[CRAIG NIGRELLI]
GOOD MORNING
I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI
IT’S THURSDAY, MAY 29TH, 2025
AND THESE ARE YOUR UNBIASED UPDATES:
CHICKENING OUT … OR GOOD NEGOTIATING?
A FEDERAL COURT SLAPS DOWN PRESIDENT TRUMP’S LATEST TARIFFS… SAYING THEY’RE NOT AN EMERGENCY.
SO ARE THEY DEAD? OR JUST DELAYED?
PLUS, ELON MUSK BOWS OUT
TRUMP’S TOP DISRUPTOR SAYS HE’S DONE WITH D.C… AND BACK TO WORKING 24/7
HIS BLUNT TAKE ON BURNOUT.. AND THE BILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION HE’S STILL DODGING.
AND STUDENT VISAS IN THE CROSSHAIRS
THOUSANDS OF CHINESE STUDENTS COULD BE FORCED OFF U.S. CAMPUSES
WHY THE STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS … IT’S A MATTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY.
L3: FEDERAL COURT BLOCKS MOST OF TRUMP’S ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS APPEALING A FEDERAL COURT RULING THAT BLOCKED KEY PIECES OF THE PRESIDENT’S “LIBERATION DAY” TARIFF PLAN
JUST HOURS AFTER A THREE-JUDGE PANEL SAID THE SWEEPING 10% RECIPRICAL TARIFFS EXCEED PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY… THE APPEAL WAS FILED.
THE COURT FOUND TRUMP’S MOVE TO SLAP TARIFFS ON CHINA, CANADA, MEXICO AND OTHERS — INVOKED THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY ECONOMIC POWERS ACT — DID NOT MEET THE LEGAL DEFINITION OF AN “EMERGENCY”
… CALLING IT A TRADE ISSUE THAT SHOULD GO THROUGH CONGRESS
RIGHT NOW — MANY OF TRUMP’S “LIBERATION DAY” TARIFFS ARE ON HOLD AS HE TRIES TO NEGOTIATE MORE EQUITABLE TRADE DEALS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES.
IT’S ANOTHER SETBACK IN A PATTERN… BIG TARIFF ANNOUNCEMENTS, STOCK MARKET SHOCK, THEN WALKBACKS.
SOME ANALYSTS NOW CALL THEM “TACO TARIFFS” — AS IN TRUMP ALWAYS CHICKENS OUT
WHEN ASKED YESTERDAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE, THE PRESIDENT BLASTED THE QUESTION AS “NASTY” … INSISTING IT’S JUST NEGOTIATION.
“Mr. President, Wall Street analysts have coined a new term called the ‘TACO trade.’” They’re saying Trump always chickens out on your tariff threats, and that’s why markets are higher this week. What’s your response to that?”
“Six months ago, this country was stone-cold dead. We had a dead country. We had a country people didn’t think it was going to survive. And you ask a nasty question like that. It’s called negotiation.”
“Don’t ever say what you said. That’s a nasty question.”
THIS ALL COMES AS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS HALTED SOME AMERICAN TECH EXPORTS TO CHINA– INCLUDING JET ENGINES, SEMICONDUCTORS AND INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS… IN RETALIATION FOR BEIJING’S MINERAL RESTRICTIONS.
THE MOVE COULD STRAIN SUPPLY CHAINS AND STALL ONGOING TRADE TALKS… WHICH ARE UNDER A 90-DAY CEASEFIRE MEANT TO WIND DOWN THE TARIFF WAR.
L3 ELON MUSK STEPS DOWN FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ROLE
THE BILLIONAIRE WHO ONCE CALLED HIMSELF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S “FIRST BUDDY” IS STEPPING AWAY FROM HIS GOVERNMENT ROLE
…ENDING HIS STINT AS A “SPECIAL EMPLOYEE” AFTER LEADING THE SO-CALLED DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY, OR DOGE
MUSK POSTED THE NEWS ON X, THANKING TRUMP FOR THE OPPORTUNITY, BUT IN A CBS INTERVIEW YESTERDAY, HE TOOK A SWIPE AT HIS “BIG BEAUTIFUL” SPENDING BILL… CALLING IT A DEFICIT DRIVER THAT UNDERCUTS EVERYTHING DOGE WAS TRYING TO DO.
(MORE VO OF ELON HERE WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME PICS OF HIM IN THE OVAL OFFICE OR AT CABINET MEETINGS)
BEHIND THE SCENES, MUSK HAS BEEN FRUSTRATED… BOXED OUT OF BIG DEALS, CLASHING WITH CABINET MEMBERS… AND WATCHING HIS SWEEPING SPENDING CUTS SHRINK BY THE WEEK.
NOW HE SAYS HE’S HEADING BACK TO BUSINESS… SPECIFICALLY: SPACEX, TESLA AND X-AI.
BUT THE BILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION: WILL HE STILL POUR MONEY INTO POLITICAL GROUPS CONTROLLED BY THE PRESIDENT?
SO FAR THAT $100-MILLION PLEDGE IS JUST THAT… A PLEDGE.
L3 TRUMP ADMIN TO ‘AGGRESSIVELY REVOKE’ CHINESE STUDENT VISAS
IN A MOVE SURE TO RAISE TENSIONS… THE U.S. IS PULLING CHINESE STUDENT VISAS
SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO SAYS THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WILL “AGGRESSIVELY REVOKE” VISAS FOR CHINESE NATIONALS… ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH TIES TO THE COMMUNIST PARTY OR STUDYING IN SO-CALLED CRITICAL FIELDS
THE POLICY IS ALREADY SPARKING BACKLASH FROM BEIJING… AND PANIC ON U.S. CAMPUSES.. WHERE CHINESE STUDENTS MAKE UP NEARLY A QUARTER OF ALL FOREIGN ENROLLMENT
THE MOVE COMES AS TENSIONS RISE OVER TRADE, TECH, AND ELITE UNIVERSITIES, WITH THE ADMINISTRATION ALSO PAUSING ALL NEW STUDENT VISA INTERVIEWS, DESPITE A FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERING THEM YESTERDAY TO LIFT PART OF THAT IMMIGRATION FREEZE.
CRITICS SAY IT’S A POLITICALLY DRIVEN MOVE THAT COULD BACKFIRE … BOTH DIPLOMATICALLY AND FINANCIALLY… HITTING U.S. RESEARCH AND HIGHER ED WHERE IT HURTS
BUT RUBIO CALLS IT A MOVE TO ENHANCE NATIONAL SECURITY AND PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS STATED HE WANTS TO BE SURE FOREIGN STUDENTS LOVE OUR COUNTRY..
L3: JUDGE ORDERS DEPORTED MIGRANT RETURNED FROM GUATEMALA TO THE U.S.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SAYS IT’S WILLING TO FLY A MIGRANT BACK INTO THE U.S. … AFTER A JUDGE RULED HIS DEPORTATION VIOLATED DUE PROCESS.
THE MAN — IDENTIFIED ONLY BY HIS INITIALS — WAS DEPORTED LAST YEAR AFTER ILLEGALLY ENTERING THE U.S. AND FILING FOR ASYLUM
A JUDGE LATER RULED HE’D FACE SERIOUS HARM IF SENT BACK TO GUATEMALA.. AND ORDERED HIM *NOT TO BE REMOVED
BUT FEDERAL OFFICIALS PUT HIM ON A BUS TO MEXICO ANYWAY… FROM THERE, HE WAS SENT TO GUATEMALA
THE JUDGE SAYS HIS PLEAS FOR HELP WERE IGNORED… AND THAT THE REMOVAL QUOTE “LACKED ANY SEMBLANCE OF DUE PROCESS”
THE DOJ IS NOW ARRANGING A CHARTER FLIGHT TO BRING HIM BACK
ALL THIS COMES AS AXIOS REPORTS THE ADMINISTRATION AIMS TO PUT THE PEDAL TO THE MEDAL WITH DEPORTATIONS… WITH A NEW TARGET OF 3,000 ARRESTS PER DAY.
L3: ISRAEL TO ESTABLISH 22 NEW JEWISH SETTLEMENTS IN OCCUPIED WEST BANK
ISRAEL SAYS IT WILL FORMALIZE 22 NEW JEWISH SETTLEMENTS IN THE OCCUPIED WEST BANK… INCLUDING OUTPOSTS PREVIOUSLY BUILT WITHOUT GOVERNMENT APPROVAL.
THE MOVE EXPANDS ISRAEL’S FOOTPRINT IN A REGION IT CAPTURED DURING THE 1967 SIX-DAY WAR.
MOST OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CONSIDERS THE SETTLEMENTS AS ILLEGAL — AND A MAJOR OBSTACLE TO PEACE.
MORE THAN 500-THOUSAND ISRAELIS NOW LIVE IN SETTLEMENTS ACROSS THE WEST BANK … ALONGSIDE 3 MILLION PALESTINIANS LIVING UNDER ISRAELI MILITARY CONTROL.
THE U-N’S TOP COURT RULED LAST YEAR THAT ISRAEL’S PRESENCE IN THE TERRITORIES IS UNLAWFUL — AND CALLED FOR A HALT TO SETTLEMENT EXPANSION.
ISRAEL REJECTED THAT RULING … INSISTING THE LAND IS PART OF ITS HISTORIC HOMELAND.
L3: OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER PUNCHES TICKET TO FIRST NBA FINALS GAME SINCE 2012
FINALLY THIS MORNING — THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER ARE HEADED BACK TO THE NBA FINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE.
THE THUNDER DOMINATING THE MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES IN GAME 5 OF THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS WEDNESDAY NIGHT — 124 TO 94.
THE FRANCHISE NOW HAS ITS FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE 19-79 — WHEN THEY WERE THE SEATTLE SUPERSONICS — IN ITS SIGHTS… BUT CAN THE THUNDER TAKE HOME THE OVERALL WIN?
THAT REMAINS TO BE SEEN.
THE MATCHUP FOR THE FINAL GAME HAS NOT YET BEEN SET — BUT THEY WILL PLAY THE WINNER OF THE INDIANA-NEW YORK SERIES.
WHETHER O-K-C ENDS UP TAKING ON THE PACERS OR THE KNICKS — GAME ONE OF the NBA FINALS TIPS OFF NEXT THURSDAY, JUNE 5th.
RIGHT NOW, THE PACERS ARE JUST ONE WIN AWAY FROM THEIR FIRST TRIP TO THE N-B-A FINALS IN MORE THAN **TWO** DECADES… BUT EVEN WITH A 3 TO 1 LEAD GOING INTO GAME 5 — THE KNICKS COULD STILL RALLY TO TAKE HOME THE EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP.
THESE ARE YOUR UNBIASED UPDATES FOR THIS THURSDAY.
WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.
FOR ALL OF US HERE AT STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS — I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
