Trump says Putin has gone 'absolutely crazy' after massive Russian attack on Ukraine
On Monday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin has gone 'absolutely crazy' after the latest Russian attack on Ukraine. Trump also blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the ongoing war. Paste BN National Immigration Reporter Lauren Villagran takes a look at a major drop in illegal crossings at the southern border and the impact of Trump administration policies. Today is Memorial Day, honoring those who died as a result of battle while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. This long weekend is a test for the National Park Service amid recent cuts. Paste BN Trending Reporter Greta Cross talks about the viral trend of men wishing their friends sweet dreams. Thanks to TikTok creators @annikalanning,@kassadi_lav and @shaeandchris for their posts.
Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to podcasts@usatoday.com.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
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Taylor Wilson:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson, and today is Monday, Memorial Day, May 26th, 2025. This is The Excerpt.
Today, Trump goes after Vladimir Putin. Plus illegal crossings at the southern border have dropped significantly; what to expect at national parks this summer.
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President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin had gone absolutely crazy, referring to Russia's latest bombing of Ukraine. In the biggest aerial assault of the war, Russia pummeled Ukrainian cities and other targets with at least 367 drones and missiles over the weekend. Trump, in a Truth Social post, wrote yesterday, quote, "I've always said that he wants all of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that's proving to be right. But if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia," unquote. He also wrote that he's had a good relationship with Putin, but that something has happened to him and he's gone crazy.
But in his post yesterday, Trump also blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the ongoing war, writing that he was doing his country no favors by talking the way he does. There was no immediate response from Russia or Zelenskyy's office on Trump's remarks.
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Illegal crossings at the southern border have declined dramatically from a year ago. I spoke with Paste BN National Immigration Reporter, Lauren Villagran to put those numbers in context and give us a firsthand glimpse from the border near El Paso.
Hello Lauren.
Lauren Villagran:
Hey Taylor.
Taylor Wilson:
So let's just start with this. Tell us about border patrol agent Claudio Herrera and what he's told you about this shift he's seeing really firsthand at the border.
Lauren Villagran:
Yeah, so we thought it would be a good idea to go out and take a firsthand look at what's been happening at the border over the last several months. As many people have probably heard, illegal border crossings at the US-Mexico border are down dramatically from a year ago. So we joined Border Patrol agent Claudio Herrera in the El Paso sector in El Paso and Southern New Mexico to get a firsthand look.
And Taylor, really, it's something that I haven't seen in many years of border reporting. Migrant crossings are as close to zero as they have ever been. Herrera tells us that in El Paso sector, which is 264 miles of border in West Texas and Southern New Mexico, they're picking up just 60 or 70 people per day. That's down from a couple of years ago when this sector was seeing upwards of 2,500 people per day.
Taylor Wilson:
Wow. So a massive shift.
And Lauren, are the numbers nationally across the border similar?
Lauren Villagran:
So if you look at April numbers, for example, you'll see that April a year ago, there were 128,000 or so migrant encounters all along the US-Mexico border. In April past it was about 8,300. So that's like a 93% drop.
Now it's important to note that the really dramatic decline in crossings actually began under the Biden administration. After President Joe Biden restricted access to asylum at the border in June, 2024, you saw crossings drop pretty dramatically from that level, over 120,000 per month, to around 50,000 per month. And that held for several months until President Trump took office, and then we saw another drop down again below 10,000 a month.
So yeah, dramatic really is the word. It's quiet at the border in a way that we haven't seen in many years.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, you mentioned the Biden administration. As for this current Trump admin, I mean, what parts of the strategy do Border Patrol agents or experts point to as potentially making an impact or cutting these numbers down?
Lauren Villagran:
President Trump has taken a number of actions, as folks know: deploying thousands of military troops to the border to assist Border Patrol, sending down drones and eight-wheeled Stryker vehicles with high-tech optics, creating what's known as a national defense area at the border that basically makes the area right at the borderline a military installation and ups the ante for migrants who may cross illegally; not only can they get slapped with a federal misdemeanor or felony for crossing illegally, they can also be charged with trespassing on a military installation.
But Taylor, it's really important to note, you know, I've been covering the border for more than 20 years, and what's absolutely sure are two things; one, whenever there is a major policy swing or a change in administration, the numbers will typically go down as both smugglers and migrants assess the situation.
The second thing I can tell you is that nothing on the border ever stays the same for long. So I'll be looking for changes in the way that migrants or smugglers attempt to cross. You're seeing the Department of Homeland Security, for example, look for more money for the US Coast Guard, perhaps anticipating additional crossings via maritime methods. Agent Herrera told us that it is very early on and the Border Patrol is going to remain ready as things potentially change in the coming months.
Taylor Wilson:
Lauren, beyond presidential policy, are there other factors maybe at play here when it comes to reducing these migrant encounters at the border? Are there things happening in some of these folks' home countries that Americans may not be aware of? What are some of the other factors at play?
Lauren Villagran:
Well, that's the thing, Taylor, is that as far as we know, the situations in home countries throughout the Western hemisphere haven't changed dramatically. When I've spoken to migrants over the years, they're often fleeing their home country for a variety of reasons. It could be because of poverty or economic strife; it could be because of intimate partner violence or family conflict; folks flee for reasons related to political persecution. And those things don't necessarily change.
The real dramatic shift though was when President Biden restricted access to asylum at the border, which was one of the very few ways that migrants, especially migrant families, felt like they could come to the US border in a legal fashion. Also, President Trump ended the CBP1 application appointments. These were both ways that, whether they qualified or not for asylum, they were ways that migrants could come in a pseudo-legal fashion. You know, they could seek asylum and defend their case in an immigration court. All that has changed now.
Taylor Wilson:
Lauren Villagran covers the border and immigration for Paste BN. Thanks as always, Lauren.
Lauren Villagran:
Thanks Taylor.
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Taylor Wilson:
For many this long weekend marks the start to summer, and Americans kicking off summer at national parks and Forest Service trailheads this weekend will find clean restrooms, well-staffed visitor centers and tidy trails. But longtime public land advocates say it's only a matter of time before campers, hikers, and anglers start seeing cracks, as rangers struggle to keep up following widespread layoffs, retirements, and buyouts.
When Trump took office, Park Service staffing was already 20% lower than it was in 2010, even though 2024 was the busiest year for park visitation in history, with 332 million visitors last year. Since taking office, Trump and his administration have fired thousands of Park Service and Forest Service employees, implemented a hiring freeze and delayed the planned hiring of seasonal workers critical to staffing visitor centers, maintaining trails and cleaning toilets. At the same time, Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered park managers to keep open campgrounds, visitor centers and toilets.
You can read more about what we might expect from the parks this summer with a link in today's show notes.
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Depending on how online you are, you may have seen this social media trend of grown men wishing their friends goodnight. I spoke with Paste BN National Trending Reporter, Greta Cross for more.
Thanks for joining me, Greta.
Greta Cross:
Thanks for having me.
Taylor Wilson:
All right, so tell us, for folks who haven't seen this, this viral trend that's taken off on TikTok in particular, maybe folks have seen it on their Instagram Reels. I have been cracking up at these videos since I first saw them, Greta.
Video clip:
Hey man.
Hey, what's going on?
I was just calling to tell you that I'm going to bed. I wanted to let you know.
That you're going to bed?
Yeah.
Well, I appreciate you letting me know that, man.
Greta Cross:
Yeah, they're super fun and cute.
So basically the trend is men are calling their friends on the phone, just a phone call, and telling them, "Goodnight," or, "Sweet dreams." And I think the trend has really taken off because of the responses of the men on the other side that aren't familiar with the trend or aren't realizing that this is kind of like a prank or a spoof. And so there's a lot of different mixed reactions that these men are getting from their friends on the other side of the line.
Taylor Wilson:
Yeah, and are there any specific videos that really stood out to you or made you laugh?
Greta Cross:
The trend is really about being a prank or a spoof, but there are a few phone calls within videos where friends on the other side of the line are kind of concerned about their friend. You know, they want to make sure they're okay, they're all right. This is just such an out of the blue call they're getting.
Video clip:
Yeah, there's nothing wrong with telling the homies goodnight.
No, I appreciate you letting me know goodnight. Is your blood sugar all right, man?
Greta Cross:
So definitely very heartwarming, and just a reminder, the importance of checking in on your friends, and I think especially for men as well.
One of the videos that has gone really viral and had over 65,000 views on TikTok a few days ago was shared by a TikTok couple known as Shay and Chris, and Christopher Taylor is the husband. He's going through his friends list, calling his friends, telling them goodnight and sweet dreams, really trying to hold back his laughs here as his friends are kind of taking a moment to pause, to respond.
Video clip:
I called to tell you, man, I just wanted to tell you goodnight, bro.
What?
I'm saying goodnight, bro.
Greta Cross:
But that's kind of, I think, a common thread in most of the videos of just kind of a long pause of silence and then a, "What the heck? What is going on here?"
Taylor Wilson:
Yeah, well, this has sparked a broader dialogue on that note, and I know you spoke with some experts for this piece as well. What do they say and what conversation has this really sparked?
Greta Cross:
I think it really has sparked the conversation about the importance of male friendships and also just breaking down some toxic masculinity that a lot of men have had just kind of pounded into them since grade school. You know, checking in on your friends isn't really a norm, and just kind of taking a step back and realizing that that's silly and that we all should be checking in with our friends no matter how you identify. So yeah, that's kind of the gist.
I spoke with Ronald Levant. He is a psychology professor at the University of Akron. And we were just talking about how being connected and being social is just such a part of human nature and is so important. One of the quotes that he gave me that really spoke to me and is in my story is he said, "I do think we give up a lot of comfort and health actually in not being more connected with people."
There's just a lot of talk in recent years about this epidemic of male loneliness, and I think this trend, while maybe it didn't get started to really have a bigger conversation than it is, a bigger conversation is happening about male friendships and socialization and how just being connected is so important for all of us.
Taylor Wilson:
Greta Cross is a National Trending Reporter for Paste BN. Thank you, Greta.
Greta Cross:
Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
Taylor Wilson:
Thanks to TikTok creators Annika Lanning, Shay and Chris, and Cassidy Lav for their posts. You can watch the full videos with the link in today's show notes.
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And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can get the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you're on a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt.
I'm Taylor Wilson, and I'll be back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from Paste BN.