Trump Pardons Ex-Officer; Commutes Sentence of Inauguration Donor
Key Takeaways
- Trump pardoned ex-Army officer Bashaw for COVID protocol violation and commuted Zuberi's sentence.
- US to 'aggressively' revoke visas of Chinese students with CCP ties.
- Federal trade court blocks most Trump tariffs, including those on China.
- Musk left White House after criticizing Trump's spending bill, citing budget deficit concerns.
- Trump to negotiate tax bill after Musk criticism; projected to add $3.8T to debt.
Top Stories
Trump pardons ex-Army officer for COVID protocol violation.
On 2025-05-29, President Donald Trump pardoned Mark Bashaw, a former Army officer. Bashaw had been found guilty in 2022 of violating coronavirus prevention protocols.
Trump commuted sentence of 2017 Inauguration donor.
Donald Trump commuted the sentence of Imaad Zuberi. Zuberi was a major donor to the 2017 Inauguration.
US to 'aggressively' revoke Chinese students' visas.
On 2025-05-28, Marco Rubio stated that the U.S. will 'aggressively' revoke Chinese students' visas. The secretary of state said students with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields could be affected. Also, the U.S. will impose visa bans on foreign nationals responsible for censoring protected expression in the U.S.
Federal trade court blocks most Trump tariffs.
On 2025-05-28, a federal trade court ruled against several Trump tariffs, blocking most of them. These included the 10% rate applied to most trading partners and those on China.
Musk leaves White House after criticizing Trump bill.
Elon Musk officially left the White House on 2025-05-28. His departure as a special government employee comes a day after he criticized a Republican bill to fund much of Trump's agenda.
Musk criticizes spending bill; White House plans cuts.
On 2025-05-27, Elon Musk expressed disappointment with the "massive spending bill" due to its increase to the budget deficit and undermining of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The White House plans to send a package to Congress as early as next week (2025-06-04) to formalize cuts made by Musk's team targeting federal government spending. The report was published on 2025-05-28.
Trump to negotiate tax bill after Musk criticism.
On 2025-05-28, President Donald Trump stated his intention to negotiate the "big, beautiful" tax bill, following criticism from Elon Musk. The bill is projected to add $3.8 trillion to the federal debt over the next decade.
Legal Frontlines
Missouri Supreme Court temporarily blocks abortion access.
Trump to nominate Emil Bove to Appeals Court.
On 2025-05-28, it was reported that Trump is set to nominate Emil Bove to the Appeals Court.
Judge declines to block transfer of death row inmates.
On 2025-05-28, a judge declined to block the transfer of death row inmates granted clemency by Biden to a 'Supermax' facility.
Judge blocks shutdown of Biden-era migrant programs.
Judge: Trump deportation effort likely unconstitutional.
On 2025-05-28, it was reported that a judge ruled the Trump administration's effort to deport Mahmoud Khalil is likely unconstitutional.
Policy Landscape
Trump wants Harvard to cap international students.
On 2025-05-28, nytimes.com reported that Trump stated Harvard should cap the number of international students.