The Trump administration revoked Harvard University鈥檚 ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country. The Department of Homeland Security said the university allowed 鈥渁nti-American, pro-terrorist agitators鈥 to assault Jewish students on campus and claimed without evidence that Harvard is coordinating with the Chinese communist party.
In a separate court case, District Judge Jeffrey S. White in Oakland blocked the Trump administration from nationwide while a court case challenging previous terminations is pending. The order bars the government from arresting or incarcerating the plaintiffs and similarly situated students, transferring any of them outside the jurisdiction of their residence, imposing any adverse legal effect on students, and reversing the reinstatement of the legal status until the case is resolved.
Here's the latest:
A look at the deportees on plane that headed for South Sudan from US
The foreign men convicted of crimes who were placed on a deportation flight headed for were originally from countries as far away as Mexico and Vietnam. They lived in various places from California to Iowa, Nebraska to Florida, with one serving a sentence of nearly 30 years.
They were accused and convicted of crimes including murder, rape, robbery and assault.
Despite their criminal records, a federal judge says on deportations to third countries, adding that the eight men were not given a meaningful opportunity to object that the deportation could endanger them.
Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston ordered a new set of interviews with them, either back in the U.S. or abroad. Administration officials accused 鈥渁ctivist judges鈥 of advocating for the release of dangerous criminals.
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Mahmoud Khalil permitted to hold newborn son for the first time despite government objections
Detained Palestinian activist was allowed to hold his 1-month-old son for the first time after a judge blocked the administration鈥檚 efforts to keep them separated by a plexiglass barrier.
Khalil, a legal permanent resident and Columbia University graduate who has been detained in a Louisiana jail since March, was the first person arrested under the president鈥檚 promised crackdown on pro-Palestinian protester. He is one of the few still in custody as his case winds its way through immigration and federal court.
Federal authorities have not accused him of a crime but have sought to deport him on the basis that his prominent role in the protests may have undermined U.S. foreign policy interests.
The question of whether Khalil would be permitted to hold his newborn sparked days of legal fighting. His attorneys argued that he is being subjected to political retaliation.
On Wednesday night a judge allowed the meeting to go forward the next morning, Khalil鈥檚 attorneys said.
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FTC dismisses lawsuit against PepsiCo that was filed by Biden-era FTC
The Republican-controlled Federal Trade Commission voted to dismiss against PepsiCo that the previous commission filed in the waning days of the previous administration.
The lawsuit, filed in January, alleged that was giving unfair price advantages to at the expense of other vendors and consumers. The complaint relied on a rarely enforced act that it said prohibits companies from using promotional incentive payments to favor large customers over smaller ones.
When the lawsuit was filed, Democrat Lina Khan was the FTC鈥檚 chairwoman, and she was joined in support of the lawsuit by Democratic Commissioners Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya. Republican Commissioners Andrew Ferguson and Melissa Holyoak dissented.
A few days after it was filed, President took office and Khan resigned. Trump in March; they have sued, saying their removal was illegal.
Ferguson, who is , said Thursday that the lawsuit was a 鈥渄ubious partisan stunt鈥 and FTC staff have more important work.
FDA panel is split on updates to COVID shots as questions loom for fall vaccinations
Government advisers were split Thursday on whether drugmakers need to update their COVID-19 vaccines for next season, a decision overshadowed by confusion over a that may limit who can get the shots.
outside experts have met annually since the launch of the first COVID-19 vaccines to discuss to stay ahead of the virus. The challenge is trying to gauge how the virus might evolve before fall vaccinations begin.
鈥淲e all want to make the perfect choice, and that鈥檚 probably not possible,鈥 FDA鈥檚 Jerry Weir told the panel of outside experts.
Some of the panelists voiced support for a switch to a newer coronavirus subtype named LP.8.1. It鈥檚 currently the dominant version and part of the same family that circulated last year 鈥 known as the JN.1 branch of the virus family tree.
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Awkward ending to Trump鈥檚 health event
The president wrapped up by speaking at length about his effort to lower prescription drug prices 鈥 an odd choice, given that many of the people in the room oppose pharmaceutical drugs and what they see as their excessive prescription.
The East Room crowd, which earlier had applauded repeatedly as Trump and members of his administration congratulated themselves on health policy, offered only tepid responses 鈥 and soon stopped clapping entirely 鈥 as Trump continued to talk about drug prices.
Toward the back, where many attendees were families with young children, some parents even began talking among themselves while he was still speaking.
Everyone did, however, rise to give the president a standing ovation when the event finally wrapped up.
New SSA Commissioner says he had to Google his new job. The agency says he was joking
On a Wednesday phone call to introduce himself to agency managers, Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano said he had to Google the role of Social Security Commissioner when he was offered the position by the Trump administration. The comment was confirmed by two individuals who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the meeting.
A spokesperson for Social Security said via email that Bisignano was poking fun at himself so everyone in the room felt comfortable having an open conversation about improving service.
鈥淐ommissioner Bisignano brings a valuable and much-needed outside perspective to the Social Security Administration,鈥 Liz Huston, a White House spokeswoman said in an email to AP. Bisignano鈥檚 鈥減roven success in the financial services industry uniquely positions him to lead the Trump Administration鈥檚 commonsense efforts to modernize the agency and improve its efficiency.鈥
The SSA is undergoing massive changes and staffing cuts ushered. Roughly 72.5 million people, including retirees and children, receive Social Security benefits.
Bisignano is a former Wall Street executive and previously served as chairman of Fiserv, a payments and financial services tech firm.
鈥 Fatima Hussein
Supreme Court declines to reinstate independent agency board members fired by Trump
The declined to reinstate board members fired by the president.
The court鈥檚 action essentially extended an order Chief Justice John Roberts issued in April that had the effect of removing two board members whom Trump fired from agencies that deal with labor issues, including one with a key role for federal workers as the president aims to drastically downsize the workforce.
Neither agency has enough appointed members to take final actions on issues before them, as Trump has not sought to appoint replacements.
The decision Thursday keeps on hold an appellate ruling that had temporarily reinstated Gwynne Wilcox to the 春色直播 Labor Relations Board and Cathy Harris to the Merit Systems Protection Board.
The court鈥檚 three liberal justices dissented.
US to impose sanctions on Sudan for chemical weapons use
The Trump administration says it will impose the sanctions after determining that Sudan has used chemical weapons in violation of international treaties during its civil war in 2024.
The State Department said Thursday that the sanctions would take effect next month and include restrictions on U.S. exports to Sudan and on access to U.S. government lines of credit.
鈥淭he United States calls on the government of Sudan to cease all chemical weapons use and uphold its obligations under the鈥 Chemical Weapons Convention, the department said in a statement. 鈥淭he United States remains fully committed to hold to account those responsible for contributing to chemical weapons proliferation.鈥
The State Department informed Congress of the determination, and lawmakers will have 15 days to consider it. Barring objections, the department said, the sanctions will take effect on or around June 6.
Trump鈥檚 $600 million war chest: How he plans to wield his power in the midterms and beyond
Between a barrage of executive orders, foreign trips and norm-shattering proclamations, has also been busy raking in cash.
The president has amassed a war chest of at least $600 million in political donations heading into the midterm elections, according to three people familiar with the matter. It鈥檚 an unprecedented sum in modern politics, particularly for a lame-duck president who is from running again.
President Donald Trump smiles as he speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Trump is keeping an aggressive fundraising schedule with the ultimate goal of raising $1 billion or more to back his agenda and hold the House and Senate next November, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share internal details of the fundraising efforts.
The preoccupation with fundraising might seem highly unusual for a president who was notably averse to dialing for dollars when he first ran. But according to people familiar with his thinking, it makes perfect sense: By amassing money, Trump amasses power.
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Trump praises MAHA report
Trump, at an event at the White House with Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, .
鈥淭hey really are alarming,鈥 Trump said.
The much-anticipated 鈥淢ake America Healthy Again鈥 report calls for increased scrutiny of the childhood vaccine schedule, a review of the pesticides sprayed on American crops and a description of the nation鈥檚 children as overmedicated and undernourished.
While it does not have the force of a law or official policy, the 69-page report will be used over the next 100 days for that can be implemented during the remainder of Trump鈥檚 term, Kennedy said in a call with reporters. He refused to provide details about who authored the report.
Lawmakers ask major hotel chains not to use the term 鈥楾aiwan, China鈥
A pair of Republican lawmakers have asked major hotel chains to stop using the term 鈥淭aiwan, China鈥 on their websites, seven years after the U.S. hotel chain Marriott had its website shut down in China over its listing Taiwan as a country.
Now, CEOs of Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt hotels are being asked that they correct course and follow the U.S. policy on Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims to be part of Chinese territory.
The U.S. takes no side on the island鈥檚 sovereignty but opposes any forced takeover of the island.
In a letter, Rep. John Moolenaar and Sen. Marsha Blackburn raised concerns that the U.S. hotel chains now label the island as 鈥淭aiwan, China鈥 and said 鈥渟uch labeling contradicts longstanding U.S. policy and lends false legitimacy to the Chinese Communist Party鈥檚 claims over Taiwan.鈥
White House says judge鈥檚 ruling could jeopardize U.S. relations overseas
The White House says a federal judge who rebuked the Trump administration over a series of deportations is menacing U.S. relationships overseas.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected the comments of federal Judge Brian Murphy, who said Wednesday that the Trump administration violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to .
Murphy said eight migrants aboard the plane were not given a meaningful opportunity to object to their deportation.
Leavitt said Thursday that 鈥淛udge Murphy is forcing federal officials to remain in Djibouti for over two weeks as a result.鈥
She said the judge鈥檚 comments were also 鈥渢hreatening our U.S. diplomatic relationships with countries around the world鈥 though she refused to discuss what other third countries might have agreed to accept U.S. deportation flights.
Federal judge blocks immigration authorities from revoking international students鈥 legal status
A judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from terminating the legal status of international students nationwide while a court case challenging previous terminations plays out.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White on Thursday barred the government from reversing the students鈥 legal status, arresting or transferring them until the case is resolved. They could still be arrested in cases like violent crimes.
White said the government鈥檚 actions 鈥渨reaked havoc not only on the lives of Plaintiffs here but on similarly situated F-1 nonimmigrants across the United States and continues do so.鈥
Trump administration says thousands of international students enrolled at Harvard must transfer or leave the US
The Trump administration revoked Harvard University鈥檚 ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of current students must transfer to other schools or leave the country.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the action Thursday, saying Harvard has created an unsafe campus environment by allowing 鈥渁nti-American, pro-terrorist agitators鈥 to assault Jewish students on campus. Without offering evidence, it also accused Harvard of coordinating with the Chinese communist party.
鈥淭his means Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,鈥 the agency said in a statement.
Harvard enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, accounting for more than a quarter of its student body. Most are graduate students, coming from more than 100 countries.
Republican tax bill guts clean energy tax credits that Democrats approved three years ago in climate law
The passed by House Republicans early Thursday would gut clean energy tax credits that Democrats approved three years ago while supporting increased mining, drilling and other traditional energy production.
The bill, which now heads to the Senate, repeals or phases out more quickly clean energy tax credits passed in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act during former President Joe Biden鈥檚 term. Biden鈥檚 climate law has been considered , but the House bill effectively renders moot much of the law鈥檚 incentives for renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
Clean energy advocates said the bill walks back the largest government investment in clean energy in history.
Netanyahu links shooting of Israeli Embassy staffers to antisemitism and Oct. 7 attacks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the shooting of two of his country鈥檚 embassy staff in Washington, D.C. was a 鈥渉orrific鈥 act of antisemitic violence.
鈥淵aron and Sarah weren鈥檛 the victims of a random crime,鈥 Netanyahu said. 鈥淭he terrorist who cruelly gunned them down did so for one reason and one reason alone -- he wanted to kill Jews.鈥
In a video released by his office Thursday, speaking in English, he said the two staffers were planning to get engaged during a trip to Jerusalem next week.
Netanyahu said the suspect shouted 鈥淔ree Palestine鈥 as he was taken away, drawing a direct line between the shooting and the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. 鈥淭his is exactly the same chant we heard on October 7th.鈥
Netanyahu concluded the video by saying, 鈥淚 especially want to thank President Trump and the American people for their forthright stand with Israel and with the Jewish people.鈥
Leavitt says Trump signs every legal document
In response to questions about former to sign some documents, Leavitt said that Trump signs 鈥渁ny document that has legal implications.鈥
鈥淗e signs pretty much every document that is needed for the president鈥檚 signature, with the exception of maybe some letters to children,鈥 she said.
But one of Trump鈥檚 most controversial acts, invoking the 18th-centruy wartime Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants, was something that Trump later claimed he didn鈥檛 sign.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know when it was signed, because I didn鈥檛 sign it,鈥 Trump told reporters in March.
Trump and Netanyahu discuss Israel embassy staffer shooting and Iran
The two leaders spoke by phone on Thursday following Wednesday evening鈥檚 shooting that killed two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Washington reception.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the two leaders also discussed 鈥渁 potential deal鈥 with Iran to stem its rapidly advancing nuclear program. Trump is expected to dispatch special envoy Steve Witkoff to Italy for talks later this week with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi.
Leavitt said Trump believes the talks 鈥渕oving along in the right direction.鈥
Trump administration files motion to end protections for immigrant children in federal custody
The Trump administration filed a motion on Thursday to end a policy cornerstone that since the 1990s has offered protections to child migrants in federal custody, in a move that likely will be challenged by advocates.
The protections in place, known as the Flores Settlement, largely limit to 72 hours the amount of time that child migrants traveling alone or with family and detained by the U.S. Border Patrol can be kept in U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody. They also ensure the children are kept in safe and sanitary conditions.
The Flores settlement is named for a Salvadoran girl, Jenny Flores, whose lawsuit alleging widespread mistreatment of children in custody in the 1980s prompted special oversight.
This is the second time the federal government under Trump has attempted to end the policy. , the first Trump administration asked a judge to dissolve the agreement. Its motion eventually was in December 2020 by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
White House condemns judge who said US violated court order
Leavitt used her press briefing to attack by name the federal judge who ruled that the White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries, calling Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston a 鈥渓iberal activist鈥 and accusing the jurist of threatening U.S. diplomatic relationships.
鈥淛udge Brian Murphy is not the secretary of State. He is not the secretary of defense or the commander in chief. He is a district court judge in Massachusetts. He cannot control the foreign policy or the national security of the United States of America, and to suggest otherwise is being completely absurd,鈥 Leavitt said.
Trump to attend Group of 7 Summit next month
The president will take part in a gathering in Calgary, Canada, from June 15 to June 17 with leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Trump is 鈥榮addened and outraged鈥 by the shooting deaths of two Israeli embassy staffers
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had spoken to Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice will prosecute the alleged gunman to the 鈥渇ullest extent鈥 of the law.
Leavitt said 鈥渉atred has no place in the United States of America鈥 under Trump.
She said the entire White House staff was 鈥減raying for the victims鈥 friends and families at this unimaginable time.鈥
The first lady鈥檚 new audiobook is in her own voice 鈥 but she didn鈥檛 narrate it
Instead, Melania Trump said Thursday, she used artificial intelligence to generate a replica of her voice reading her memoir, 鈥淢elania.鈥
The 7-hour-long voiced read was created with technology from ElevenLabs, a startup that has mimic their own voices when medical issues .
The company鈥檚 technology also was used to imitating former President Joe Biden that misled voters during the 2024 election.
The first lady鈥檚 embrace of AI for her book comes as her husband has said he wants to limit regulations on the technology that could hinder innovation. The president and first lady also recently signed the , a measure that imposes penalties for online sexual exploitation, including through AI deepfakes.
Hundreds of state lawmakers urge Congressional leaders to keep hands off Planned Parenthood funding
As House Republicans their multitrillion-dollar overnight, 562 state lawmakers signed to Congressional leadership urging them not to prohibit Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood and calling the organization 鈥渁n integral and irreplaceable part of the health care system.鈥
鈥斥楧efunding鈥 Planned Parenthood blocks patients from getting the care they need and increases health care costs for everyone,鈥 the letter said.
Anti-abortion groups have long taken aim at Planned Parenthood鈥檚 Medicaid funding through a mounting initiative called .
The federal Hyde Amendment already restricts government funding for most abortions, and less than 5% of the services Planned Parenthood provides are abortions, according to the organization鈥檚 2023 annual report. Contraceptive services and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections make up the vast majority of its medical care. It also performs more cancer screening and prevention procedures than abortions, according to the report.
Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff to lead US delegation to next round of nuclear talks with Iran
That鈥檚 according to an American official familiar with the matter who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity to discuss an upcoming private diplomatic meeting.
Witkoff and the State Department鈥檚 director of policy planning Michael Anton will attend Friday鈥檚 talks in Rome that had been announced earlier by Oman鈥檚 foreign minister whose country has been mediating the talks, the official said.
The talks, which will be the fifth round of direct and indirect discussions, are expected to be held at the Omani embassy in the Italian capital.
鈥 Matthew Lee
The US government will no longer make cents
The U.S. Mint has made its final order of penny blanks and plans to stop making the coin when those run out, a Treasury official confirmed Thursday.
The move is expected to produce an immediate annual savings of $56 million in reduced material costs, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the news.
In February, President Trump announced he ordered his administration to cease production of the 1-cent coin.
Advocates for ditching the penny cite its high production cost 鈥 currently almost 4 cents per penny, according to the U.S. Mint 鈥 and limited utility. Fans of the penny cite its usefulness in charity drives and relative bargain in production costs compared with the nickel, which costs almost 14 cents to mint.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.
鈥 Fatima Hussein
Nonprofits sue Justice Department over canceled criminal justice and victims group grants
The five organizations that had grants terminated by the U.S. Department of Justice in April are suing the department and Attorney General Pam Bondi calling the cancellations unconstitutional and asking that the money be reinstated.
The lawsuit filed late Wednesday by the Vera Institute of Justice, the Center for Children & Youth Justice, Chinese for Affirmative Action, FORCE Detroit and Health Resources in Action, asks a federal judge to vacate the midstream grant cancellations.
They ask the court to award class status to the awardees for the more than that were canceled last month, naming both the Office of Justice Programs and its acting agency head as additional defendants.
Judge blocks Trump administration鈥檚 mass layoffs at the Education Department
The federal judge on Thursday blocked Trump鈥檚 executive order to shut down the Education Department and ordered the agency to reinstate employees who were fired in mass layoffs.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Trump administration from carrying out two plans announced in March that sought to work toward Trump鈥檚 goal to dismantle the department. It marks a setback to one of the Republican president鈥檚 campaign promises.
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Democrats decry Trump鈥檚 crypto dinner as selling access to the White House
The Trump is hosting at his suburban Washington golf club is for top investors in a meme coin controlled by his family.
Sen Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, says the dinner means 鈥渋n effect putting a for sale sign on the White House.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 auctioning off access,鈥 Blumenthal said on a press call.
The senator said those attending Thursday night鈥檚 dinner don鈥檛 have to file any federal paperwork 鈥 despite enriching the Trump Organization 鈥 because crypto currency isn鈥檛 regulated like traditional campaign donations.
Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts said during a contentious House hearing earlier this month, 鈥淣ever in American history has a sitting president so blatantly violated the ethics laws.鈥
United Arab Emirates condemns fatal shooting of Israeli Embassy staffers
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its condolences and solidarity with the families of the victims and with the Israeli people over the attack.
The UAE agreed to normalize relations with Israel in a U.S.-brokered deal in 2020, the first of the so-called Abraham Accords that Israel eventually concluded with four Arab nations.
