What to know today
- President Donald Trump said he is "very disappointed" in Elon Musk for his criticisms of the Republican policy bill, which includes many of the administration's priorities. He suggested Musk was upset that the bill removed a Biden-era electric vehicle tax break that benefited his company Tesla.
- In a tirade of over two dozen social media posts, Musk fired back and claimed that Trump "would have lost the election" without his help. Then, in a dramatic escalation of the conflict, Trump implied he could sever U.S. government ties with Musk's business, which amounts to billions in contracts and subsidies.
- Earlier in the day, Trump said he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping this morning in a nearly 1½-hour call that focused on trade. Tensions between the two superpowers escalated after each side accused the other of violating a trade truce.
'This breakup is messy:' Democratic lawmaker compares Trump-Musk spat to the ‘Real Housewives’
Washington D.C. has gone 15 years without its own 'Real Housewives' franchise. But according to Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury, the ongoing drama between Trump and Musk is worthy of a franchise revival.
Standing before a poster labeled "the Real Housewives of Pennsylvania Ave," Stansbury "shared the tea" during a floor speech that saw her quote directly from the apparent frenemies as she detailed a breakup she called "messy as all hell."
"I mean, if you've watched over the last several days, it's really been an epic breakup for the ages. In fact, I think it's fit for the Real Housewives," Stansbury, D-N.M, said. "Just a couple of hours ago, Elon Musk affirmed a statement about actually impeaching the president. I mean, who would have thought that we'd end up here? Because, literally, less than a week ago, they were having a bromance in the Oval Office."
Practically, Stansbury aimed to enter some of the posts from Trump and Musk's contentious back and forth into the congressional record. But visually, the Democratic congresswoman appeared to relish in the public spat as she jovially ticked through the dispute between the two men, seizing on Musk's intense opposition to a funding package Trump has dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill."
"He said, 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork filled congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,'" Stansbury said, quoting a post on X by Musk. "Let's be clear, all 215 Democrats have been saying this for weeks, but obviously things really boiled over for Mr. Musk on Tuesday."
Stansbury, the ranking member on the House DOGE subcommittee, welcomed Musk's call to "kill the bill" and highlighted in particular his criticism of Republican lawmakers, whom he suggested are betraying the country by supporting the funding package.
"Elon Musk says 'in November of next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.' I mean, you guys, we cannot make this up. This is like the real tea that is going on on the internet," she said.
"So I’m with Musk on this one, I don’t mean to take sides, Mr. President, but I’m going to say it. Kill the bill," Stansbury concluded.
Military parade expected to temporarily halt flights at Reagan National Airport
The June 14 military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Army may cause Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington to halt flights for several hours.
"To accommodate aircraft flyovers along the parade route, followed by a fireworks display, the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to suspend airline operations at DCA — affecting scheduled flights," an advisory on the airport's website says.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the advisory.
A senior government official told NBC News that the period of the ground stop, which is subject to change, would be from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET and that it is expected to affect about 116 flights.
In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was working with other agencies to "issue Temporary Flight Restrictions ... for the Washington, D.C., area to ensure safety and security during the celebration."
It went on to say that during the peak period of June 14 events, it will halt "all arrivals and departures" at the airport.
The military parade is expected to bring thousands of people — and military personnel — into Washington to celebrate Flag Day and the Army's anniversary. The parade itself will feature troops and extensive displays of U.S. military equipment on the ground and in the air.
‘A gut punch’: Job Corps alumni and faculty lament Trump administration cuts to the program
Mariyah Louis used to think she wouldn’t make it to 27 years old.
Louis was in the foster care system as a teenager before she turned to Job Corps, a government-funded program that provides free career training to low-income students. Now, she owns an auto detailing business — a success she attributed to her Job Corps experience.
“I was able to pretty much rebuild my whole life, whereas most foster youth do not have that many opportunities coming out of a situation like that, and I’ve been independent, taking care of myself, since 17,” said Louis, who is now 27.
Last week, the Labor Department said it would pause Job Corps operations at 99 contract-operated centers by the end of June, leaving thousands of students in limbo. Now, program alumni and faculty members are anxious about the looming end date as they scramble to provide assistance to students who have also relied on Job Corps for free housing and food.
Nervous Republicans flee Trump-Elon Musk blast radius
The bromance may be dead, but Republicans worry that the escalating feud between Trump and Musk could live on, leaving collateral damage in its wake for weeks, months or even years.
The proximate cause is the centerpiece of Trump’s agenda, the “big, beautiful bill,” which Musk is trashing publicly and privately. To try to kill the legislation, he has said he will spend money to oust Republican lawmakers who vote for it.
“He does not give a f--- about Republicans or the RNC, or House seats, or whatever,” a Musk adviser said today in the middle of a social media war between Trump and Musk, who had never aligned with the Republican Party until the last few years. The adviser was given anonymity to speak candidly about the blow-up. “He will blow them up; he will. ... I mean, we already know Republicans are going to lose the House. Senate will likely be fine, but Elon does not give a s--- about that party stuff.”
Republican lawmakers care a lot — especially when it comes to their own congressional seats and chairmanships, which would be in danger if Musk tried to oust them from power in next year’s midterm elections.
House Oversight Committee subpoenas Biden’s physician
The Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee subpoenaed Dr. Kevin O’Connor, physician to the president during the Biden administration, to appear before the committee on June 27 as part of its investigation into what it referred to as an alleged “cover-up of Biden’s mental decline.”
The subpoena from the committee’s chairman, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., comes a day after Trump directed an investigation into his predecessor and past administration officials, accusing Biden’s aides of using “autopen” signatures to hide his “cognitive decline” and wield presidential power.
Comer said his panel is seeking details about O'Connor's "assessment of and relationship with former President Biden to explore whether the time has come for Congress to revisit potential legislation to address the oversight of presidents’ fitness to serve."
Comer also said O'Connor had declined a request from his committee last month to appear voluntarily.
“Given your connections with the Biden family, the Committee sought to understand if you contributed to an effort to hide former President Biden’s fitness to serve from the American people," Comer wrote.
O'Connor's attorneys, David Schertler and Mark MacDougall, said in a statement on his behalf that they were reviewing the committee's subpoena.
“We just received the correspondence and subpoena from the House Oversight Committee this afternoon. We will review it carefully and respond to Chairman Comer after we have had a chance to do so," they said.
Biden has repeatedly denied allegations that he suffered mental decline in office.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka says Democrats are responsible for Trump's gains in New Jersey
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka faulted Democrats for Trump's recent gains in the Democratic stronghold of New Jersey, pointing to problematic "messengers" that failed to effectively turnout the party's base in recent elections.
“I think the framing is all wrong. People keep saying the Republicans gained ground or Trump gained ground. I would argue that the Democrats lost ground," Baraka told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.
While a majority of New Jersey voters backed Vice President Kamala Harris in November's presidential election, Trump notched the strongest showing for a Republican presidential candidate in the state in two decades. Baraka noted that Gov. Phil Murphy, too, had a narrow victory in his 2021 re-election race.
Baraka, who's running in the state's hotly contested governor’s election, said Democratic policies weren't to blame for Harris' loss, but rather the party's messengers.
"Our policies are absolutely correct. It is the messengers that people have a problem with, that they don’t trust, and they don’t believe in, period. I think the problem with the Democratic Party is we have not been able to inspire our base. We haven't governed properly" Baraka said. "We’re our own problem. We have to get out of our own way. New ideas. New people."
Baraka, the head of New Jersey's largest city, has sparred with the Trump administration in recent months, including a high-profile incident last month in which he was arrested trying to enter a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility with several members of Congress.
Asked whether he would be able to effectively work with Trump should he be elected governor, Baraka said Trump has presented little opportunity for collaboration, pointing to his administration's efforts to dismantle federal agencies and support for a funding bill that could lead to cuts in funding for entitlement programs.
"Now, if he wants to invest in infrastructure, invest in small businesses, help our economy grow — we support that. We just don’t support our own self destruction," Baraka said.
Department of Homeland Security ends TSA's 'Quiet Skies' surveillance program
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem today announced the end of the Quiet Skies program, a Transportation Security Administration watchlist.
Noem said on X that the program cost taxpayers $200 million annually and claimed the Biden administration used it "to target political opponents and benefit political allies."
The Department of Homeland Security said yesterday that the surveillance program had targeted Tulsi Gabbard, who is now the national intelligence director, while it exempted the husband Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. in 2023.
The program, which has been in place since the Obama administration, has been sharply criticized by Gabbard — including on Instagram. She said last year she was put on the program's list. The program has been a source of controversy for civil liberty groups over privacy concerns.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., a member of the Intelligence Committee, welcomed the Trump administration’s decision to end the surveillance program, calling it ineffective and wasteful.
“Those funds can be used in far better ways by TSA to keep travelers safe," Wyden said in an email. "Our transportation system and the traveling public face very real safety and evolving security threats, which the government isn’t doing enough to address. TSA needs to be tackling these threats, rather than wasting nearly a billion dollars a year on this ineffective program.”
Trump and Musk feud explodes online and turns personal
Reporting from Washington
The simmering tension between Trump and Musk exploded today into a public brawl between the most powerful man and the richest man in the world, filled with personal attacks and financial threats.
The spat began when Trump criticized the Musk’s recent attacks on the Republican policy measure winding its way through Congress — which Trump has dubbed the “big, beautiful bill” — and quickly escalated into social media volleys. Trump suggested the U.S. government could cut its significant ties with Musk’s businesses. And Musk shot back, alleging a link between Trump and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“I’m very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
Musk appears to agree with X post calling to impeach Trump
As the feud between Musk and Trump escalated this afternoon, Musk appeared to agree with an X user's post calling for Trump to be impeached again.
"President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and [Vice President] JD Vance should replace him," the user wrote.
Musk quoted the tweet and simply wrote, "Yes."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump: 'I don't mind Elon turning against me'
As the feud between Musk and Trump escalated this afternoon, Trump fired back at Musk, writing on Truth Social, "I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago."
Trump also defended the GOP's spending bill, which House Republicans passed last month, writing: "This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress. It’s a Record Cut in Expenses, $1.6 Trillion Dollars, and the Biggest Tax Cut ever given. If this Bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that."
"I didn’t create this mess, I’m just here to FIX IT. This puts our Country on a Path of Greatness. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" he added.
The latest salvo in Trump and Musk's online spat came after Mush alleged in a post on X a link between Trump and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Johnson fires back at Musk, calling himself 'consistent'
During a posting spree targeting Trump over his support for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Musk also called out House Speaker Mike Johnson, asking, "Where is the Mike Johnson of 2023?"
Musk was referring to a 2023 post on X in which Johnson, R-La., wrote that current federal government spending levels were "not sustainable."
In response to Musk's post, Johnson wrote this afternoon: "The Mike Johnson of 2023 is the SAME Mike Johnson who has always been a lifelong fiscal hawk — who now serves as Speaker and is implementing a multi-stage plan to get our country back to fiscal responsibility and extraordinary economic growth."
Johnson also defended the One Big Beautiful Bill Act as "the LARGEST tax cut in history, the LARGEST investment in border security in a GENERATION, along with arguably the STRONGEST collection of pro-growth provisions EVER passed."
"The same CONSISTENT Mike Johnson who has ALWAYS supported the America First Agenda," he added.
Trump says Musk 'went crazy' and threatens to cut government ties with his companies
As the feud between Trump and Musk intensified today, Trump blasted Musk in a series of posts on Truth Social and threatened to cut government ties with his companies.
"Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Trump wrote in one post.
"The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!" he added in a second post.
Chad retaliates with its own travel ban
Chad, a nation in Central Africa that is among the countries hit with a travel ban, quickly issued a reciprocal restriction on issuing visas to U.S. citizens.
“Chad has no planes to offer, no billions of dollars to give but Chad has its dignity and pride,” President Idriss Deby wrote in French today on Facebook.
Trump’s conflict with Musk explodes into a public feud
The simmering tension between Trump and Musk exploded in public today, with Trump sharply criticizing Musk’s attacks on the Republican policy bill and Musk firing back that Trump would have lost the election without his help.
“I’m very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot.”
Over 100 Democratic lawmakers urge deportation protections for Afghans
More than 100 Democratic lawmakers urged the Trump administration to restore deportation protections for Afghans in the United States, saying their lives would be at risk if they returned to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
“Forcing Afghan nationals in the U.S. to return to Afghanistan would be reckless and inhumane, and would threaten the safety and well-being of thousands of individuals and families, especially women and girls,” they said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The lawmakers — led by Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. — ask that Afghans be redesignated for the Temporary Protected Status program, or TPS, which allows people whose home countries are considered unsafe to live and work in the United States temporarily.
They said the termination of TPS, which is set to take effect July 14, would affect about 9,000 Afghan nationals, many of whom worked with U.S. forces in their 20-year war against the Taliban.
Noem said last month that conditions in Afghanistan had improved enough to justify terminating TPS for Afghans in the United States, despite continued terrorist attacks on ethnic and religious minorities, a hunger crisis and growing restrictions on women’s rights and freedom of expression.
Afghanistan is among 12 countries whose nationals will be barred from entering the United States starting Monday under a proclamation Trump signed yesterday, citing national security concerns. There is an exemption for Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas.
#AfghanEvac, a coalition of U.S. veterans and advocacy groups, said including Afghanistan was a “moral disgrace.”
“It spits in the face of our allies, our veterans, and every value we claim to uphold,” the group said in a statement.
Trump compares Russia and Ukraine to fighting children
In his Oval Office remarks, Trump offered fresh details on his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war with Ukraine.
Trump said he gave Putin an analogy about the conflict, now in its fourth year. When two children are fighting in a park, sometimes “you’re better off letting them fight for a while and then pulling them apart,” he recalled telling Putin in their recent two-hour phone call.
Though he promised during the campaign last year to bring about a swift end to the war, Trump has lately sounded more pessimistic about the prospects of a peace deal.
A reporter asked whether Trump if he has set a deadline for imposing sanctions on Russia to pressure Putin to end the war.
“Yeah, it’s in my brain, the deadline,” he said. Once he has determined the war is not on a path toward peace, he said, he would be “very tough.”
“And it could be on both countries, to be honest. You know, it takes two to tango.”
Musk says Trump has 'such ingratitude' after president's Oval Office remarks
Musk slammed his former boss in a series of posts to X, arguing that Trump was ungrateful for Musk's efforts to boost his presidential campaign.
Musk commented on a video clip of Trump telling White House reporters that he would have won Pennsylvania without Musk's help on the campaign trail. The president made the remark while answering a question about how he felt about Musk's opposition to the Republican domestic policy bill containing many of the administration's priorities.
"Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk wrote.
A moment later, he followed up, writing, "such ingratitude."
The comments mark a sharp split between the two men after Musk served in a top White House role.
Trump says he doesn't have evidence of any illegal autopen use by Biden White House
Trump said he does not have evidence to support his claims of illegal autopen use during the Biden administration.
Asked by NBC News whether he has uncovered any evidence that anything specific was signed without Biden's knowledge or that someone in the former president's administration acting illegally, Trump said, "No."
"No, but I've uncovered, you know, the human mind," Trump said. "I was in a debate with the human mind."
The president continued by questioning Biden's mental acuity.
Musk says 'Whatever' to Trump's Oval Office comments, adds, 'Ditch the mountain of disgusting pork' in GOP bill
Elon Musk wasted no time responding to Trump's comments about his criticisms of the GOP's domestic policy bill — dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill."
"Whatever," Musk wrote in a post on X while Trump was still talking to White House reporters about his disappointment in his former adviser for slamming the bill.
"Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill," Musk wrote.
Musk was responding to Trump's earlier comments that the tech mogul and now-former adviser to the president had only soured on the bill after mandates on electric vehicles that would have benefited his business were removed from the legislation.
"In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!" Musk added. "Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way."
Musk also responded to Trump's comment to reporters that "he knew the inner workings of the bill better than almost anybody sitting here" and only developed a problem when he learned the electric vehicle mandate would be removed from the legislation.
"False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!" Musk wrote in a separate post.
Trump compares Musk to people who become 'hostile' after leaving administration
Trump suggested that Musk was similar to people who he said become "hostile" upon leaving the administration because they "miss it so badly."
"I’ll be honest, I think he misses the place," Trump said of Musk, who has stepped away from the administration.
The president said "people leave my administration, and they love us, and then at some point they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it, and some of them actually become hostile."
"We have it with others, too. They leave, and they wake up in the morning, and the glamour is gone," he said. "The whole world is different, and they become hostile. I don’t know what it is."
Musk has been intensely critical of the Trump-backed reconciliation bill, which includes many administration priorities.
Trump says he's 'very disappointed' in Elon Musk
Trump told reporters that he is "very disappointed" in Elon Musk after the tech mogul repeatedly publicly criticized the Trump-backed Republican package over projections that it would add to the deficit.
"I'm very disappointed in Elon," Trump said. "I've helped Elon a lot."
Trump also said that Musk "knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here."
The president said that Musk "only developed the problem when he found out that we're going to have to cut the EV mandate," referring to electric vehicles.
Trump calls Biden's use of autopen 'disrespectful' and suggests he wasn't aware of his own policies
Trump criticized former President Joe Biden's use of the autopen despite having said he has used it himself.
"I think it's very disrespectful to people when they get an autopen signature," Trump said, adding that he thought using it was OK for responding to letters.
Trump said in March that he has used an autopen "only for very unimportant papers."
The president suggested Biden was not aware of his own policies, though there is no evidence to support the allegation.
"All of these things that changed so radically, I don't think that he had any idea that what was — frankly, I said it during the debate and I say it now, he didn't have much of an idea what was going on," Trump said.
Biden had talked contemporaneously about issues such as pardons, the border and other issues Trump suggested Biden wasn't aware of.
Trump explains why Egypt isn't included in his new travel ban
Trump said that he didn't include Egypt on the list of countries for his new travel ban into the U.S. because it's a nation "that we deal with very closely."
NBC News' Garrett Haake asked why Egypt wasn't included since the suspect in the antisemitic attack in Boulder last weekend is an Egyptian national.
"They have things under control. The countries that we have, don’t have things under control. Why now? Because it can’t come soon enough," Trump told reporters during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office with the German chancellor.
"We’re moving them out very strongly," added Trump, who criticized the immigration policies of the Biden administration. "We don’t want to have other bad people coming into our country."
Trump says he will travel to China to meet with Xi
Trump said that he will travel to China to meet with Xi and that Xi would travel to the U.S.
"He invited me to China and I invited him here. We both accepted, so I'll be going there with the first lady at a certain point, and he'll be coming here hopefully with the first lady of China," Trump told reporters.
He has not provided details on timing.
German Chancellor arrives at the White House
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived at the White House. He was greeted by Trump before the two went inside.
Trump responded to a shouted question from a reporter about his call with Xi, saying that the call went very well.
What to know about Trump’s new travel ban
Trump announced last night that nationals from 12 countries would be banned from entering the United States starting Monday.
Trump said that the ban, which primarily targets countries in Africa and the Middle East, was necessary to preserve national security and prevent terrorism in the U.S.
Here's what to know about the ban.
Trump says he and Xi discussed trade and rare earth minerals in 'very good' call
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he had a "very good phone call" with Chinese President Xi Jinping that lasted about 1½ hours.
Trump said that he and his counterpart discussed "some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal."
"There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products," Trump said in the post. "Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined."
Trump also said that Xi invited him to visit China, adding that he "reciprocated."
"As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing," Trump said. "The conversation was focused almost entirely on TRADE. Nothing was discussed concerning Russia/Ukraine, or Iran."
The president added that the administration would share additional details on the "soon to be meeting."
Supreme Court rules that Catholic groups were unlawfully barred from a religious tax exemption
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Catholic Church-affiliated charitable groups, saying they were wrongly denied religious exemptions from a Wisconsin tax that funds unemployment benefits.
The justices ruled unanimously that the state’s decision unlawfully discriminated against the groups on the basis of religion under the free exercise clause of the Constitution’s First Amendment.
Supreme Court rejects Mexico’s lawsuit against U.S. gun makers
The Supreme Court threw out the Mexican government’s lawsuit against U.S. firearms manufacturers accusing them of aiding and abetting gun violence.
The court ruled unanimously that the lawsuit is barred by a 2005 federal law that shields gun companies from legal liability.
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan, who wrote the opinion, acknowledged the gun violence problem, but said Mexico had failed to make allegations that would surmount those liability protections in claiming the companies aided and abetted the unlawful sale of guns.
Supreme Court revives straight woman’s reverse discrimination claim
The Supreme Court revived a woman’s claim that she was discriminated against at work because she is straight.
The unanimous ruling could make it easier in some parts of the country for people belonging to majority groups to bring such “reverse discrimination” claims. It overturns precedent in some lower courts that says someone from a “majority group” has to meet a higher bar than someone from a minority group for a case to move forward.
Mike Johnson said Musk is 'pretty dug in right now' about his opposition to the GOP spending bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he texted with Elon Musk last night and he would be calling him "right now" after speaking with reporters.
Johnson told Bloomberg TV this morning the Tesla CEO is “pretty dug in right now,” and declined to go into details in a post-interview gaggle but said their conversations are “ongoing.”
On reconciliation, the speaker said he spoke to Trump “late last night” on updates and called Senate Majority Leader John Thune this morning.
“There’s lots of different opinions and ideas and thoughts on the other side, just as there were here, but they have a truncated amount of time to work through that,” Johnson said. “We had a much longer period because we began to work a lot sooner. So we can all anticipate what the arguments are going to be, what the concerns are going to be, and hopefully, I think, anticipate where it’ll land. So I think we’re on track.”
Judges bring Trump’s sweeping plan to deport foreign students to a standstill
Trump’s sweeping bid to deport foreign students who have condemned the war in Gaza has been brought to a standstill by federal judges who have repeatedly ruled against the administration, according to an NBC News review of recent court filings.
First, Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University graduate student, was arrested and transported hundreds of miles from his home. Then a graduate student at Tufts University in Massachusetts, Rümeysa Öztürk, was grabbed off the street by masked plainclothes federal agents. A third student, Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University postdoctoral scholar and professor, was arrested at his home, while another Columbia student, Mohsen Mahdawi, was detained at his naturalization interview.
Since then, though, federal judges have rejected the administration’s arguments about court jurisdiction and the continued detention of three of the four students. Federal judges freed Öztürk, Mahdawi and Suri. And a ruling on Khalil’s possible release is expected soon.
Trump and China's Xi hold phone call amid trade war
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call this morning as the trade war between the two countries grinds on.
It's the first known call between the leaders in Trump's second term, although they spoke in January before Trump's inauguration.
Chinese state media said that the call happened at the White House’s request. No other information was immediately made public. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the call was ongoing as of 9 a.m. ET.
The White House and the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. didn't immediately return requests for comment.
Trump had posted to social media early yesterday about his frustrations with the state of talks.
Trump to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
Trump will meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this morning, the latest foreign leader to travel to the White House. His trip comes as Trump has repeatedly criticized the European Union over its trade policies and threatened to enact higher tariffs on the 27-country bloc.
Merz was elected chancellor last month. He is part of the Christian Democratic Union, a center-right party.
Trump's previous meetings with foreign leaders have been publicly confrontational. In May, Trump’s meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa grew tense over comments about white refugees and baseless claims of a white genocide.
In February, Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy devolved after the U.S. leaders berated the Ukrainian president and said he was not grateful enough to the U.S.
Former Republican David Jolly launches long-shot bid for Florida governor as a Democrat
Democrats face a huge uphill climb in 2026 to retake Florida’s governorship for the first time in more than two decades, but David Jolly says he is up to the challenge.
Jolly, a former Republican congressman who left the party in large part because of his opposition to President Donald Trump, is announcing today that he is running for governor, making him the first notable Democrat to get into the race.
President targets visas for Harvard’s international students
Trump said last night he will deny visas for foreign students trying to come to the United States to attend Harvard University, his latest attack on the prominent Ivy League college.
The administration tried late last month to revoke Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students — a move that was swiftly blocked by a federal judge.
In a proclamation, Trump said Harvard failed to present sufficient information about its foreign students to the federal government.
Trump orders an investigation into Biden and his alleged use of the autopen
Trump yesterday directed a wide-ranging investigation into former President Joe Biden and officials in his administration, accusing his aides of using “autopen” signatures to cover up his “cognitive decline” and assert presidential power.
Trump frequently uses Biden as a political foil and has sought to undo a number of policies from his predecessor’s administration since he returned to office.
Trump announces travel ban on 12 countries and partial restrictions for 7 others
In a return of one of the most controversial policies of his first term, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation yesterday banning nationals from a dozen countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti and the Republic of Congo, from entering the United States.
Trump framed the new restrictions, which primarily target African and Asian countries, as necessary to fortify national security and combat terrorism.