Welcome to The Beat. I'm Ari Melburgh, and tonight Donald Trump is losing again, including in key areas where he has tried to use or allegedly abuse government power to go after foes.

But against those losses, he is doubling down on the so-called retribution tour. So it's really a story of two sides of the same coin. Here's how Politico, the nonpartisan

Washington outlet, puts it. We've hit, quote, full throttle as they report the revenge campaign is

expanding by the day with an ever-lengthening list of targets. This is something we've seen not only this

week, but over the past several weeks.

Trump sometimes loses. Some folks fight back. Some judges and courts agree with the people

fighting back against what in some cases has been found to be government abuse or illegal and

unlawful efforts to go after people. But then Trump, unlike really most modern presidents

faced with setbacks, doubles down further.

The testing sometimes courting defiance.

Testing the limits of what not only Trump but his aides can do in clearly risky ways,

as some people win when they fight back.

The former FBI director's use of the term 86 has sparked something totally different, totally new,

unprecedented, an investigation by the Trump administration.

One of the real problems we have in this country right now is the use of the president's power

aiming at individuals who don't have my background or experience. U.S. Attorney Alina

Haber has announced charges against New Jersey Congresswoman La Monica McIva. This is not typical to charge a

member of Congress, and neither is the way the Justice Department rolled it out. It's political

intimidation, and I'm looking forward to my damn court. For suing her on that day's incident for a related, now collapsed case and arrest the same

day of the Newark mayor.

We agreed to dismiss the case collectively.

I mean, obviously it was a baseless case.

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