WTF Just Happened This Week

Curated by Matt Kiser, WTF Just Happened Today

5.12.26/ Today in One Sentence
Trump said he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation” as a motivation for negotiations with Iran ¶ U.S. inflation rose to 3.8% in April, the highest level in nearly three years ¶ the Congressional Budget Office estimated that Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense system could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years – nearly seven times more than Trump’s $175 billion estimate ¶ Trump called a journalist “a dumb person” after she noted that the cost of his White House ballroom project had doubled from $200 million to $400 million ¶ Marty Makary resigned as FDA commissioner after 13 months ¶ the Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to revive a Republican-drawn House map with only one majority-Black district, likely giving Republicans six of the state’s seven seats ¶ Democrats called for Rep. Jen Kiggans to resign after she agreed with a radio host’s comment that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries should get his “cotton-picking hands off of Virginia” ¶ and during a late-night Truth Social posting spree, Trump baselessly called Obama a “traitor,” a “demonic force,” and part of a coup.

Today's Top Story
Trump said he doesn’t “think about Americans’ financial situation” as a motivation for negotiations with Iran – “not even a little bit.” Trump said the “only thing” that matters is Iran “can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing — we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.” Trump added that “Every American understands.” (Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / CBS News / NBC News)

5.13.26/ Today in One Sentence
Senate Republicans blocked a resolution to stop Trump’s war with Iran for the seventh time ¶ the Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair ¶ U.S. producer prices rose 1.4% in April and 6% from a year earlier ¶ the Trump administration will withhold $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid reimbursements from California ¶ the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is investigating ICE’s $38 billion warehouse-to-detention program ¶ Trump’s Justice Department is discussing whether to settle Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, an agency he oversees ¶ and the White House is considering a plan for Trump to issue 250 pardons to mark America’s 250th birthday.

Today's Top Story
Senate Republicans blocked a resolution to stop Trump’s war with Iran for the seventh time. However, Republican Lisa Murkowski joined Rand Paul and Susan Collins in supporting the Democratic measure, leaving it one vote short. The Trump administration claims the April ceasefire “terminated” hostilities, making congressional authorization unnecessary. But U.S. forces remain deployed in the region, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz continues, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claims Trump can resume strikes without Congress. “It doesn’t appear that hostilities have ended,” Murkowski said. (CBS News / New York Times / The Hill / Washington Post / Associated Press)

5.14.26/Today in One Sentence
The Supreme Court preserved nationwide mail and telehealth access to mifepristone ¶ U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks resigned ¶ Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned Trump of “clashes and even conflicts” if the U.S. “improperly” handles Taiwan ¶ the EPA proposed relaxing wastewater limits for coal-fired power plants ¶ FBI Director Kash Patel took a military-coordinated “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona memorial ¶ the Trump administration wants to build Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch using an existing, unrelated White House engineering contract ¶ Trump allies want the July 4 fireworks show in Washington to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest fireworks display ¶ and 45% of Kamala Harris voters said Democrats should redraw House maps to help the party win more seats, even if that weakens some districts designed to protect Black and minority voters.

Today's Top Story
The Supreme Court preserved nationwide mail and telehealth access to mifepristone, blocking a lower court order that would have reinstated in-person dispensing rules. The unsigned order keeps the FDA’s 2023 policy in place while Louisiana’s challenge continues, leaving medication abortion access unchanged for now. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented, with Thomas writing that the manufacturers’ “are not entitled to a stay of an adverse court order based on lost profits from their criminal enterprise.” The case returns to the 5th Circuit. (NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Reuters / The Hill / The 19th / CBS News / ABC News)

5.18.26/Today in One Sentence
Trump postponed a previously unannounced attack on Iran after Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates asked him to “hold off” ¶ Trump’s Justice Department settled Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS by creating a $1.776 billion taxpayer-funded “Anti-Weaponization Fund” for people claiming they were targeted by the government for political purposes ¶ Trump helped defeat a Republican senator who voted to convict him after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol ¶ the Supreme Court rejected Virginia Democrats’ emergency effort to use a new, voter-approved congressional maps ¶ Minnesota prosecutors charged an ICE agent with four felony assault counts and falsely reporting a crime in the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis during Operation Metro Surge in January ¶ the EPA proposed repealing drinking water limits for four “forever chemicals” ¶ 76% of Americans are concerned about their personal finances ¶ and 64% of voters think Trump made the wrong decision to go to war with Iran.

Today's Top Story
Trump postponed a previously unannounced attack on Iran after Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates asked him to “hold off.” Trump claimed Gulf leaders told him “serious negotiations are now taking place” and that “a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable” because it would include “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” Trump, however, told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine to remain ready for a “full, large scale assault” on “a moment’s notice” if talks fail. Iran, meanwhile, insisted it wouldn’t give up its enrich uranium and warned that Iranian forces were “ready to pull the trigger.” (Reuters / Axios / CNBC / Bloomberg / New York Times / NBC News / Politico)