Today in one sentence: Trump’s $45 million military parade to celebrate the Army’s 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday was met by the largest single-day protest in U.S. history; Trump ordered ICE to escalate deportations in Democratic-run cities; a federal appeals court allowed Trump to keep control of the California National Guard in Los Angeles; federal prosecutors charged Vance Boelter with six federal counts, including murder, stalking, and firearms offenses, after he allegedly killed Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and shot state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife; Israel expanded its military campaign against Iran and rejected calls for a ceasefire as both countries exchanged missiles for a fourth straight day; 81% of Americans want the Trump administration to comply with federal court orders; 31% of Americans think the country is on the right track; and 42% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing as president.

1/ Trump’s $45 million military parade to celebrate the Army’s 250th anniversary and his 79th birthday was met by the largest single-day protest in U.S. history. More than five million people in all 50 states participated in over 2,100 “No Kings” demonstrations to oppose Trump’s use of the military as political theater, deployment of troops against civilians, and his threat to confront dissent with “very big force.” Trump, meanwhile, watched tanks, 6,600 troops, 150 vehicles, and 50 aircraft roll past from a grandstand – where he was handed a folded flag normally reserved for fallen soldiers. The parade reportedly drew far fewer than expected, with sparse crowds lining Constitution Avenue and a steady stream of early exits – which were met by No Kings protesters. (NPR / Politico / Vanity Fair / USA Today / Strength in Numbers / Washington Post / New York Times / CBS News)

  • poll/ 64% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s use of taxpayer funds to pay for his military parade. 14% said they strongly supported the use of government funds for the parade, and 22% said they somewhat supported it. (NBC News)

2/ Trump ordered ICE to escalate deportations in Democratic-run cities, directing agents to “do all in their power to achieve the very important goal of delivering the single largest Mass Deportation Program in History.” In a Truth Social post, Trump named Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York as top targets and claimed without evidence that Democrats use undocumented immigrants to “cheat in Elections” and “grow the Welfare State.” ICE, however, is already $1 billion over budget and could run out of money next month as it tries to meet Trump’s 3,000 immigration-related arrests per day quota, which has required support from the FBI, DEA, and ATF. The directive came days after Trump admitted his “very aggressive policy” was hurting farm and hospitality businesses by “taking very good, long time workers away.” As a result, ICE paused arrests at farms, restaurants, and hotels, but will continue targeting cities. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the effort “illegal” accused Trump of trying to “militarize our cities.” (New York Times / CNN / Politico / Bloomberg / Axios / Associated Press / ABC News)

  • A federal judge ruled the Trump administration’s use of a foreign policy law to detain Mahmoud Khalil was likely unconstitutional, but allowed the government to keep him in custody up under new immigration claims. The administration now claims Khalil, a Columbia graduate and U.S. green card holder, failed to disclose past affiliations on his residency application. Judge Michael Farbiarz said it was “overwhelmingly likely” that these paperwork omissions wouldn’t normally justify detention, but denied Khalil’s release, citing procedural limits. (New York Times / NBC News / Axios)

3/ A federal appeals court allowed Trump to keep control of the California National Guard in Los Angeles. The ruling came hours after U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer called Trump’s actions “illegal,” saying he violated the Tenth Amendment and bypassed California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Breyer rejected the administration’s claim that protests over immigration raids amounted to rebellion, writing that “The definition of rebellion is unmet.” The court scheduled a hearing for Tuesday and said the troops would remain under Trump’s authority until then. Trump responded on Truth Social: “We saved L.A. Thank you for the Decision!!!” Newsom, reacting earlier to Breyer’s decision, said it was “a check on a man whose authoritarian tendencies are increasing by the day” and warned of a “dangerous precedent for future domestic military activity.” (Politico / NPR / Bloomberg / New York Times / Axios)

4/ Federal prosecutors charged Vance Boelter with six federal counts, including murder, stalking, and firearms offenses, after he allegedly killed Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and shot state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife. Authorities said Boelter disguised himself as a police officer using a silicone mask, tactical vest, and a vehicle marked with “police” to gain entry to lawmakers’ homes, carrying out what the FBI called a “campaign of stalking and violence.” Boelter allegedly visited four elected officials’ homes early Saturday and left behind notebooks listing over 70 potential targets, nearly all Democrats and some affiliated with abortion rights or Planned Parenthood. State prosecutors also filed second-degree murder and attempted murder charges, and said they’ll seek first-degree charges requiring grand jury indictment; the federal charges could carry the death penalty. Law enforcement, meanwhile, said Boelter sent texts after the shootings saying, “Dad went to war last night,” and warned his wife police were coming. A court affidavit detailed how Boelter emptied a bank account, bought a getaway vehicle, and left a note for the FBI claiming responsibility. Democratic described the attacks as a direct assault on public service and warned of rising threats to elected officials. “America is not a country that settles our differences at gunpoint,” Gov. Tim Walz said. Sen. Amy Klobuchar called political violence “a rampant problem” and urged: “We need to bring the tone down.” (New York Times / Associated Press / ABC News / NBC News / CNN / Washington Post / Axios / Wall Street Journal / CNBC)

5/ Israel expanded its military campaign against Iran and rejected calls for a ceasefire as both countries exchanged missiles for a fourth straight day. Israeli officials said the strikes were launched to preempt what they described as an imminent threat from Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. The campaign began Friday with surprise Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that Israel wouldn’t stop until Iran’s nuclear program, missile production, and regional military network were dismantled, saying: “We are not backing down. The people of Israel will not settle for less.” The Israeli military, meanwhile, has claimed “full aerial superiority” over Tehran and said it’s struck dozens of sites, including Quds Force command centers, nuclear scientists, and energy infrastructure. One airstrike hit Iran’s state-run TV headquarters during a live broadcast, after Israel warned over 300,000 residents in northern Tehran to evacuate. Netanyahu also declined to rule out targeting Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying: “We’ll do what we need to do.” U.S. officials, however, said Trump vetoed an Israeli plan to assassinate Khamenei. “The Iranians haven’t killed an American,” one official said. “Until they do, we’re not even talking about going after the political leadership.” Netanyahu dismissed the report, saying: “I think the United States knows what is good for the United States.” Talks between the U.S. and Iran were scheduled for Sunday, but were canceled after the strikes. Iran has since signaled it is open to negotiations if the attacks stop. Trump confirmed the outreach but dismissed the timing: “They’d like to talk, but they should have done that before.” (New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / NBC News / NPR / Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Politico / Associated Press / The Guardian / Axios / Reuters / ABC News)

poll/ 81% of Americans want the Trump administration to comply with federal court orders, while 19% say the administration should ignore the rulings and continue its action. (NBC News)

poll/ 31% of Americans think the country is on the right track, while 58% say it’s on the wrong track. (Strength in Numbers)

poll/ 42% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing as president. (Reuters)

The midterm elections are in 505 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. A federal judge extended a temporary order blocking Trump’s attempt to ban international students from Harvard, leaving the policy on hold until at least June 23. Jude Allison Burroughs said the administration has an “uphill battle” to justify the proclamation, which cites national security but targets one university. A Justice Department lawyer told the court, “We don’t trust them to host foreign students,” claiming Harvard has ties to “foreign adversaries” and has failed to crack down on antisemitism. Harvard’s lawyer called the move retaliation for refusing White House demands, saying Trump is “using Harvard’s international students as pawns.” The administration already pulled Harvard’s student visa certification and froze $2.6 billion in federal funding. (Associated Press / New York Times / Bloomberg / Axios)

  2. A federal judge ruled the Trump administration illegally canceled over $1 billion in National Institutes of Health grants tied to diversity and LGBTQ health research. Judge William Young said the NIH “violated federal law” by cutting the grants without valid justification that “represents racial discrimination and discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community,” ordering the government to reinstate funding for 367 projects. The ruling followed lawsuits from 16 states and public health groups, who said the cuts were part of a broader political purge targeting DEI and gender-related studies. (NBC News / New York Times / STAT News / Reuters)

  3. The Trump administration broke the law by withholding federal funds for libraries and museums. The Government Accountability Office said the Institute of Museum and Library Services “ceased performing” its duties after Trump issued an executive order to downsize the agency, and called the move an “illegal impoundment” under the 1974 law that prohibits presidents from defying congressional spending mandates. It’s the second time in two months the GAO found Trump violated that law. (Politico / New York Times)

  4. Trump reported more than $600 million in 2024 income, including $57.3 million from a cryptocurrency venture run by his sons and marketed by his 18-year-old son Barron as its “DeFi visionary.” The firm, World Liberty Financial, is one of several Trump-linked crypto and licensing businesses that earned tens of millions while he campaigned for a second term. Trump also reported $110 million from his Doral golf resort, $50 million from Mar-a-Lago, and at least $26 million from licensing deals in Dubai, Oman, Vietnam, and India. Despite claiming he separated from his business, the report confirms the income flows directly to him. (Washington Post / Reuters / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

  5. The Trump Organization launched Trump Mobile, a wireless service that resells network access from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile under a $47.45 monthly “47 Plan.” Trump Mobile also plans to sell a $499 Android phone in August described as “designed and built in the United States,” though the company refused to identify a manufacturer and the U.S. lacks facilities to mass-produce smartphones. (CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post)

Three years ago today: Day 513: "A heated fight."
Four years ago today: Day 148: "A partisan circus."
Five years ago today: Day 1244: Transgressions.
Eight years ago today: Day 148: Ruh roh.