May 29

Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily blocks Trump's Anti-Weaponization Fund; sets June 12 hearing on preliminary injunction

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia granted a temporary restraining order blocking Treasury from disbursing any money from the $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund. Brinkema found that plaintiffs had shown a likelihood of success on their statutory claim — that § 1304 does not authorize payments on claims not adjudicated by a court — and that irreparable harm would result from disbursement before judicial review. She set a preliminary injunction hearing for June 12, 2026, and ordered the government to brief its statutory authority by June 6.

Bondi testifies in closed-door House Oversight interview on Epstein file witholding, blaming Blanche for redaction decisions

Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared for a closed-door transcribed interview before the House Oversight Committee on DOJ's partial compliance with the Epstein Disclosure Act and the redaction failures that exposed approximately 100 survivors. In testimony described by members in post-interview press statements, Bondi attributed both the redaction decisions and the withholding of 2.5 million pages to Deputy AG Todd Blanche's operational control of the review process. Members of both parties said they found her account incomplete and announced plans to subpoena Blanche.

Trump convenes Situation Room meeting to decide whether to accept 60-day Iran ceasefire MOU framework

President Trump held a Situation Room meeting on May 29, 2026 to decide whether to accept a proposed 60-day ceasefire memorandum of understanding with Iran, brokered through Omani back channels. Attendees included Secretary Rubio, National Security Adviser Waltz, and Defense Secretary Hegseth; the meeting ended without a final decision after Trump requested additional concessions on uranium enrichment caps. Republican hawks — Senators Wicker and Cruz — had publicly attacked the MOU's terms while Rand Paul had defended the talks.

USPS publishes proposed rule requiring states to submit voter lists and unique barcodes on all mail ballot envelopes

The United States Postal Service published a proposed rule in the Federal Register on May 29, 2026 implementing Trump's Executive Order 14399, requiring state election officials to submit voter registration rolls to DHS and stamp each outgoing mail ballot envelope with a unique machine-readable barcode linked to the voter's identity. States that failed to comply would have their mail ballots treated as undeliverable. The USPS acknowledged in the rule's preamble that it had no independent legal authority to enforce voter eligibility.

Biden visits Uvalde after school shooting and calls for assault weapons ban

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden travel to Uvalde, Texas, five days after Salvador Ramos killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School, the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook. Biden pauses at each child's cross for nearly three hours, his face at times buried in his hands. Before visiting, Biden delivers a prime-time address calling for an assault weapons ban, background check expansion, and red flag laws. He blames "the gun lobby" for blocking reform. Biden's Uvalde visit comes weeks before Congress passes the more modest Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which does not include an assault weapons ban.

Trump tweets about George Floyd protesters Twitter adds warning label for glorifying violence

Shortly before 1 a.m. on May 29, 2020, four days after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd, President Trump tweets: "Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!" The phrase "when the looting starts, the shooting starts" originates with Miami police chief Walter Headley, who used it in 1967 to promise violent crackdowns in Black neighborhoods. Twitter adds a warning label to Trump's tweet, stating it "glorifies violence," citing its rules. This is the first such action taken against Trump. The White House account reposts the tweet and Twitter flags that one as well. Facebook's internal classifiers determine the post violates its violence-and-incitement policy with 90% confidence, but CEO Mark Zuckerberg declines to remove it. Democratic governors, civil rights leaders, and mayors of major cities condemn the tweet.

Supreme Court limits racial-bias claims in federal sentencing in Ledbetter-adjacent era

The Supreme Court rules in Bowles v. Russell on June 14, 2007, and other procedural decisions in the same era narrow access to federal review, while racial justice advocates focus on how procedural barriers affect prisoners and workers challenging discrimination.\n\nThis event is included as part of a broader civil rights enforcement pattern rather than a direct race holding. Procedural rules can prevent courts from reaching claims involving racial discrimination, sentencing disparity, and workplace bias.\n\nThe event matters only as a supporting structural event showing how access-to-court doctrine affects civil rights enforcement.

Benjamin Netanyahu elected Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu elected Prime Minister..