DOJ offers Trump, IRS settlement
Phaedra Trethan👋🏼 Hello and welcome to a new week! I'mPhaedra Trethan, and apparently I live in one of the worst places for tick bites and Lyme disease. 😱
In Monday's news:
- The Department of Justice offered a way to settle the Trump family's lawsuit against the IRS. 💰
- A judge tossed some evidence in the case against Luigi Mangione, accused of killing healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024. ⚖️
- The U.S. Postal Service is older than the United States itself. But it's facing bigger challenges than just rain, sleet and snow. 📬
But first: Gardening can seem relaxing. But that doesn't mean you're not exerting yourself. 👩🏻🌾
DOJ offers Trump, IRS settlement 💰
President Donald Trump and his two oldest sons, Don Jr. and Eric, along with the Trump Organization, sued the IRS for $10 billion, after a contractor for the agency released tax returns for Trump and other wealthy individuals (he was later sentenced to five years in prison). Now the Justice Department announced it would offer $1.776 billion to "victims of lawfare and weaponization" as part of a settlement in the case. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche – Trump's former defense lawyer – called it an attempt by the DOJ to "make right the wrongs that were previously done."
But the proposal drew immediate and sharp condemnation from congressional Democrats, who called it "rank corruption."
"Trump dropped his lawsuit against his own IRS to get a $1.8 billion slush fund to pay his political allies. Your tax dollars become his giveaways to his friends," Sen. Mark Warren, D-Virginia, posted on social media.
- Watch: The DOJ's settlement proposal 📺
- Trump's approval ratings continue to slide to new lows, with voters angry about the Iran war and high costs of living. 📉
- Trump trades millions in stocks while promoting companies from the presidential pulpit. 📈
- The $1 billion White House ballroom might be in jeopardy after a Senate official's ruling.
Judge rejects some evidence tied to Mangione
A judge in New York allowed some evidence tied to Luigi Mangione to be tossed. The now 28-year-old is accused in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024.
Mangione's attorneys battled prosecutors during a days-long December 2025 hearing over evidence found in his backpack at the time of his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania, days after the shooting, including a notebook, silencer and 3D-printed handgun.
- Watch: Video from inside the courtroom.
Real quick
- Elon Musk lost his lawsuit against Open AI. 🤖
- An American who'd worked in Congo has tested positive for Ebola. 🦠
- The country's busiest commuter rail system is at a standstill while its workers are on strike. 🪧
- President Trump warned Iran that "the clock is ticking" in a social media post. ⏰
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow... 📬
The U.S. Postal Service is 251 years old and still serves a vital function for many Americans, even as the service faces a financial crisis that's forced it to temporarily pause pension plan payments and raise prices for packages and priority mail and postage stamps.
But they still get the mail to Americans, no matter how remote or far-flung their location, said Steve Kochersperger, the USPS's historian and corporate information services manager. And they'll get letters, packages and parcels to them by whatever means is necessary: by auto, by boat, by air, even by mule.
- Photos: The USPS through the years. 📸
Millennials and menopause 🥵
Millennials are getting into their 30s and 40s and approaching perimenopause and menopause. (This 55-year-old Gen Xer says: Welcome to Club Night Sweats.) But unlike their boomer parents, millennial women have more information and more tools at their disposal: estrogen patches, creams, doctors who actually understand their symptoms and a community to offer empathy and support.
A break from the news
- This new fish species was named for a Sesame Street character. Here's why. 🐟
- Can you bear to watch this? A police officer opened a hotel door just to find an unwanted guest. 🐻
- A midair collision at an Idaho air show could have ended tragically. Thankfully, it did not.
Phaedra Trethan is a national correspondent at USA TODAY. She'd love to hear from readers about The Short List, story ideas from across the nation and tips to keep the night sweats at bay.Email her at [email protected].