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Now, let’s get to the news:
During a recent Oval Office press conference, President Trump reacted angrily when a reporter mentioned the term "TACO," an acronym for "Trump Always Chickens Out," which has been used by some Wall Street analysts to describe his pattern of announcing steep tariffs and then retreating from them. The reporter's question appeared to frustrate Trump, prompting him to label it a "nasty question" and defend his trade strategy as effective negotiation tactics.
UK police have officially charged Andrew and Tristan Tate with 21 offenses, including rape, human trafficking, and organizing prostitution, according to the BBC.
At a town hall in Nebraska, Rep. Mike Flood came under heavy scrutiny from attendees. During the event, he admitted he hadn’t read a specific part of the House’s “Big Beautiful Bill” before casting his vote, which sparked loud backlash from the crowd.
When asked by a reporter when his administration would resume interviews for foreign student visas, President Donald Trump seemed confused at first. He responded, “For what?” and then asked, “For the French?” After the reporter clarified that the question was about all international students, Trump replied, “What are you talking about—foreign visas for what exactly?”
When asked on Wednesday whether he intended to pardon the men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, President Donald Trump said, “I’m going to look at it.” Speaking from the Oval Office, he added that he had followed the trial and felt it seemed unfair, calling it “somewhat of a railroad job” and noting that “some people said some stupid things.”
Donald Trump dismissed Elon Musk’s criticism that the House’s “big, beautiful bill” lacked sufficient spending cuts. Trump said he expects more revisions once the bill reaches the Senate. Responding to Musk’s comments in a CBS interview, Trump said, “We have to get a lot of votes. We can’t be cutting,” and emphasized, “We need to get a lot of support, and we have a lot of support.”
Donald Trump said he’ll take two weeks to decide if Russian President Vladimir Putin is genuinely interested in peace in Ukraine or just stalling. Trump warned that he would shift course if he believes Putin isn’t serious, though he didn’t say what steps he might take against Russia. He also cautioned that imposing new sanctions could risk undermining a potential agreement.
Stephen Miller and Secretary Kristi Noem have urged ICE to ramp up immigrant arrests, pushing for a target of 3,000 detentions per day.
Linda McMahon stated that universities should be allowed to conduct research as long as they follow the law and align with the goals of the current administration.
The Trump administration has shut down the State Department’s Office of Analytic Outreach, which had served as a link between government officials and outside experts, including academics, think tanks, and research institutions.
Trump plans to ask Congress to approve approximately $9.4 billion in spending cuts, despite earlier claims by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that it had identified $175 billion in potential savings.
Besides Michael Grimm and the Chrisleys, President Trump issued pardons on Wednesday to several other individuals, including:
John Rowland, the former governor of Connecticut who has two criminal convictions
Rapper Kentrell Gaulden, known as NBA YoungBoy, who was found guilty in a federal firearms case
Kevin Eric Baisden
Mark Bashaw
Tanner Mansell
John Moore Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he may prohibit federal scientists from publishing in major medical journals like The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA, which he called “corrupt” and influenced by pharmaceutical companies. Speaking on the Ultimate Human podcast, Kennedy, now serving as U.S. Health Secretary, proposed creating government-run journals instead, which he claimed would become the leading platforms for research due to NIH backing. The journals he criticized are among the most respected in the world, widely read and central to global medical research.
Trump has announced that he’s nominating Emil Bove—his former defense attorney during his time out of office and a current Justice Department official—for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
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