It’s Wednesday. Is anyone having issues with Spotify? It’s been down for many users.
In today’s issue:
- Trump, Biden blame game
- Bondi digs in on wrongly deported man
- Judge finds evidence to hold Trump in contempt
- GOP hopes Supreme Court bails it out
- Wild WSJ report on Musk’s children
- Easter egg alternatives amid shortage
THE FIRST 100 DAYS
A rousing round of the blame game:
President Trump bashed former President Biden this morning, calling his predecessor “THE WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES.”
What’s his beef?: “Sleepy Joe Biden … has allowed millions and millions of Criminals, many of them murderers, drug dealers, and people released from prisons and mental institutions from all around the world, to enter our Country through it’s very dangerous and ill conceived Open Border,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Sorry, but it’s my job to get these killers and thugs out of here. THAT’S WHAT I GOT ELECTED TO DO.”
The feeling seems mutual: Biden gave his first speech last night since leaving office in January and called out Trump for having “done so much damage and so much destruction.” He specifically called out the Trump administration for taking “a hatchet” to the Social Security Administration.
➤ BEHIND-THE-SCENES TIDBITS:
The Hill’s Brett Samuels spent the weekend traveling with President Trump. His 3 observations:
- Trump’s love-hate relationship with the press on display
- Musk’s constant presence
- Trump’s connection to sports in term two
Explainers for each
Breaking — a judge is considering holding Trump in contempt:
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for disobeying his order to halt planes of deported immigrants.
What happens now?: Boasberg gave the Trump administration one more opportunity to comply with the order but if not, he will refer them for prosecution.
Keep in mind: The Trump administration has been trying to use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to justify swiftly deporting migrants who it suspects are part of a gang.
The latest with Kilmar Abrego Garcia:
The Trump administration is ignoring the Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of the Maryland man who was wrongly deported.
The White House was reprimanded: A federal judge scolded the Trump administration for failing to try to return the man. “What the record shows is that nothing has been done. Nothing. I asked for reports from individuals with direct knowledge, and I’ve gotten very little information of any value,” the judge said Tuesday.
How is the Trump administration handling this?: The Trump administration appears to be digging in after its mistake. Attorney General Pam Bondi argues the administration failed to take “one extra step of paperwork” but says he is “not coming back to our country.” She also repeatedly alleged he has ties to MS-13, a claim that his family disputes and courts haven’t substantiated.
Bondi’s way around the Supreme Court order: Bondi has argued that the Supreme Court’s order only means the government would need to supply the plane.
What could happen next in this case?: NBC News runs through several scenarios if the White House defies court orders. For example: A judge could hold the government — or a specific officer — in civil contempt. More scenarios
➤ WHAT THE NATIONAL SECURITY WORLD IS READING:
The Washington Post reports that Trump’s D.C. U.S. attorney pick, Ed Martin, has appeared on Russian state media more than 150 times since 2016.
Apparently, he didn’t disclose them either: He filled out a questionnaire for the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, which asks nominees to disclose media appearances, but failed to mention these hits — despite appearing on Russian state media more than any other major cable network.
Why the national security community is concerned: In the role, “the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington is the largest in the country and has wide jurisdiction to prosecute important national security offenses, former officials said. Its leader should be alert to the threats and risks posed by Russia and other influence operations from overseas.”
➤ MORE READS:
Politico: Trump wants to make a deal with China. Here’s how he’s trying to make that happen.
The New York Times: Law Firms Made Deals With Trump. Now He Wants More From Them.
Axios: Trump’s pressure campaign against universities hits a Harvard-sized snag — Btw, the graphic in this article is well done.
⚖️️ ON CAPITOL HILL
What Republicans are whispering about:
“Republican lawmakers are quietly hoping the Supreme Court will hit the brakes on President Trump’s trade war, which has become a growing political liability for the GOP even with the president’s pause of much of his tariff regime,” reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton.
Why?: Many Republicans see the tariffs as a political liability. They’re also concerned about the economic pain the tariffs could cause. But it’s much cleaner if the Supreme Court can step in.
Keep in mind: “The high court has ruled in favor of Trump several times during his first few months in office, but it handed his administration a setback last week by ruling that it must facilitate the return of a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.”
Read Bolton’s reporting: ‘Republicans quietly hope Supreme Court bails them out on Trump’s trade war’
🍼️ OTHER NEWS
We know too much about this man’s personal life:
The Wall Street Journal’s Dana Mattioli published a wild report last night on all the children tech billionaire Elon Musk has, the arrangements he has with the mothers and his views on procreation. Mentions of this article have been *all over* my social media feeds.
The gist:
- Musk has at least 14 children, though sources told the Journal they think that number is “much higher.”
- An example of a financial agreement is that Musk reportedly offered one of the women $15 million and $100,000 per month in child support.
- He strongly believes educated people should have many children to further humanity.
- Apparently, he sometimes solicits people through X direct messages to have his babies, according to the Journal’s report.
- The Journal also reports that Musk asked cryptocurrency influencer Tiffany Fong to have his baby despite the two never having met.
Excerpt: “Musk refers to his offspring as a ‘legion,’ a reference to the ancient military units that could contain thousands of soldiers and were key to extending the reach of the Roman Empire. During [Ashley] St. Clair’s pregnancy, Musk suggested that they bring in other women to have even more of their children faster.” More from the excerpt
Read: ‘The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His ‘Legion’ of Babies—and Their Mothers’
Some familiar names on Time’s ‘100 Most Influential People’ list:
Time released its annual list of the most influential people in the world.
Some notable names:
- Politics: President Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick
- Entertainment: Scarlett Johansson, Snoop Dogg, Kristen Bell, Blake Lively, Nikki Glaser and Ed Sheeran
- Athletes: Simone Biles and Serena Williams
More from Time: ‘How We Chose the 2025 TIME100’
COMING UP
The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST)
1:30 p.m.: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks at the Economic Club of Chicago to discuss the economy. 💻Livestream
6:30 p.m.: Trump participates in an Easter prayer service and dinner. 💻 Livestream
Friday: Vice President Vance will travel to Italy to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The Vance family will then head to India to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
INTERNET BUZZ
🍳 Celebrate: Today is National Eggs Benny Day.
🎨 Dyeing Easter eggs? In THIS economy??: Instead of dyeing eggs for Easter, some people are dyeing potatoes instead, according to The New York Times. Oh, and the White House debated opting for plastic eggs this year due to the shortage and high egg prices, but ultimately decided to use real eggs.
🪙 The White House is getting a metallic makeover: The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump brought in his “gold guy” to redecorate the White House with lots of metallic gold to resemble his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
AND FINALLY…
This confirms it. In my next life, I’m coming back as a golden retriever with a pool — preferably with my own floaty chair.