(WASHINGTON) — A Catholic school in Oklahoma is asking the Supreme Court to clear the way for it to become the nation’s first religious charter school funded directly by taxpayers.
Oral arguments will be heard in the landmark case on Wednesday, pitting claims of religious freedom against efforts to maintain strict separation of church and state.
The justices will be weighing whether the First Amendment, which prohibits a government role in establishing religion while also protecting an individual right to practice religion, means only nonsectarian organizations can qualify for Oklahoma’s charter schools program or whether faith-based groups are also eligible.
The case turns in large part on whether the state’s charter schools meet the definition of “public” schools and, as such, operate as extensions of state government.
“The claim in this case is not that government schools are allowed to be Catholic or religious. This is a claim that, in Oklahoma, charter schools are contractors,” said Rick Garnett, a constitutional law professor at the University of Notre Dame.
St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which was created by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa in 2023, argues state funding for charter schools is made generally available to qualified organizations and that the state cannot discriminate on the basis of religion.
A series of recent Supreme Court decisions has made clear that taxpayer-funded public benefit programs, from school vouchers to state-run scholarships, must be equally available, even if a person or organization has a religious affiliation.
“It’s a pretty settled rule of the Supreme Court that once a government opens up a benefit program, it can’t discriminate on the basis of religion,” Garnett said of the school’s argument.
Oklahoma argues that its charter schools are part of the public school system and, under state law, must be “free, open to all, funded by the State, subject to state control, nondiscriminatory and nonsectarian.” Forty-five other states and the federal government have similar guidelines.
The state’s highest court ruled last year that taxpayer-funded religious schools would violate both the state and U.S. constitutions.
“In Oklahoma, the charter school law defines charter schools as public schools, so the case is sort of closed there,” said Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
“This school is run by the Catholic diocese in Oklahoma, and they say they will conduct themselves as a Catholic school according to the morality codes of a Catholic schools, which, read between the lines, means that they will discriminate against LGBTQ kids and families,” Laser said.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, said the state supports school choice and access to private religious education, including through the use of tax credits and state-funded tuition assistance. But in court documents, Drummond argued that charter schools are not simply “contractors” receiving a benefit.
“They are free, open to all, subject to anti-discrimination laws, created and funded by the State, and subject to continuing government regulation and oversight as to curriculum, testing, and a host of other matters,” the state said in its brief to the justices.
The state warned that a decision in favor of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School would have “sweeping consequences” nationwide, upending charter school programs and the education of millions of students.
Advocates for the school say not allowing the Catholic school to receive charter school funding amounts to religious discrimination.
A decision in the case is expected by the end of June.
(WASHINGTON) — Government data to be released on Wednesday is expected to show a sharp economic slowdown over the initial months of President Donald Trump’s second term as a flurry of tariff proposals stoked uncertainty among businesses and consumers, analysts told ABC News.
The measure of gross domestic product, or GDP, will likely be lowered by a surge of imports as firms stockpiled inventory to avoid far-reaching tariffs, though the trend did not reflect economic weakness, analysts said.
The government’s GDP formula subtracts imports from exports in an effort to exclude foreign production from the calculation of total goods and services.
The report will detail GDP over the first three months of 2025, offering the first look at a top gauge of economic health since Trump took office.
The data covers a period before the so-called Liberation Day tariffs went into effect in early April.
Analysts widely expect a steep decline in economic performance at the outset of this year, though they disagree over the severity of the slowdown.
Some analysts believe the data will show the U.S. economy tipped into a contraction over the most recent quarter, which would likely intensify warnings on Wall Street about a possible recession.
Bank of America Global Research and BNP Paribas both expect the economy to have grown at an annualized rate of 0.4% over a three-month stretch at the start of 2025, which would mark a sharp decline from a rate of 2.4% at the end of last year.
S&P Global Ratings expects the data to show the economy contracted at an annualized rate of 0.3% at the outset of this year. A forecast from the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which excludes gold imports, shows the economy shrank at a 1.5% annualized rate.
“We anticipate a marked slowdown in the U.S. economy during the first quarter, driven by increasing policy uncertainty surrounding trade, tariffs, and immigration,” S&P Global Ratings said in a note to clients.
The data may be skewed by a flood of imports as companies sought to circumvent tariffs, S&P Global Ratings said. The GDP measure deducts imports to exclude foreign-made goods and services, so a one-time import surge could blur the finding.
“The first-quarter GDP reading may not provide an accurate reflection of underlying economic conditions because it’s significantly influenced by the frontloading of imports,” S&P Global Ratings said.
Many observers define a recession through the shorthand metric of two consecutive quarters of decline in a nation’s inflation-adjusted GDP. The National Bureau of Economic Research, a research organization tasked with formally identifying a recession, uses a more complicated definition that draws on a range of indicators.
Despite flagging consumer sentiment and ongoing market turmoil, some key measures of the economy remain fairly strong.
The unemployment rate stands at a historically low level and job growth remains robust, though it has slowed from previous highs. Meanwhile, inflation cooled in March, putting price increases well below a peak attained in 2022, data showed.
The sturdy data offers at best partial reassurance, some economists previously told ABC News.
Measures of the economy like inflation and hiring are released one month after the data is gathered, and they often reflect slow-moving shifts in business or consumer behavior, the economists said. As a result, such measures can prove outdated, especially when the economy is in flux.
Speaking at the Economic Club of Chicago earlier this month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the “solid condition” of the U.S. economy, but he cautioned about signals of a potential slowdown.
(LONDON) — Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned Wednesday that “a whole series of nuances” needs to be addressed before Russia will agree to any U.S.-brokered peace deal to end Moscow’s 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking with journalists, Peskov appeared to downplay hopes of a quick peace agreement — which President Donald Trump said this weekend he wants to secure within two weeks.
President Vladimir Putin, Peskov said, “said that he supports this initiative — the establishment of a ceasefire, he supports it, but before going for it, a whole series of questions need to be answered and a whole series of nuances need to be resolved,” as quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.
Peskov was responding to suggestions — including from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — that Putin is not genuine about his professed desire to agree a peace deal.
Zelenskyy again urged greater international pressure on the Kremlin on Wednesday, citing the latest round of drone strikes in which 45 people were injured in Kharkiv — including two children — and one person was killed in Dnipro.
“Russian drones continue flying over Ukrainian skies all morning,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “And this happens every single day. That’s why pressure on Russia is needed — strong, additional sanctions that actually work. Not just words or attempts at persuasion — only pressure can force Russia to agree to a ceasefire and end the war.”
“Pressure from the United States, Europe and everyone in the world who believes war has no place on Earth,” the president wrote.
Zelenskyy said that more than 100 Russian attack drones were launched at Ukrainian targets overnight into Wednesday, with a total of 375 drones launched so far this week.
Ukraine’s air force said its forces shot down 50 of the 108 drones launched, with another 22 lost in flight without causing damage.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight into Wednesday morning.
ABC News Guy Davies and Oleksiy Pshemyskiy contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Savior. Ungodly. Patriotic. Un-American. Great. Sad.
A hundred days into his presidency, all are words Americans used to describe President Donald Trump’s performance in office.
Responses run the full spectrum of possible assessments. On the positive side of the ledger in this ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll: “Excellent.” “Awesome.” “Outstanding.” “Strong.” “Best president ever.”
And among the more negative comments: “Disaster.” “Chaotic.” “Appalling.” “Horrible.” “Atrocious.” “Catastrophic.”
As reported Sunday, Trump has a 39% job approval rating in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates with fieldwork by Ipsos. That’s the lowest job approval rating at or near 100 days in office of any president dating back to 1945 (as far back as data are available).
Invited to use one word to express their personal reaction to Trump’s performance as president so far, some focused on their feelings: “Frightened.” “Excited.” “Horrified.” “Relieved.” “Worried.” “Angry.” “Confused.” “Happy.” “Devastated.”
Others couldn’t restrain themselves to a single word, with fuller comments further illustrating Americans’ sharply divided opinions:
“He’s doing a fantastic job of accomplishing all that we want him to and voted for him to do!”
“He’s a convicted criminal, he’s a horrible con man who thinks he’s a great businessman and he’s tanking the economy for some ‘give it to the libs’ reason. I did not vote for this.”
“Someone needs to step in and rein him in. He is overstepping his authority. What is really frightening is that the Republican leadership knows he is wrong and will not stop him. Fear of losing their own power.”
“He doesn’t hesitate to support our best interests. He stands strong, and doesn’t give in to those who try and take advantage.”
“He is not taking into consideration the seniors that are on Social Security only which don’t have the discretionary income to handle the drastic cost of groceries and other necessities.”
“He is a horrible human being who cares about no one but himself and is ruining our democracy and all this country stands for.”
“He is courageously taking fast action to do what is best for our country economically and with the infrastructure.”
“Total embarrassment. Too bad so many believed and for some reason still believe in him.”
“He is a bad seed.”
“Trump seems even more unhinged than last time, but what were we all expecting? I’m not surprised, but I am displeased.”
A few others reserved judgment, at least for the time being:
“Don’t know yet, need more time to see the actual results.”
“We will see how this turns out.”
Groups
Among people who disapprove of Trump’s job performance, some characterizations were notably negative: “disgusting,” “disappointing,” “chaotic,” “incompetent,” “disaster,” “horrific,” “terrible” and “horrible.”
Others: “idiotic,” “embarrassing,” “criminal,” “crazy,” “appalling,” “pathetic,” “outrage.” Still others described him as “dictator,” “fascist,” “authoritarian,” “unconstitutional.” And some commented on Trump as a threat: “destructive,” “dangerous,” “frightening,” “reckless.”
Among Trump approvers, on the other hand, common reactions included “excellent,” “great,” “good,” “strong,” “outstanding,” “awesome,” “fantastic” and “amazing.” Others were positive, but less effusive: “acceptable,” “alright,” “decent,” “fair,” “fine,” “OK.” Some approvers were decidedly unenthusiastic: “so-so,” “mediocre,” “meh.”
Some commented on the speed or extent of his actions: “fast,” “hasty,” “quick,” “hectic,” “rollercoaster,” “sprinting,” “too much.” Several said they were “surprised”; others, “hopeful.” Some commented on Trump’s style: “bold,” “aggressive,” “determined.”
In any case, one said: “Better than Biden, so far.”
Methodology
This ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll was conducted online via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel® April 18-22, 2025, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 2,464 adults. Partisan divisions are 30%-30%-29%, Democrats-Republicans-independents.
Results have a margin of sampling error of 2 percentage points, including the design effect. Error margins are larger for subgroups. Sampling error is not the only source of differences in polls.
The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, with sampling and data collection by Ipsos. See details on ABC News’ survey methodology here.
Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — Measles cases are continuing to spread throughout the U.S. with outbreaks in at least six states.
Public health experts have previously said lagging vaccination rates are to blame for the rise in cases, at least partly due to vaccine hesitancy and vaccine fatigue left over from the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, even a small uptick in MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccination could prevent millions of infections, according to new research.
The study, published in JAMA last week, used a model to simulate the spread of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases across the U.S., evaluating different scenarios with different vaccination rates over a 25-year period.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that people receive two vaccine doses — the first at 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective and two doses are 97% effective against measles, the CDC says. Most vaccinated adults don’t need an additional dose.
At current vaccination rates, the model predicts measles could once again become endemic — constantly present — in the U.S. with an estimated 851,300 cases over 25 years. If vaccination rates decline by just 10%, the model estimates 11.1 million cases of measles over 25 years.
CDC data show vaccination rates have been lagging in recent years. During the 2023 to 2024 school year, 92.7% of kindergartners received the MMR vaccine, according to data. This is lower than the 93.1% seen the previous school year and the 95.2% seen in the 2019 to 2020 school year, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That result — that we’re already at this tipping point for measles in the U.S. — was a really striking finding that somewhat surprised us as well,” Dr. Nathan Lo, study co-author and an infectious diseases physician at Stanford Medicine, told ABC News.
“We continue to see measles outbreaks, but, by doing the study … you start to crystallize that result that even under the current levels of vaccine decline, there is a very feasible scenario where, over time, our country has measles return where it’s a common household disease again.”
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, who was not involved in the study, said the findings are a “well-thought-out worst-case scenario.”
“I’m not entirely sure that would actually happen because … the general level of vaccination remains pretty high, but there are pockets of unvaccinated children, and what you’re seeing now is the fact that this virus has been reintroduced several times from other parts of the world,” he told ABC News. “I think it’s a bit of a worst-case scenario but, as a worst-case scenario, it’s scary and, in that sense, reasonable.”
However, the model estimated that just a 5% increase in vaccination would lead to only 5,800 cases over the same 25-year period.
This is because when more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, most are protected from measles through community immunity, also known as herd immunity, according to the CDC.
“My hope is that this study can provide that data to parents to say, ‘This is the benefit of continuing to vaccinate your child. This is the kind of alternate reality that we’re preventing. And yes, the risks aren’t here right now, but perhaps not too far off,'” Lo said.
Schaffner said there are pockets of the U.S. where MMR vaccination rates are 80% or less and vaccination rates would need to increase substantially in those areas to reduce the number of cases long-term.
However, “if we increase the level of vaccination by a small amount that would reduce the risk of other small outbreaks here and there,” Schaffner said.
The study also found that a 50% drop in vaccinations would lead to an estimated 51.2 million cases over 25 years, but Lo thinks that would only occur if there were a large-scale policy change by the Department of Health and Human Services or the CDC to reduce or remove the childhood vaccine recommendation.
As of Friday, the CDC has confirmed nearly 900 measles cases in at least 29 states. That number is likely an undercount due to delays in states reporting cases to the federal health agency.
In western Texas, an outbreak has been spreading with 663 reported cases of measles, according to new data published Tuesday by the state Department of State Health Services. At least 87 people have been hospitalized over the course of the outbreak.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000 due to the highly effective vaccination program, according to the CDC. However, an outbreak lasting 12 months or more would threaten to end measles elimination status in the U.S. The Texas outbreak began in January of this year.
To drive vaccination rates up, Lo and Schaffner recommend that parents who haven’t vaccinated their children yet speak to their pediatrician to address their concerns.
“We have to provide recommendations and let people know the facts that these vaccines are very effective and that they are safe,” Schaffner said. “But we have to do more to try to reach out and provide reassurance, and this has to be done very much on a local basis.”
For example, when it comes to the community affected in Texas, Schaffner said they need local influencers they trust to turn to.
“Speak with your local physician, health care provider, the person who cares for your children,” Schaffner said. “Have a conversation with them, and that’s our best hope for regaining some of this trust which public health had and which has slipped away.”
(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court appears poised to rule narrowly in a closely watched dispute over when federal law enforcement can be held liable for mistakes that harm innocent victims.
Justices heard arguments on Tuesday in a case from Atlanta involving a 2017 pre-dawn FBI raid of the wrong house that traumatized a family and left thousands of dollars of damage.
Lower courts tossed out the victims’ claims for compensation because of sweeping legal immunity for government officials.
Much of the debate, while highly technical, focused on an exception to the immunity clause that Congress added to the Federal Tort Claims Act in 1974.
“If you really, really meant to drop the pizza off at the right address, it doesn’t matter. You still need to give a refund if you drop it off at the wrong address,” argued Patrick Jaicomo, an attorney representing the family.
A Trump administration attorney insisted officers exercising discretion in performance of their duties should not be subjected to lawsuits and second-guessed by courts.
“The officers here made a reasonable mistake,” said Frederick Liu, an assistant solicitor general.
Several justices did not appear to be buying the argument.
“That is so ridiculous,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor said. “Congress is … providing a remedy to people who have been wrongfully raided, and you’re now saying, ‘No, they really didn’t want to protect them fully.'”
Most law enforcement agencies don’t keep track of wrong-house raids or publicly report data, according to legal experts. Civil rights advocates estimate that are hundreds of cases of wrong-house raids nationwide each year, and most victims are not compensated for the physical or emotional harm that often results from them.
When Liu argued the FBI agents in the case did not violate any government policy despite the mistake, Justice Neil Gorsuch shot back incredulously.
“No policy says, ‘Don’t break down the wrong door? Don’t traumatize the occupants’? Really?” Gorsuch asked Liu.
“It’s the United States’ policy to execute the warrants at the right house,” Liu replied.
“I should hope so,” Gorsuch responded.
Despite sympathy for the plaintiffs, many of the justices appeared wary of a broad ruling that might open the floodgates to litigation against the government.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who is the justice most often in the majority, suggested the Supreme Court is likely to provide a limited decision and return the case to lower courts for further consideration.
A decision in the case is expected by the end of June.
(WASHINGTON) — Democrats, responding to the 100-day mark of President Donald Trump’s second term, argue that the American public’s opinion of the White House and Republicans in Congress — as well as consternation around high prices — give them an opening to flip the balance of power in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2026.
In a strategy memo obtained exclusively by ABC News, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the campaign arm of House Democrats, wrote, “In just 100 days, House Republicans and Donald Trump have lost the support of the American people and left a trail of broken promises that will cost them the House majority next year.”
Recent polls show approval ratings for Trump and congressional Republicans are underwater — although congressional Democrats have sometimes performed even worse. In a recent ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, Trump beats Democrats in Congress in terms of trust to handle the nation’s main problems.
The DCCC, however, argues in the memo that Democrats have momentum. The group pointed to ads from some Republican members during the 2024 campaign cycle where they said they would work to get costs down, claiming that they and others have abandoned those promises. The group also alleged that the recent budget blueprint passed by House Republicans will potentially lead to cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.
Republicans have argued that the budget blueprint does not and will not threaten any benefits or entitlements and that Democrats are causing undue fear. Some also blame actions by the previous White House under Democratic President Joe Biden or factors outside of anyone’s control have caused higher prices.
“The DCCC and House Democrats will continue to fight back and hold Republicans accountable for their broken promises … With every new bill that gets introduced, committee meeting held, and amendment vote taken, the American people will know that Republicans don’t work for them, they work for the billionaires,” the Democratic group wrote.
And looking to 2026, the DCCC added, “Their trail of broken promises have helped to put House Democrats on offense with an expansive battleground map, including more initial Districts in Play than any cycle since 2018. The DCCC will continue to build upon this momentum on our way to taking back the House next year.”
Republicans held on to a slim majority in the House in the 2024 election.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the campaign arm of House Republicans, has expressed confidence that the GOP will hold the House in the 2026 midterms. The group celebrated Trump’s 100 day mark on Tuesday as a milestone for momentum for an agenda the group said is revitalizing the country.
NRCC chair Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., wrote in a statement on Tuesday, “In just 100 days, President Trump has reignited American greatness. He’s secured our border, put America back on top, and restored the American Dream. House Republicans will continue working with him and building on this historic momentum.”
The DCCC’s memo comes as Democratic officials and other figures mark 100 days of Trump’s second term in office, although the party is still divided over how to rebuild after its losses in 2024.
To mark the 100-day milestone, Democratic mayors and governors have been pointing to federal government spending cuts or new policies that they say have a deleterious impact on their states.
A few well-known governors, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker — who created buzz during remarks on Sunday in New Hampshire when he said that “these Republicans cannot know a moment of peace” — will be holding a virtual town hall on Tuesday night about “how Democratic governors are standing up to protect the people in their states,” according to the Democratic Governors Association.
Meanwhile, Democratic members of Congress and party officials have been marking the run-up to the 100-day mark with town halls and protests. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., staged an hours-long “sit-in” on the House steps on Sunday to protest Congressional Republicans’ budget plans.
Some Democrats have argued that the disparate responses to the administration are actually a strength for the party while it is locked out of power in Washington.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was the running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, said at a talk on Monday night that the Democratic Party needs to “flood the zone” and “fill every single lane, and if there’s one that’s better than another, then let’s all pick that lane and do more of that.”
Harris herself is set to deliver remarks on Wednesday in San Francisco, one day after the administration’s 100-day mark, at the 20th anniversary celebration for Emerge, an organization that supports Democratic women running for office.
(NEW YORK) — A New York county legislature candidate has been missing for almost a week, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
Petros Krommidas, 29, a Democrat running for the Nassau County legislature’s 4th District, was last seen on April 23 in Baldwin, New York, police said.
Police said Krommidas was last seen wearing a camouflage print sweatshirt and gray sweatpants and is believed to be in the area of Long Beach, New York.
“Please keep searching. We need to find him,” Krommidas’ sister, Eleni-Lemonia Krommidas, said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to his family, Krommidas parked his car by the Allegria Hotel in Long Beach, locked his vehicle, grabbed his towel and walked onto the beach to exercise, “just as he had done many times before,” around 10:30 p.m. on April 23.
Krommidas was “always in great shape, and has many future plans,” including participating in a triathlon, his family said in a statement on Monday. He also was “not a stranger to cold water training,” his family said.
He was reported missing on April 24, with the family saying it is “completely out of character” for Krommidas not to respond to messages.
On April 24, police found Krommidas’ towel, clothes and phone left on the beach, officials confirmed to ABC News. Since then, the search efforts have continued, but the family is also encouraging the public to help by walking along the beaches — specifically areas between Long Beach, Lido Beach and Jacob Riis Park — during high tide.
“Every pair of eyes helps. Every step along the beach matters. Thank you for being part of bringing Petey home,” the family said.
Just two days before his disappearance, Krommidas spoke at a meeting for the Nassau County Young Democrats.
Police said anyone with information regarding Krommidas’ whereabouts should contact the Missing Persons Squad at 516-573-7347.
(WASHINGTON) — On the campaign trail, and in the weeks leading up to his return to the White House, President Donald Trump vowed to hit the ground running — what experts describe as a “flood the zone” strategy to push forward on his conservative and controversial policies.
The pace has meant an often unprecedented first 100 days in office: “Trump speed,” the White House calls it.
Earlier this month, he told Republican lawmakers at a party dinner: “We’re setting records right now. We’re getting more things approved than any president has ever done in the first 100 days. It’s not even close. I had somebody say the most successful month — first month in the history. Now they said the most successful 100 days in the history of our country.”
How he’s done so, legal experts told ABC News, will have a long-lasting impact on the presidency and the federal government.
His main strategy has been to sign executive orders almost daily, including ones that challenge Congress’ power to fund and oversee federal agencies and programs, while others relentlessly test the limits of immigration enforcement.
Other presidents on both sides of the aisle have tried to flex their executive muscle, such as President Joe Biden’s EO to require 50% of cars and light trucks sold to be zero-emission electric vehicles by 2030, according to Tabitha Bonilla, research assistant professor at the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University.
“Every president over the last few decades have been trying to add more power to the executive branch and forward their agenda,” Bonilla told ABC News. “Trump is taking that to the extreme.”
As an example, experts cited Trump using legal and financial threats to punish universities and law firms for alleged political opposition and failure to “align” with his agenda, as well as his wholesale firings of top career officials, replacing them with loyalists.
James Sample, a constitutional law expert at Hofstra University, said that Trump’s playbook appears to be straight out of Project 2025, a blueprint for “taking the reins of the federal government” prepared for years by Trump’s most conservative allies in anticipation of his comeback — although Trump claimed to never have read it.
Trump and his supporters said his actions are justified because unelected bureaucrats and judges, they claim, had seized control from presidents — the one person elected nationwide, they argue, and granted total executive power by the Constitution.
Regardless, Sample said, the tactic should raise a red flag.
“The purpose of a blitzkrieg is to overwhelm the opposition,” he said.
While Trump’s tactics have been met with little to no protest from the Republican lawmakers who control the House and Senate, the judicial branch has often been ready to stem the flood through rulings and injunctions in dozens of court cases.
Still, experts told ABC News, that even if all of Trump’s moves are blocked or even reversed, they have done both serious short-term and long-term damage.
“It’s all about implanting the narrative,” Bonilla said. “Trump’s policies and rhetoric have pushed everything to the right and hurt our strength on the global scale.”
Floodgates opened
Since Trump took office on Jan. 20, he has issued more than 140 executive orders on various policies as of Monday, shattering records and upending widely held interpretations of federal law and the Constitution.
President Joe Biden, by comparison, issued 162 EOs in his entire term, and Trump issued more than 30 executive orders during the first 100 days of his first term, according to historical records.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told Fox News in March that in this second term, the Trump team knew it needed to act fast, citing the midterm elections in November 2026 that could change the congressional map.
“This 18 months is our time frame. One hundred days, certainly six months into the year, and 18 months, are sort of our benchmarks,” she said.
The “flood the zone” goal has been long-touted by Trump’s allies.
His former White House political adviser Steve Bannon appeared to coin the idea during Trump’s first term. After Trump left office, conservative activists and Trump loyalists crafted a proposed battle plan for a second term.
In a 2023 speech, Russell Vought, a chief architect of Project 2025 and now Trump’s current director of the Office of Management and Budget, laid out one strategy at his Center for Renewing America, a pro-Trump Washington think tank.
“I want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected because they are increasingly viewed as villains. We want to put them in trauma,” he said in a speech reported by ProPublica.
Video of his making that speech was brought up during Vought’s confirmation hearings earlier this year but he repeatedly avoiding answering questions about his provocative rhetoric and plans.
Many of Trump’s EOs have dealt with Elon Musk’s brainchild — the Department of Government Efficiency, which has slashed agency budgets and tens of thousands of federal employees throughout the country, while others have pushed forward the president’s crackdown on immigration, such as the end to birthright citizenship and deporting migrants as alleged foreign invaders under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
Bernadette Meyler, the Carl and Sheila Spaeth professor of law at Stanford Law School, told ABC News that executive orders have always been a tool presidents have used to set their agenda, even if just symbolically.
“It is an effective tactic. It’s difficult even for courts to react rapidly,” Meyler said.
Conservative groups have long advocated for a federal government shakeup and agued that the president needed more power to make the country more efficient.
“What he’s doing is kickstarting what will ultimately be our legislative agenda,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in January after Trump’s first round of executive orders.
The Heritage Foundation, the far right think tank that helped to produce Project 2025, has contended that Trump’s efforts are essential and fast action can make the government more efficient.
Lindsey Burke, director of the Center for Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation, and Jonathan Butcher, a senior research fellow at the think tank, referenced this idea in a statement last month after Trump issued an executive order for a drastic reduction in force for the Department of Education.
“Reducing the bloated bureaucracy will give state and local education officials more decision-making authority,” they said.
War of words, resistance to courts
Legal experts said another effective aspect of the “flood the zone” tactic was Trump’s multiple media appearances and photo ops, where he continues to make controversial and provocative claims.
Meyler contends Trump’s war of words is part of a deeper tactic to undermine the public’s trust in the federal government.
She noted even with courts issuing injunctions, Trump’s statements and resistance to judge’s orders with aggressive appeals has still moved the needle more toward the right.
“It can seem he is doing a lot even without of lot of judicial action,” Meyler said.
How much steam is left?
Trump and his allies have been adamant that they will stick to their plans to reassert the powers of the executive branch long after the first 100 days are up and are vowing to take all of their cases up to the Supreme Court if necessary.
As of Sunday, there have been 217 court cases against the second Trump administration, according to an ABC News accounting, and a large majority of those have led to temporary restraining orders, reversals and, in some cases, full-on blocks of Trump’s agenda.
“In the first Trump administration, we saw a lot of executive actions in the beginning and then saw it slow down,” Bonilla said. “We will be living in the space of a lot happening all at once for a while, but at some point, there is going to be a moment where there is so much that [the executive branch] can’t keep up.”
Meyler agreed but added that Trump, the Project 2025 architects and their allies have stated that they are willing to work with Congress to get their agenda passed through legislative channels.
“That might secure his policies, and slow things down, and avoid the courts,” she said.
That pivot will meet more resistance, especially as we approach the midterms, according to Meyler.
“It’s easier for some than others because of various practical matters, but there is a tipping point,” she said. “People are already protesting and Trump’s public ratings are dipping.”
Still, future presidents will likely emulate the “flood the zone” tactic in their first weeks, according to Meyler.
“Over the long course of presidential history, there is rarely a retraction of presidential power,” she said.
(LONDON) — A professional hockey player who was arrested in connection with the 2023 on-ice death of former NHL player Adam Johnson will not face charges, British prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
Johnson, 29, was killed during an October 2023 game between two British professional teams, the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers. Johnson, who was playing for the Panthers, suffered a fatal neck injury when he was slashed by a skate during the game.
A Steelers player was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter a month later in the incident. Following a “thorough” police investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service said Tuesday it has decided not to bring criminal charges against the player.
“This was a shocking and deeply upsetting incident,” Michael Quinn, deputy chief crown prosecutor, said in a statement.
“Following a thorough police investigation and a comprehensive review of all the evidence by the CPS, we have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence and so there will not be a prosecution,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson.”
Prosecutors did not identify the hockey player who was arrested in the case.
The Panthers, who play in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League, called Johnson’s death a “freak accident” at the time.
Prosecutors did not identify the hockey player who was arrested in the case.
The Panthers, who play in England’s Elite Ice Hockey League, called Johnson’s death a “freak accident” at the time.
ABC News’ Mark Osborne contributed to this report.
