How to Lose a Country in 100 Days

This week fears of a financial meltdown pushed Trump to walk back some of his attacks on economic policy. Meanwhile, federal judges handed the administration a string of defeats that — at least for now — show the judiciary is still willing to check executive power.

Tuesday marks Trump's 100th day in office. (Only, 1,361 days to go!) He'll hold a rally in Michigan, billed as a celebration of a "legendary start" to his second term. Trump currently holds the lowest approval ratings of any president at the 100-day mark in the last 80 years.

Here's the latest from this week:

IMMIGRATION, COURTS, AND DEMOCRACY

#1 ICE deported three children — between the ages of 2 and 7 — who are U.S. citizens, along with their non-citizen mothers, on Friday, including one child with Stage 4 cancer. U.S. border czar Tom Homan denied that the children were forced out, claiming their mothers voluntarily took the children. Lawyers for the families say they were arrested during routine immigration check-ins in Louisiana.

The father of one of the children filed an emergency petition for her return. The federal judge in that case says the court does not have evidence that the mother asked to take the child with her and that there is a “strong suspicion that the government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.” A court date has been set for May 16. Washington Post

#2 The FBI arrested sitting Wisconsin judge Hannah Dugan on Friday for allegedly helping an immigrant evade ICE. The government alleges that earlier this month, Judge Dugan helped an immigrant appearing in her court on battery charges escape through a private jury entrance to avoid agents waiting outside the courtroom. Unlike Donald Trump — who was allowed to surrender himself — Dugan was arrested in public and handcuffed, despite not being considered a flight risk. She has been released on bond and says she will defend herself “vigorously.” Washington Post

Meanwhile, federal courts ruled against the Trump administration in several major cases this week:

• A judge blocked the government's proof-of-citizenship requirements for federal elections but allowed tightened mail-in ballot deadlines and DHS cross-checks of voter rolls against immigration databases. AP
• A judge ordered the government to return a 20-year-old Venezuelan man, Cristian, who was deported to El Salvador even though he had a pending asylum claim — violating a 2019 court ruling. AP
• A judge barred the administration from "denying or conditioning" federal aid to sanctuary cities and ordered the government to notify all departments by Monday. AP
• A judge blocked Trump's order cutting grants and contracts to schools with DEI programs, calling it “textbook viewpoint discrimination.” AP and ABC News
• Trump was ordered to reinstate the legal status of 133 international students whose visas were revoked, with a Tuesday 5 p.m. deadline. Higher Ed Dive
• The government was also ordered to move detained student Rumeysa Ozturk back to Vermont from Louisiana, where her original release petition was filed. The government has appealed. NBC5

EXECUTIVE BRANCH CHAOS

• Pentagon: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared Yemen operation details in a second, unsecured Signal chat with his wife, brother, and personal lawyer --potentially violating federal records laws and basic common sense. NYT
• Hegseth also installed a public, unsecured "dirty" internet line in his office to access Signal on a personal computer, bypassing Pentagon security protocols. AP

• State Department: Plans to cut staff by 15% and shutter over 100 offices, including many dealing with human rights. Critics say it weakens U.S. diplomacy. AP
• Education Department: Student loan collections resume May 5 for 5.3 million borrowers in default, risking wage and benefits garnishment. NPR
• Interior Department: Seeking to shrink at least six national parks, including the Grand Canyon, for mining and oil drilling. Washington Post

MORE GOVERNMENT HEADLINES

• FBI Raids: Michigan’s Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel ordered another raid of students linked to anti-war protests at University of Michigan. FBI agents detained at least one UM student in Ann Arbor. Metro Times
• ICE Arrest: ICE arrested Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil without a warrant in February, claiming he was a flight risk. But cell phone video taken at the scene shows Khalil was cooperative. Washington Post
• Harvard Sues: Harvard is suing the Trump administration over cuts to more than $2 billion in research funding, accusing the government of a "pressure campaign" to control who they hire and what they teach. Politico
• Milk Safety: The FDA is temporarily pausing an external milk testing program while switching labs, but dairy safety remains unaffected (so far), experts say. Washington Post
• Military Ban: Trump asked the Supreme Court to allow his proposed ban on transgender military service, after two federal judges ruled it likely unconstitutional because it is discriminatory. Politico
• Millionaire Tax: Trump said taxing millionaires would be “disruptive” because rich people will get mad and leave the country. The Hill
• Trump 2028: Yes, the Trump merchandise store is selling “Trump 2028” hats, despite the constitutional two-term limit. Trump has floated the idea of running again, and Steve Bannon says they’re "working" on it. Axios
• Baby Bonus: Trump says he likes the idea of a $5,000 “baby bonus” to encourage more women to have children. ABC News
• Meme Coin: Trump has made $353 million off his meme coin since January and is now offering private dinners for its top buyers, raising serious ethical concerns. Washington Post

ECONOMY

The U.S. economy was rocked this week as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) slashed its 2025 growth forecast to 1.8% — down from 2.7% — blaming Trump’s global trade war as a "major negative shock to growth." The IMF also raised the odds of a U.S. recession from 25% to 40%. Markets immediately tumbled, with the Dow shedding nearly 1,000 points on Monday — prompting The Wall Street Journal to warn that April could mark the worst month for the Dow since the Great Depression. WSJ

Trump escalated fears by attacking Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell — who he appointed in 2018 — calling him a “major loser” and demanding immediate interest rate cuts. Though Trump has no authority to fire Powell, the attack raised alarms about political interference at the Fed, which is supposed to operate independently.

Behind the scenes, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly convinced Trump to tone down the attacks on Powell. By Tuesday, Trump publicly claimed he had “no intention” of firing Powell — acting as if the country had hallucinated the threat.

Meanwhile, warnings piled up over Trump’s trade war with China. In a speech, Bessent acknowledged that the standoff was unsustainable and needed a "de-escalation," though privately admitted no negotiations had even begun. Trump continued to spin fantasy, claiming he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had spoken "many times" — a claim China denied, calling it "fake news." Trump also boasted of brokering 200 trade deals in recent weeks (more than the number of countries on Earth).

China publicly stated they didn’t appreciate Trump's pressure campaign: “We don’t want to fight, but we are not afraid of it. If we fight, we will fight to the end; if we talk, the door is wide open,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a daily press briefing on Wednesday... “If the U.S. really wants to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation, it should stop making threats and coercions and engage in dialogue with China on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit,” Guo said.

Under mounting pressure — including private warnings from the CEOs of Walmart, Target, and Home Depot that tariffs could crush their businesses within weeks — Trump floated cutting China tariffs by 50–65% to cool tensions. Axios

Markets rebounded midweek on hopes that Trump’s softer tone toward both Powell and China might prevent deeper damage. WSJ

GAZA

• Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — who is wanted by the ICC for war crimes in Gaza — told an Israeli broadcaster that his country's military lied about discovering a Hamas tunnel near the critical Philadelphi Corridor to “delay a hostage deal.” At the time, the military had claimed the corridor — which separates Gaza from Egypt — was being used by Hamas to smuggle weapons and that military action was needed to prevent it, effectively blocking any ceasefire. Middle East Monitor
• Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir — who has openly called for the starvation and genocide of Palestinians — met with senior Republicans at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate this week, where he said they all agreed that humanitarian aid depots inside Gaza should be bombed into obliteration as long as Hamas holds Israeli hostages. Ben-Gvir also spoke to a Jewish group — founded in part by Sen. Cory Booker (D-CT) — in New Haven, CT, where hundreds protested his invitation.
• After an "investigation", Israel said the IDF's killing of 15 innocent people and medics in Gaza was a “professional failure” and fired one military officer. The IDF’s claim that its forces were under threat from the medics was proven false when cell phone video from one of the murdered medics was discovered. AP

AROUND THE WORLD

• Russia/Ukraine: Russia arrested an alleged Ukrainian spy accused of killing a Russian general. The U.S. is pressing Ukraine to concede Crimea to Russia — something President Zelenskyy rejects. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says if a deal is not made soon, the US will "move on." BBC
• India/Pakistan: Gunmen killed 26 tourists in Kashmir, raising tensions. India blames Pakistan, which denies involvement. CNN
• Vatican: Pope Francis was laid to rest Saturday in a funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica attended by world leaders including President Trump – who saw Zelenskyy for the first time since their Oval Office argument. The pontiff died on Easter Monday after suffering a stroke.