Today in one sentence: Trump announced a trade deal with the U.K., calling it “a great deal for both countries” despite no signed agreement and unresolved terms; Trump claimed that upcoming trade talks with China would be “substantive” and floated a possible cut in tariffs if China makes concessions; Trump fired the acting FEMA chief one day after he defended the agency in testimony to Congress; Trump selected a “wellness influencer” with no active medical license to replace a former Fox News contributor as Surgeon General; Trump pulled his nominee for U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. after Senate Republicans couldn’t stand behind Ed Martin’s support for a Capitol rioter who praised Hitler and said he would "kill all the Jews and eat them for breakfast"; the Trump administration refused to explain how it wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, citing national security; and Trump claimed credit for the election of Pope Leo XIV, calling it “a Great Honor for our Country.”

1/ Trump announced a trade deal with the U.K., calling it “a great deal for both countries” despite no signed agreement and unresolved terms. The 10% blanket tariff also remains in place. Nevertheless, Trump said that “They made a good deal,” and claimed the U.K. was picked first because “they always treated us with great respect.” He added that “Things are going to move very quickly both ways,” and that the agreement would “cement the relationship […] for many years to come.” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, meanwhile, said the U.S. would ease tariffs on British steel, aluminum, and cars – but only within limited quotas. British Prime Minister Starmer called it “historic,” while U.S. officials gave no timeline for expanded access to beef, ethanol, and machinery. Sen. Ron Wyden dismissed the deal, saying “The details aren’t even finalized. There’s not much THERE, there.” (New York Times / Axios / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Associated Press / Politico / CNBC / NBC News / NPR / Washington Post)

  • The Trump administration pushed foreign governments to approve Elon Musk’s Starlink while those countries face Trump’s new tariffs, internal cables show. In several cases officials linked Starlink approvals to hopes of avoiding trade penalties. The State Department called the moves “patriotic,” even as Musk remains a Trump adviser and major political donor. A White House spokesman claimed, “President Trump will not tolerate any conflicts of interest.” (Washington Post / TechCrunch)

  • Trump plans to scrap the Biden-era “AI diffusion” rule limiting global chip exports, which would lift restrictions for dozens of countries except China. The Commerce Department called the old framework “overly bureaucratic” and said it will be replaced with a simpler system that encourages “American AI dominance.” The reversal benefits firms like Nvidia and Oracle and opens the door for bilateral chip deals. (Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

2/ Trump claimed that upcoming trade talks with China would be “substantive” and floated a possible cut in tariffs if China makes concessions. “Better go out and buy stocks now,” Trump said. “This country will be like a rocket ship that’s straight up.” He also said the current 145% tariff on Chinese goods “can’t get any higher.” Markets, meanwhile, rose on the comments, though no concrete progress has been made. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are set to meet China’s top economic official in Switzerland this weekend. (Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

3/ Trump fired the acting FEMA chief one day after he defended the agency in testimony to Congress. Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem have both called for dismantling FEMA, which manages $45 billion in disaster aid. Cameron Hamilton, however, had testified that FEMA “should not be eliminated,” directly contradicting Noem. Homeland Security named David Richardson, a former Marine with no disaster relief experience, as his replacement. Hurricane season starts in 24 days. (Washington Post / Politico / New York Times / ABC News / The Hill)

4/ Trump selected a “wellness influencer” with no active medical license to replace a former Fox News contributor as Surgeon General. While Casey Means earned an MD from Stanford, she dropped out of her residency after becoming “disillusioned” with the health care system. Instead, she pivoted to blending alternative health practices with entrepreneurship to promote disputed claims about sugar, metabolism, nutrition, and autoimmune disease, while selling glucose monitors primarily to non-diabetics and endorsing sponsored wellness products like supplements. In her newsletter, she once described building a meditation shrine with ancestor photos and mantras, performing full moon ceremonies, speaking to trees, and using psychedelic mushrooms during a two-year effort to “call in love.” Nevertheless, Trump called her “impeccable” and said her “academic achievements, together with her life’s work, are absolutely outstanding.” Means replaces Janette Nesheiwat, who completed a U.S. residency and is board-certified, but was dropped days before her Senate hearing after far-right activist Laura Loomer attacked her for supporting COVID-19 vaccines. Loomer said Nesheiwat “used her access to Fox News to promote the dangerous Covid vaccine.” (The Independent / Wall Street Journal / New York Times / New Republic / NPR / Mediaite / Bloomberg / Politico / The Cut)

5/ Trump pulled his nominee for U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. after Senate Republicans couldn’t stand behind Ed Martin’s support for a Capitol rioter who praised Hitler and said he would “kill all the Jews and eat them for breakfast.” Martin, a former Missouri GOP chair and board member of a Jan. 6 legal defense fund, had called Timothy Hale-Cusanelli “an extraordinary leader” and featured him on his podcast despite Hale-Cusanelli’s documented antisemitic and Nazi sympathies. Martin also fired career prosecutors who brought Jan. 6 cases, dismissed pending riot charges after Trump’s mass pardons, and appeared over 150 times on Russian state media without initially disclosing it to the Senate. His nomination collapsed after Sen. Thom Tillis said he would vote no, effectively blocking confirmation. Trump said Martin wasn’t “rejected” but admitted, “it would be hard,” and promised to find him another role. He is now considering Fox News host Jeanine Pirro for the post. (New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / Axios / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal)

6/ The Trump administration refused to explain how it wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia, citing national security. A federal judge ordered sworn statements from Trump officials and gave government lawyers until Monday to justify the secrecy. Trump previously publicly said he could bring Garcia back from El Salvador “with a phone call,” but repeated unproven gang claims instead. Another judge questioned whether Trump’s public comments undercut the claim that the U.S. had no control over the detainees. Justice Department lawyers, meanwhile, admitted the U.S. sent money that El Salvador used to detain migrants, but denied any legal responsibility. (NBC News / Associated Press / Politico / CNN / New York Times)

  • Trump’s executive orders have drawn at least 328 lawsuits since he took office, with federal judges stopped administration policies in 128 cases as of May 1. Courts paused Trump’s actions more than 200 times, while allowing them to proceed in just 43 cases; 142 lawsuits remain undecided. Challenges target major pillars of Trump’s second-term agenda, including immigration, federal funding cuts, transgender policy rollbacks, and Elon Musk’s “efficiency” overhaul of the government. The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to intervene 13 times, more than Bush and Obama combined. Trump-appointed judges blocked his policies in nearly a quarter of the losses, while Democratic-appointed judges approved some controversial efforts. Trump said he would follow “all courts,” but officials faced contempt proceedings for ignoring at least one order.

The midterm elections are in 544 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. Biden said he takes “responsibility” for Trump’s return to power, but blamed Harris’s loss on Republicans attacking her race and gender. “A consistent campaign undercut the notion that a woman couldn’t lead the country, and a woman of mixed race,” Biden said. In his first TV interview since leaving office, Biden denied cognitive decline – “There’s nothing to sustain that” – and claimed he stayed in the 2024 race to avoid dividing Democrats, despite polling that showed broad concern over his age and debate performance. Jill Biden, meanwhile, rejected reports that she shielded him, calling the reports “very hurtful” while that “I did not create a cocoon around him.” (New York Times / Politico / Associated Press / Politico)

  2. Sen. John Fetterman repeatedly shouted, slammed a desk, and asked “Why does everyone hate me?” during a meeting with the Pennsylvania teachers union last week. A staffer ended the meeting and reportedly broke down crying in the hallway. The incident came one day before New York Magazine published claims from former aides concerned about Fetterman’s mental health because he’d abandoned his treatment plan. Fetterman, who’s struggled with health concerns since his 2022 stroke and depression diagnosis, dismissed both the article and the outburst, calling the meeting a “spirited conversation” about education funding. (Associated Press)

  3. Trump’s meme coin drew $15 million from over 67,000 small-dollar investors. Nearly all bought at the top – days before Trump’s second inauguration – and have lost money after coin’s value dropped 85% since January. Trump-tied wallets, meanwhile, made over $300 million through automatic fees and token sales. The project promised access to Trump for top holders, including a private dinner and White House tour, with rankings tracked on a public leaderboard. More than half of those top investors used offshore crypto exchanges that claim to block U.S. users, raising legal and national security questions. Democrats, meanwhile, blocked the Senate’s crypto regulation bill after Republicans refused to add language barring presidents from profiting off crypto. The bill – known as the GENIUS Act – would have created the first federal framework for stablecoins. (CNBC / Washington Post / Bloomberg / NBC News / Politico / NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg)

  4. The House approved Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.” The bill would require all federal maps and documents to adopt the new name. Only one Republican, Rep. Don Bacon, joined Democrats in opposing the measure, calling it “juvenile.” The bill now moves to the Senate, where its future is uncertain due to the 60-vote threshold. Democrats, meanwhile, criticized the move as wasteful, with Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon calling it “the dumbest bill brought to the floor.” Passing a law, unlike Trump’s executive order, makes the change permanent across the federal government and prevents a future administration from easily reversing it. (CNN / ABC News / Axios)

  5. Trump claimed credit for the election of Pope Leo XIV, calling it “a Great Honor for our Country” – a reference to Leo’s status as the first American pope. But the new pope, formerly Cardinal Prevost, has openly criticized Trump and his administration. He once reposted a message comparing Trump’s immigration policies to “injustices and infamies,” and asked whether Trump’s team could “see the suffering.” He also condemned JD Vance’s interpretation of Christianity, writing: “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” (CNBC / CNN / The Independent / Daily Beast)

Two years ago today: Day 839: "Calamity."
Six years ago today: Day 839: Sport.
Seven years ago today: Day 474: Opposition media.
Eight years ago today: Day 109: Warned.