Today in one sentence: Elon Musk publicly denounced Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill," calling it a “disgusting abomination” and warning that “Congress is making America bankrupt”; Trump is pressuring Senate Republicans to pass his tax and spending bill by July 4, warning that they will face political consequences if they block it; Trump’s tariffs are expected to slow U.S. economic growth to 1.6% this year – down from a previous forecast of 2.2%; Trump blamed Biden for the Boulder firebombing that injured 12 people; the acting head of FEMA – on the second day of hurricane season – told staff he “didn’t realize" the U.S. had a hurricane season; 58% of Americans say the government should do more to solve problems – the highest level in over 30 years; 79% of Republicans say they’re satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. – up from 10% in January; Trump’s approval among Latino voters dropped from 43% in February to 39% in May; and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard is exploring a plan to turn Trump’s daily intelligence briefing into a video resembling a Fox News broadcast to better match Trump’s media habits.


1/ Elon Musk publicly denounced Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” calling it a “disgusting abomination” and warning that “Congress is making America bankrupt.” The Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill, which passed the House last month, will add $2.3 to $3.8 trillion to the deficit over the next decade, despite Republican claims it would encourage growth. Musk, who left the Trump administration last week, said the package was “massive, outrageous, pork-filled” and targeted lawmakers who supported it: “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong.” Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who pushed the bill through, said Musk was “terribly wrong” and claimed that the billionaire “seemed to understand” the legislation during a 20-minute call Monday. “It’s not personal,” Johnson said, blaming Musk’s opposition on EV subsidy cuts that would impact Tesla. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also dismissed Musk’s criticism: “The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn’t change the president’s opinion.” Musk’s comments were echoed by Rand Paul, who said, “We know another $5 trillion in debt is a huge mistake.” (Politico / New York Times / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Axios / ABC News / Washington Post / CNBC / NBC News)

2/ Trump is pressuring Senate Republicans to pass his tax and spending bill by July 4, warning that they will face political consequences if they block it. Rand Paul said he supports the tax cuts, but won’t vote for a bill that raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, saying “I’m just not going to take responsibility for the debt.” The comment prompted Trump to call Paul “crazy” and claim that “the people of Kentucky can’t stand him.” Trump needs near-unanimous Republican support in the 53-47 Senate, but at least four Republican senators have said they can’t back the current version that would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, add new tax breaks, and cut $625 billion from Medicaid, removing coverage from an estimated 7.6 million people. (ABC News / Politico / USA Today / Wall Street Journal / CNBC / Associated Press / Bloomberg)

3/ Trump’s tariffs are expected to slow U.S. economic growth to 1.6% this year – down from a previous forecast of 2.2%, according to a new Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development report. The group also cut its global growth forecast to 2.9% for both 2025 and 2026, citing “a significant increase in trade barriers” and rising policy uncertainty. The report warned that protectionism is adding to inflation and could delay interest rate cuts until 2026. The White House, meanwhile, called the report “untethered to reality” and defended the tariffs as protecting U.S. industries. (Associated Press / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

4/ Trump blamed Biden for the Boulder firebombing that injured 12 people, calling the attacker “an illegal, anti-American radical” and linking the violence to what he called “Biden’s ridiculous Open Border Policy.” In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that “He must go out under ‘TRUMP’ Policy,” and demanded mass deportations. The suspect, Mohamed Soliman, entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa in 2022, applied for asylum a month later, and stayed after his visa expired. ICE, meanwhile, detained Soliman’s wife and five children. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents are investigating whether they “had any knowledge of it or if they provided support to it.” Soliman told investigators he “wanted to kill all Zionist people” and “would do it again.” (Axios / Politico / New York Times / CNN / CNBC / The Hill)

5/ The acting head of FEMA – on the second day of hurricane season – told staff he “didn’t realize” the U.S. had a hurricane season. The White House claimed David Richardson’s remark was a joke while Homeland Security dismissed criticism as “meanspirited attempts to falsely frame a joke as policy,” adding that “FEMA is laser focused on disaster response.” Richardson, who has no background in disaster management, has overseen mass staff departures and canceled key trainings ahead of what NOAA expects to be an above-average storm season. FEMA, meanwhile, hasn’t released a hurricane response plan for 2025. Instead, Richardson told employees: “Here’s the guidance. It’s the same as it was last year.” (Reuters / New York Times / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / CNN)

poll/ 58% of Americans say the government should do more to solve problems – the highest level in over 30 years. 44% say neither party can get things done or has strong leaders. Among independents, 76% say neither party has strong leaders or can deliver results. (CNN)

poll/ 79% of Republicans say they’re satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S. – up from 10% in January – while 4% of Democrats say the same. 64% of Republicans now rate the economy as good, compared to 22% of Democrats. Among Trump 2024 voters, 61% say the economy is improving, while 6% of Harris voters agree. (Axios)

poll/ Trump’s approval among Latino voters dropped from 43% in February to 39% in May. Among Latino independents, Trump’s approval fell 14 points to 29%. 56% said the economy is getting worse under Trump, while 19% said it’s improving. (Politico)

The midterm elections are in 518 days.


✏️ Notables.

  1. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk – a ship honoring the late gay rights activist and Navy veteran. A defense official said the move was timed to coincide with Pride Month. (ABC News / CNN)

  2. Trump’s cuts to science budgets and tighter immigration rules are driving researchers out of the U.S. and into jobs in China and Europe. Labs have lost federal grants despite top ratings, visas have been revoked, and hiring has slowed as uncertainty grows. Applications from foreign researchers, meanwhile, have dropped sharply while U.S.-trained scientists are taking jobs abroad. “They are integral to the whole fabric of American science,” Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Richard Huganir said. “Losing that population would be devastating.” (New York Times)

  3. Trump has privately complained that Supreme Court justices he appointed – especially Amy Coney Barrett – have not sufficiently backed his agenda. The frustration, ongoing for at least a year, stems from several rulings, including Barrett’s vote against Trump’s foreign aid freeze and her recusal in a Catholic school funding case. A senior official said Trump has “complained about privately” multiple decisions, while his allies called Barrett “weak” and suggested that threats to her family may have influenced her. (CNN)

  4. Trump’s Justice Department opened an investigation into pardons issued by Biden in the final weeks of his presidency, focusing on whether Biden “was competent and whether others were taking advantage of him through use of AutoPen or other means.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the issue is “whether or not the president […] knew it was being used.” Despite no evidence that Biden was unaware or that the use of the autopen was unauthorized, the probe covers clemency granted to Biden’s son, siblings, and 37 death row inmates. (Reuters / USA Today)

  5. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard is exploring a plan to turn Trump’s daily intelligence briefing into a video resembling a Fox News broadcast to better match Trump’s media habits. The proposal includes hiring a Fox News producer and anchor, and adding animated maps with explosions “similar to a video game.” Gabbard reportedly believes Trump avoids the briefing because “he doesn’t read” and prefers broadcast media. Trump has taken the President’s Daily Brief 14 times since returning to office, compared to 90 by Biden and 55 by Trump during the same early period in 2017. (NBC News)



Last year today: Day 1231: "Reckless."
Four years ago today: Day 135: "To no avail."
Five years ago today: Day 1231: "No idea."