The Introspective

Week 38 of Trump’s presidency marks another period of escalating tension and uncertainty.

Trump’s 38th week brought updates to the National Guard, immigration, lawsuits and the ongoing government shutdown. Following the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard to Chicago, both the city and the state of Illinois filed a lawsuit—raising implications as Trump has considered invoking the Insurrection Act. This comes as Trump plans to lower refugee admissions to 7,500 people, down from the previous cap of 125,000, and as nearly a quarter of FBI agents have been assigned to immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, following a previous report from The Introspective detailing the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, Comey pleaded not guilty to two charges of providing false statements to Congress.

As backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) continues, the Supreme Court is hearing a case that challenges Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, potentially affecting more than 20 states with similar bans in place. At the same time, as the government shutdown continues, a memo from the White House stated that federal employees are not guaranteed back pay while furloughed. Meanwhile, the CDC ended universal recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine.

National Guard, Immigration, and James Comey

With anti-immigrant sentiment ongoing, Chicago, along with the state of Illinois, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday. This comes as more than 500 National Guard troops have been deployed to the country’s third-largest city.

“The American people, regardless of where they reside, should not live under the threat of occupation by the United States military — particularly not simply because their city or state leadership has fallen out of a president’s favor,” read the lawsuit’s introduction.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul wrote that the “defendants’ deployment of federalized troops to Illinois is patently unlawful,” referring to the Trump administration.

“Plaintiffs ask this court to halt the illegal, dangerous, and unconstitutional federalization of members of the National Guard of the United States, including both the Illinois and Texas National Guard,” he continued.

Illinois And Chicago Lawsuit

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President Trump later said he was considering enacting the Insurrection Act—an 1807 law that allows the president to deploy the military within the United States to end unrest—despite no mass unrest occurring.

“If I had to enact it, I’d do it, if people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up,” he said.

“You look at what’s happening with Portland over the years—it’s a burning hellhole,” he added.

“And then you have a judge that lost her way that tries to pretend that there’s no problem.”

In a statement to NBC News, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson acknowledged Trump’s comments.

“The Trump administration is committed to restoring law and order in American cities that are plagued by violence due to Democrat mismanagement,” she said. “And President Trump will not stand by while violent rioters attack federal law enforcement officers. The administration will work to protect federal assets and officers while making American cities safe again.”

At the same time, The New York Times reports that Trump plans to lower refugee admissions to 7,500 people, down from the previous cap of 125,000—reserving the limited spots for white South Africans and other groups that the president states are facing “unjust discrimination.” This comes as a separate report from The Washington Post found that 3,000 FBI agents have been assigned to immigration enforcement.

Meanwhile, following a previous Introspective report detailing the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, he pleaded not guilty to charges of providing false statements to Congress.

If found guilty, Comey faces up to five years in prison and a $200,000 fine.

Supreme Court, Government Shutdown, and CDC

As backlash to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) continues, the Supreme Court is hearing a case that challenges Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors, impacting more than 20 states with similar bans in place. This follows a previous report from The Introspective detailing the court upholding Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors.

Research has found that conversion therapy increases a person’s risk of suicide and causes other long-term effects such as depression, anxiety and high blood pressure.

That same day, as the government shutdown continues, a draft memo from the White House stated that federal employees are not guaranteed back pay while furloughed.

“It really depends on who you’re talking about, but for the most part, we’re going to take care of our people,” Trump told reporters.

“There are some people that really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”

The president previously said that he would fire thousands of federal employees during the shutdown, raising implications as federal workers are usually allowed back to work after the shutdown ends.

“I’ll be able to tell you that in four or five days,” Trump said when asked about layoffs. “If this keeps going on, it’ll be substantial, and a lot of those jobs will never come back.”

Meanwhile, the CDC ended universal recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Informed consent is back,” said Acting Director of the CDC and Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Jim O’Neill in a press release.

“CDC’s 2022 blanket recommendation for perpetual COVID-19 boosters deterred health care providers from talking about the risks and benefits of vaccination for the individual patient or parent. That changes today.”

The CDC later recommended that toddlers receive the chickenpox vaccine separately from the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shot.