President Trump's executive order stripping security clearances and contracts from law firm Jenner & Block is unconstitutional, a federal judge ruled Friday.
Republicans and Democrats are at odds over nearly everything in President Trump's reconciliation bill, but they are in strange agreement that the 2026 election will be contested over the provisions contained within its 1,000+ pages.
Why it matters:The 215-214 vote Thursday sets up 18 months of trench warfare to define the bill's impact on Medicaid, tax rates and the southern border.
The big picture: Elon Musk, the face of DOGE's controversial overhaul of the federal government, had vowed "maximum transparency" for its work, which included mass firings and deep spending cuts. But Friday's order gives the billionaire's department a reprieve.
President Trump on Friday threw his support behind what he called a "planned partnership" between U.S. Steel and Japan-based Nippon Steel, calling it a job-creating deal.
Why it matters: The Biden administration had rejected Nippon's proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel under national security grounds — and Trump had also expressed opposition to an outright sale.
President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have orchestrated a vast restructuring of the National Security Council, reducing its size and transferring many of its powers to the State and Defense departments.
Why it matters: Trump's White House sees the NSC as notoriously bureaucratic and filled with longtime officials who don't share the president's vision.
Harvard is at the center of the Trump administration's higher education pressure campaign — and has emerged as the example of what happens when a university pushes back against the government's demands.
The big picture: By freezing billions in federal funds, derailing international students' futures and levying allegations of antisemitism and discrimination, the administration has squeezed the institution on various fronts as the school becomes the litmus test of how far President Trump will go.
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's attempt to ban foreign students from attending Harvard within hours of the university filing its lawsuit Friday.
Why it matters: Harvard is becoming the litmus test of how far the Trump administration will go to try taking down colleges and universities it considers to have liberal biases.
The Trump administration is fighting a federal judge's order barring it from laying off some federal workers until lawsuits challenging the firings are resolved.
Driving the news: A federal judge on Thursday shielded workers at 22 federal agencies from layoffs while the lawsuits proceed.
President Trump's threat to Apple — build the iPhone for Americans in America, or else pay a new 25% tariff — risks massively increasing the price you pay for your phone, one way or another.
Why it matters: No one wants to pay two or three times more for a smartphone, and Apple experts doubt that a transition to U.S. manufacturing is even possible without years of investment and planning.
President Trump's decision to prevent international students from studying at Harvard University could hurt America's economy by reducing the number of startup founders.
Why it matters: Trump is aiming at Harvard, but buckshot may hit the innovation engine that America needs to stay ahead of China.
Wisconsin swing voters who switched from former President Biden to President Trump in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups are mostly standing by Trump despite reservations.
Why it matters: The speed and scale of Trump's tariffs aren't sitting well even with some who agree with the idea of tariffs. Some said they don't like Trump's treatment of neighboring ally Canada, his incivility and bullying, or his ambiguity about whether he'll abide by court rulings.
The America that marched for George Floyd five years ago is gone, buried beneath a backlash that has hardened — for now — into a new political and cultural order.
Why it matters: Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer shocked the national conscience. But what looked like historic momentum for racial justice has collapsed — eclipsed by a reactionary movement backed by the full force of the U.S. government.
Facing a revolt from Miami Republicans, President Trump salvaged his giant spending plan in Congress late Wednesday by ensuring the death of a Chevron oil deal in Venezuela that the lawmakers lividly opposed.
Why it matters: Trump's decision was a matter of political necessity and a nod to his secretary of state, Marco Rubio — a longtime critic of Nicolas Maduro's socialist dictatorship in Venezuela and Chevron's oil export license that helps enrich the regime.
Columbia University violated federal civil rights law by "acting with deliberate indifference toward student-on-student harassment of Jewish students" from Oct. 7, 2023, through the present, a Trump administration investigation found Thursday.
The big picture: The college was an epicenter last year for students protesting the Israel-Hamas war. The Trump administration announced in March it was pulling some $400 million in federal grants and contracts over its dissatisfaction with Columbia's response to antisemitism allegations.
The Democratic National Committee will vote in June on whether to hold a redo of the election of David Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta as vice chairs, per a Thursday evening DNC meeting.
Why it matters: Kalyn Free, a losing candidate in February's vice chair race, says the two were elected under a flawed tabulation process, but Hogg alleges the move is linked to his efforts to reform the party that include plans to spend $20 million to primary older Democratic Congress members.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un responded with fury after watching a "serious accident" during the launch of a new warship Thursday that he described as a "criminal act," the state-run KCNA reported.
Why it matters: It's highly unusual for Kim to criticize his defense forces or for state media to report on an error — though KCNA did not disclose whether there were any casualties as it reported that parts of the 5,000-ton destroyer were crushed in the incident.
Why it matters: The temporary injunction bars immigration officials nationwide from arresting or detaining the students while the court resolves lawsuits challenging the administration's efforts to revoke F-1 student visas.
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