Trump Pushes Ahead on Politically Unpopular Ideas
“By pretty much any estimation, President Trump has had a very bad week,” the New York Times reports.
“New poll numbers show his approval rating has hit a second-term low. He is weighing whether to restart a bombing campaign in an unpopular war against Iran. Gas prices are high and inching higher heading into Memorial Day weekend. And his grip over Republican lawmakers is beginning to slip after he proposed a pair of deeply unpopular spending items, prompting an unusual revolt from the Senate.”
“When faced with such a backlash ahead of midterm elections, many politicians would pivot, redirecting their focus to issues they are on stronger footing with.”
“But Mr. Trump has decided to double down, presenting himself as politically all-powerful even in the face of indications that he is not.”
Wall Street Journal: The week that broke Trump’s control over Congress.
Washington Post: A tough week for Trump on Capitol Hill, as Republicans deal him setbacks.
The Risks of Iran’s Threat to Control the Strait of Hormuz
“Tehran is trying to formalize — and monetize — its control over the Strait of Hormuz, previously a transit point for one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas, by charging a fee for passage,” the New York Times reports.
“What Iran is proposing violates the rules on which international shipping is based, which hold that countries cannot charge for safe passage through international waterways, and is unlikely to succeed, analysts say. Still, it is unsettling the shipping industry, heaping more uncertainty on companies with vessels and workers who have been stranded in the Persian Gulf for nearly three months as the war in Iran drag on.”
“The concern is that Iran, emboldened by having brought the United States to an impasse by invoking a powerful geographic choke point, could find a way to influence traffic through the strait even after the conflict ceases. The Iranian threats underline the war’s potential to do lasting damage to the global economy.”
Maryland Democrats Look Set to Redistrict in 2028
New York Times: “After months of disagreement, Maryland Democrats appear to be closer than ever to eliminating the state’s lone Republican-held congressional district in time for the 2028 cycle.”
“Bill Ferguson, the leader of the Maryland Senate and the face of Democratic opposition to redrawing maps this year, said in an interview with a local news outlet on Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision on the Voting Rights Act, which led to a scramble among Republican-led legislatures across the South to dismantle or dilute majority-Black, Democratic-controlled districts, forced him to change his calculus.”
Former Kamala Harris Staffers Don’t Want Her to Run
Vanity Fair: “Despite a certain air of inevitability, the Democratic Party’s movers and shakers are trembling at the prospect of another Harris run. I spoke with more than two dozen Harris campaign staffers, former White House aides, elected officials, political operatives, and big-dollar donors for this piece. Aside from her own close advisers, none spoke enthusiastically about a Harris 2028 campaign.”
Judge Dismisses Charges Against Kilmar Abrego Garcia
New York Times: “A federal judge on Friday dismissed the criminal case against the immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, ruling that the Trump administration had brought human smuggling charges against him as part of a vindictive effort to punish him for challenging his wrongful deportation to El Salvador last year.”
New College Grads Face a Tough Job Market
Wall Street Journal: “The college class of 2026 is entering one of the most nerve-racking job markets in recent memory. Employers have sharply reduced hiring—awful news for those trying to land their first job. Worries that artificial intelligence will be able to perform many of the skills graduates spent years honing are running high. Commencement speakers lauding the technology are drawing jeers.”
“A widely followed quarterly report from the New York Fed, based on the detailed data that underlies the Labor Department’s monthly jobs report, shows that as of March, the unemployment rate for people with bachelor’s degrees, and between the ages of 22 and 27, was a seasonally adjusted 5.6%. That was a big step up from the 3.6% registered in December 2019, before the Covid pandemic.”
Trump to Make Green Card Applicants File Overseas
Wall Street Journal: “Most green-card applicants will need to go abroad to apply for permanent residency at an American consulate, rather than filing from within the U.S. as they do now, the Trump administration announced Friday.”
“Under the new policy, most foreigners—from tech workers to spouses of U.S. citizens—would need to prove they have ‘extraordinary circumstances’ to apply for permanent residency within the U.S., or else risk being denied. Most would need to go abroad to apply at a U.S. consulate, where they risk losing whatever legal status they held in the U.S. and being unable to return.”
Tulsi Gabbard Was Asked to Leave
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had been forced out of her job by the White House.
Trump Skipping Wedding of His Son
“President Donald Trump on Friday said he won’t attend the wedding this weekend of his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to socialite Bettina Anderson,” CNBC reports.
Said Trump: “While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so.”
U.S. Warns of Russian and Chinese Spying in Cuba
Wall Street Journal: “China and Russia have in recent years expanded their intelligence operations in Cuba, investing in electronic-eavesdropping facilities used to spy on U.S. military sites in Florida and roughly tripling the number of intelligence personnel to staff them since 2023, according to officials familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments.”
“The findings suggest that Beijing and Moscow see their separate posts as increasingly vital to their espionage capabilities, adding more up-to-date equipment within listening range of two U.S. military headquarters overseeing operations in the Middle East and Latin America.”
The GOP Is Revolting
Charlie Sykes: “It almost felt like a unicorn sighting: Republicans on Capitol Hill openly defying Trump and (if one did not know them better) taking principled stands of independence. The change in the political mood was head-snapping; just days earlier, Trump was celebrating his latest victory in his revenge tour as he tightened his grip on the party. Puffed up with the wins, Trump clearly expected Republicans to react in the usual way: by cringing and fawning. He brandished the heads of Thomas Massie and Bill Cassidy as he threatened congressional Republicans, rolled out his most brazen bits of corruption, and — in a moment of pure political snit — endorsed Texas AG Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn…”
“But this week, Trump crossed an invisible line, and for the first time in the Trump Restoration, GOP senators and reps seem genuinely pissed at the president; and willing to break with him on issues that Trump cares about deeply.”
Tulsi Gabbard Resigns
Tulsi Gabbard is resigning from her post as Director of National Intelligence to support her husband through his battle with “an extremely rare form of bone cancer,” Fox News reports.
Gabbard notified President Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office Friday.
Lutnick Donated to House GOP Before Epstein Testimony
New York Times: “Howard Lutnick, President Trump’s secretary of commerce, made a $5 million donation last month to a committee supporting House Republicans, an unusually large contribution for a sitting cabinet secretary.”
“The donation was made on April 1, four weeks after the House Oversight Committee arranged to interview Mr. Lutnick about his ties to the sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.”
Trump Admits He Allowed Creation of Slush Fund
President Trump on Friday defended the Justice Department’s new $1.7 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and said he had “allowed” it to go forward, just days after the president asserted he was not involved in its creation, CBS News reports.
Most Americans Doubt U.S. Government Will Regulate AI
CBS News Poll: “Most Americans continue to believe AI will reduce the number of jobs in the U.S., but that’s not their only AI concern. They are also skeptical about whether the U.S. government will implement a policy to ensure the technology is used appropriately.”
“That skepticism is fairly widespread. Majorities across age groups and education levels don’t think government policy will ensure AI is used appropriately. Democrats and independents share that view, while Republicans are generally divided.”
The Republican Senate Candidate Who Could Lose Texas
Elaine Godfrey: “Donald Trump is a historically unpopular politician. Gas prices, high inflation, and the war with Iran have all systems flashing fire-engine red for Republicans in November. Yet here was the president, throwing his political weight behind Paxton—a man who has been indicted, impeached, and allegedly unfaithful to his wife.”
“In Washington, D.C., Senate Republicans were apoplectic at the president’s casual betrayal of one of their own…”
“By choosing Paxton, the president is rewarding his—and his base’s—unwavering devotion. He is likely also guaranteeing Paxton a primary victory over Cornyn. And in so doing, Trump may have cemented a set of very difficult circumstances for his party. If Paxton wins on Tuesday, Democrats will probably be better positioned to win statewide in Texas than they’ve been in the past 40 years.”
U.S. Pauses $14 Billion Arms Sale to Taiwan
The acting secretary of the U.S. Navy said that arm sales to Taiwan had been put on “pause” to ensure that the American military had sufficient munitions for its Iran operations, CBS News reports.
President Trump has not committed to following through with the sale, raising concerns over his commitment to support for Taiwan.
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