Week 74 — The Return

This week started with Trump addressing the nation in a prime time speech on the Iran War, and escalated to Trump making genocidal threats against Iran as the week came to a close. Experts expressed shock that Trump was essentially threatening what amounted to war crimes, out in the open. Some of Trump’s statements and social media posts this week included: he would “bring them back to the stone ages;” “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell;” “we’re blowing up the whole country;” and “A whole civilization will die tonight.”

Although pushback had been growing, with Trump’s overall approval continuing to fall to new lows and approval of his Iran War plummeting, it took this erratic, deranged threat that a “whole civilization will die” to finally have far-right figures and more than 70 Democrats call for him to be removed from office. Later that evening, 90 minutes before his self-imposed deadline, Trump capitulated, in what Bloomberg News dubbed another ‘TACO Tuesday’ (Trump always chickens out). Jennifer Kavanagh, the director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, summarized, “if he was going to back down, he did so in the worst way. Raising the stakes so high beforehand, he maximized the damage to his credibility & global perceptions of U.S. power. This is a clear strategic defeat for the U.S.”

Notably, while Trump was threatening genocide, Vice President JD Vance was in Budapest, supporting beleaguered Prime Minister Viktor Orban ahead of Hungary’s election, and chastising our NATO allies. While it is unclear if Trump’s Iran War is resolved (likely not), what is clear is the U.S. has hurt our world standing and lost the trust of so many of our allies.

As if this all was not chaotic enough, this week Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, and reporting indicated there are more firings to come. Defense Department Sec. Pete Hegseth also fired generals amid a war — quite remarkable — over their supposed ‘woke’ beliefs.

Finally, one of the troubling aspects of this second regime is that Trump has surrounded himself by yes men, and sycophants. This week reporting by the NYT showed the impact: the Iran War was Trump’s decision alone. Even in his shrinking circle of loyalists, no one really stood up to him, and if they did slightly, he did not listen. We have truly entered mad king territory for all the world to see!

1. On Wednesday, in remarks at a private Easter luncheon at the White House, Trump said it was not possible” for the U.S. government to pay for Medicaid, Medicare, and daycare, saying, “We’re a big country. We’re fighting wars,” adding that states should raise their taxes to cover it.
2. Trump also read, “On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem” as crowds welcomed him as a king, and then complained about the No Kings protests, saying, “They call me king now…I’m such a king I can’t get a ballroom approved….I could be doing a lot more if I was a king.”
3. On Wednesday, in his Passover message, Trump referred to God bringing the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, describing it as “an amazing period of time,” and compared it to the U.S. under his leadership.
4. Later Wednesday, in prime time, Trump addressed the nation on the Iran War. Trump did not offer any new insights, nor did he define objectives or a clear path out, and claimed his undefined objectives were “nearing completion,” and again baselessly claimed there was a regime change.
5. Trump claimed military success and said the Strait of Hormuz was not the U.S.’s problem, saying, “We don’t need it.” While saying we would hit Iran “extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” he added if they did not negotiate, we would “bring them back to the stone ages.”
6. After Trump’s speech, with no clear time-frame for ending the war, oil prices surged and stock market futures plummeted. Gas prices surged by 36% in the past month to $4.08 per gallon. Trump baselessly bragged repeatedly about the economy and stock market during his speech.
7. On Thursday morning, Trump posted a 150-word personal attack against singer Bruce Springsteen on Truth Social, saying he looked like “a dried up prune,” and “the guy is a total loser,” and adding “MAGA SHOULD BOYCOTT HIS OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK.”
8. On Thursday, the UK gathered 40 countries to discuss strategies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. did not attend the virtual discussion.
9. A Gallup poll found China surpassed the U.S., with approval for U.S. leadership falling from 39% in 2024 to 31% in 2025, returning to lows of Trump’s first regime, while views of China’s approval rose from 32% to 36%. Disapproval of U.S. leadership rose to a record high of 48%.
10. French President Emmanuel Macron called on medium-sized powers to join together as a coalition, and stand up to the U.S. and China, saying of Trump, “we don’t want to be too much exposed to the unpredictability of the U.S.,” and criticizing Trump’s approach to reopening the strait.
11. Politico reported that the FBI informed Congress on March 4 of a “major incident,” meaning “likely to result in demonstrable harm” to U.S. national security, saying a China-linked cyber intrusion had successfully compromised swathes of sensitive data stored at the FBI.
12. On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced that the GOP had come up with a plan to fund DHS “in the coming days.” The partial shutdown was already the longest in history, and came amid a two week recess.
13. On Thursday, Johnson backtracked on bringing back the House early to vote on a possible plan, as the possible deal to fully reopen DHS fell apart with far-right Republicans pushing back.
14. Russell Vought, the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, asked a federal judge to cut the workforce in half, a step back from eliminating 90% of staff. The CFPB workforce, at 1,750 when Trump took office, would be further scaled down to 556 staffers.
15. The U.S. Forest Service announced it was closing 57 of its 77 research facilities in 31 states under a reorganization. Scientists said their work on wildfires, drought, pests, and climate change would be lost.
16. Nebraska Public Media reported that even after 1.6 million bee colonies in the U.S. died in less than a year, the USDA was moving to close the country’s premier bee lab, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the site of major developments in food and farm research for a century.
17. On Thursday, Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi, his second firing of a cabinet member in recent weeks. Trump was angry about her inability to win cases over his perceived enemies, the handling of the Epstein files, and her not doing well in her television appearances.
18. Bondi will be remembered as the AG who blurred the line meant to separate the presidency from the DOJ. Whoever is Trump’s next appointee will face the same issue of being unrealistically pushed to target his perceived enemies not on the basis of facts or the law.
19. The Guardian reported Trump also polled advisers about firing Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Politico reported Trump was considering firing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, with a source saying he is “very angry.”
20. NYT reported Trump’s push to fire other cabinet members that he is unhappy with comes as he realizes Republicans could potentially lose control of the Senate in November. He also planned to push forward his agenda quickly before likely losing control of the House.
21. On Friday, the Trump regime filed an emergency appeal to resume work on his White House ballroom, claiming the lower court ruling left the ​White House “open and exposed” and is “threatening grave national-security harms,” because of Trump’s proposed bunker underneath it.
22. On Friday, the DOJ issued a legal opinion that Trump does not have to turn over his presidential records to the National Archives at the end of his regime, claiming The Presidential Records Act of 1978, enacted after Watergate, is unconstitutional as it exceeds Congress’ power.
23. On Monday, the Supreme Court sent an appeal by Trump ally Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress, for which he was found guilty and served jail time, back down to the lower court, where the DOJ under Trump was set to dismiss the charges. The move was a symbolic favor.
24. On Tuesday, the DOJ assigned the investigation of Trump’s perceived enemy, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, to the civil rights division, a highly unusual move given the case appeared to involve lying to Congress, not seen as the purview of the division.
25. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that only Trump knew why Pam Bondi was fired, and claimed, “People say the president wants to go after his political enemies. No, the president has said time and time again that he wants justice.”
26. WAPO reported that the National Capital Planning Commission, at the request of the White House, softened language about its authority over Trump’s White House ballroom, deleting the word “require,” and adding that they were reviewing the project “in the spirit of cooperation.”
27. AP reported that Powerus, a drone maker backed by Donald Jr. and Eric Trump as of last month, is working to sell drone interceptors to Gulf States being attacked by Iran. Ethics experts said Gulf countries would be under pressure to buy from a company backed by Trump’s sons.
28. Congressional Democrats probed William Walter, who donated to Trump in 2024 and a super PAC affiliated with Kristi Noem, after Noem and Corey Lewandowski had awarded hundreds of millions in federal contracts while at DHS to five companies linked to Walter.
29. The Atlantic reported Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, owners of a trucking company, spent $870,000 on lobbying Transportation Department Sec. Sean Duffy to roll back safety rules, then gave $1 million to a super PAC backing Duffy’s son in law. Duffy later rolled back the safety rules.
30. On Thursday, South Korea President Lee Jae Myung urged citizens to conserve energy amid the Iran War, saying, “save every drop of fuel,” adding that the Middle East crisis had triggered one of the most severe energy security threats in decades.
31. On Thursday, TIME reported that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles expressed concern that aides were giving Trump “a rose colored view of how the war was being viewed domestically,” and urged colleagues to be “more forthright with the boss” about the political and economic risks.
32. Trump told TIME the morning after his speech he was surprised Iran did not try to make a deal, which he was eager to do to end the war, saying, “Why wouldn’t they call? We just blew up their three big bridges last night,” and “They’re getting decimated.”
33. Behind the bluster from Trump and Hegseth, there is increasing concern among the regime that the situation may be slipping out of its control. Key officials including Hegseth did not expect Iran to attack its neighbors, or to close the strait.
34. Later Thursday, Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George, the Army’s chief of staff, who led the Army out of one of its worst recruiting crises in history and served in Afghanistan and Iraq. George had disagreed with Hegseth’s removal of Black and female officers from a promotion list.
35. With the firing, Hegseth had remade nearly the entire Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fired many of its top three- and four-star officers with experience fighting in Middle East. Hegseth also fired Gen. David Hodne and Maj. Gen. William Green Jr., the chief of Army chaplains.
36. NBC News reported that Hegseth had taken steps to block or delay promotions for more than a dozen Black and female senior officers in all four branches of the military, despite a process in all four to ensure the most qualified officers get promoted.
37. Later Thursday, in a highly unusual display of dissent, the X account Official for the Joint Staff posted a lengthy note of gratitude, saying, “On behalf of the Joint Force and the Joint Chiefs, we extend our deepest gratitude” to George, “for his decades of steadfast service to our nation.”
38. CBS News reported that in his outgoing email to Pentagon officials, George wrote, “Our soldiers are truly the best in the world — they deserve tough training and courageous leaders of character.”
39. Hegseth also directed military commanders to allow troops to carry personal firearms at military bases, ending longstanding restrictions put in place after several incidents of troops opening fire on fellow service members.
40. Army Sec. Dan Driscoll told WAPO, “I have no plans to depart or resign as the Secretary of the Army,” despite repeated clashes with Hegseth, including over his blocking of promotions. Hegseth’s spokesperson, Sean Parnell, has told people he is interested in Driscoll’s job.
41. Later Thursday, Trump threatened to destroy more of Iran’s infrastructure, after a U.S. airstrike destroyed a bridge, posting on Truth Social, “Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!” adding, “New Regime leadership knows what has to be done, and has to be done, FAST!”
42. On Friday, Iran shot down a F-15E U.S. fighter jet over Iranian territory. One crew member was rescued. Iran offered a reward to its citizens to turn in a second missing crew member. The incident undermined Trump’s rhetoric about having completely eliminated Iran’s defenses.
43. U.S. officials acknowledged later Friday that a second warplane had been shot down by Iran on Friday. The A-10 plane was hit while joining in the search-and-rescue mission. The pilot managed to fly to Kuwaiti airspace before ejecting and was rescued.
44. Two search-and-rescue helicopters were also hit by Iranian fire, injuring U.S. personnel before they were able to land at a U.S. base. Trump did not speak about the situation on Friday, but when asked if it would impact negotiations, said, “No, not at all…it’s war.”
45. Shortly after, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted on X, “This brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from ‘regime change’ to ‘Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?” adding, “What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses.”
46. On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social, “KEEP THE OIL, ANYONE?” Earlier in the day, before news of the downed warplanes was public, Trump posted that his plan was to “OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”
47. Later Friday, after 11 p.m. ET, Trump sent a lengthy post on Truth Social, attacking ABC News journalist John Karl, calling him a “Third rate news “anchor,”” for “ABC Fake News,” adding several false statements, and then demanding of Karl’s book, “Don’t buy the book!”
48. On Saturday, the State Department announced that the U.S. had arrested the niece and grand niece of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qassem Soleimani, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio terminated their lawful permanent resident status, and they were placed in ICE custody.
49. On Saturday, with a U.S. crew member still missing, Trump threatened Iran on Truth Social, saying “hell will reign down” on Iran if the regime does not open the strait within 48 hours, the end of his 10 day time line. Iran accused Trump of threatening a war crime.
50. Later Saturday, Trump posted a video on Truth Social, alleging to show what he called a “massive” strike on Tehran, adding, “Many of Iran’s Military Leaders, who have led them poorly and unwisely, are terminated, along with much else.”
51. Late Saturday, Trump posted on Truth Social that the second crew member was rescued from deep inside Iranian territory, posting, “WE GOT HIM!,” after “this brave warrior” was “being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour.”
52. Trump also claimed that the operation, which included hundreds of special forces troops and other military personnel, showcased that the U.S. had “achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority,” whereas in days prior he and Hegseth had said “total.”
53. On Saturday, WSJ reported top Trump aides, including Hegseth, advised him that bombing Iranian power plants and infrastructure was fair game, citing destroying them could cripple the country’s missile and nuclear programs. Many experts said it would violate international laws.
54. NYT reported it was unprecedented for a president to speak so openly about what many experts say amounted to a war crime, deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure, in violation of several international laws.
55. Experts warned the strategy could galvanize anti-U.S. support within Iran, would diminish America’s standing, and would also weaken norms of state conduct in war time, already eroded by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war, and Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
56. On Sunday morning, Trump threatened Iran ahead of his deadline, posting on Truth Social, “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran.” It would go against the Geneva Convention to strike power plants or bridges used by civilians.
57. Trump also added, “Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH. Praise be to Allah.” The tone of his post, and the added expletive on the morning of Easter, was vastly different than normal leaders’ Easter messages.
58. Shortly after, Trump continued invoking religious rhetoric, telling NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the rescue was “an Easter Miracle.” Members of the regime followed: Treasury Department Sec. Scott Bessent called the rescue an “Easter miracle,” and Hegseth posted, “Good is good.”
59. Shortly after, Trump told Axios in an interview that “There is a good chance” of reaching a deal with Iran, adding, but if they don’t, “I am blowing up everything over there.” Trump extended his deadline, for a fourth time in less than two weeks, to Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
60. Trump told ABC News that if Iran does not make a deal in 48 hours, “we’re blowing up the whole country,” adding, “it’s going to be bridge day and it’s going to be power plant day in the country of Iran,” and “very little” is off limits. He also did not rule out using ground troops.
61. Trump told WSJ that if Iran did not reach a deal, they could “lose every power plant…in the whole country.” Asked about the 93 million citizens, and whether they would suffer if infrastructure was hit, Trump claimed, “No, they want us to do it,” adding the people are “living in hell.”
62. On Sunday, WSJ reported that Iran rejected Trump’s proposal to reopen the strait in exchange for a temporary cease-fire. Iranian negotiators reportedly also told mediators on Friday that they refused to meet with American officials in Islamabad.
63. Late Sunday, Axios reported the U.S., Iran, and mediators were discussing terms for a potential 45-day ceasefire. Bloomberg reported that based on the Axios story, U.S. stock futures rose. This had been a pattern of Trump and his regime to say or leak things to calm or pump the market.
64. On Monday, at 1 a.m. ET, Trump attacked the Supreme Court on Truth Social, posting that they should watch one of his ally’s shows on “the Birthright Citizenship Scam,” adding, “They failed miserably on Tariffs,” and “Don’t do it again!”
65. On Monday, Reuters reported that Iran rejected what they called a U.S. temporary ceasefire plan. Trump told reporters that Iran “made a proposal, and it’s a ​significant proposal…It’s not good enough,” and said the entire country of Iran could be “taken out” in one night.
66. On Monday, at the White House Easter Egg Roll, Trump told the assembled parents and children, “One year ago — a little bit more — our country was dead. We had a dead country,” and “Did anybody in the egg industry vote for Kamala? A low IQ person. She’s a low IQ person.”
67. Shortly after, Trump spoke to reporters in the briefing room about the rescue. Reuters reported that Trump seized on the rescue to recast a five week old, deeply and increasingly unpopular war as a triumph, saying, “We have incredibly talented people” and “God was watching us.”
68. Trump again threatened to bomb Iran back into “the stone ages.” He later said, “The entire country could be taken out in one night. And that night might be tomorrow night,” and “every bridge in Iran will be decimated…where every power plant in Iran will be out of business.”
69. Trump threatened to jail journalists who published details about the search and rescue mission, including early reports that one of the two crew members had been rescued. Trump also said the regime would search for the person who disclosed the information to the media.
70. Asked whether the proposed strikes would not be a war crime, Trump asked the reporter, “Who you with?” When the reporter said the NYT, Trump said, “Your circulation way down.” Trump later said of the Iranian government, “They’re animals,” so it was not a war crime.
71. Trump also insulted Joe Biden, calling him “mentally retarded” two times, including complaining that South Korea did not help us in Iran, but Kim Jong Un, “who I get along with very well. He said very nice things about me. He used to call Joe Biden a mentally retarded person.”
72. Trump also mused about running for president of Venezuela, saying, “I’m polling higher than anybody has ever polled in Venezuela, so after I’m finished with this, I can go to Venezuela.” He added, “I will quickly learn Spanish. It won’t take too long. I’m good at language.”
73. Asked if he would take Iranian oil, Trump said, “If I had my choice, yeah, because I’m a businessman first,” but complained the American people would not like it, adding, “To the victor, go the spoils.” Trump also mused about the U.S. charging a toll for passage in the Strait of Hormuz.
74. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine detailed the rescue. Ask how many were involved, Caine said he would “love to keep that a secret,” while Trump interjected there were “hundreds,” minutes after Trump threatened jail time for the leaker of other military details.
75. Hegseth compared the rescue of the crew member to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, saying the plane was “shot down on a Friday — Good Friday,” the day Jesus was crucified, and rescued on Easter, saying, “A pilot reborn, all home and accounted for…God is good.”
76. Later Monday, the Pentagon canceled a press briefing that had been scheduled for Tuesday at 8 a.m. ET, and was supposed to be conducted by Hegseth and Caine.
77. Later Monday, Trump attacked two female Fox News hosts on Truth Social: Shannon Bream who incorrectly referred to his “Save America Act” as the “Save Act,” and Democratic strategist Jessica Tarlov, who he called a “loser” that viewers cannot “stand watching.”
78. Vice President Vance was set to visit Hungary to show U.S. support for autocrat PM Viktor Orban, who was down in polls ahead of the April 12 election. The visit came days after Orban faced claims of a ‘false flag’ operation: planting explosives near a pipeline to declare an emergency.
79. On Tuesday, 5 a.m. ET, Vance landed in Budapest ahead of Sunday’s election, viewed as a major test of the MAGA model globally. Orban had been in power since 2010.
80. On Tuesday, at 8 a.m. ET, Trump escalated his rhetoric toward Iran, posting on Truth Social, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran did not capitulate by 8 p.m. ET, adding, “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
81. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned Trump’s mental health, and called on Republicans to intervene. Trump ally GOP Sen. Ron Johnson said he hoped this was “bluster.” Far-right figures condemned Trump and called for invoking the 25th Amendment.
82. More than 70 Democrats, including five senators, called for Trump’s cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him over his threat to wipe out “a whole civilization.”
83. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged “all parties” to respect international law and not target civilian infrastructure; the U.N. secretary general said he was “deeply troubled” by Trump’s statement; Pope Leo XIV said such threats were “unacceptable”.
84. Shortly after, speaking alongside Orban, Vance said, “The president loves you, and so do I,” calling him a ‘true statesman,” and baselessly referring to “Ukrainian intelligence services that try to put their thumb on the scale of American elections, on Hungarian elections.”
85. Vance accused “bureaucrats in Brussels” of working against Orban, while complaining about the EU backing Orban’s opponent, saying, “I won’t tell the people of Hungary how to vote; I would encourage the bureaucrats in Brussels to do the exact same thing.”
86. Vance dialed in Trump by phone from Washington. Trump told the crowd, “I love Hungary, and I love Viktor. I’m telling you he’s a fantastic man,” adding Orban “has done a fantastic job” by not allowing migrants to “storm your country and invade your country.”
87. WSJ reported allies in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East view the U.S. under Trump as an increasingly unpredictable and unreliable ally, but feel they have nowhere to turn, as China and Russia remain predatory. The Iran War is the first in a century waged by the U.S. without allies.
88. Trump has insulted European and Asian allies, calling them cowards and threatening to withdraw from NATO. Trump publicly insulted Mohammed bin Salman at a Saudi-sponsored investment conference in March, saying MBS “didn’t think he’d be kissing my ass.”
89. Trump has even strained relationships with Italy’s prime minister, once a close ally. An Italian senator said the U.S. “seems governed by some kind of mad emperor who keeps saying whatever comes to his mind, something we haven’t witnessed since Caligula or Nero.”
90. On Tuesday, Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq released American journalist Shelly Kittleson, with the condition that “she leaves the country immediately.”
91. NYT reported in the lead up to the Iran war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pitched Trump and small circle in the Situation Room. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the agency’s assessment of uprising and regime change was “farcical,” and Rubio said, “It’s bullshit.”
92. The decision was Trump’s as the regime insiders became an echo chamber, and even Vance said he would back Trump’s decision. Caine gave only options, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said it was not her purview. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was not included.
93. Later Tuesday, 90 minutes before Trump’s imposed deadline, he posted on Truth Social that he had agreed to a Pakistani-brokered two week ceasefire, with Iran’s 10 point plan as a basis for negotiation. Trump said the plan included “COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE and SAFE OPENING” of the strait.
94. Experts said Iran’s 10 point plan was like a wish list for Iran, including allowing them to maintain control of the strait and charge for its use, and allowing them to have huge economic gains to rebuild their military and move forward without nuclear restrictions.
95. CNN reported Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that the U.S. had accepted Iran’s 10-point plan and won a victory, saying, “The enemy, in its unfair, unlawful, and criminal war…has suffered an undeniable, historic, and crushing defeat.”
96. Trump attacked CNN, posting on Truth Social, “The alleged Statement put out by CNN World News is a FRAUD,” baselessly claiming that “The false Statement was linked to a Fake News site,” and ordered CNN to immediately withdraw the statement. CNN denied Trump’s allegation.
97. FCC Chair Brendan Carr also attacked CNN, posting on X, “Fake news is bad enough for the country, but pushing out a hoax headline in such a sensitive national security moment as this requires accountability,” adding, “Time for change at CNN.”
98. Bloomberg reported on a relief rally worldwide, after Trump’s latest ‘TACO Tuesday’ (Trump Always Chickens Out) deal. Questions remained on what opening the strait meant, while attacks continued in the Middle East by Iran and its proxies, as well as Israel and other countries.
99. On Wednesday, Trump told ABC News on control of the strait, “We’re thinking of doing it as a joint venture” between the U.S. and Iran, although Iran’s 10 point plan gave Iran sole control. Asked about the ability to charge a toll, Trump said, “It’s a beautiful thing.”
100. Trump also claimed there would be “no enrichment of Uranium,” again differing from Iran’s 10 point plan which gave it unlimited ability to enrich. Trump also claimed the U.S. “will, working with Iran, dig up and remove all of the deeply buried (B-2 Bombers) Nuclear “Dust.””
101. Shortly after, at a brief press conference, Hegseth lied that “America’s military achieved every single objective on plan, on schedule, exactly as laid out from day one.” The three objectives stated by Hegseth and Caine were different from the ones previously stated.
102. Hegseth gave a different version on enriched uranium, saying that it being handed over is a “non-negotiable,” adding “We know exactly what they have…and they will either give it to us, which the president has laid out…voluntarily…or if we have to do something else ourselves.”
103. A bombastic Hegseth added, “we’ll be hanging around” in the region, and sparred with reporters, interrupting them, stopping Caine from answering a question he did not like, and insulting mainstream news agencies.
104. NYT reported the cease-fire did not achieve any of Trump’s stated objectives, including Iran still being run by the same regime, still having their nuclear material, still having missile supplies and drones, and left Iran with the sense that it could stand up to the U.S. and Israel.
105. On Friday, Trump released a budget proposal for 2027 that would increase military spending by $1.5 trillion or 44%, increase DOJ funding by 13%, while slashing what Trump called ‘woke’ such as education, the environment, health and human services, and programs for agriculture.
106. On Friday, several of the regime’s federal agencies joined in on Trump’s promise to “bring back Christianity.” Homeland Security posted an image of Jesus Christ on a cross on X, quoting Luke 23:46, and adding, “Trust in God’s plan.” The State Department also sent a post.
107. On Easter, DHS and State posted on X, “He is risen,” the Defense Department shared Hegseth’s post, “The tomb is empty. The promise is fulfilled,” and the DOJ posted as “millions of Christians gather in their churches” it is “proud to protect and defend religious liberty.”
108. WAPO reported the congregants at a church pictured on the cover of Vice President JD Vance’s new book, which is a Methodist church despite the book being about his journey to becoming a Catholic, said they do not know Vance.
109. Politico reported that the Holocaust Memorial Museum in D.C. had quietly removed content about American racism and canceled a workshop about the “fragility of democracy” as Trump cracked down on the Smithsonian, in what former employees believed was obeying in advance.
110. On Friday, the Treasury Department removed Russian national Mikhail Mikhaylovich Zadornov from its sanction list. Zadornov was sanctioned under Biden for Russian election interference and “harmful foreign activities” of the Russian Federation.
111. On Saturday, WAPO reported that China is also helping Iran, allowing its private companies, some of which have ties to the Chinese military, to sell Iran intelligence gleaned from combining artificial intelligence with open-source data, to target U.S. forces.
112. NYT reported that the CDC paused testing for rabies and pox viruses for state and local health departments, citing that widespread layoffs, hiring freezes, and resignations had significantly shrunk the number of qualified scientists, with virus teams losing many of their members.
113. Propublica reported the FDA removed a website page warning against taking ineffective and potentially dangerous remedies that claimed to treat or cure autism, including chelating agents, hyperbaric oxygen therapies, chlorine dioxide, and raw camel milk.
114. On Friday, a federal judge blocked Trump’s order requiring colleges to submit seven years of applicant and admitted student data, including race, GPA, and test scores to the regime. The ruling, by a judge appointed by George W. Bush, impacted 17 states who filed the lawsuit.
115. On Monday, the Department of Education rescinded six civil rights settlements meant to protect transgender students, claiming federal law barring sex discrimination does not extend to gender identity. The Trump regime called the settlements illegal.
116. NBC News reported according to newly released government emails, at the White House’s request, some of Elon Musk’s personal body guards were deputized as federal agents last year despite lacking the required training and law enforcement experience.
117. On Monday, acting DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullen told Fox News that his agency should take a look at whether so-called sanctuary cities with international airports should be processing customs at their airports, saying, “We need to have a really hard look at that.”