Trump Administration

CNN reports: Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, warned that is not immune from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. It plans to raise prices on some items as Trump’s global trade war sends the company’s costs higher. “We will do our best to keep our prices as low as possible but given the magnitude of the tariffs, even at the reduced levels …

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration has sharply expanded its campaign against experts who track misinformation and other harmful content online, abruptly canceling scores of scientific research grants at universities across the country. The grants funded research into topics like ways to evade censors in China. One grant at the Rochester Institute of Technology, for example, sought to …

CNN reports: A significant overhaul of the National Security Council at the White House is expected in the coming days, including a staff reduction and a reinforced top-down approach with decision-making concentrated at the highest levels, three senior Trump administration officials told CNN. Staffed by dozens of foreign policy experts from across the US government, the NSC typically serves as …

The Washington Post reports: President Donald Trump is not the only one in his administration seeking a new plane. The Department of Homeland Security is planning on a new Gulfstream V, an agency official confirmed Wednesday, after the anticipated acquisition spilled into public view during a congressional oversight hearing. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Illinois) questioned the spending plan during a House …

NPR reports: The Supreme Court hears historic arguments on Thursday, as the Trump administration seeks to challenge the constitutional provision that guarantees automatic citizenship to all babies born in the United States. And yet, the arguments are likely to focus primarily on a different question entirely, a legal question on nationwide injunctions that could make it much more difficult and …

ProPublica reports: Attorney General Pam Bondi sold between $1 million and $5 million worth of shares of Trump Media the same day that President Donald Trump unveiled bruising new tariffs that caused the stock market to plummet, according to records obtained Wednesday by ProPublica. Trump Media, which runs the social media platform Truth Social, fell 13% in the following days, …

The Washington Post reports: Some National Weather Service forecasting teams are so critically understaffed that the agency is offering to pay moving expenses for any staff willing to transfer to those offices, according to notices recently sent to employees and obtained by The Washington Post. The 155 vacancies the agency is seeking to fill by May 27 include key weather …

Mediaite reports: Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen was one of several protesters who were dragged out of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hearing Wednesday. While Kennedy he was speaking, he was suddenly interrupted by someone shouting in the crowd. “RFK kills people with AIDS,” the protester repeatedly shouted. She was also holding up a sign in Kennedy’s direction. Seconds later, …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s new pick for surgeon general wrote in a recent book that people should consider using unproven psychedelic drugs as therapy and in a newsletter suggested her use of mushrooms helped her find a romantic partner. Dr. Casey Means’ recommendation to consider guided psilocybin-assisted therapy is notable because psilocybin is illegal under federal law. …

NewsNation reports: A system used to verify passport document data for agencies that issue driver’s licenses and identification cards was unavailable Wednesday amid an outage, according to a transportation group. The U.S. Passport Verification Service provides a means for driver license agencies to verify that data against DHS back-end systems. The American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators told NewsNation the …

The Hill reports: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday lent support to calls to suspend habeas corpus as part of the administration’s immigration crackdown after aide Stephen Miller said the White House was considering the idea. During an appearance before lawmakers, Noem was asked about whether a suspension would meet those conditions.“I’m not a constitutional lawyer, but I believe …

Wired reports: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has canceled plans to introduce new rules designed to limit the ability of US data brokers to sell sensitive information about Americans, including financial data, credit history, and Social Security numbers. The CFPB proposed the new rule in early December under former director Rohit Chopra, who said the changes were necessary to …

NBC News reports: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday sidestepped a question about vaccines and whether he would choose to vaccinate his children today against a number of diseases, saying, “I don’t think people should be taking medical advice from me.” Kennedy’s comment was in response to Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., during a House Appropriations …

SWALWELL: Madam Secretary, you agree that the letters “M-S” and the number 13, in Times Roman Numeral font, that they are doctored on this photo, right? NOEM: Congressman, Abrego Garcia is– SWALWELL: No, no, I’m just asking about this photo. NOEM: –a known member of MS-13. It wasn’t based off of tattoos. It was based off an entire case. SWALWELL: …

The Hill reports: Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday over her decision to deem President Trump’s potential acceptance of a luxury Qatari jet as a “legally permissible” gift. Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, argued that Bondi should have recused herself from that decision due to her past lobbying work …

“We had members of Congress assaulting law enforcement officers. This wasn’t oversight, this was committing felonies. This was going out and attacking people who stand up for the rule of law. It’s astounding to me that someone would even vote for someone to put them in a place of leadership when they perpetuate something as hypocritical and criminal as what …

NPR reports: Paul Ingrassia, currently serving as the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, has ties to multiple figures widely known for promoting antisemitism. In 2023, Ingrassia repeatedly praised the controversial “manosphere” influencer Andrew Tate and worked on his legal team. Romanian authorities have accused Tate of human trafficking. The top of Ingrassia’s Instagram page features a …

The Washington Post report: The Environmental Protection Agency plans to rescind and reconsider limits on four different “forever chemicals” under a landmark drinking water standard implemented last year by President Joe Biden, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The drinking water rules were adopted as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to limit public exposure to per- and …

The Associated Press reports: A coalition of 20 state Democratic attorneys general filed two federal lawsuits on Tuesday, claiming that the Trump administration is threatening to withhold billions of dollars in transportation and disaster-relief funds unless states agree to certain immigration enforcement actions. According to the complaints, both Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have …

NBC News reports: The conservative activist named by President Donald Trump as the head of the Justice Department’s “Weaponization Working Group” said Tuesday he planned to “name” and “shame” individuals the department determines it is unable to charge with crimes, in what would amount to a major departure from longstanding Justice Department protocols. Ed Martin described himself at a press …