Today in one sentence: Trump threatened to cancel Elon Musk’s federal contracts, called him “crazy” and accussed him of suffering from “Trump derangement syndrome”; Musk responded by saying Trump is “in the Epstein files,” floated creating a new political party, predicted a recession from Trump’s tariffs and tax and spending bill, endorsed impeaching Trump, ordered SpaceX to decommission its Dragon spacecraft used by NASA, and claimed that “Without me, Trump would have lost the election"; Trump issued a travel ban blocking immigration and most travel from 12 countries; a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to give over 100 migrants deported to El Salvador a chance to challenge their removals; Trump blocked foreign nationals from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard; and the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a straight woman passed over for promotions can sue for job discrimination, threw out Mexico’s lawsuit against U.S. gun makers, and ruled that Wisconsin illegally denied the Catholic Charities Bureau and its affiliated groups a religious tax exemption.

1/ Trump threatened to cancel Elon Musk’s federal contracts and subsidies, saying “the easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.” He said he’s “very disappointed” in Musk, called him “crazy,” and claimed the billionaire only developed a “problem” after losing influence and perks. “He misses the place,” Trump added, suggesting Musk suffered from “Trump derangement syndrome.”The feud centers on Trump’s tax and spending bill, which cuts EV and solar credits, adds $2.4 trillion to the deficit, and removes funding that benefits Musk’s companies. Musk called it a “disgusting abomination,” saying it was filled with “disgusting pork” and unfairly preserved oil and gas subsidies. Musk, however, denied Trump’s claim that he’d reviewed the legislation, writing: “This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it.” Musk, who spent nearly $300 million to elect Trump and Republicans in 2024, claimed that “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate. Such ingratitude.” He floated forming a new political party “that actually represents the 80% in the middle” and warned Republicans: “Trump has 3.5 years left […] I’ll be around for 40+.” The rift continued to explode throughout the day with Musk saying it was “Time to drop the really big bomb,” accusing Trump of being “in the Epstein files,” which “is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT! […] The truth will come out.” Musk also attacked Hill Republicans, singling out Speaker Mike Johnson and Sen. John Thune for abandoning past concerns over the national debt. Tesla shares, meanwhile, plunged 14%, wiping out more than $180 billion in market value and marking the stock’s worst day in four years. Musk later said SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft “immediately” due to Trump’s threats to cancel his government contracts. The Dragon capsule – which brought two NASA astronauts back to Earth in March after they were stranded for months by a Boeing Starliner capsule – is the only U.S. option for delivering crew to and from the International Space Station. And, at the time of this writing, Musk capped the day saying “The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year” and signed off on a suggestion on Twitter that Trump should be impeached and removed from office. Trump, of course, was impeached twice during his first term and acquitted both times by the Senate. (New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Bloomberg / Washington Post / ABC News / CNN / NBC News / CNBC / The Hill / Axios / Associated Press / NPR / Bloomberg / Politico / Axios / CNBC / Bloomberg)

2/ Trump issued a travel ban blocking immigration and most travel from 12 countries, reviving a version of his first term travel ban targeting Muslim-majority nations. The order bars entry from Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and six other countries, and limits visas from Cuba, Venezuela, Laos, and others. The ban takes effect June 9 and exempts green card holders and some visa categories. Even though Egypt was not part of the travel, Trump nevertheless justified the action by tying it to the Colorado attack by an Egyptian man with an expired visa. “We don’t want them,” Trump added. (Politico / CBS News / The Hill / New York Times / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / Reuters)

3/ A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to give over 100 migrants deported to El Salvador a chance to challenge their removals, calling the current process “constitutionally inadequate.” Judge James Boasberg said officials “spirited away planeloads of people” in March under the Alien Enemies Act without letting them contest the claim that they belonged to a Venezuelan gang. “There is simply no way to know for sure,” Boasberg wrote, adding that “significant evidence” suggests many of the migrants held at CECOT prison have no gang ties. The order gives the government one week to outline how it will let the detainees seek habeas relief. (CNN / Associated Press / NBC News)

4/ Trump blocked foreign nationals from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard, targeting only that school and citing “national security” risks. The proclamation accused Harvard of underreporting “known illegal activity” by international students and claimed the university is “no longer a trustworthy steward” of student visa programs. The proclamation directs Secretary of State Rubio to consider revoking visas of current students and will last six months unless extended. A Harvard spokesperson called it “yet another illegal retaliatory step,” while Attorney General Bondi wrote: “Admission to the United States to study at an ‘elite’ American university is a privilege, not a right.” The order followed a federal judge’s injunction blocking earlier efforts to strip Harvard’s visa certification and freeze its enrollment of international students. (CBS News / Axios / Bloomberg / Politico / USA Today / Washington Post)

5/ The Supreme Court unanimously threw out Mexico’s lawsuit against U.S. gun makers, ruling that a 2005 federal law shields gun manufacturers from civil lawsuits tied to misuse of their products. Mexico argued that companies like Smith & Wesson and Colt knowingly fueled trafficking by selling to dealers linked to cartels, pointing to firearms like the “Emiliano Zapata 1911” pistol marketed with Mexican revolutionary imagery. About 70% of the 30,000 guns seized and traced in Mexico each year come from the U.S., according to U.S. and Mexican officials. (Washington Post / New York Times / Politico / NBC News)

6/ The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a straight woman passed over for promotions can sue for job discrimination. Marlean Ames, a Ohio state employee, claimed because she is straight she was demoted and replaced by a “25-year-old protégé” who “lacked the minimum qualifications.” The justices struck down a rule used by several federal appeals courts requiring plaintiffs from majority groups – often meaning white, male, or heterosexual individuals – to prove their employer was “unusual” in discriminating against them. “Congress left no room for courts to impose special requirements on majority-group plaintiffs alone,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote. (Associated Press / Washington Post / CNN / New York Times / NPR / NBC News / CBS News / USA Today)

7/ The Supreme Court ruled that Wisconsin illegally denied the Catholic Charities Bureau and its affiliated groups a religious tax exemption. In a unanimous decision, the justices said state officials violated the First Amendment by rejecting the charity’s religious status because it serves people of all faiths and doesn’t proselytize. Wisconsin had argued the charity didn’t qualify because its services – like housing and job support for people with disabilities – were available to anyone and lacked religious content. The Wisconsin Supreme Court had sided with state regulators, who called the group’s work “secular in nature” and not “operated primarily for religious purposes.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor, however, wrote the state “transgressed” constitutional limits by favoring some religious practices over others. (NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post)

The midterm elections are in 516 days.

✏️ Notables.

  1. A 20-something tech operative known online as “Big Balls” is now a full-time federal employee with top-level access to government systems. Edward Coristine, a former Neuralink contractor tied to Elon Musk’s DOGE team, was hired at the General Services Administration on May 31 as a senior adviser with a GS-15 salary – one of the highest possible. Alongside two other young Musk associates, he helped dismantle USAID and push a $5 million “gold card” visa plan while gaining access to dozens of agencies, despite having no prior government experience. (Wired)

  2. The Trump administration put 22-year-old Thomas Fugate, a recent college graduate with no national security background, in charge of the Department of Homeland Security’s main terrorism prevention office. Fugate now oversees CP3, an $18 million grant program once led by a decorated Army veteran, after the White House gutted the office and shifted its focus to immigration. (ProPublica)

  3. Trump is spending $2.1 million on a probe to see if DEI policies caused plane crashes, including the January accident near Reagan airport that killed 67 people. The Department of Transportation hired Elon Musk’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, to lead the investigation, which includes $1.8 million in legal fees and up to $15,000 per interview. (The Atlantic)

  4. Trump ordered a federal investigation into whether Biden’s aides used an autopen to hide his “serious cognitive decline” and execute presidential actions. The memo called for a review of documents Biden signed, including pardons and executive orders, to determine if others “unconstitutionally exercise[d] the authorities” of the presidency. Trump claimed the public was “purposefully shielded” while Biden’s signature was used to enact “radical policy shifts.” Biden, meanwhile, dismissed the claims as “ridiculous and false,” saying: “I made the decisions during my presidency.” (CNN / Politico / Washington Post / New York Times / NPR / USA Today)

Two years ago today: Day 867: "Political stunts."
Six years ago today: Day 867: The cleanest climate.
Seven years ago today: Day 502: Witness tampering.
Eight years ago today: Day 137: Blindsided.