Welcome to the Bulletin,

• University of Arizona protest: The University of Arizona Police said it had deployed "chemical munitions" while telling pro-Palestinian protesters to disperse. Find out why.
• Zelensky fires security chief: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday fired the head of his country's State Security Administration (UDO), days after Kyiv officials announced a foiled Russian plot to assassinate him. Here's what we know.
• Trump gets Barron's age wrong: Donald Trump forgot that his son Barron turned 18 when asked about him entering politics as a delegate for Florida at the upcoming Republican National Convention. Read his full comment.
• Cities offer property tax rebate: Volunteers in several cities are getting rewarded with a property tax rebate in hopes of boosting firefighter teams and incentivizing volunteers. Learn more.
• In the ongoing war in Ukraine, Germany has committed to purchasing three new M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems—colloquially known as HIMARS—for Ukraine as Western nations seek to bolster Kyiv against a relentless Russian assault on the eastern front.

Trump Handed Two Losses by Judge Merchan

TL/DR: Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide hush money paid during his 2016 campaign

New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan denied two motions filed by former President Donald Trump's defense team in his hush-money case on Thursday as several witnesses, including Stormy Daniels, took the stand.

Why it matters: Trump's attorneys raised three issues in his hush-money case: a motion for a mistrial, an issue with the gag order against Trump, and a request to exclude testimony from Karen McDougal, another alleged recipient of hush money. Judge Juan Merchan rejected modifying the gag order, citing the need to protect the proceedings and prevent Trump's history of attacking others. A second mistrial motion was also denied, with the judge questioning the defense's handling of Daniels' testimony details.

Read more in-depth coverage:

Donald Trump's Defense 'a Complete Disaster'—Legal Analysts

Judge Engoron Faces Questions After Lawyer Says He Advised on Trump Case

Donald Trump May Have Prejudiced the Jury Against Himself: Attorney

What happens now? The trial will resume today with more witness testimonies.

Abbott Issues Ultimatum to Biden

TL/DR: Over the past few months illegal immigration has caused an explosion in tensions between the Biden administration and Governor Abbott.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has hit out at new asylum rules President Biden proposed, claiming they "do nothing to slow the record-breaking illegal immigration."

Why it matters: On Thursday, Biden unveiled proposals to expedite the asylum process for certain groups, including those with prior criminal convictions. Abbott, who has launched Operation Lone Star to combat illegal crossings, claimed Biden's proposed asylum reforms would make no difference to the level of irregular migration and urged him to "follow Texas' lead–or get out of the way." Tensions between Abbott and the Biden administration have escalated, especially after the Supreme Court allowed federal agents to remove razor wire along the Texas-Mexico border.

Read more in-depth coverage:

Greg Abbott Defies Joe Biden With Order To Ignore New Law

Greg Abbott Warns of Texas National Guard 'Power Grab'

Greg Abbott Vows To Defy Joe Biden on Another Law

What happens now? A survey of eligible U.S. voters conducted for Newsweek in April found just 20 percent believed the country has "control over its borders," a fall from 34 percent in August 2023.

Social Security Update Could Expand Benefits to Millions

TL/DR: In April 2023, according to the center, 41.9 million people in 22.2 million households received SNAP benefits—about 12.5 percent of the population.

Social Security has expanded access to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to potentially millions of Americans by broadening the definition of a public assistance (PA) household.

Why it matters: The new rule includes expanding the definition of a PA household to include those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments and households where not all members receive public assistance. This means that one can be considered a PA household if it has an SSI applicant or recipient and at least one other household member who receives one or more of the listed means-tested PIM payments.

Read more in-depth coverage:

Millions of Americans Get $4,800 Social Security Check

Social Security Maps Reveal Areas With Longest Waiting Times

Retired Americans Warn About Social Security's Future Under Donald Trump

What happens now? The maximum monthly SSI payment that a recipient can get in 2024 is $943 for individuals and $1,415 for a couple. The expanded definition will allow more people to qualify for SSI, boost some SSI recipients' monthly payments, and reduce reporting burdens for individuals living in PA households.

How China's Economy Benefited From the Pandemic

TL/DR: China's export volumes last month reversed the drop in March but were a far cry from the lofty heights seen early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The value of Chinese exports in U.S. dollars expanded by 1.5 percent last month compared to April 2023, according to preliminary data published by China's customs administration on Thursday.

Why it matters: This continues the general upward trend for shipment volumes since November, which saw the reversal of half a year of sharp declines following a brief post-pandemic bump. Exports are among the green shoots that have sprouted in recent months in the year of general economic malaise seen since China dropped its strict "zero-COVID" anti-pandemic measures in December 2022. However, the world's second-largest economy continues to be weighed down by its ongoing property market slump, high public debt, deflationary pressure, and high youth unemployment.

Read more in-depth coverage:

Here's How China's Economic 'Nuclear Option' Would Impact US

China and Japan: How Asia's Top Two Economies Compare

How American Views Are Shifting on China

What happens now? Thursday's report is another sign that China's exports are still far from the impressive export volumes it enjoyed at the height of the pandemic. Lackluster domestic demand has spurred deflation in China, reducing the cost of exports, Pinpoint Asset Management chief economist Zhang Zhiwei pointed out in a Reuters report. While this makes its goods more competitive, it has also led to China being accused of flooding markets with low-cost petrochemicals, steel, and other products to alleviate its manufacturing glut.

Homeowners Feel the Squeeze

TL/DR: A rise in property taxes and insurance premiums spells trouble for homeowners throughout the U.S.

Homeowners nationwide are feeling the squeeze due to rising property taxes and insurance costs. Polling indicates that 65 percent of Americans had seen a hike in their property taxes, while 69 percent were now paying more for their home insurance policies.

Why it matters: A January poll found that about two-thirds of Americans surveyed believed their property tax rate was too high. Greg Batista, president of South Florida's G. Batista Engineering & Construction, tells Newsweek a wider demand for "public services, such as schooling, policing, and public infrastructure" has led to local governments requiring more revenue to cover costs, which "often leads to higher property taxes."

Read more in-depth coverage:

Property Tax Anger is Growing Across America

Homeowners Furious After Property Taxes Double in Six Months

Property Taxes Could Come Crashing Down Under Democrat Proposal

What happens now? However, as premiums continue to rise, more people are reducing coverage or forgoing it entirely, a risky move that Batista says “undermines both personal and community resilience.”

I'm a Motherless Daughter and a Daughterless Mother. But I'll Celebrate

When I was little, my sisters and I prepared breakfast for our mother on Mother's Day, which we ceremoniously presented to her in bed. Our feast consisted of a bowl of cereal, some cut-up fruit, and a glass of orange juice. We didn't even attempt to figure out how the coffee machine worked.

After I grew up and moved out of the house, I treated my mother to dinner on Mother's Day. Those meals felt less perfunctory than the breakfasts had. We lingered over our chardonnay, reminiscing about the past and making plans for the future.

My mother's name was Zelda, and she wore the name perfectly. She was the biggest presence in every room she entered, the exclamation point at the end of the alphabet, her laughter uninhibited and contagious.