Good morning and happy Saturday, everyone. Apologies for the later than usual update. I had a slow start to the day, but the news never slows down, not even on a weekend. Right now, dozens of companies are suing Trump and his administration to recover tariff refunds, while Trump spent the night lashing out at his own Supreme Court justices over the ruling. At the same time, the DOJ briefly removed a document from its Epstein database that could raise serious questions about material in Ghislaine Maxwell’s possession.
This coming week will be a busy one with State of the Union coverage, and I have some very exciting news to share with you in the weeks ahead. You will be the first to know. We will also soon begin hosting subscriber only live conversations here.
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Here’s the news:
- After the Supreme Court invalidated Trump’s emergency tariffs, companies are lining up to recover a share of the roughly $133 billion already collected, with many—including Costco, Revlon and Bumble Bee Foods—having filed lawsuits seeking refunds even before the ruling in hopes of securing priority if the levies were struck down. Trade lawyers say the refund process could trigger years of additional litigation in the Court of International Trade and other courts, as importers, suppliers and potentially manufacturers battle over who is entitled to repayment, while federal agencies work to devise a system to handle tens of billions of dollars in claims.
- After the Supreme Court blocked his use of emergency powers for tariffs, President Trump lashed out at the majority justices as a “disgrace to the nation” and invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a temporary 10% global tariff, exempting Canada and Mexico and certain goods, while signaling plans for additional trade investigations.
- After the Supreme Court struck down key Trump tariffs, the White House announced that the administration would keep the “de minimis” loophole closed, maintaining the end of the duty-free exemption for low-value imports—widely used by Chinese e-commerce sellers—despite legal questions raised by the ruling.
- Despite the Supreme Court striking down President Trump’s primary tariff authority, global leaders and businesses expect U.S. tariffs to persist in some form, leaving continued uncertainty over trade policy, potential refund liabilities, federal deficits, and the broader impact on global growth.
- Small businesses and farmers welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision striking down many of Trump’s tariffs but warned that economic damage from higher costs, layoffs and lost export markets may not be reversible, especially as the administration signals plans for new tariffs and uncertainty remains over potential refunds.
- Trump spent the morning praising “his new hero” Justice Kavanaugh:
- Trump spent the evening lashing out at the Justices he appointed to the Court:
- According to Roger Sollenberger, a Justice Department evidence record briefly removed and later restored to its Epstein database shows that Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team received four FBI interviews with a woman identified as an Epstein victim who accused Donald Trump of sexual assault as a minor, while only one of those interviews was released publicly in the Epstein files.
- The document indicates Maxwell’s attorneys obtained the full set of interviews during trial discovery, raising questions about why three interviews remain undisclosed to the public and whether withholding them leaves potentially sensitive material in Maxwell’s possession as she seeks clemency from Trump.
- Newly surfaced Epstein files reportedly include claims that Donald Trump told associates during his first term that he was having a sexual relationship with then–personal secretary Madeline Westerhout, including while the first family was at Mar-a-Lago, though the allegations have not been independently verified.
- The British government is considering formally removing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the royal line of succession after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office related to Jeffrey Epstein, though any such move would require an act of Parliament and likely approval from other Commonwealth nations; Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles last year, remains eighth in line to the throne despite being released under investigation and facing mounting public pressure for his removal.
- The Georgia State Elections Board voted to issue a formal letter of reprimand to Elon Musk’s America PAC after determining it sent partially prefilled absentee ballot applications to voters in multiple counties during the 2024 election, violating state law that bars third parties from distributing ballot applications containing an elector’s prefilled personal information and failing to clearly disclose that the mailers were not official government documents.
- According to the New York Times, Detroit billionaire Matthew Moroun, whose family owns the Ambassador Bridge, met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick shortly before President Trump publicly threatened to block the opening of the taxpayer-funded Gordie Howe International Bridge to Canada, a competing span that Moroun has long opposed through legal challenges and lobbying, raising questions about potential influence as U.S.-Canada trade tensions escalate.
- The Trump administration announced that truckers and bus drivers will be required to take commercial driver’s license tests in English to ensure they can read road signs and communicate with law enforcement, tightening standards after a series of fatal crashes raised safety concerns.
- A Guardian review shows that a wave of Justice Department cases against protesters, immigrants, and others accused of assaulting or impeding federal immigration officers has unraveled across multiple states, with judges dismissing charges—often with prejudice—or juries returning not guilty verdicts . In several instances, video evidence contradicted officers’ sworn statements and exposed unsupported or false claims, prompting internal investigations. Defense attorneys say the pattern reflects an unusually aggressive prosecution strategy tied to the administration’s immigration crackdown, one that has imposed significant legal and reputational costs on defendants despite repeated courtroom failures.
- Israeli settlers shot and killed 19-year-old Palestinian American Nasrallah Abu Siyam during clashes in a West Bank village, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses, as the UN human rights office accused Israel of war crimes and warned that escalating violence and displacement in the occupied territory raise concerns about ethnic cleansing.
- President Trump said he is considering limited military strikes on Iran and warned that “bad things will happen” if no nuclear deal is reached within about 10 to 15 days, as the U.S. ramps up its military presence in the Middle East and Iran signals it is preparing a draft proposal following indirect talks.
- Iran said it is preparing a draft nuclear counterproposal within days following talks with the U.S., as President Trump ordered a major U.S. naval buildup in the Middle East and said he is considering limited military strikes if Tehran does not agree to a deal, heightening fears of a broader conflict.
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal and 20 other members of Congress urged Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to release Rodney Taylor, a double amputee detained at Georgia’s Stewart ICE facility, citing deteriorating health, alleged inhumane conditions, and what they described as “grave concern” over his treatment.
See you soon.
— Aaron
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