Donald Trump has sweeping plans for a second administration. Here’s what he’s proposed

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? Former Wells Fargo execs let off the hook. After Wells Fargo helped fund a million-dollar industry donation to President Donald Trump’s inauguration, former executives charged with helping cover up the bank’s infamous $3 billion fake account scandal just had their cases settled and fines slashed by more than 90 percent. As was first reported by Radical Compliance, this January the Biden administration charged and fined two of the bank’s top internal auditors millions of dollars in penalties. Now, the Trump administration has settled for dramatically less: The two men will pay just $150,000 combined.

? Bezos’ big break. Damning new research on Trump’s first round of corporate tax cuts exposes just how big Amazon’s grift really is. Even after Trump slashed the corporate tax rate to 21 percent in 2017, the e-commerce giant used loopholes to get out of paying a staggering $12.5 billion in tax revenue between 2018 and 2021. In fact, the year after Trump’s cuts, Amazon netted more in credits and subsidies than it paid in federal taxes. In 2024, the median Amazon worker made $37,000 a year.

• With the government on his side, Bezos’ savings are virtually unlimited. For example, if Republicans are successful in their crusade to eliminate the estate tax, the heirs to Jeff Bezos’ fortune will save roughly $86 billion.

"Tariff recession" warning

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images If you were president of the United States and wanted to engineer a recession by summer, one top economist says announcing sweeping tariffs in April would be a very effective way of doing just that, Axios' Felix Salmon reports. That's the message of a new report from Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok, titled "The Voluntary Trade Reset Recession" — the probability of which he now puts at 90%. ⛴️ The big picture: The flow of container ships from China to the U.S. is likely to "come to a stop" in the next few weeks thanks to President Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports, Slok says. Trucking demand will plummet by the end of May, Slok predicts, with trucking and retail layoffs soon after. A recession then follows. Where it stands: U.S. companies are revising down their expected profits, placing fewer orders, and investing less money in new equipment. ? Heavy truck sales in March were at their lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic, and CEO confidence is at the lowest level since 2009's global financial crisis. Consumer confidence and international tourism are also hitting new lows. ? What's next: Americans are "very worried" about losing their jobs, Slok writes. Many expect higher unemployment, and a record high expect worsening economic conditions over the coming year. Go deeper.

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Elite Universities Form Private Collective to Resist Trump Administration

Separate from public dissent, group of school leaders strategize behind scenes about how to respond and push back against White House

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/elite-universities-form-private-collective-to-resist-trump-administration-95a14ff3?

Trump @ 100

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Today is Day 100: President Trump charged into office at the peak of his powers — more popular, more disciplined, more ambitious than ever. But after months of mega-MAGA shock and awe, the illusion of invincibility is fading, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. ⛈️ Why it matters: Storm clouds are darkening this milestone day, which his team hoped would be a showcase for his history-making second term. The big picture: There's no question that Trump's first 100 days have been enormously consequential. But compare today's status quo to the MAGA triumphalism on display from November through January. ? Polling: One week after his inauguration, Trump's approval rating peaked at 52%. Today, his average approval mark has slid to 44%. ? Economic outlook: Many CEOs believed Trump when he promised a "new golden age." But his chaotic tariff rollout has blindsided corporate America, roiled global markets, dragged down consumer confidence and raised the risk of a recession. ? Immigration: Trump's Day 1 border crackdown has thrilled his supporters, with the White House eager to spend Day 100 highlighting its high-profile deportations of alleged migrant criminals. But cracks are beginning to emerge as the courts restrain his powers and voters raise concerns over violations of due process. ? DOGE: Elon Musk was a permanent fixture in the early weeks of the administration. But he quickly became a political liability. His mass firings and chaotic rehiring of some federal workers are now estimated to have cost taxpayers $135 billion — wiping out most of the $160 billion that DOGE claims it saved. Alex Pfeiffer, White House principal deputy communications director, on X yesterday. What they're saying: "In his first 100 days, President Trump has delivered on hundreds of promises and already accomplished his two most important campaign goals — the border is secure and inflation is ending," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

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Trump’s 100 days

As President Trump reaches his 100th day in office, a new CNN poll shows that Americans are deeply unhappy with his work so far. Although Trump took charge of the government with the strongest poll numbers of his political career, his 41% approval rating is the lowest for any newly elected president at 100 days dating back to Dwight Eisenhower. Just 22% of those polled said they strongly approved of Trump’s handling of the job. Partisan views remained largely polarized, with 86% of Republicans approving of Trump and 93% of Democrats disapproving of him. Among independents, Trump’s approval rating dropped to 31%. In particular, the president’s handling of the economy took a major hit, with 59% of Americans saying his policies have worsened economic conditions in the US. Since January 20, trillions of dollars have been wiped off the stock market, workers' 401(k)s have tanked and food prices remain high. Meanwhile, consumer sentiment has plummeted to its second-lowest level on records going back to 1952.

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100 days in, this is what Trump has done and not done The weeks since President Donald Trump returned to office have been a whirlwind of activity to show Americans that his administration is relentlessly pursuing his promises. He has faced lawsuits over some of his actions, meaning much of what he’s done could be undone as cases play out. As Trump hits his 100th day in office today, his imprint is everywhere. But the long-term impact is often unclear. Read more.

Key points: Inflation has been falling since a peak of 9.1% in 2022. It was at 3% in January, the month Trump was inaugurated, and 2.4% in March. “We already solved inflation,” Trump boasted. But the Federal Reserve warned that the president’s tariff plans will most likely lead to higher prices by taxing foreign imports. Trump has made no secret of his conviction that other countries were ripping off the U.S. in international trade. He began by escalating tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, then announced even more taxes on imports. He retreated from parts of that plan, choosing to pursue negotiations instead, but he left in place tariffs on China as high as 145%.   Trump has made progress on a signature promise to control the border. The number of people trying to cross illegally into the U.S. from Mexico dropped steeply in President Joe Biden’s last year, from a high of 249,740 in December 2023 to 47,324 in December 2024. Under Trump, the numbers sank to only 8,346 in February and 7,181 in March. Meanwhile, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is arresting large numbers of people across the country. Many who assert their innocence have been deported without due process.   Trump has tested the limits of what he can do by decree, but he’ll need Congress to achieve his promised tax cuts. He pledged to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security payments and said he will make permanent the expiring tax cuts he enacted during his first term. None of this has happened.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ White House focuses on border crackdown as it marks 100 days for Trump's second term   More than 100 immigrants detained at an illegal after-hours nightclub in Colorado   Another federal judge expresses skepticism over Trump law firm executive orders   Harvard and Trump administration's battle over freeze of $2B in grants will head into summer   Trump administration launches race-based discrimination probes of the Harvard Law Review   Job cuts delay Pentagon plans to expand work to prevent sex assaults and suicides   Trump administration says University of Pennsylvania violated sex discrimination laws after transgender swimmer competed   Ex-Justice Department prosecutor challenges his firing by the White House after Laura Loomer post   Inside The Atlantic magazine's circuitous route to interviews with Trump   Georgia governor’s race draws the former mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms   Detroit Democrats are once again looking to unseat one of their own in Congress   Rep. Gerry Connolly steps down as top Oversight Democrat and won't seek reelection as cancer returns   The EPA is allowing the sale of cheaper, higher-ethanol E15 gasoline across the US this summer   FDA scrutiny of Novavax COVID-19 vaccine sparks uncertainty about other shots

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Trump marks his first 100 days in office with a rally in Michigan, a state rocked by his tariffs

President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Michigan on Tuesday to mark the first 100 days of his second term, staging his largest political event since returning to the White House in a state that has been especially rocked by his steep trade tariffs and combative attitude toward Canada. Read More.

Trump’s first 100 days, as told through APNews push alerts

Donald Trump's second presidency has produced a seemingly constant stream of news. The Associated Press has shared the headlines with people worldwide, flagging the most notable developments in hundreds of news alerts. Read More.

Hegseth boasts about ending 'woke' program on women and security that Trump had signed into law

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boasted on social media Tuesday that he had dismantled a program supporting women on security teams — and may not have realized the program he tried to break was not a “woke” Biden-era initiative but instead a celebrated program signed into law by his boss, President Donald Trump. Read More. ps:That should tell you right there that he has no idea of what "woke" is!!!!!

Amazon is not planning to break out tariff costs online as White House attacks potential move

Amazon is not planning to list added tariff costs next to product prices on its site — despite speculation spanning from a report that claimed the e-commerce giant would soon show new import charges, as well as fiery comments from President Donald Trump’s White House denouncing such a move. Read More.

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Trump's phone fury

President Trump called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos today to complain about a report that the e-commerce giant planned to highlight tariff costs by showing customers the tariff increase next to the total price.

• Amazon issued a statement saying no such plan had been considered for its main shopping website.

☎️ The intrigue: A White House official told CNN that Trump was "pissed" when he called Bezos, who's now Amazon's executive chair.

• "Jeff Bezos was very nice — he was terrific. He solved the problem very quickly," Trump told reporters as he left the White House this afternoon for an evening event in Macomb County, Michigan, to mark Day 100 of his term.
• "And he did the right thing ... a good guy," Trump added.

? Amazon denied the Punchbowl report, which came from an anonymous source, shortly after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed the purported move as a "hostile and political act."

• That cemented the Amazon back-and-forth as Washington's big story of the day, Axios' Avery Lotz, Ben Berkowitz and Alex Fitzpatrick write.

Tim Doyle, Amazon spokesperson, said: "The team that runs our ultra-low-cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen."

• Haul is a discount marketplace that's essentially Amazon's response to discount and fast fashion giants Temu and Shein.

? The big picture: Reader interest in the story exploded this morning, further evidence that inflation and price hikes are top of mind for many Americans in uncertain economic times.

• Trump's tariffs are likely to increase prices. But it's not clear when increases will hit, or how big they'll be.

ps:Lets not show anyone the cost that the tariffs are going to cost consumers!!!!!!!!!!

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Automakers smile thinly as Trump prepares limited tariff relief

President Trump is expected to deliver relief on some tariffs for the auto industry when he visits Michigan later Tuesday to celebrate 100 days in office, but automakers aren't in a partying mood.

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/29/trump-tariff-autos-relief?

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? Trump's new demands

The Trump administration is pressing Congress to dramatically expand the number of business-friendly tax cuts in a budget bill that's already complicated and costly.

Why it matters: New additions, such as full expensing to build new factories in the U.S., are leading to confusion among senators and staffers on what President Trump absolutely must have in his tax bill and how much it will ultimately cost.

• "It comes down to, how do you pay for it and how does it fit into our other priorities?" Sen. Tom Tillis (R-N.C.) told us.
• "We're having such a difficult time getting 'pay fors' for the other policies in the bill. We've got to have that discussion about timing and priority."

Driving the news: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett explained to House and Senate leaders — the Big Six — yesterday that Trump wanted the tax portions of the bill to focus on bringing manufacturing jobs back to America.

• The administration wants "deductibility for auto loans for American-made cars, and immediate expensing, 100% expensing for equipment," Bessent told reporters afterward.
• "And we are going to add factory structures for that also."
• Bessent doubled down this morning: "Bring your factory back, you can fully expense the equipment and the building," he said at the White House.

Zoom in: Some of the provisions Bessent mentioned to senators — like auto loan deductions — have been raised by Trump before, but many senators didn't think they were part of his core goals.

• They assumed Trump's priority was on extending his 2017 bill and then making good on core campaign promises, like ending taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security benefits.
• Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told us he hasn't heard of the factory proposal, but said, "All this has a dollar impact. … Ultimately, we've got to get the president's signature. So we're going to have to accommodate what he wants."
• It's one of the administration's best tax proposals," Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said about the expensing proposal.

Between the lines: Bessent also told senators the administration wants to lower the corporate tax rate for U.S. manufacturers from 21% to 15%.

• Trump mentioned lowering the top rate during the campaign, but it wasn't a staple of his rallies.
• Most recently, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president had not made a decision on whether he wanted to raise it.
• Many senators assumed it would stay at 21%.

— Hans Nichols and Stef Kight

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Fact Check: In breakneck 2nd term, Trump turns to falsehoods to justify his agenda

Here is a fact-check of Trump’s often-repeated claims.

https://www.mahoningmatters.com/news/nation-world/national/article305325251.html

Tariffs' long-lasting effects

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

President Trump's global trade war is only a few weeks old. But even if it stopped today, the impact on supply chains could eventually be measured in months and years. The U.S. economy is at risk of repeating pandemic-era scenes — empty shelves and shortages of popular goods, Axios managing editor Ben Berkowitz reports. "We are in a period of unprecedented disruption that's not going to stop," said Bryan Gross, principal in operations transformation at PwC — a period that goes back to the pandemic and runs through today's global economic unrest. "I think we are surely out of equilibrium." ? How it works: Commerce takes time. Even for companies with established business relationships, goods have to be manufactured, transported to port, loaded into a container and onto ships, cross the Pacific, dock at a U.S. port, be offloaded, transferred to a truck, driven to a distribution point, then eventually delivered to retail. That chain, experts say, takes multiple weeks end-to-end even if everything is going well. And it requires businesses to plan for the future, forecast demand, come up with capital, place orders and so on. That's difficult to do in an environment of on-again, off-again tariffs, and a trade war between two countries that can't even publicly agree whether or not they're talking with each other. ? For the record: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insisted Tuesday that retailers had planned for tariff disruptions. "I wouldn't think that we would have supply chain shocks," Bessent said at a White House briefing. "I think retailers have managed their inventory in front of this."

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? Trump @ 100: "Just gotten started"

ABC News' Terry Moran asked President Trump during an Oval Office interview yesterday, on Day 100 of this administration, whether hard times are ahead because of tariffs.

• "I don't think so," Trump replied. "I think great times are ahead."

"Heading in the right direction": Trump said small businesses, some of which fear extinction if trade is interrupted, are "gonna make more money now."

• "Everybody's gonna be just fine," he added. "It wouldn't have been if I didn't do this. I had a choice. I could leave it — have a nice, easy time. But I think ultimately you would've had an implosion. Our country had inflation that was worse than ... ever ... Now the grocery prices are coming down. The energy prices are coming down. Gasoline's coming down. It's all heading in the right direction."

Full transcript.

President Trump at last evening's rally. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

Trump celebrated Day 100 in campaign mode, flying to a rally at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich., for a speech that included plenty of grudges and grievances.

• "We've just gotten started. You haven't even seen anything yet," he told the crowd in his 90-minute speech.

Keep reading.

Today's New York Times front page. See it here. Gift link to the package.

? Worthy of your time: From the Financial Times, "10 charts that define Donald Trump's tumultuous first 100 days." Gift link.

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? Big Tech's MAGA speedbump

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The furious reaction to a report that Amazon might itemize tariff surcharges on its website shows Big Tech still has a long way to go to ingratiate itself with the MAGA movement, writes Tal Axelrod, Axios' expert on MAGA media. Amazon says it won't do that and never planned to. A senior administration official tells us Trump and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos spoke on the phone yesterday and had a good conversation. Bezos "solved the problem very quickly," Trump told reporters as he left the White House yesterday afternoon. "And he did the right thing ... a good guy." ? Reality check: MAGA has longstanding grievances with Big Tech. Efforts by the industry's top executives to cozy up to Trump himself don't seem to have moved the needle with his most diehard supporters. "Now that President Trump is back in the White House, a lot of the executives have been singing different tunes," said Tim Murtaugh, a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign and a communications representative for Rumble. "But I don't think MAGA is ready to buy that album just yet."   ?️ Charted: Trump's prolific pen   Data: Federal Register, White House. Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals Talker stat: More than 200 lawsuits have been filed by various plaintiffs to try to block President Trump's policies. Keep reading.

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?? ?? What Zelensky told Trump

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made his 15 minutes with President Trump in the Vatican count, urging Trump to take a tougher line with Vladimir Putin, two sources briefed on Saturday's meeting tell Axios.

• Why it matters: Zelensky's advisers were divided about whether he should even risk the tête-à-tête after the disaster in the Oval Office. But after it, Zelensky felt he'd managed to shift Trump's thinking about Putin for the first time, the sources say.

Behind the scenes: Zelensky received "signals" ahead of Pope Francis' funeral that Trump was prepared to meet on the sidelines, the sources say.

• Nothing was finalized in advance, and the idea was initially that they would try to meet after the funeral, one source said.
• But then the leaders bumped into each other upon arrival. They found a spot to meet alone in St. Peter's Basilica.

Zoom in: Zelensky told Trump that Putin won't budge unless Trump applies more pressure, the sources say.

• One source said Trump replied that he might have to change his approach to Putin, as he later stated in a Truth Social post.
• Zelensky also pushed Trump to return to his initial proposal of an unconditional ceasefire as a starting point for peace talks, which Ukraine accepted but Russia rejected.

The intrigue: The sources said one potential reason this Trump-Zelensky meeting was more positive was that Vice President Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff — whom the Ukrainians see as more supportive of the Russian position — weren't there.

• In a Day 100 interview with ABC News that aired last night, Trump said Putin "could be tapping me along a little bit," though he said he still thinks Putin wants to end the war.

 

Trump’s 100 days

To celebrate the 100th day of his second term, President Trump held a rally in Warren, Michigan, yesterday. He touted his accomplishments, blasted his detractors and declared: “We’ve just gotten started. You haven’t even seen anything yet.” Like most of his events, Trump’s speech contained falsehoods about consequential policy matters and trivial personal fixations. To learn more about the facts behind his fallacies, here’s a list of 100 separate false claims Trump has made since his inauguration. Note: This is not a comprehensive list (there were well over 100 in all during this period) nor a count of how many total times he has said something inaccurate (he has uttered many of these 100 claims over and over again).

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AmeriCorps

Twenty-four states and Washington, DC, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration yesterday for cutting AmeriCorps’ workforce and terminating nearly $400 million in grant funding for state and community projects. According to the lawsuit, 85% of AmeriCorps' staff were placed on administrative leave earlier this month as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting efforts. The multi-state coalition claims such cuts are gutting the agency to the point where it cannot function. “The Administration is free to ask Congress to abolish AmeriCorps, but it cannot simply terminate the agency’s functions by fiat or defund the agency in defiance of administrative procedures, Congressional appropriations, and the Constitutional separation of powers,” the states claimed in the lawsuit.   CPB firings The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration after three board members were told via email on Monday that they had been terminated “on behalf of President Donald J. Trump.” Two of the board members — Thomas E. Rothman and Diane Kaplan — were appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022. The third board member, Laura G. Ross, was originally appointed by Trump in 2018 and reappointed by Biden. The CPB is arguing that under the law that created the corporation in 1967, Trump does not have the authority to fire them and is seeking a ruling to confirm the termination emails have “no legal effect.” Each year, the CPB disperses $535 million in taxpayer funds to public radio and TV stations nationwide, including stations with PBS and NPR. Congress has reauthorized funding for the corporation for decades.   Auto tariffs President Trump signed an executive order and a proclamation on Tuesday to ease some auto tariffs. While Trump's 25% tariff on imported cars will continue, and a 25% tariff on auto parts will go into effect this weekend, his latest order will allow a maximum reimbursement of 3.75% of the value of domestically produced cars for US automakers that are importing car parts. The auto industry had been lobbying for relief from the levies, saying the import taxes would hurt Americans’ finances and snarl their supply chains. At a rally in Michigan, Trump said the temporary reimbursements should give American automakers “a little bit of a break” while manufacturing is being rebuilt in the US. “We gave them a little time before we slaughter them if they don’t do this,” Trump said.

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US and Ukraine sign critical minerals deal

The United States and Ukraine have signed an “economic partnership agreement” that will give Washington access to Kyiv’s rare earth minerals in exchange for establishing an investment fund in Ukraine.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/30/europe/ukraine-us-mineral-deal-intl/index.html?

100 ways Trump has hurt workers in his first 100 days

The first 100 days of Trump’s second term have been chaotic. Trump along with Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have engaged in a near-daily onslaught of actions to dismantle the federal government and eliminate services and benefits that working families rely upon. Some of Trump’s actions were rolled back days after being announced and others are tied up in legal challenges, making it difficult to determine the full impact of Trump’s policies at this time. But even amid the chaos, these policies still caused pain to working people and the economy: He reduced workers’ wages, made workplaces less safe, threatened workers’ retirement savings by destabilizing the global economy, and gutted government offices that administer fundamental programs covering millions of people in the United States like Social Security and Medicare.

https://www.epi.org/publication/100-days-100-ways-trump-hurt-workers/?

 

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When it comes to the value of the dollar, Trump is the anti-Reagan. (Source: Bloomberg)

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Targeting students

Court records show that the Trump administration ordered international students to be effectively designated as criminals without checking if the information was true. There have already been serious consequences.   ?️ Yes, it's Trump's economy   Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios President Trump appeared to acknowledge today that toy shortages are possible as his tariff hikes ripple through the economy, Axios' Nathan Bomey and Kelly Tyko report. "Somebody said, 'oh, the shelves are gonna be open,'" Trump told reporters. "Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more." ?️ The big picture: A surge of beat-the-tariffs imports drove Q1 GDP down today, while tariff fears are pulling down stocks, too, Axios' Neil Irwin, Emily Peck and Pete Gannon write. Via Truth Social ? On the stock market, Trump rejected any blame for its slide this year. Stocks are down about 6% this year, but about 10% since Inauguration Day. Since tariff reality hit on "Liberation Day," the markets have seen historic volatility. ? What's next: There are early warnings that April may have brought some gloom, and that inflation is elevated in ways that will limit the Federal Reserve's willingness to cut rates in response to any deterioration.

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?️ A Virginia GOP scandal involving John Reid, Virginia's first gay nominee for statewide office, could disrupt the party's unified front in an election year. Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked Reid to drop out of the lieutenant governor race over a nude photo sharing debacle. Reid has denied involvement and refused to step aside, and Youngkin has since said the decision "is up to John," Axios Richmond's Sabrina Moreno reports.

⚖️ A judge ordered Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested during an immigration interview, to be released from custody while his case proceeds. Go deeper.

? PBS CEO Paula Kerger told Axios' Sara Fischer that she's prepared to "vigorously" defend the independent broadcaster's board, when asked if she would sue the Trump administration if it tried to fire any PBS board directors. Read on.

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An Awful Bind (Jesus Vargas / Picture Alliance / Getty)

View in browser The buzziest moment from President Donald Trump’s interview with ABC News yesterday was a baffling exchange with the reporter Terry Moran over whether Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran man erroneously deported from Maryland to El Salvador, has tattoos reading “MS-13” on his knuckles. (He does not, though Trump once flashed a picture with a label purporting to decode his tattoos as a symbol of gang affiliation. In the interview, telling whether Trump actually believed that the supposed decoding was real or whether he was just trolling was impossible.) The real news on this topic, however, was Trump’s acknowledgment that he could bring Abrego Garcia home if he wanted. That Abrego Garcia is still in El Salvador and in the headlines today, a month after my colleague Nick Miroff first reported his removal, is both astonishing and outrageous. Abrego Garcia’s case has become so large a story, however, that it does threaten to overshadow something else important: the more than 250 other men deported from the United States and now at the notorious CECOT prison, from which Abrego Garcia was recently moved. The facts of Abrego Garcia’s situation are unusually clear, despite the White House’s efforts to muddy the waters. He was under a judicial order to not be deported, and the administration has admitted that his removal was a mistake. But the justified anger about his situation should not lead observers to forget the dangerous nature of the other cases. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked the executive branch from sending Venezuelan migrants in North Texas who are accused of being gang members to El Salvador without first providing them due process. (The justices are expected to hear arguments on the case soon.) The CECOT prisoners, most of whom are Venezuelan, are in an awful bind: They were deported to a country that is not their own without any chance to challenge their detention, and without any clear process for getting out of prison there. Indeed, the Salvadoran justice minister has boasted that no one leaves CECOT. Yet even Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, the most ruthless leader in the hemisphere this side of Daniel Ortega, was initially skittish about taking the deportees, and demanded evidence that they were really gang members, according to a new New York Times report. The Trump administration scrambled to do that, but much of what it came up with doesn’t withstand scrutiny. The more details that emerge about other individuals, the more egregious stories we learn. For example, a judge in another case last week ordered the administration to take steps to return a man, known in filings only as Cristian, who was deported despite being in the midst of an asylum request—in violation of an agreement the Biden administration had struck not to deport young asylum seekers. The judge, a Trump appointee, was scathing: “Defendants have provided no evidence, or even any specific allegations, as to how Cristian, or any other Class Member, poses a threat to public safety.” The New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg tells the story of Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist who fled Venezuela, citing anti-gay persecution. He tried to enter the United States, was arrested and sent to Mexico, but then followed the rules: He made an asylum appointment and passed a preliminary screening. Yet he was sent to a detention facility after the government questionably flagged his tattoos as possible gang signs. Now he’s stuck in El Salvador, and Democratic members of Congress—who have visited and met with Abrego Garcia—have been unable to see him. The executive branch continues to try to dodge both the law and what courts have ordered it to do. Talking Points Memo reports that the men are now Schrödinger’s detainees—not clearly in the custody of the U.S., which arrested them and is paying El Salvador to house them, nor in the custody of El Salvador, which has no obvious authority to hold them. The legal scholar Ryan Goodman notes that the executive branch claims in another case that it didn’t have to follow a court order barring the departments of Justice and Homeland Security from deporting some people, because—aha!—they transferred the detainees to Defense Department planes for final delivery to El Salvador. Goodman doesn’t believe that this passes legal tests, and it certainly doesn’t pass the test of basic logic. This insulting legal cutesiness was always the plan. The Trump administration understood that the deportations it was undertaking were legally dubious, and it sought to get around legal protections by whatever means it could. If the people who are getting arrested are really the cold-blooded criminals the executive branch insists they are, saying so in a court of law should be relatively easy, and the reluctance to even try implies otherwise. The White House can’t uphold “law and order” by discarding it in the cases of these detainees. The rule of law demands justice for Kilmar Abrego Garcia—and for many others too. Related: How the Trump administration flipped on Kilmar Abrego Garcia Adam Serwer: “A path of perfect lawlessness”

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?? China's not backing down

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Yuri Gripas/Abaca, Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

President Trump is putting China's economy through a trillion-dollar stress test, and he may not like the result, Axios' Dave Lawler and Christina Wang write. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insists China is far more reliant on the U.S. than vice-versa, and thus has no choice but to blink first. But Chinese President Xi Jinping's hesitance to rush to the table suggests he thinks time is on China's side. Why it matters: We're about to get some indications of who is right. ? The big picture: China says it sent around 15% of its exports, worth $525 billion, to the U.S. last year — about 3x what flowed in the opposite direction. New export orders are already falling sharply, portending empty shelves and price hikes in the U.S. The latest: "I believe that it's up to China to de-escalate, because they sell five times more to us than we sell to them, and so these 120%, 145% tariffs are unsustainable," Bessent told CNBC. China's inflation and retail sales data in the coming weeks should provide the first insights into whether the country could really outlast the U.S. in a prolonged trade war. ?️ Between the lines: China has been endeavoring for years to reduce its reliance on exports to the U.S., and the hunt for alternative markets has taken on a new urgency. E-commerce sales for low-cost Chinese retailers have started to tick up in Europe. Beijing is also urging consumers to spend more at home, offering perks like rebates for trading in old cars and appliances. Keep reading.

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? Scoop: White House does Drudge

Screenshots via Drudge and the White House

The White House launched a Drudge Report lookalike (WhiteHouse.gov/wire) devoted to promoting pro-Trump news stories, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports. Matt Drudge joked to Axios: "I'm considering a $1 trillion lawsuit!" Why it matters: White House Wire represents the administration's latest effort to circumvent the mainstream media. ?️ The page presents columns of links that send readers to articles. "THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FIRST 100 DAYS IN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY," the site's headline blared on Tuesday evening that linked to a Fox News article. "The President's First 100 Days Is a Return to American Greatness," said one that linked to a Newsweek op-ed authored by Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall. ? The intrigue: The Drudge Report was once known as a conservative-friendly platform. But it has been critical of the president in recent years.

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Abuse allegations fuel White House resistance

The Trump administration's resolve to prevent Kilmar Abrego Garcia from returning to the U.S. is stiffening amid newly released allegations that he abused his wife on several occasions, according to White House sources and court documents reviewed by Axios' Marc Caputo and Brittany Gibson.

• Why it matters: Garcia's mistaken deportation to a notorious El Salvador prison has become central to the legal and political fight over President Trump's immigration policy and due process for undocumented immigrants.

⚖️ The latest: After Abrego Garcia was deported in mid-March, there were reports his wife had complained to police about domestic abuse.

• Unknown to the administration until this week: Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, actually had told local police in Maryland about a total of six instances of alleged abuse from 2019-2021, according to court documents filed when Vasquez Sura sought a protective order. (DHS released the documents yesterday.)
• Abrego Garcia was never charged. Vasquez Sura now defends him as a good husband and father, and has been active in calling for the administration to return him to the U.S.

? The White House is signaling that it will use Vasquez Sura's old allegations to redefine Abrego Garcia's image as a victim of an overzealous deportation operation.

• "The media continues to call him a victim while ignoring the real victims: the women he battered, the children he terrorized, and the communities he endangered," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.

Abrego Garcia's lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said domestic abuse and human trafficking allegations aren't part of the case about his client's deportation.

• "If they want to put him on trial for that, they are welcome to bring him back and do so. We'll defend him in court," Sandoval-Moshenberg said in an email.

Keep reading.

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Minerals deal

After months of tense negotiations, the US and Ukraine have signed an agreement that will give Washington preferential access to Kyiv’s rare earth minerals in exchange for providing funding for reconstruction. The global production of rare earth minerals has long been dominated by China. Seeking an alternative, Western nations have looked to Ukraine, which contains deposits of 22 of the 50 materials that are critical to the production of electronics, clean energy technologies and some weapon systems. Ukraine signed a similar deal with the EU in 2021. “This agreement signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “And to be clear, no state or person who financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be allowed to benefit from the reconstruction of Ukraine.”    Trump trade vote A bipartisan effort to rebuke President Trump’s trade policy was thwarted late Wednesday night. Earlier in the evening, the Senate rejected the resolution, which would have effectively revoked the emergency order the president was using to enact his tariffs in a 49-49 vote. Senate Majority Leader John Thune then moved to ensure that tariff opponents were unable to bring back their resolution at a later date, forcing Vice President JD Vance to travel to Capitol Hill to cast the tie-breaking vote. Trump’s trade policy places a 10% tariff on virtually everything coming into the US; imposes 25% tariffs on steel, aluminum, autos and many items from Mexico and Canada; and punishes China with a tariff of at least 145% for goods imported to the US.    Immigration The Venezuelan foreign ministry has accused the US of “kidnapping” a 2-year-old girl and demanded that she be returned to her family. Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Berna was separated from her mother as she was boarding a deportation flight back to Venezuela. The US also deported the girl’s father to a notorious prison in El Salvador. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security denied abducting the toddler, saying she was removed from the deportation flight list “for her safety and welfare.” Without providing evidence, the DHS accused her parents of being part of a Venezuelan gang. The child is currently staying with a foster family and is in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Venezuela has vowed to take all legal and diplomatic measures to secure her return.

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Workers Overheated and Died Under Trump’s Workplace Safety Nominee

As David Keeling led companies’ safety operations, workers fell ill and died amid extreme temperatures. Now he could dismantle federal heat protections.

https://www.levernews.com/workers-overheated-and-died-under-trumps-workplace-safety-nominee/

ps:It just gets worse and worse!!!!!

Trump’s Auto Tariff Relief “Helps Tesla a Lot” — Leaving Other Carmakers Behind

A Wall Street auto analyst says the Big Three American carmakers are unlikely to benefit much, while Musk’s Tesla gets a leg up for now.

https://theintercept.com/2025/04/30/trump-auto-car-tariffs-tesla-elon-musk/?

ps:Of course!!

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Ukraine and the US sign a rare earth minerals deal The deal was months in the making and could keep military aid flowing to Kyiv following concerns that President Donald Trump would scale back support. The negotiations come amid rocky progress in Washington’s push to stop Ukraine’s grinding war with Russia. Read more.

Why this matters: The deal is expected to give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s valuable rare earth minerals while providing Kyiv a measure of assurance about continued American support. It also comes at a critical moment in the three-year war. Trump has long criticized Zelenskyy, saying he didn’t “have the cards” to win the war and blaming him for prolonging the killing by not giving up Crimea. But in recent days, he has rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin as well, saying he was complicating negotiations with “very bad timing” in launching deadly strikes on Kyiv.   The two sides offered only barebone details about the structure of the deal, which they called the United States-Ukraine Reinvestment Fund. But according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, this latest version of the deal would establish an equal partnership between the two countries and last for 10 years. Financial contributions to the joint fund would be made in cash, and only new U.S. military aid would count toward the American share. Unlike an earlier draft, the deal would not conflict with Ukraine’s path toward European Union membership — a key provision for Kyiv.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ At least 9 dead in drone strikes after US and Ukraine sign minerals deal   North Korea and Russia begin building their first road link   What Ukraine's minerals deal with the US covers   Trump company strikes Qatari golf resort deal in a sign it's not holding back from foreign business   Harris accuses Trump of ‘wholesale abandonment’ of American ideals in post-election speech   The Senate votes down resolution to block Trump's global tariffs   Trump says US kids may get ‘2 dolls instead of 30,’ but China will suffer more in a trade war   Musk defends his work as he prepares to wind down at DOGE but gives hazy answers on future   Appellate court won't lift restrictions on DOGE access to Social Security information   Funding cuts threaten to deepen hunger crisis as rising costs send more families to food banks   Florida seeks to enforce a law making it a crime for people in the US illegally to enter the state   A crackdown on diversity programs is reshaping college graduation ceremonies   North Carolina is pursuing its own restrictions amid Trump's pushback against DEI   Ex-FBI informant who made up bribery story about the Bidens will stay in prison, judge rules

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Trump's first 100 days: 25 rumors we've investigated

Donald Trump's administration moved at breakneck speed during the first 100 days of his second term as president — let's help you catch up.

https://www.snopes.com/collections/trump-first-100-days-collection/?

Waltz out as national security adviser and tapped for UN ambassador

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he would nominate national security adviser Mike Waltz to serve as UN ambassador, after widespread reports that Trump planned to oust him, in the first major staff shakeup since the president took office in January.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/01/politics/mike-waltz-national-security-adviser-depart?

Trump-appointed judge says president’s use of Alien Enemies Act is unlawful in first-of-its-kind ruling

A Donald Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas ruled that the president unlawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act and blocked the administration from quickly deporting some alleged members of a Venezuelan gang.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/01/politics/alien-enemies-act-trump-rodriguez-ruling?

 

? Draining the wrong kind of swamp. The Environmental Protection Agency received its first round of comments for a new rule that will redefine “waters of the United States” in order to wipe protections for the nation’s fragile ecological wetlands — from swamps and bogs to marshes and streams. Private companies and right-wing, dark money-backed groups like the Pacific Legal Foundation and Americans For Prosperity support the move, which follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 Sackett decision gutting environmental law protecting more than half of the country’s wetlands.

• That decision shocked even conservative Trump-appointed justices by relying on the thesaurus to change the word “adjacent” to “adjoining,” waiving Clean Water Act protections for more than 59 million acres of wetlands.