President Donald Trump's second term has seen an unprecedented blitzkrieg on America's governing norms, with his administration moving to overturn constitutional rights and protections, ignore the Supreme Court and cut tens of thousands of jobs from the federal government.
All of this and more happened in three months, delighting Mr Trump's supporters, who say he is doing exactly what they wanted him to, especially his clampdown on immigration.
Republican politicians have largely backed the President despite him grabbing at some of Congress's authorities over trade and spending. And the Democrats remain in disarray, incapable of offering a coherent alternative narrative, giving Mr Trump an air of untouchability.
Yet things can change quickly in politics. Next week marks 100 days of the second Trump term, and an interesting new milestone could be coming into view: the high-water mark of the 78-year-old leader's power.
Like a fighter in the ring stunning his opponent with one-two jabs, Mr Trump has left his naysayers and critics dazed and wobbly with an incessant stream of executive orders (139 and counting) and decrees.
But instead of pausing for breath and taking a step back to assess his next move, Mr Trump has kept on punching – and is starting to miss the mark.
The most obvious example is his tariffs policy. Trying to address some of the deleterious effects of globalisation on US and western workers is a worthy goal, but Mr Trump's approach has been disastrous.
Based on convictions he developed in the 1980s when Japan was America's top economic rival, Mr Trump is trying to uproot the same globalised trading system that the US pushed on the rest of the world for decades. He wants to resurrect America as a manufacturing powerhouse and is convinced his tariffs will bring the US untold wealth, even though it is American companies and consumers that must pay the bills.
To achieve this, he is bullying friends and foes alike with “reciprocal” tariffs that have little to do with supposed taxes charged by other countries.
Many economists warn that his policies will lead to shortages on American shop shelves, increased prices as tariff costs are passed on to the consumer and eventually to a recession as supply chains buckle.
Mr Trump was forced this week to reckon with the reality of the financial markets, which took another nosedive on Monday as he seemed close to attempting to fire Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, something Mr Powell maintains the President has no authority to do.
In his first term, Mr Trump bragged about stock market highs, so we know he would have been feeling queasy watching all the major indices bleed red for weeks on end.
Amid the rout, he insisted he wouldn't fire Mr Powell and he has ordered a 90-day pause on his tariffs on all countries except China. Few expect him to fully resume the tariffs when the time comes in July.
The markets acted as an unexpected check on Mr Trump's power, but not before he sustained political damage. According to a Pew Research Centre poll this week, only 40 per cent of Americans approve of how he’s handling the job – a decline of 7 percentage points from February and the lowest level of any recent president at this point in their term.
Another target of the Trump administration's ire this year has been American universities and their purported support of pro-Palestinian student protests, which Republicans claim were anti-Semitic. Mr Trump wants to cut multibillion-dollar research grants unless institutions agree to an ideological takeover by the government. Several acquiesced but Harvard University this month rejected demands for control of its student body and is now suing the government for trying to freeze its research grants. Other universities are now joining the pushback.
The Trump administration’s philosophy is to move fast, break things and see what policies it can push through before judicial or public disapproval forces a change in course. That disapproval is only going to increase as the economy sours and voters blame Mr Trump.
The President has long prided himself in ignoring counsel, and is so certain in his convictions that he recently displayed red baseball caps in the Oval Office emblazoned with the phrase “Trump was right about everything!”
“I have a gut, and my gut tells me more sometimes than anybody else’s brain can ever tell me,” he famously said back in 2018.
But recent weeks have shown that Mr Trump must contend with forces much bigger than his own intuition, and his next 100 days in office are likely to be harder for him than the first.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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Price: From Dh149,900
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Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
5.30pm Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
6pm Abu Dhabi Championship Listed | Dh180,000 | 1,600m
6.30pm Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
7.30pm Handicap (TB) |Dh100,000 | 2,400m
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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