Storms, Statues, and Statutes: The Week America Came Unglued

From tornadoes to judicial immunity jujitsu, Trump’s unraveling empire faced Mother Nature, Melania backlash, and the ghost of his own Supreme Court ruling

Good morning, friends of facts and foes of fascism! While the Trump administration spent Friday deflecting responsibility, firing truth-tellers, and trying to re-ban abortion like it’s a new iOS update, the Midwest was being torn to pieces by a series of deadly storms. Let’s unpack the chaos.

We begin in Kentucky and Missouri, where at least 21 people were killed as tornadoes roared across the region, leaving entire neighborhoods obliterated, churches in ruins, and residents without power, shelter, or in some cases, hope. Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear declared a “mass casualty” event in Laurel County, where 14 people died, entire blocks were flattened, and residents are now left digging through splinters that used to be their homes.

Meanwhile, St. Louis saw its own disaster movie unfold, as a tornado swept through the city like an uninvited campaign rally, killing at least seven, collapsing part of Centennial Christian Church, and damaging more than 5,000 homes. Mayor Cara Spencer declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew, hoping to restore order. At the same time, FEMA allegedly rummages through the DOGE budget binder for loose change and disaster protocols.

The National Weather Service warns that the worst may not be over. The storm system is creeping eastward and still poses a serious threat, particularly across the southern Plains and into North Texas. Residents are being told to keep their phones charged, their shelters ready, and their expectations low for a prompt federal response.

Speaking of federal responses, Moody’s just downgraded the U.S. credit rating, stripping the country of its final AAA badge of honor and leaving the government with the financial credibility of a used car dealership. The agency cited ballooning deficits and rising interest costs, but the Trump White House, rather than offering a plan, has lashed out at Moody’s. A spokesman blamed “Biden’s mess” (naturally), while also throwing shade at Mark Zandi, a Moody’s Analytics economist who, for the record, had nothing to do with the downgrade. Somewhere between this tantrum and the collapse of Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Budget Bill,” the markets quietly began sweating.

In a move that surprised absolutely no one, Walmart, America’s self-proclaimed champion of "Everyday Low Prices", has announced that it will raise prices on a range of products, thanks to President Trump's latest round of tariffs. Despite a temporary reduction in tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, the retail giant concedes that even these "lower" rates are too steep to absorb without passing costs onto consumers.

Starting later this month, shoppers can expect to pay more for items like bananas, avocados, coffee, electronics, and toys. For instance, the price of bananas has already increased from 50 cents to 54 cents per pound. Walmart's Chief Financial Officer, John David Rainey, noted that the magnitude and speed of these price increases are "somewhat unprecedented in history."

In a more delicious twist of fate, the Trump administration is now being sued over yet another wrongful deportation, and this time, they’ve admitted in court they made it all up. In a Friday filing, ICE acknowledged they wrongly claimed that a Guatemalan man known as O.C.G. had expressed no fear of being deported to Mexico. Turns out that information came from a “software tool,” not a human conversation, and no ICE officer actually asked him. The kicker? That very error helped the government avoid an earlier court order to bring him back. This is the third high-profile case (after Kilmar Abrego Garcia and Daniel Lozano-Camargo) in which the Trump administration’s deportation machinery has been caught red-handed violating court orders, asylum rights, or basic human decency.

Even better, the Supreme Court also ruled Friday that the administration must stop its reckless deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, citing its failure to provide a fair process for those being labeled “terrorists” or “gang members.” It’s a direct blow to Trump’s plan to use 19th-century wartime powers as a fast track to mass expulsions. If only this court had found that kind of spine back in 2020.

Speaking of legal backfires, Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, arrested in her courtroom last month for daring to tell ICE they couldn’t operate with lawless impunity, has now filed a motion to dismiss her indictment, citing Trump v. United States as her defense. That’s right: the very Supreme Court case that gave Trump broad immunity is now being used to argue that state judges can’t be prosecuted for courtroom decisions, including protecting their courthouses from armed federal agents. The filing is sharp, strategic, and poetic. The administration, which had hoped to make an example of Dugan, may have accidentally handed her a sledgehammer of their own legal making.

In a scene that could only be described as "Rocky Road meets Capitol Hill," Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, was arrested on Wednesday after disrupting a Senate hearing to protest U.S. military aid to Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza. As Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Cohen stood and declared, "Congress kills poor kids in Gaza by buying bombs and pays for it by kicking kids off Medicaid in the US," before being escorted out by Capitol Police. Cohen was charged with a misdemeanor offense of "crowding, obstructing, or incommoding," a common charge for civil disobedience in Washington, D.C., carrying a potential penalty of up to 90 days in jail or a $500 fine.

Meanwhile, Missouri Republicans, apparently unbothered by storms, death, or due process, jammed through a 2026 ballot measure to re-ban most abortions, just months after voters enshrined abortion rights through Amendment 3. Not content with defying democratic outcomes, they also snuck in language targeting gender-affirming care for minors. It’s a legislative middle finger to bodily autonomy and trans rights all at once. Democrats filibustered until Republicans cut them off with a rare parliamentary move, then promptly adjourned the entire session two days early, because when you’ve done enough damage for the week, why stick around?

But not all was despair. From Slovenia comes a little comic relief: Melania Trump’s bronze statue has vanished, again. Sawed off at the ankles and spirited away from her hometown of Sevnica, the statue joins the wooden version that was torched in 2020. No suspects yet, but the people of Slovenia appear to be voting with hacksaws. One local was quoted as saying simply, “Good riddance.”

That’s the roundup for this storm-tossed Saturday. From lawsuits to lightning strikes, the winds of chaos are blowing in all directions.