The Bulletin

• F-15 fighter jets deployed: U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter jets have been deployed to Diego Garcia to protect its assets on the Indian Ocean island. Here's why.
• Tornadoes leave 9 dead: At least nine people have been killed after a series of powerful tornadoes tore through multiple states on Friday. Find out more.

• New Orleans inmates escape: Authorities in Louisiana are actively searching for nine of the 10 inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Justice Center in New Orleans. Find out how they fled.

• Secret Service interviews James Comey: Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed by the U.S. Secret Service on Friday regarding a controversial Instagram post. See the post here.

• Biden's Hur tape may backfire on Harris: Former President Joe Biden's newly revealed audiotape of his interview with ex-special counsel Robert Hur calls into question then-Vice President Kamala Harris' defense of her boss's cognitive abilities.

• US airports with most delays: Drawing on data from the Department of Transportation, Newsweek has created a map showcasing the U.S. airports with the worst rates of on-time departures.

• Amy Coney Barrett's remarks spark MAGA fury: Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett's remarks in court on Thursday have sparked MAGA backlash online, with some saying President Donald Trump made a "huge mistake" appointing her to the bench. Know more about her comments.

The rundown: South Africa has found itself at the unlikely center of an American political firestorm, Elon Musk, who grew up there during apartheid, weighing in repeatedly. Here's everything you need to know.

Why it matters: Last week, America welcomed the first group of South African Afrikaans refugees to the country, a move which has proved contentious. Some dispute the validity of their refugee status and others see "double standards" of this program amid Trump's immigration crackdowns. The exodus began after the South African government signed into law a new land expropriation bill in January. Musk, who was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and lived there for 18 years, has spoken out about the bill multiple times, often alongside his claims that a "white genocide" is taking place in South Africa. South Africa has repeatedly denied allegations of discriminating against people with a recent court ruling calling claims of a white genocide "clearly imagined" and "not real."

Read more in-depth coverage:
Donald Trump Faces Criticism After Taking in White South African Refugees

TL/DR: "The South African government passed a law legalizing taking property from white people at will with no payment," Elon Musk posted in March, "Where is the outrage? Why is there no coverage by the legacy media?"

What happens now? Musk also has an ongoing gripe with South Africa's race relations laws, which stipulate that any investors in the country's telecoms sector provide 30 percent of the equity in the South African part of the enterprise to Black-owned business.

Deeper reading Elon Musk's War With South Africa, Where Apartheid Scars Run Deep

The rundown: Donald Trump's administration suffered a double legal blow on Friday. Find out what it means for the administration.

Why it matters: Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to lift a judge's injunction blocking the swift deportation of illegal immigrants to a country other than their own, such as El Salvador or Libya. Also on Friday, the Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision blocked the administration's request to resume the rapid deportation of Venezuelan nationals using the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used 1798 law. The Trump administration had deported suspected members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua criminal gang to a super prison in El Salvador, utilizing the Alien Enemies Act. The government has suffered legal defeats on a range of issues including the firing of probationary federal workers, freezing of billions in foreign aid and a ban on transgender individuals serving in the military.

Read more in-depth coverage:
Judge Rips Trump Admin for Repeat "I Don't Knows" in Abrego Garcia Hearing

TL/DR: The courts have emerged as one of the main impediments to the second Trump administration's policy agenda.

What happens now? The president and conservative commentators have expressed fury over Friday's rulings, raising the prospect of a wider confrontation between Trump and elements of the judiciary.

Deeper reading Donald Trump Suffers Double Deportation Loss In Hours: 'Irreparable Harm'

The rundown: A former top U.S. defense official has warned lawmakers that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is "no longer distant" amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Why it matters: China has vowed to unify with Taiwan, which it considers its territory, though the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled there. Beijing, in recent years, ramped up military activities around Taiwan to punish the island's Beijing-skeptic ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Charles Flynn, retired general and former commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, laid out the steps the People's Liberation Army would need to accomplish such a feat. Flynn spoke at a hearing of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Flynn emphasized that while analysts often focus on China's rapidly growing navy, air force, and rocket force, the country's ground forces ultimately determine the outcome.

Read more in-depth coverage:
HIMARS Unleashed in Taiwan as China Watches On

TL/DR: U.S. officials believe Chinese leader Xi Jinping has instructed the People's Liberation Army to be capable of taking Taiwan by 2027.

What happens now? Washington maintains a decades-old policy of "strategic ambiguity" on whether it would come to Taiwan's defense, which could mean being dragged into the U.S.'s first hot war with another nuclear power.

Deeper reading US General Details China Military Plans to Defeat US in Taiwan War

The rundown: A new book by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson, detailing President Joe Biden's mental and physical decline during his term in office, has landed like a bomb inside an already disoriented Democratic Party. Inside the bombshell claims made in the book.

Why it matters: Obtained by Newsweek ahead of its publication on May 20, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again paints a stark portrait of a presidency in turmoil. The authors recount scenes in which Biden, then 81, failed to identify longtime friends and some of the most recognizable faces in the world, like George Clooney. Aides even discussed the optics of wheeling the president on stage during a potential second term, they wrote. Perhaps more striking the charge that a tight circle of advisers, family members, and party loyalists suppressed the worst of it—from donors, voters, and even members of the Cabinet—through the 2024 election cycle. The Democratic Party is adrift, with early excerpts from the new book forcing public figures to confront their own complicity or candor in real time.

Read more in-depth coverage:
The Biggest Biden Bombshells From Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's New Book

TL/DR: Biden himself made a show of damage control with an interview on The View last week.

What happens now? Some party strategists and rising stars have begun to express regret. Others cling tightly to their loyalty. And still others, eyes already on 2028, are quietly offering up preemptive justifications before the blame begins to settle.

Deeper reading What Top Democrats Said Then, And Now, About Joe Biden's Decline

The rundown: The Trump Organization is partnering with UAE-based developer Dar Global to construct a new luxury tower in Dubai. See the images of the planned tower.

Why it matters: The project marks the Trump brand's second major real estate venture in Dubai. The Trump International Hotel & Tower project was initially shelved in 2009, but the development, planned for a prime waterfront site in Dubai's Business Bay district, has been revived, with a 2031 completion date. The new tower will feature luxury residences and a hotel, with branding rights licensed from The Trump Organization to Dar Global, which is part of Saudi Arabia's Dar Al Arkan group. The building is set to be 80 floors tall, though it won't come close to the height of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, with which the new Trump tower will share a skyline.

Read more in-depth coverage:
How Rich Arab States Became Trump's Best Friends

TL/DR: Though the project's cost has not been disclosed, it is expected to be among the most prominent real estate developments in the city.

What happens now? Construction timelines and architectural plans for the Trump Tower in Dubai are expected to be announced later this year. Dar Global is overseeing design and development processes and plans to market the project aggressively to international investors, particularly from Asia, Russia and Europe.

Deeper reading Images Show Trump Tower Dubai Planned for 2031