(CNBC) The U.S. economy contracted in the first three months of 2025 on an import surge at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in office as he wages a potentially costly trade war. Gross domestic product, a sum of all the goods and services produced from January through March, fell at a 0.3% annualized pace, according to a Commerce Department report Wednesday adjusted for seasonal factors and inflation. This was the first quarter of negative growth since Q1 of 2022.

(The Hill) As the Trump administration celebrates its first 100 days, polls show Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with the president’s second term, even in the same swing states that vaulted him into the White House. Nationally, Trump’s approval rating fell to 41 percent according to a mid-April CNN poll conducted shortly before the 100 Day mark. In February, 48% approved of the job his administration was doing, a number that slid to 45% in March.

(New York Times) Trump’s comments undermined previous statements by his top aides and were a blunt sign of his administration’s intention to double down and defy the courts. President Trump, whose administration has insisted it could not bring Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia back from El Salvador to the United States, said he does have the ability to help return the wrongly deported Maryland man, but is not willing to do so because he believes he is a gang member.

(Mediaite) President Donald Trump spent nearly two minutes arguing that a photoshopped image was real during an interview with ABC News on Tuesday. During a discussion about the deportation of illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, Trump referenced a photograph of Garcia’s knuckles, which showed his real tattoos – a marijuana leaf, a smiley face, a cross, and a skull – below the letters “MS13,” which had been edited on. While the photo attempted to make the case that the symbols on Garcia’s hand were code for “MS-13,” Trump appeared to take the edited letters literally, believing that they had also been tattooed onto Garcia’s knuckles.

(The Independent) Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has teased that the U.S. is very close to its first tariff deal – but declined to name the country involved. And he’s still waiting to hear from the leaders of the country for the final sign off, he told CNBC Tuesday. That could be a surprise to President Donald Trump, who boasted in an interview with Time magazine last Thursday that he had already struck 200 deals. “I’ve made 200 deals,” he told Time. “You’ve made 200 deals?” he was asked. He responded: “100 percent.” Yet he refused to name any countries.

(CBS News) Senate Democrats have asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to review the FBI Director Kash Patel's personal travel on government aircraft, according to GAO and congressional sources. The review will examine Patel's use of the FBI's private fleet of jets, as well as every director's approach since 2013, when the GAO last studied the issue. Investigators at the congressional watchdog agency are expected to examine Patel's flight records to determine the purpose of his travel, how much the bureau spent and whether Patel reimbursed the government for personal trips.

(Raw Story) A federal judge in California issued an injunction on Tuesday preventing the U.S. Border Patrol in that district from making most warrantless arrests. According to Cal Matters, "The ruling came in response to an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit filed after the El Centro Border Patrol traveled to Kern County to conduct a three-day sweep in January, detaining day laborers, farm workers and others in a Home Depot parking lot, outside a convenience store and along a highway between orchards."

(The Independent) Questions are swirling about the background of President’s Donald Trump’s pick for Surgeon General and whether she has presented misleading claims about where she was educated. Dr Jannette Nesheiwat has been described by the president as “a double board-certified medical doctor,” and a “proud graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.” Prior to her nomination as Surgeon General she has been employed as a New York City medical director with CityMD, a group of urgent care facilities and also has appeared on Fox News and other TV shows. However, according to CBS News, Nesheiwat only completed her residency through the university’s family medicine program in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and did not obtain her medical degree there.

(Reuters) More than 1,100 law students on Tuesday filed a court brief supporting law firm Susman Godfrey, saying U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order against the firm amounts to "government reprisal." The friend-of-the-court brief was filed by 1,129 law students and 51 law student organizations in Washington, D.C., federal court. The law students' brief said that Trump's executive orders are retaliation against Susman and other law firms for "taking up representations disfavored by those in control of the executive branch of the government."

(The Guardian) Starbucks is planning to hire more baristas, get them to work more hours at its coffee shops and roll back its embrace of automation, as the company’s new leadership battles to turn the chain around. Brian Niccol, who joined Starbucks as chief executive last September, has vowed to “fundamentally change” the company’s strategy in order to win back customers. In a call with investors on Wednesday, he acknowledged that reducing the number of staff members in outlets had backfired.