MicroWave

Summary

A genuine backlash to Trump’s ethno-nationalist authoritarianism may be starting to take shape on its own terms.

The Washington Post-ABC News poll shows “Trump slipping underwater on immigration, which has been his best issue,” with 56% of independents disapproving of his handling.

Only 21% of independents want wrongfully deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia to remain imprisoned. These policies “raise basic issues of fundamental fairness, due process, and the rule of law.”

Trump’s lawlessness across the board is clearly a problem, reinforcing the view he’s engaged in rampant extralegal abuses of power.

Data indicates the Cosmos 2553 – which US officials claim is aiding Moscow’s development of nuclear anti-satellite weapon – may no longer be functional

A secretive Russian satellite in space that US officials believe is connected to a nuclear anti-satellite weapons program has appeared to be spinning uncontrollably, suggesting it may no longer be functioning in what could be a setback for Moscow’s space weapons efforts, according to US analysts.

The Cosmos 2553 satellite, launched by Russia weeks before invading Ukraine in 2022, has had various bouts of what appears to be errant spinning over the past year, according to Doppler radar data from space-tracking firm LeoLabs and optical data from Slingshot Aerospace, shared with Reuters.

Believed to be a radar satellite for Russian intelligence as well as a radiation testing platform, the satellite last year became the centre of US allegations that Russia for years has been developing a nuclear weapon capable of destroying entire satellite networks, such as SpaceX’s vast Starlink internet system that Ukrainian troops have been using.

Senior officials unsure who to believe after aides fired and chief of staff quits amid look into Panama canal media leak

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth’s orbit has become consumed by a contentious leak investigation that those inside the Pentagon believe is behind the firing of three senior aides last week, according to five people involved in the situation.

The secretary’s office has been marked for weeks by ugly internal politics between chief of staff Joe Kasper, who left the department on Thursday, and the three ousted aides, including senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief Darin Selnick and chief to the deputy defense secretary Colin Carroll.

The fraught nature of the investigation into the mishandling of classified information also threatens to reopen scrutiny of Hegseth’s ability to manage the Pentagon at a time when he himself shared plans for US strikes against the Houthis in Yemen in a second Signal group chat that included his wife.

Experts warn of slowing economy after score based on Americans’ financial outlooks fell by 32% since January

US consumer sentiment plummeted in April after Donald Trump’s trade war threw the global economy into chaos, according to a new report.

The index of consumer sentiment, a score based on a monthly survey asking Americans about their financial outlooks, fell by 32% since January – the largest drop since the 1990 recession, according to the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research.

“Expectations worsened for vast swaths of the population across age, education income and political affiliation,” said Joanne Hsu, director of the surveys of consumers, in a statement. “Consumers perceived risks to multiple aspects of the economy, in large part due to ongoing uncertainty around trade policy and the potential for a resurgence of inflation looming ahead.”

Donald Trump has denied his previous statement about having a deadline to reach a peace settlement between Ukraine and Russia.

Summary

Tesla reported its worst quarterly results in four years, with Q1 income down 71% and EV sales falling 13%.

Elon Musk vowed to refocus on Tesla amid backlash over his political role in the Trump Administration’s DOGE program, but analysts doubt his return will fix worsening issues.

Tesla faces eroding market share, failed products like the Cybertruck, and a coming 145% tariff on imported Chinese battery cells set to hammer the company’s battery pack business, one of the only bright spots last quarter.

Musk’s pivot to robotaxis and humanoid robots lacks credibility, and critics say Tesla has no compelling new EVs to revive growth.

Exclusive: EU Transparency Register shows law firms also among lobbyists working for fossil fuel companies

A handful of “small but dirty” public affairs and law firms in Europe are enabling pollution by lobbying extensively for big oil, an analysis has found, with most major companies in the industry working for at least one fossil fuel client.

Several of the top spenders on activities to influence EU policymaking are on the payroll of oil and gas companies, according to an analysis of the EU Transparency Register by the Good Lobby nonprofit, but fossil fuel clients represent just 1% of the industry’s revenue.

The researchers said it showed that public affairs companies could cut ties with the big polluters who pay them to influence policy without hurting their bottom lines – but warned there was little public or regulatory pressure on lobbyists to go green.

An expert on the federal work force estimates that the speed and chaos of Musk’s cuts to the bureaucracy will cost taxpayers $135 billion this fiscal year.

Trump and Elon Musk promised taxpayers big savings, maybe even a “DOGE dividend” check in their mailboxes, when DOGE was let loose on the federal government. Now, as he prepares to step back, Musk has said without providing details that DOGE is likely to save taxpayers only $150 billion.

That is about 15% of the $1 trillion he pledged to save, less than 8% of the $2 trillion in savings he had originally promised and a fraction of the nearly $7 trillion the federal government spent in the 2024 fiscal year.

The errors and obfuscations underlying DOGE’s claims of savings are well documented. Less known are the costs Musk incurred by taking what Trump called a “hatchet” to government and the resulting firings, agency lockouts and building seizures that mostly wound up in court.

Summary

The Trump Store released $50 “Trump 2028” hats Thursday, sparking backlash online as Trump has repeatedly hinted at running for a third term.

“I have had more people ask me to have a third term,” Trump said on March 31, claiming the 2020 election was “totally rigged.”

Steve Bannon said he's exploring “five or six different alternatives” to enable a third run.

Critics on social media called it “insane” and a sign of “fascist” ambitions. Though barred by the 22nd Amendment, Trump could run again if it were overturned by Congress and the states. However, it would require a two-thirds vote of Congress and three-fourths vote of the states.

Archaeologists uncovered the carefully preserved remains of a noblewoman from the Caral civilization. They say it indicates women were valued members of the ancient society.

A team of archaeologists on Thursday said they had unearthed the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman in Caral, Peru.

"What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman," archaeologist David Palomino told the AFP news agency.

Palomino said the woman's remains were carefully preserved in layers of fabric, with a mantle of macaw feathers. It contained her skin as well as part of her nails and hair.

Preliminary findings show that the woman was between 20-35 years old and was about 5 foot tall (around 1.5 meters).

Taking a page from authoritarians around the world, Trump is targeting his political opposition with criminal investigations.

Donald Trump issued a memorandum on Thursday ordering the Department of Justice to investigate online political fundraising platforms with the intent of targeting Democratic Party fundraising platform ActBlue.

The memorandum specifically mentions ActBlue while using broader language in ordering an investigation into “online fundraising platforms.”

This is the latest in a series of targeted attacks by Trump against his perceived enemies, including law firms, nonprofits and former government officials. This, however, is the first time that he has taken aim at a part of the machinery of the Democratic Party. It is the clearest effort yet by Trump to use the power of the presidency to destabilize and hobble his political opposition. This follows his actions to eliminate or delegitimize all civil society entities that oppose, or could, oppose him.