Joe Biden

Rule Changes

Filed lawsuit May 27, 2026 in U.S. District Court for D.C.

Joe Biden talked with his ghostwriter for about 70 hours in 2016 and 2017. The Trump-era Justice Department now plans to release the recordings — and Biden sued Tuesday to block it.

Updated 2 days ago

Force in Play

Claimed credit for crime decline through federal investment

America's murder rate plunged to its lowest level since 1900 in 2025, as homicides fell 21%—the largest single-year drop ever recorded, according to Council on Criminal Justice data from 35 major cities. This followed 2024's historic 14.9% decline, creating an unprecedented two-year reversal. The 2025 rate, projected at 4 per 100,000 when the FBI releases nationwide data, is a complete reversal of the 2020 pandemic spike and brings murder 25% below pre-pandemic levels.

Updated May 19

Built World

Signed IIJA into law; left office with 47% of funds obligated, 21% spent

China just front-loaded $42 billion in infrastructure spending for early 2026—281 projects approved before the calendar even flipped. The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed with $1.2 trillion in 2021, has spent just 21% of its funds as of December 2024.

Updated May 19

Force in Play

Approved major disaster declaration and 100% federal cost coverage

On January 7, 2025, two wildfires exploded across Los Angeles County with unprecedented speed. The Palisades Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains and the Eaton Fire in Altadena spread at the rate of three football fields per minute, driven by Santa Ana winds gusting to 100 mph. Within hours, 200,000 people fled their homes. The fires killed at least 31 people directly, with researchers estimating 440 total deaths including those from heart and lung conditions aggravated by smoke and stress. By the time containment came 24 days later, 16,000 structures were destroyed and $150 billion in losses tallied—making it the costliest disaster in U.S. history.

Updated May 19

Rule Changes

Rescinded Trump travel bans on first day in office, reversed in second Trump term

Trump signed his first travel ban seven days into his presidency, blocking entry from seven Muslim-majority countries and igniting protests; courts blocked it within a week. After Supreme Court victories, a Biden reversal, and his return to power, Trump's December 2025 expansion restricts entry from 39 countries—affecting one in eight people worldwide and eliminating exemptions for immediate family.

Updated May 16

Rule Changes

Architect of the Inflation Reduction Act’s higher royalties and limited offshore leasing

Donald Trump's second-term energy agenda has moved from a single Gulf auction to a full-scale offshore transformation. The December 10 Gulf lease sale—81.2 million acres at a 12.5% royalty rate, generating $279.4 million—was just the opening move. By year's end, the administration had proposed a sweeping 2026-2031 leasing plan covering 1.27 billion acres off California, Florida and Alaska, and scheduled a second Gulf sale for March 11, 2026. It simultaneously halted all five major East Coast offshore wind projects, citing national security risks; Shell-INEOS's early January oil discovery south of New Orleans showed the industry's bet on deepwater Gulf prospects.

Updated May 10

Rule Changes

Architect of the SAVE plan and broader student debt relief push now under sustained legal attack.

Biden sold the SAVE plan as a fix for millions facing a broken student loan system: smaller payments, faster forgiveness, and protection from ballooning interest.

Updated May 10