didn’t cheat, they couldn’t win.”
52. Trump also lied, saying, “I won three times. I mean I won three times,” adding, “I did great the second time, and I didn’t get credited with that.” He said he won in 2024 by making it “too big to rig.”
53. Trump also claimed that civil rights protections had led to white people being “very badly treated” and called it “reverse discrimination.” Trump also referenced affirmative action, saying, “where they did extremely well and they were not invited to go into a university to college.”
54. When asked if there were any limits on his power, Trump said, “there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.”
55. Trump also told NYT reporters that U.S. oversight of and extracting oil from Venezuela could last for years, saying the interim government is “giving us everything that we feel is necessary.” Regime officials said they would assume control of selling oil indefinitely.
56. WSJ reported that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was excluded from planning the military operation in Venezuela since last summer, a sign she had fallen out of favor with Trump. Gabbard was a known anti-interventionalist, including as relates to Venezuela.
57. On Thursday, five Senate Republicans joined Democrats, voting 52–47 on a procedural War Powers Resolution measure, which would block Trump from further military action in Venezuela. The measure would next go for a full vote in the Senate, then House.
58. Shortly after, Trump posted on Truth Social, “Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again,” saying Republicans from their states should be “ashamed” of the senators. Collins is up for re-election in November.
59. Also on Thursday, in another act of defiance, the House took a vote to override Trump’s veto of bills for Colorado and Florida. Both bills had passed unanimously. Thirty-five Republicans joined Democrats on the Colorado bill, and 24 on the Florida bill, with the overrides failing.
60. Also on Thursday, the House passed a bill, 230–196, to restore healthcare subsidies, the subject of Democrats’ one ask during the government shutdown, with 17 Republicans voting with Democrats. The bill was unlikely to pass in the Senate.
61. Also on Thursday, the Senate approved a measure unanimously to display the plaque honoring the Capitol Police officers who protected the Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, after it was not displayed in Week 61.
62. On Thursday, a federal judge ruled Trump loyalist John Sarcone III had been unlawfully serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, invalidating his subpoenas and disqualified him from the regime’s case against New York Attorney General Letitia James.
63. NYT reported Trump loyalist Edward Martin Jr. was pushing a new investigation of James, relating to financial transactions she made to a former hairdresser, who was indicted for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.
64. NYT reported that there is depleted staffing at the DOJ and FBI, with a significant number of senior investigators having quit or been fired. The FBI lost 800 of 13,000 agents, and is trying to recruit retirees back to work. Despite recruitment efforts, applications are down.
65. Personnel have also been redeployed to carry out Trump’s agenda, including going after his perceived enemies. Caseloads are backed up, and DOJ officials expressed concern that the depleted staff leaves them less able to stop terrorist plots, cyberattacks, mass violence, and fraud.
66. An NYT analysis found Trump-appointed appellate judges voted in his favor 92% of the time (133 of 145 cases) when his actions have been challenged in court, far more than the 68% for other Republicans, and 27% for Democratic. The siding was far more frequent than in the past.
67. Trump appeals courts saw a glut of cases as Trump signed 225 executive orders in 2025 (Biden signed 162 over four years ). When appealed, Trump judges voted in his favor 97% of the time on administrative stays, 88% on stays pending appeal, and 100% on final rulings.
68. On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee approved subpoenas for Epstein ally Les Wexner, as well as for the co-executors of Epstein’s estate, attorney Darren Indyke and accountant Richard Kahn.
69. On Thursday, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna asked a federal judge in New York to appoint an independent monitor to watch over the DOJ’s follow through on releasing of the Epstein files, accusing the DOJ of “flagrant violation” of the law.
70. NYT reported that 125 of the 200 lawyers in the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan are spending almost all of their time on reviewing the more than 2 million Epstein files. A legal expert said the focus “could pose a significant disruption to the office’s day-to-day work.”
71. On Wednesday, public health advocacy group the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization sued the Trump regime for information on whether the East Wing demolition created an asbestos risk, and requested information on safeguards taken by the White House.
72. On Wednesday, Trump signed a presidential memorandum, pulling the U.S. out of the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and 65 other international organizations and treaties, which he claimed “no longer serve American interests.” About half were U.N. organizations.
73. On Wednesday, Trump also posted on Truth Social that he was calling for a ban on institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes, adding that he will call on Congress to codify the ban, posting, “People live in homes, not corporations.”
74. On Thursday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he was directing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds, posting, “This will drive Mortgage Rates DOWN…and make the cost of owning a home more affordable.”
75. Shortly after, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Bill Pulte said the purchases “can be executed very quickly.” Pulte also said it would be up to Trump whether or not to move forward with an IPO of Fannie and Freddie.
76. Pulte, a former home building giant executive, later told the WSJ on Wednesday that the industry purposely kept prices high, and was not doing enough to bring prices down, adding, “Read between the lines… Our preference is to use carrots, but sticks are on the table.”
77. On Wednesday, Trump also signed an executive order calling on major defense contractors to no longer conduct stock buybacks or issue dividends procurement, and instead increase production capacity.
78. Trump also criticized defense contractors on Truth Social for “massive Dividends to their Shareholders and massive Stock Buybacks, at the expense and detriment of investing in Plants and Equipment,” adding, “This situation will no longer be allowed or tolerated!”
79. Trump also threatened Raytheon on Truth Social with awarding them no further government contracts “until they are able to get their act together,” adding, “under no circumstances will they be allowed to do any additional Stock Buybacks.” The company’s stock fell by 7%.
80. On Thursday, Trump called for a significant increase in the U.S. military budget, from $901 billion approved this year to $1.5 trillion for the 2027 U.S. military budget. Global defense stocks rose.
81. Barron’s noted that Trump was meddling in markets, calling it a “dangerous line to cross.” Noting also Trump’s moves to unilaterally impose tariffs, Trump and the GOP were moving away from the unfettered markets that had made the U.S. economy successful.
82. WSJ reported the Trump regime is working on a sweeping initiative to take control of Venezuelan oil for years to come, including exerting some control over Venezuela’s state-run oil company PdVSA, in an effort to keep oil prices below Trump’s favored level of $50 a barrel.
83. On Thursday, Trump told Fox News that the U.S. could begin special operations in Mexico, baselessly claiming, “The cartels are running Mexico, it’s very sad to watch,” and “We’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by water. And we are going to start now hitting land.”
84. Trump also told Fox News that he would be meeting with María Corina Machado next week and that he heard she wants to give him her Nobel Peace Prize, saying it would be “a great honor.” Nobel officials announced Friday that the prize may not be shared or transferred.
85. On Thursday, Ukraine awarded a bid to mine a major state-owned lithium deposit to Ronald Lauder, a billionaire friend of Trump who had known him since college, and who had planted the idea with Trump of buying Greenland for its resources.
86. On Sunday, Dar Global, a company with close ties to the Saudi government, announced it was working with the Trump Organization to open a new luxury golf club complex in one of the country’s largest government-owned real estate developments, the second such course.
87. On Friday, Politico reported France had delayed the previously announced 2026 gathering of G7 leaders scheduled to take place on on June 14, Trump’s 80th birthday and Flag Day, in order to avoid a conflict with the mixed martial arts event planned at the White House.
88. On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had called off a second strike on Venezuela, saying we are “working well together” on rebuilding the nation’s oil and gas infrastructure, but that “all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes.”
89. Later Friday, Trump hosted oil and gas executives at a televised White House meeting to push them to invest at least $100 billion in Venezuela, as he had been bragging they would do. The CEO of Exxon Mobile said they had their assets seized there twice, and “Today it’s uninvestable.”
90. ConocoPhillips’ CEO said they had lost $12 billion from nationalized assets. Trump said, “We’re not going to look at what people lost in the past,” and to write it off. The CEO said they had, which is required by law. The companies questioned long-term security guarantees.
91. Taking questions from reporters at the meeting, Trump renewed his threats on Greenland, saying his regime will take action “whether they like it or not,” adding, “I would like to make a deal…the easy way. But if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way.”
92. Asked if the FBI should share evidence with Minnesota officials, Trump said, “Well normally I would, but they’re crooked officials,” lying that “I feel that I won Minnesota all three times. I won Minnesota three times.” Trump lost Minnesota in all three presidential elections.
93. The presidents of France and Germany condemned Trump’s threats on Greenland at a symposium. Emmanuel Macron accused the U.S. of “breaking free from the international rules.” Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that the world risked descending into a “den of robbers.”
94. Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen said, “If we have to choose between the USA and Denmark…we choose Denmark. We choose NATO,” adding, “It has not been easy to stand up to completely unacceptable pressure.” Just 8% of Americans support military force against Greenland.
95. On Friday, Bureau of Labor Statistics data for December showed employers added just 50,000 jobs, less than expected. The monthly job gains in 2025 were on average 49,000, significantly below the 168,000 per month in 2024.
96. The data also showed that the U.S. federal workforce shed 274,000 positions in 2025, the largest annual drop since 1953.
97. CNBC reported Trump indirectly revealed data from Friday’s market-moving jobs report on his Truth Social account on Thursday at 9 p.m. Office of Management and Budget policy prohibits executive branch officials from commenting on data until 30 minutes after the release.
98. On Friday, Trump called for a one-year cap on credit card interest rates at 10% on Truth Social, posting, “We will no longer let the American Public be ‘ripped off’ by Credit Card Companies.” Trump gave no details on how he would enact such a policy.
99. On Sunday night, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced in a video that the Fed had received grand jury subpoena from Washington’s U.S. attorney Jeanine Pirro on Friday, threatening a criminal indictment over his testimony about the Fed’s renovation project.
100. Powell said the investigation was part of Trump’s pressure campaign on the Fed to lower rates, saying, “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions” as opposed to “political pressure or intimidation.”
101. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who sits on the banking committee, posted on X that he would “oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed,” including the Fed chair, until the matter was resolved, and questioned the independence not only of the Fed, but also of the DOJ.
102. WSJ reported Trump’s criminal investigation of Powell was also a signal to future Fed chair candidates that Trump intends to take control of the central bank, whether that is legal or not, and if they do not follow his orders they could be subject to the same.
103. Late Sunday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One at his Friday roundtable, “I didn’t like Exxon’s response,” adding, “I’ll probably be inclined to keep Exxon out. I didn’t like their response. They’re playing too cute.” Exxon’s stock was down in pre-market trading on Monday.
104. Trump also said “one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland,” saying Greenland’s defense consists of “two dog sleds.” Asked by a reporter whether this would compromise NATO, Trump said, “I’m the one that saved NATO. You wouldn’t have NATO if I weren’t president.”
105. Also down pre-market were banks and credit card companies, after Trump’s social media post about capping rates, with Capital One shares dropping 8% in early trading, Synchrony Financial losing 9%, American Express down 4%, Citibank down 4%, and JPMorgan Chase down 3%.
106. JPMorgan Chase’s CFO said the industry could fight Trump’s demand, adding, “Our belief is that actions like this will have the exact opposite consequence to what the administration wants for consumers,” citing the limit would result in fewer credit cards and less consumer spending.
107. The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened down 300 points on Trump’s actions against Powell, seen as an effort to take over the Fed. The “Sell America” trade was back, as the U.S. dollar dropped and gold surged. Measures of volatility also surged.
108. On Monday, GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she spoke to Powell, and the regime’s investigation “is nothing more than an attempt at coercion,” and said if an investigation is warranted based on project cost overruns then Congress needs to investigate the DOJ.
109. Every living former chair of the Fed said in a statement that the investigation has “no place in the United States,” adding, “This is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets with weak institutions,” which has “highly negative consequences” for their economies.
110. On Tuesday, global central bankers issued a statement saying, “We stand in full solidarity” with Powell, and adding, “The independence of central banks is a cornerstone of price, financial and economic stability,” and calling to “preserve that independence” and “the rule of law.”
111. Later Tuesday, asked by reporters if his investigation of Powell undermines the Fed’s independence, Trump claimed, “He’s billions of dollars over budget,” and “he either is incompetent or he’s crooked.” Later in the day, Trump said, “that jerk will be gone soon.”
112. On Monday, Meta announced it had hired former Trump deputy national security advisor Dina Powell McCormick into a newly created position as its president and vice chair. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Powell McCormick will help guide its strategy and execution.
113. On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Revolution Wind could resume construction of a $6.2 billion wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island, saying the Trump regime’s Interior Department suspension order was “arbitrary and capricious,” and in violation of federal law.
114. On Monday, a federal judge ruled the Trump regime’s cancellation of $27.5 million in clean-energy grants awarded to states that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024 was “unlawful,” violating the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection of the laws.
115. NYT reported nearly all the senior IRS officials who had been part of a push for federal tax law enforcement of private equity, venture capital, and real estate investment firms have left in 2025, amid the IRS’s broader chaos, possible costing hundreds of billions of lost revenue.
116. On Friday, PBS News announced, “Due to federal budget cuts,” the network would be forced to end its PBS News Weekend broadcast.
117. On Friday, the Washington National Opera announced that it was leaving the Kennedy Center, after playing there since 1971, citing Trump’s efforts to rename the center, and remake it in his image.
118. NYT reported that the Trump regime had given the Smithsonian a Tuesday deadline to submit all the documents requested in Trump’s March executive order, saying in a letter that “funds apportioned” for the institution “are only available” upon complying with the order.
119. On Friday, a federal judge blocked the Trump regime from enforcing an executive order that withheld federal election funds from states that did not alter their voting procedures, saying “the Constitution assigns no authority to the president over federal election administration.”
120. WAPO reported that Trump, driven by fear that Democrats will impeach him if they win in midterms, is trying to change how midterm elections are conducted including redistricting, demanding an end to mail-in voting, attacking voting machines, and seeking voter’s private information.
121. On Friday, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump regime from freezing $10 billion of child care and social services from five blue states, and told the regime to release funds they planned to freeze for two weeks during the legal challenges.
122. On Saturday, a federal judge paused the Trump regime from canceling the Family Reunification Parole Program, a program that allowed migrants from some Central and South American countries to reunite with their family members in the U.S. while awaiting visas.
123. On Sunday, a federal judge ordered the Trump regime to restore $12 million in grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics, after Health and Human Services Sec. Robert Kennedy Jr. had pulled the funding.
124. On Monday, Sen. Mark Kelly sued the Defense Department and Sec. Pete Hegseth, saying he was punished for “disfavored political speech,” and the regime’s actions “trample on protections the Constitution singles out as essential to legislative independence.”
125. On Monday, Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin said she had learned that prosecutors in Jeanine Pirro’s office are investigating her for her role in the video urging military service members to resist illegal orders.
126. On Monday, Hegseth announced the Pentagon would use Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot, allowing it access to “every unclassified and classified network throughout our department.” The news came days after Grok drew global outcry for generating highly sexualized deepfake images.
127. On Monday, NYT reported the Pentagon used an aircraft that was painted to look like a civilian plane for its first attack on alleged drug boats in September, killing 11, in violation of laws of armed conflict. Feigning civilian status, known as “perfidy,” is considered a war crime.
128. On Monday, Politico reported aides for Labor Department Sec. Lori Chavez-DeRemer were placed on leave, amid a Labor IG investigation into their conduct in helping Chavez-DeRemer disguise personal travel plans to hide an affair with a subordinate.
129. On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that “effective immediately” he was imposing a 25% tariff on goods from any nation doing business with Iran, without offering details. Experts said if imposed, the U.S. economy will suffer a “meaningful shock.”
130. WSJ reported that Trump has privately complained about Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying she is weak and ineffective at pursuing his agenda, including prosecuting former investigators. Bondi has been seen at the White House less frequently as of late.
131. Trump has spoken to allies about appointing special prosecutors because he is so upset with the slow pace of prosecutions. Trump is also upset with her handling of the Epstein files, and that she has not done more to pursue his baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
132. WSJ also reported that Trump blasted federal prosecutors gathered for what was meant to be a ceremonial photo shoot at the White House, calling them weak and ineffective, and saying they were not pursuing his perceived enemies quickly enough.
133. The exchange came the day before Pirro’s office sent a grand jury subpoena to Powell. Among Trump’s grievances was that the DOJ had yet to bring a case against his political enemy, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff, who was involved with his impeachments.
134. On Monday, Robert McBride, a senior federal prosecutor in Virginia, was fired by the Trump regime over a disagreement on whether he would take charge of reindicting James Comey. McBride had been in the office for a couple of months, serving as the top deputy to Lindsey Halligan.
135. NYT reported that the Environmental Protection Agency will stop considering lives saved in considering limitations on air pollution, despite the agency’s core responsibility being to protect human health and the environment, and will instead focus on the cost to industry.
136. On Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in her State of the State speech that she would endorse legislation that would allow New Yorkers to sue ICE agents in state court for civil rights violations. The Trump regime accused her of trying to “smear law enforcement.”
137. On Tuesday, in another sign that Speaker Mike Johnson had lost control of the House, enough Republicans sided with Democrats to vote down three GOP bills designed to ease regulations on businesses. Given a death and resignation in January, the margin for Johnson was just two votes.
138. On Tuesday, when Trump was visiting a Ford plant in Michigan, a factory worker yelled “pedophile protector” at Trump. In response, Trump gave the worker the middle finger, and mouthed “f — k you” twice as he pointed to the worker.
139. On Wednesday, ahead of a meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio, JD Vance, and representatives from Greenland and Denmark, Trump posted on Truth Social that Greenland was vital to U.S. national security, and that anything less than the U.S. controlling the island was “unacceptable.”