What to know today
- President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House today that he is not happy about certain aspects of the House-passed GOP agenda bill that his administration is negotiating but that he is “thrilled” with other provisions, although he did not go into details.
- Trump was answering a question about Elon Musk’s criticism of the legislation in a CBS News interview over its projected increase in the federal deficit, which some GOP senators have echoed.
- A three-judge panel on the Court of International Trade declared some of Trump’s tariff-related executive orders to be “invalid, as contrary to law.”
- Trump also said he would decide soon on how to deal with Russia in the talks about ending the war in Ukraine amid escalating rhetoric between his administration and Russia as negotiations continue.
Court of International Trade rules several of Trump's tariffs as contrary to law
A three-judge panel on the Court of International Trade has declared several of Trump’s tariff-related executive orders to be “invalid, as contrary to law.”
“We do not read [the International Emergency Economic Powers Act] to delegate an unbounded tariff authority to the President,” the judges write. “We instead read IEEPA’s provisions to impose meaningful limits on any such authority it confers.”
“The Worldwide and Retaliatory Tariffs lack any identifiable limits,” they write. They say IEEPA’s limited authorities may be exercised only to “deal with an unusual and extraordinary threat with respect to which a national emergency has been declared ... and may not be exercised for any other purpose.”
The decades-old International Emergency Economic Powers Act grants the president significant authority to regulate international commerce in response to national emergencies — but there are limits, the judges have ruled.
The ruling means any tariffs imposed as a result of several executive orders are not to be imposed.
The Trump administration can appeal. The appeal would go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, based in Washington.
The tariff orders that have been found to be invalid are Imposing Duties To Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border, Imposing Duties To Address the Situation at Our Southern Border, Imposing Duties To Address the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China and Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits.
CORRECTION (May 28, 2025, 8:11 P.M. ET): An earlier version of this post misstated the court's name. It is the Court of International Trade, not the International Court of Trade.
NBA Youngboy becomes the latest rapper to get pardon from Trump
Among the people Trump pardoned today was Kentrell Gaulden, better known as the rapper NBA Youngboy.
According to court records, Gaulden was sentenced last year to just under two years in prison and 60 months of probation after he was convicted in a federal gun crimes case.
The pardon continues a trend by Trump of offering top rap performers executive clemency. Toward the end of his first term, Trump pardoned rappers Lil Wayne and Kodak Black, the latter of whom became a vocal supporter of Trump's 2024 re-election campaign.
Trump courted rap artists specifically as he has sought to build support among young voters of color, inviting several to attend his campaign events last year, as well as his inauguration festivities.
Trump today also additionally pardoned Larry Hoover Sr., the convicted leader of the Gangster Disciples, after a yearslong campaign to secure his release backed in part by the rappers Drake and Ye.
Donald Trump Jr. says ‘we’ve run our last race’
Reporting from Las Vegas
Donald Trump Jr. said at a bitcoin conference today that he’s done with full-time political campaigns, throwing cold water on the idea that he could follow his father into elected office.
“A lot of my time for the last decade has actually been focused on politics, and it’s sort of nice to be like, ‘Hey, we’ve run our last race. Now I’m fully out of that space and getting back into focus,’” he said onstage at Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas.
The president’s eldest son made the comment as part of a panel discussion with his brother Eric after a moderator asked which of the two brothers got into bitcoin first. Donald Jr. said Eric was earlier than he was, and he said he liked the cryptocurrency world more than politics.
The comment is notable given that the president only recently backed away from speculation about running for a third term, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” this month that he’ll be “an eight-year president.”
Donald Jr.’s name appears frequently in polls about potential 2028 Republican presidential nominees. He gave a somewhat different reaction to that idea this month at a conference in Qatar, saying he didn’t know about the idea, but “maybe one day,” according to Reuters.
Trump pardons former New York congressman convicted of tax fraud
Trump this afternoon pardoned former Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y., who was convicted in 2014 of tax fraud and related charges.
Grimm pleaded guilty to a single count of tax fraud after he was accused in a 20-count indictment of underreporting nearly $1 million in earnings and lowering payroll taxes through "off-the-book" payments at a Manhattan restaurant he previously managed.
After the conviction, Grimm resigned from Congress and was sentenced to eight months of incarceration. He was released in 2016, according to Spectrum News.
Grimm mounted an unsuccessful campaign in 2018 to win back his old House seat, but he was defeated in the Republican primary, NBC New York reported.
Last year, according to NBC New York, Grimm was paralyzed from the chest down after he was thrown from a horse during a polo tournament.
Trump pardons former union official before his sentencing
Trump has pardoned former union official James Callahan, according to a copy of the pardon posted today by the Justice Department’s Office of the Pardon Attorney.
Callahan pleaded guilty in January to filing false statements in a labor union officers report. From 2015 to 2023, he received free tickets to nearly 100 sporting, concert and theater events, as well as hospitality packages tied to those events with a total value of more than $315,000.
The government had sought six months’ imprisonment for Callahan, who is from Lindenhurst, New York, and was general president of the International Union of Operating Engineers.
He was set be sentenced today, but his hearing before U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes was delayed pending the government’s motion to dismiss, according to the court docket.
In a filing, Callahan’s lawyers said Trump informed him of his pardon yesterday.
Trump nominates Emil Bove to be federal appeals judge
Trump has nominated Emil Bove to be as a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers districts in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and the Virgin Islands.
"It is my great honor to nominate Emil Bove to serve as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit," Trump wrote on Truth Social about the role, which requires Senate confirmation.
"Emil is a distinguished graduate of Georgetown Law, and served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York for nearly a decade, where he was the Co-Chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Emil is SMART, TOUGH, and respected by everyone," Trump continued. "He will end the Weaponization of Justice, restore the Rule of Law, and do anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. Emil Bove will never let you down!"
Bove, who represented Trump in the New York hush money case last year, has been a deputy attorney general at the Justice Department.
U.S. government will have control in Nippon-U.S. Steel deal, Trump and senator say
The U.S. government will have veto power over major decisions related to U.S. Steel under an arrangement allowing Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in the storied American company, according to Trump and Pennsylvania’s junior senator.
Trump, who had campaigned against the $14 billion bid by Nippon Steel, signaled last week that he would approve it after President Joe Biden blocked it on national security grounds.
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., told CNBC yesterday that under a national security agreement between Nippon and the U.S. government, Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel would have a U.S. CEO and a majority-U.S. board and that the United States would have a “golden share” that would allow it “to ensure production levels aren’t cut and things like that.” McCormick said Nippon proposed the golden share idea.
Trump, who is expected to discuss the deal at a rally in Pittsburgh on Friday, told reporters Sunday that U.S. Steel would be “controlled by the United States, otherwise I wouldn’t make the deal,” and that “it’s an investment, and it’s a partial ownership, but it’ll be controlled by the USA.”
Shares of U.S. Steel closed up almost 2% yesterday, at $53.04, amid renewed hope that the deal will go forward.
Trump says he will ‘take a look’ at possible pardons for men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Trump said he would look into possibly pardoning the men convicted in a 2020 plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and swiped at the legitimacy of the case.
“I will take a look at it. It’s been brought to my attention,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job.”
Trump says he warned Netanyahu against taking unspecified actions
A reporter asked Trump whether he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against taking actions that could disrupt peace talks last week.
"Well, I'd like to be honest," Trump said. "Yes, I did. Next question, please."
Trump did not specify what he warned Netanyahu against.
Vance says Trump White House is crypto’s ‘champion’
Reporting from Las Vegas and New York
Vice President JD Vance opened his keynote address at the Bitcoin 2025 conference today with friendly jokes and assurances to the cryptocurrency industry.
“With President Trump, crypto finally has a champion and an ally in the White House,” he said.
The Trump administration has taken friendly policy stances and actions toward crypto, and it has sent a delegation of representatives to the conference. The Labor Department today rescinded guidance from the Biden administration cautioning employers about offering cryptocurrency investments to their employees.
“We want our fellow Americans to know that crypto and the digital economy, and in particular bitcoin, are part of the mainstream and are here to stay,” Vance told the crowd. “I still own a fair amount of bitcoin today.”
Vance wasn’t shy about courting cryptocurrency aficionados for their votes. “Unless you guys get involved in politics, politics is going to ignore this industry,” he said, asking for support in the midterms.
Vance is the first sitting vice president to attend a bitcoin conference, according to the organizers of Bitcoin 2025. He got a warm reception from the audience, with some standing in applause or shouting approval during his speech.
Organizers expected 35,000 people to attend the conference this week.
Trump responds to Musk's criticism of GOP agenda bill
Asked to respond to Elon Musk's criticism of the House-passed Republican domestic policy bill, Trump said "we have to get a lot of votes," adding that "we can't be cutting" without going into details.
"We will be negotiating that bill, and I'm not happy about certain aspects of it, but I'm thrilled by other aspects of it," Trump said. "That's the way they go. It's very big. It's the big, beautiful bill."
He praised House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., suggesting it would be an "amazing" result "if we pull this off."
Musk said in an interview with CBS News that he was “disappointed” that the legislation would increase the federal deficit, which went against his Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to slash federal spending.
Trump suggests he'll decide how to deal with Russia in two weeks
Trump suggested in comments in the Oval Office this afternoon that he'll decide in the next two weeks on how he will deal with Russia's handling of peace talks with Ukraine.
Asked whether he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, Trump told reporters: "I can’t tell you that, but I’ll let you know in about two weeks. Within two weeks, we’re going to find out very soon.
"We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently," Trump said. "But it’ll take about a week and a half."
Trump said he would be willing to sit down with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy if necessary.
"At this point, we're working on President Putin, and we'll see where we are," he said.
Asked what's stopping him from imposing sanctions on Russia, Trump said, "Only the fact that if I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that."
Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed today a second round of direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on Monday.
Speaker Mike Johnson responds to Elon Musk's criticism of the GOP policy bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended the GOP budget legislation on X today, saying it builds on the work of the Department of Government Efficiency team that Elon Musk oversaw.
"The House made sure to build on DOGE’s success within the One Big Beautiful Bill," Johnson said, writing that Trump adviser Stephen Miller made the point that "DOGE found savings in discretionary spending (such as funding agencies), while our One Big Beautiful Bill secured over $1.6 trillion in savings in mandatory spending (such as Medicaid). Both are HISTORIC and take HUGE steps toward addressing our debt and deficit."
Johnson praised Musk and his DOGE team for "exposing waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government."
He said the House is eager to act on the team's findings, which he said would be done through legislation to codify the cuts and through the appropriations process.
Musk said in an interview with CBS' "Sunday Morning" that he's disappointed with the legislative package because it would increase the deficit.
Navy SEAL to run for Alabama Senate after Tuberville announces gubernatorial bid
Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL who leads a nonprofit that fights human trafficking, announced today he is running for the Senate as a Republican.
In a statement, Hudson praised Alabama GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville, whose new bid for governor is opening up a vacancy in the Senate.
It's unclear who else might run to replace Tuberville. But since he is seen as the far-and-away favorite to win the gubernatorial race, the open Senate seat could be a more appealing landing spot for prominent Republicans in the deep-red state.
Trump to pardon reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Trump announced plans to pardon Todd and Julie Chrisley, the stars of the reality show “Chrisley Knows Best” who are serving sentences after being convicted of tax evasion and defrauding banks out of millions in 2022. NBC’s Hallie Jackson reports for "TODAY."
Elon Musk says he's 'disappointed' with domestic policy bill in break with Trump
Reporting from Washington
Elon Musk broke with Trump on the House-passed domestic policy bill, saying in a new interview that he was “disappointed” that the legislation would increase the federal deficit.
“I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told CBS’ “Sunday Morning” in an interview that will air in full this Sunday.
Musk’s public break comes as the Republicans’ bill heads to the Senate, where several senators have also criticized the legislation for increasing the deficit. The legislative package encompasses many of Trump’s priorities, and he has urged Congress to send the bill to his desk for a signature “as soon as possible.”
Trump's sons and Vance head to bitcoin conference
Vice President JD Vance and two of Trump's sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., are heading to Las Vegas, where they'll speak at a bitcoin conference — the same one Trump headlined last year.
Trump world has focused more resources on cryptocurrency, though many of Trump's crypto moves have been met with sharp criticism.
Last week, the president hosted a private dinner with top buyers of his $TRUMP meme coin, which the president's critics panned as unethical. Many of the attendees' identities remained secret, prompting Democratic politicians to raise questions about whether people were trying to buy the president's ear.
Trump Media also announced yesterday that it intended to use $2.5 billion in proceeds from a deal toward creating a "Bitcoin treasury."
"We view Bitcoin as an apex instrument of financial freedom, and now Trump Media will hold cryptocurrency as a crucial part of our assets," Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes said in a press release.
Trump indirectly owns more than 100 million shares of the company through a revocable trust. His son Trump Jr. is also on the company's board of directors.
Trump’s pardons highlight Justice Department’s pullback from public corruption cases
Reporting from Washington
The government’s evidence against Scott Jenkins was compelling, including undercover video and other corroboration showing Jenkins, then the sheriff of Culpeper County, Virginia, accepting more than $75,000 in exchange for giving law enforcement authority to local businessmen, as well as two undercover FBI special agents.
Jenkins’ co-defendants all pleaded guilty, and jurors didn’t take long to convict Jenkins last year, deliberating for around two hours before they found him guilty on all counts. When Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March, the acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia said he “violated his oath of office and the faith the citizens of Culpeper County placed in him when he engaged in a cash-for-badges scheme.”
But Trump announced Monday that he was pardoning Jenkins, calling him “a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice” who “doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail.” It’s part of a broader pattern for Trump, who in the first few months of his second term has pardoned at least four supportive former public officials who were convicted of financial improprieties.
Elon Musk ‘disappointed’ by Trump’s massive spending bill
Elon Musk is criticizing Trump’s massive spending bill, saying it “increases the budget deficit, not decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.” NBC’s Peter Alexander reports for "TODAY" from the White House.
Republican Rep. Mike Flood grilled during town hall
Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., faced intense questioning from people at a town hall yesterday, at one point conceding that he did not read a provision in the House’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” before he voted for it, triggering loud protests from the audience.
The town hall was held in a high school in Seward, Nebraska, and livestreamed on YouTube by News Channel Nebraska — a media network founded and owned by Flood.
Flood admitted he did not read the full bill when an audience member asked him why he had voted in favor of a provision that would make it harder for judges to enforce orders holding parties before them in contempt for defying court orders.
Trump administration has ramped up deportations but is still far below the pace it wants
The Trump administration has dramatically stepped up its pace of deportations, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data obtained by NBC News, and in April, for the first time this year, it deported more people than the Biden administration did during the same period last year.
In April, the latest month for which the data is available, ICE deported more than 17,200 people, an increase of about 29% compared with April 2024, when more than 13,300 were deported.
Former Russian president raises specter of a World War III as rhetoric ramps up over Ukraine
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev raised the specter of a World War III yesterday as the rhetoric between the White House and the Kremlin ramped up over the war in Ukraine.
Medvedev, now a top security official, was responding to Trump’s post on Truth Social berating his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, as Moscow continued to rain strikes down on its neighbor.
“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD,” wrote Trump, who appears to be losing patience over the lack of a ceasefire deal, adding, “He’s playing with fire!”
Around three hours later, Medvedev took to X, writing, “I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. I hope Trump understands this!”