A federal judge has permanently blocked another of the president’s executive orders targeting a major law firm.
US District Judge John Bates said in a ruling Friday that the order against the law firm of Jenner & Block violates the Constitution and cannot be enforced.
The ruling comes just weeks after a different judge blocked a similar order against the Perkins Coie law firm.
See a recap from Friday.
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Other news of the day:
Judge blocks Trump from barring international student enrollments at Harvard: The temporary restraining order stops the government from pulling Harvard’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
Trump threatens 25% import tax on Apple unless iPhones are made in the US and threatens EU with 50% tariffs: The threats reflect Trump’s ability to disrupt the global economy with a burst of typing, as well as the reality that his tariffs have yet to produce the trade deals he is seeking or the return of domestic manufacturing he has promised voters.
Chief Justice Roberts agrees to pause orders requiring DOGE to turn over records: The order came after the Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court in a lawsuit filed against DOGE by a government watchdog group.
Trump administration releases people to shelters it threatened to prosecute for aiding migrants — 9:28 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration has continued releasing people charged with being in the country illegally to nongovernmental shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border after telling those organizations that providing migrants with temporary housing and other aid may violate a law used to prosecute smugglers.
Border shelters, which have long provided lodging, meals and transportation to the nearest bus station or airport, were rattled by a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that raised “significant concerns” about potentially illegal activity and demanded detailed information in a wide-ranging investigation. FEMA suggested shelters may have committed felony offenses against bringing people across the border illegally or transporting them within the United States.
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“It was pretty scary. I’m not going to lie,” said Rebecca Solloa, executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Laredo.
Lawyers question legality of Trump’s Harvard campaign — 8:41 p.m.
By Mike Damiano and Hilary Burns, Globe Staff
In its first legal victory against the Trump administration, Harvard persuaded a federal judge on Friday to block the government’s latest salvo against the school: banning the university from enrolling foreign students.
US District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs in Boston said Harvard had shown it could suffer “immediate and irreparable injury” if its approximately 7,000 foreign students were forced to leave the country or transfer to another university. She ordered the administration to temporarily halt enforcement of the ban while litigation between Harvard and the government proceeds.
The court battle poses a test for both the legality of the Trump administration’s tactics in its pressure campaign against Harvard and the judicial system’s ability to rein in what critics allege is government overreach.
Under pressure from Trump and manufacturers, Mass. punts on electric vehicle mandate — 8:10 p.m.
By Sabrina Shankman and Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff
Massachusetts is pumping the brakes on its ambitious goals to shift drivers from gas to electric vehicles, the Healey administration announced Friday.
The state will delay by two years the enforcement of a a rule that would have required 35 percent of cars sold to be electric and plug-in-hybrid starting with 2026 models. From there, the percentages had been set to increase annually until all vehicles sold in the state are fully electric in 2035.
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The change is another sign that those goals may be untenable in light of the Trump administration’s full-throated opposition to electric vehicles — combined with concerns about the supply of compliant products. Several other states are delaying or canceling similar mandates.
Despite built-in flexibilities intended to help automakers that aren’t as far along with the transition to EVs, the rules have been met with fierce opposition. The announcement by Governor Maura Healey comes after months of challenges at the federal level, as well as from state legislators and auto dealers who have pushed to slow things down.
“EVs should be the most affordable and clean option for cars,” Governor Maura Healey said in a press release announcing her decision. “We’re giving carmakers more runway to invest in their manufacturing and supply chains, which will help ensure customers have additional affordable electric vehicles options at dealerships in the future.”
South Africa police minister says Trump ‘twisted’ facts to push baseless genocide claims — 7:56 p.m.
By the Associated Press
South Africa’s top law enforcement official said Friday that President Trump wrongly claimed that a video he showed in the Oval Office was of burial sites for more than 1,000 white farmers and he “twisted” the facts to push a false narrative about mass killings of white people in his country.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu was talking about a video clip that was played during the meeting between Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday that showed an aerial view of a rural road with lines of white crosses erected on either side.
“Now this is very bad,” Trump said as he referred to the clip that was part of a longer video that was played in the meeting. “These are burial sites, right here. Burial sites, over a thousand, of white farmers, and those cars are lined up to pay love on a Sunday morning.”
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Mchunu said the crosses did not mark graves or burial sites, but were a temporary memorial put up in 2020 to protest the killings of all farmers across South Africa. They were put up during a funeral procession for a white couple who were killed in a robbery on their farm, Mchunu said.
Lawsuit challenges Trump’s order to allow commercial fishing in Pacific monument — 7:27 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The legal challenge brought by environmentalists is to a presidential executive order that they say strips core protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and opens the area to harmful commercial fishing.
On April 17, the same day of a proclamation allowing commercial fishing in the monument, Trump issued an order to boost the industry by peeling back regulations and opening up harvesting in previously protected areas.
The monument was created by President George W. Bush in 2009 and consists of about 500,000 square miles (1.3 million square kilometers) in the central Pacific Ocean. President Barack Obama expanded the monument in 2014.
A week after the proclamation, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service sent a letter to fishing permit holders giving them a green light to fish commercially within the monument’s boundaries, even though a longstanding fishing ban remains on the books, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Honolulu.
White House conducting massive overhaul of National Security Council, officials say — 7:19 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The overhaul Trump is ordering will shrink the NSC’s size, lead to the ouster of some political appointees and return many career appointees to their home agencies, according to two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the reorganization.
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The move is expected to significantly reduce the number of staff at the NSC, according to the officials, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel matter. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been serving as national security adviser since early this month following the ouster of Mike Waltz, who was then nominated for ambassador to the United Nations.
The NSC has been in a continual state of tumult early in Trump’s second term. Waltz was ousted weeks after Trump announced the firing of several NSC officials, a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty.
Venezuelan workers at Disney put on leave after losing temporary protective status — 7:17 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The 45 employees were placed on leave after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to strip their legal protections.
The move aims to ensure that the employees are not violating the law, Disney said Friday. The workers will continue to get benefits.
“We are committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees who may be navigating changing immigration policies and how they could impact them or their families,” the company said in a statement.
About two-thirds of the workers are in union jobs. The contract for Walt Disney World service workers in Florida allows them to be reinstated without loss of seniority or benefits once they provide proper work authorization within one year, according to union official Julee Jerkovich.
“It’s very distressing,” Jerkovich said. “Disney is being made to be the bad guy, but they didn’t have any choice.”
Apple has had few incentives in the past to start making iPhones in US — 6:20 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Lashing out at Apple’s plans to make most of its US iPhones in India, the president threatened to slap a 25 percent tariff on the popular device unless the tech giant starts building the product in its home country — a move that still seems unlikely to happen any time soon, if ever.
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For decades Apple has been building most of its devices in China, where it has invested tens of billions of dollars in massive factories that rely on a vast network of local suppliers. The company’s reliance on a crucial pipeline outside the US thrust the technology trendsetter into the crosshairs of Trump’s trade war.
In response to Trump’s tussle with China, Apple CEO Tim Cook said this month that most iPhones sold in the US during the March-June period would come from India. Although Trump decided in late April to temporarily exempt the iPhone and other electronics from most of his initial tariffs, Cook said the trade war would end up costing Apple an additional $900 million during the March-June period.
Judge orders restoration of research removed from federal website for using ‘LGBTQ’ and ‘transgender’ — 6:10 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The US District judge issued his order Friday. He said the plaintiffs in a lawsuit, two Harvard Medical School doctors, were likely to succeed because the removal of their articles “was a textbook example of viewpoint discrimination.”
On his first day back in the White House, Trump signed an order for agencies to use the term “sex” and not “gender” in federal policies and documents.
That has led to multiple health-related webpages and datasets being removed, including from the Patient Safety Network, a website for doctors and medical researchers to share information about medical errors. The website is run by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services.
The ACLU says the two articles at question in the lawsuit included one on commonly missed and delayed diagnosis involving endometriosis that had one sentence about diagnosis in transgender and gender-nonconforming people. The second focused on suicide risk oversights in emergency and primary care settings that included a sentence on heightened risk in LGBTQ communities.
Trump approves FEMA disaster relief for 8 states — 5:56 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president green-lit disaster relief for eight states, assistance that some of the communities rocked by natural disasters have been waiting on for months.
The major disaster declaration approvals allow Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas access to financial support through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Several states requested the aid in response to damage from a massive storm system in mid-March.
“This support will go a long way in helping Mississippi to rebuild and recover. Our entire state is grateful for his approval,” said Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, whose state experienced 18 tornados between March 14 and 15.
Mississippi residents in the hard-hit Walthall County expressed frustration earlier this month over how long they had been waiting for federal help. The county’s emergency manager said debris removal operations stalled in early May when the county ran out of money while awaiting federal assistance.
Trump’s latest tariff threats knock Wall Street, European stocks and Apple lower — 5:32 p.m.
By the Associated Press
US stocks fell after the president threatened 50% tariffs on the European Union that could begin in a little more than a week.
The S&P 500 lost 0.7% to close out its worst week in the last seven, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 256 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1%.
Trump threatened the tariffs before the U.S. stock market opened, saying on his Truth Social platform that trade talks with the European Union “were going nowhere” and that “straight 50%” tariffs could take effect June 1. The European Union is one of the United States’ largest trading partners.
Stocks fell immediately afterward in Europe, with France’s CAC 40 index losing 1.7%. The U.S. market also took a quick turn lower, and futures for U.S. stock indexes tumbled after earlier suggesting only modest moves at the open of trading.
Trump administration takes first steps in easing sanctions on Syria — 5:00 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The administration is granting Syria a waiver from one crippling set of sanctions as well as easing restrictions on businesses as a first step in his pledge to end a half-century of penalties.
The moves announced by the Treasury Department follow Trump’s announcement last week that the US would ease heavy financial penalties targeting Syria’s former autocratic rulers — in a bid to give the new interim government a better chance of survival after a 13-year civil war.
Trump says US Steel will keep HQ in Pittsburgh as part of $14b ‘partnership’ with Japan’s Nippon — 4:57 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president said that the iconic American steelmaker will keep its headquarters in Pittsburgh as part of what he called a “planned partnership” with Japan-based Nippon Steel.
Nippon’s nearly $15 billion bid to buy US Steel was blocked by former President Joe Biden and, after Trump became president, subjected to another national security review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.
Trump said in a statement that “after much consideration and negotiation, US Steel will REMAIN in America, and keep its Headquarters in the Great City of Pittsburgh.”
The partnership will create at least 70,000 jobs and add $14 billion to the US economy, he said, although it wasn’t clear what the terms of the deal would be or who would own US Steel under the arrangement.
The companies did not immediately comment.
Chief justice agrees to pause court orders requiring DOGE to turn over records about its operation — 4:46 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Chief Justice John Roberts agreed to temporarily pause orders that would require Elon Musk‘s Department of Government Efficiency to publicly disclose information about its operations.
The order came after the Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court in a lawsuit filed against DOGE by a government watchdog group.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, argues that DOGE, which has been central to the president’s push to remake the government, is a federal agency and must be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
But the Trump administration says DOGE is just a presidential advisory body aimed at rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in government, which would make it exempt from document requests under FOIA.
CREW sued in February, claiming that DOGE “wields shockingly broad power” with no transparency about its actions.
US District Judge Christopher Cooper found that its role is likely more than just advisory. He ordered DOGE to turn over documents and have its acting administrator answer questions under oath by June 13.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer called Cooper’s orders “extraordinarily overbroad and intrusive.”
Under pressure from Trump and manufacturers, Mass. punts on electric vehicle mandate — 4:32 p.m.
By Sabrina Shankman and Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff
Massachusetts is pumping the brakes on its ambitious goals to shift drivers from gas to electric vehicles, the Healey administration announced Friday.
The state will delay by two years the enforcement of a a rule that would have required 35 percent of cars sold to be electric and plug-in-hybrid starting with 2026 models. From there, the percentages had been set to increase annually until all vehicles sold in the state are fully electric in 2035.
The change is another sign that those goals may be untenable in light of the Trump administration’s full-throated opposition to electric vehicles — combined with concerns about the supply of compliant products. Several other states are delaying or canceling similar mandates.
At signing, Trump says Harvard has to ‘change its ways’ — 4:19 p.m.
By Julian E.J. Sorapuru, Globe Staff
During an executive order signing, mostly focused on rolling back regulations on nuclear energy, President Trump was asked whether he would consider halting international student enrollment at universities other than Harvard.
“Well, we’re taking a look at a lot of things,” Trump said. “Billions of dollars has been paid to Harvard. How ridiculous is that? Billions. And they have $52 billion as an endowment. They have $52 billion and this country is paying billions and billions of dollars and then give student loans, and they have to pay back the loan. So Harvard’s going to have to change its ways.”
When asked whether he wanted the “best and brightest” from around the world to come to Harvard, Trump replied, “I do. I do, but a lot of the people need remedial math.”
The refrain is one Trump has used repeatedly as evidence the university has let its standards slip. In 2024, Harvard announced the launch of an introductory math course meant to rectify pandemic learning losses that saw new students arrive on campus needing additional support.
“These students can’t add two and two and they go to Harvard?” Trump said. “You see those same people picketing and screaming at the United States, and screaming at - they’re antisemitic, or they’re something - we don’t want troublemakers here.”
Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crashes — 4:16 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the airplane giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading US regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to court papers filed Friday.
Under the “agreement in principle” that still needs to be finalized, Boeing would pay and invest more than $1.1 billion, including an additional $445 million for the crash victims’ families, the Justice Department said. In return, the department would dismiss the fraud charge in the criminal case against the aircraft manufacturer.
Venezuelan workers at Disney put on leave from jobs after losing protective status — 4:12 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Almost four dozen Venezuelan workers who had temporary protected status have been put on leave by Disney after the US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to strip them of legal protections.
The move was made to make sure that the employees were not in violation of the law, Disney said in a statement.
The 45 workers across the company who were put on leave will continue to get benefits.
“We are committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees who may be navigating changing immigration policies and how they could impact them or their families,” the statement said.
About two-thirds of the workers were in union jobs. The union contract for Walt Disney World service workers in Florida allows them to be reinstated without loss of seniority or benefits once they provide proper work authorization within a year of losing their jobs, said Julee Jerkovich, secretary-treasurer of the United Food And Commercial Workers International Union’s Local 1625.
“It’s very distressing,” Jerkovich said. “Disney is being made to be the bad guy, but they didn’t have any choice.”
Trump administration releases people to shelters it threatened to prosecute for aiding migrants — 3:55 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration has continued releasing people charged with being in the country illegally to nongovernmental shelters along the US-Mexico border after telling those organizations that providing migrants with temporary housing and other aid may violate a law used to prosecute smugglers.
Border shelters, which have long provided lodging, meals and transportation to the nearest bus station or airport, were rattled by a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that raised “significant concerns” about potentially illegal activity and demanded detailed information in a wide-ranging investigation. FEMA suggested shelters may have committed felony offenses against bringing people across the border illegally or transporting them within the United States.
“It was pretty scary. I’m not going to lie,” said Rebecca Solloa, executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Laredo.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued to ask shelters in Texas and Arizona to house people even after the March 11 letter, putting them in the awkward position of doing something that FEMA appeared to say might be illegal. Both agencies are part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Gold watches and field greens: Entrepreneur’s video offers a glimpse inside Trump’s crypto dinner — 3:35 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Chinese-born cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun has posted a video of his experience at Trump’s crypto dinner.
The 37-second presentation features a soaring instrumental soundtrack and professional-quality camera work.
It shows off a menu that included “Trump organic field green salad,” and an investor leaderboard autographed by those whose names were on it — with Sun at the top.
There are also shots of attendees taking selfies and tossing baseball caps skyward, as Sun being awarded a flashy gold watch that attendees investing the most in the meme coin received from the Trump Organization, the Trump family’s business.
Trump doesn’t appear in the video. But the president addressed the dinner which was held Thursday night at his gold club outside Washington for the top 220 investors in his meme coin.
The top investor was Sun, who is famous for buying a piece of conceptual art consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall, for $6.2 million, and later eating the banana.
Former professional basketball player and reality TV star Lamar Odom also attended. Odom has recently launched his own meme coin.
Belgian royal family unsure what Harvard international student ban spells for heir apparent’s education — 3:10 p.m.
By Nathan Metcalf, Globe Correspondent
Belgium’s Royal Palace said Friday it is assessing how the Trump administration’s ban on international students at Harvard might affect Princess Elisabeth, the 23-year-old heir to the throne who recently completed her first year of graduate study at the Kennedy School, the Associated Press reported.
“We are looking into the situation, to see what kind of impact this decision might have on the princess, or not. It’s too early to say right now,” said Palace Communications Chief Xavier Baert.
He said Elisabeth is expected to spend the summer in Belgium, “and we’ll have to see what happens next year.”
‘Shark Tank’ star calls for compromise on Harvard student ban — 3:06 p.m.
By Nathan Metcalf, Globe Correspondent
“Shark Tank” star and Harvard Business School lecturer Kevin O’Leary — a high-profile supporter of many aspects of Trump’s economic agenda in recent months — broke rank in a Fox Business interview Friday, calling for the president and Harvard to reach a deal allowing international students to stay in the US.
“Let me assure you of something about these international students,” O’Leary said onVarney & Co.“I teach them. These are the smartest students in the world. Harvard is the oldest educational institution. These students are extraordinary individuals, and they don’t hate America.”
While stopping short of directly criticizing Trump, O’Leary urged a resolution between the White House and the university that would restore the status quo.
“When I go back there to teach in the fall, I want the best and brightest,” he said. “This has to get worked out.”
Trump administration sues 4 New Jersey cities over ‘sanctuary’ policies — 3:05 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration sued four New Jersey cities over their so-called sanctuary city policies aimed at prohibiting police from cooperating with immigration officials, saying the local governments are standing in the way of federal enforcement.
The Justice Department filed the suit Thursday against Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken in New Jersey federal court. The lawsuit seeks a judgment against the cities and an injunction to halt them from enacting the so-called sanctuary city policies.
“While states and local governments are free to stand aside as the United States performs this important work, they cannot stand in the way,” the suit says.
Trump says tariffs coming for all foreign-made smart phones, not just Apple products — 2:37 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump said he would threaten tariffs on all smartphone makers who make their products abroad, not just Apple as he had threatened in a Friday social media post.
“It would be also Samsung and anybody that makes that product,” Trump said. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fair.”
Trump said the new tariffs would come out at the end of June. He said he had an understanding with Apple CEO Tim Cook that his company would not relocate production to India to avoid Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump said he’s confident that companies can move their factories to the US because “a lot of it is so computerized now.”
An interruption in the Oval Office — 2:31 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Right after president spoke about tariffs on foreign-made smartphones, the president’s own phone started ringing.
The first time, he pretended to answer before cancelling the call.
“It’s only a congressman,” he joked with a smile.
The phone rang again almost immediately.“It’s a different congressman,” he said.
Trump says he’s not looking for a tariff deal with EU — 2:30 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump said he’s not seeking a deal with the European Union after announcing plans to put a 50 percent tax on its goods in June.
“I’m not looking for a deal,” Trump told the reporters at the Oval Office. “We’ve set the deal. It’s at 50%.”
Trump said he objected to the trade deficit in goods with the EU and wanted European governments to provide greater access to American-made autos. But he defended his aggressive tariff hike by saying: “It’s time that we play the game the way I know how to play the game, you know.”
Still, Trump indicated that he could change or delay the tariff rates if European companies made commitments to build factories inside the US.
Trump has ambitious — and unlikely — goals for nuclear energy — 2:28 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president signed an executive order that his staff said would help quadruple the amount of nuclear power generation over 25 years.
“It’s exciting, right?” Trump said as people clapped in the Oval Office.
Meeting such a goal could prove very difficult. Nuclear plants are costly and highly regulated, and only one new one has been built in the last four decades.
Nuclear energy executive appeals to Trump — 2:27 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Jacob DeWitte, the chief executive of Oklo, a nuclear energy company, brought a prop that might appeal to the president — a golf ball.
Holding up the ball in the Oval Office, he said that amount of uranium can power someone’s needs for their entire life.
“It doesn’t get any better than that,” he said.
“Very exciting indeed,” Trump said.
Trump prepares to sign executive orders on nuclear energy — 2:13 p.m.
By the Associated Press
The president kicked off an event in the Oval Office with top administration officials and energy executives. He said that nuclear is a “hot industry” and his executive orders will “make us the real power.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Trump was helping to roll back decades of overregulation.
“This is a huge day for the nuclear history. Mark this day on your calendar.”
Former Harvard president and Treasury Secretary blasts Trump’s Harvard order as ‘tyrannical’ and a threat to national security — 2:09 p.m.
By Nathan Metcalf, Globe Correspondent
Former Harvard president and Treasury Secretary Larry Summers denounced the Trump administration’s decision to block Harvard from enrolling international students, calling it “tyrannical” and “unlawful.”
“I am just appalled that we would have an administration that would contemplate actions of this kind,” Summers told Bloomberg News. “If I had been a member of an administration where such unlawful orders had come from the White House, I would have resigned immediately.”
He warned the move would damage the US economy, undermine national security, and betray democratic values by restricting international academic exchange.
Trump’s team proposes 6-month waiver as a first step in easing sanctions on Syria, officials say — 2:01 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump’s advisers are proposing that he grant Syria a six-month waiver from one crippling set of sanctions as well as ease restrictions on businesses as a first step in his pledge to end a half-century of penalties, two US officials said.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the announcements on the first phase of US sanctions relief could come as soon as Friday or on Tuesday, after Memorial Day.
In addition to a temporary waiver on a tough set of sanctions imposed by Congress, officials also support broadening Treasury Department rules setting out what foreign businesses can do in Syria, the officials said. They said there could still be changes to what is announced in the initial round of relief.
Trump on May 13 announced a “cessation” of US sanctions targeting Syria’s former leaders that date back to 1979. For more permanent relief, administration officials are debating whether Syria’s interim government should be required to meet tough security conditions.
What issues to watch as Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ moves to the Senate — 1:52 p.m.
By the Associated Press
House Republicans were jubilant after muscling through President Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax and immigration package by a single vote. But across the Capitol, senators were more cautious.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune can afford to lose three Republican senators and still pass the bill, and there are more than that, right now, who have problems with it. Like the House, he will have to balance the concerns from moderate and conservative members of his conference.
Republicans’ aspirational deadline is July 4, ahead of a potential debt default. Thune said groups of senators had already been meeting to discuss the legislation and that they would want to take some time to review it. “And then we’ll put our stamp on it,” he said.
Here’s a look at a few of the potential sticking points in the Senate.
What to know as judge halts Trump’s ban on international students at Harvard — 2:24 p.m.
By Mike Damiano, Globe Staff
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s move to ban Harvard from enrolling foreign students.
The order came hours after Harvard sued the Trump administration over an announcement Thursday that the school’s ability to enroll student visa holders had been revoked.
In her order granting a temporary restraining order, federal judge Allison D. Burroughs told the Department of Homeland Security that it cannot implement the revocation.
Harvard, she said, demonstrated that “it will sustain immediate and irreparable injury” if the revocation is enforced.
Australia US ambassador calls Harvard ban ‘distressing’ for Australian students — 1:34 p.m.
By Nathan Metcalf, Globe Correspondent
Australia’s US ambassador and former prime minister Kevin Rudd criticized the Trump administration’s move to bar Harvard from enrolling international students, warning of serious consequences for Australians studying there.
“I know this will be distressing for Harvard’s many Australian students,” Rudd said in a statement Friday morning. “We are monitoring closely… and intend to engage the administration more broadly on the impact of this decision.”
He added that the embassy is working with the US government to gather more information about the unprecedented decision so students can receive “appropriate advice” on how to proceed.
Japan will keep pushing for US to drop tariffs, PM Ishiba says after phone talks with Trump — 1:14 p.m.
By the Associated Press
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that he spoke by telephone with Trump and agreed to hold “productive” discussions at an upcoming round of tariff talks between the two sides.
“Investment, not tariffs,” Ishiba told reporters after the talks. He said Japan’s position to keep pushing Washington to drop all recent tariff measures is unchanged and that he stands by plans to push for Japanese investment to create more jobs in the U.S. in exchange.
The two leaders held talks just after Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, headed to Washington for a third round of talks with his US counterparts. In the earlier rounds of talks, the US had not agreed to the Japanese requests.
The US is charging a 25 percent tariff on imports of autos, a mainstay of Japan’s trade with the US and a key driver of growth for the economy. Trump has relaxed some of those tariffs but has kept in place higher tariffs on steel and aluminum.
RFK Jr.’s first 100 days: out of his depth, but at the center of the stage — 12:47 p.m.
By James Pindell, Globe Staff
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is perhaps the most famous person to ever lead the US Department of Health and Human Services. That has proven to be both the problem and the point.
Since his swearing-in about 100 days ago, Kennedy has leaned into his celebrity, launching the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative and promising to disrupt a broken system of the medical pharmaceutical establishment. But in doing so, he’s sparked chaos across the sprawling agency he now runs. He has alienated career staff, triggering grant freezes, and setting off a public backlash.
Judge blocks Trump administration’s attempt to ban international students at Harvard — 12:05 p.m.
By Mike Damiano, Globe Staff
A federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s move to ban Harvard from enrolling foreign students.
The order came hours after Harvard sued the Trump administration over an announcement yesterday that school’s ability to enroll student visa holders had been revoked.
In her order granting a temporary restraining order, federal judge Allison D. Burroughs told the Department of Homeland Security that it cannot implement the revocation.
Harvard, she said, demonstrated that “it will sustain immediate and irreparable injury” if the revocation is enforced.
Omani mediator says Iran-US talks made ‘some but not conclusive progress’ — 11:46 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Oman’s foreign minister said Friday that the fifth round of Iran-US negotiations had made ”some but not conclusive progress.”
Badr al-Busaidi made the comment on the social platform X after the talks ended in Rome.
Iranian and American officials offered no immediate comment.
“The fifth round of Iran US talks have concluded today in Rome with some but not conclusive progress,” al-Busaidi wrote. “We hope to clarify the remaining issues in the coming days, to allow us to proceed towards the common goal of reaching a sustainable and honourable agreement.”
Trump administration investigates border shelters for smuggling — 11:34 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration has continued releasing people charged with being in the country illegally to nongovernmental shelters along the US-Mexico border after telling those organizations that providing migrants with temporary housing and other aid may violate a law used to prosecute smugglers.
Border shelters, which have long provided lodging, meals and transportation to the nearest bus station or airport, were rattled by a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that raised “significant concerns” about potentially illegal activity and demanded detailed information in a wide-ranging investigation. FEMA suggested shelters may have committed felony offenses against bringing people across the border illegally or transporting them within the United States.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued to ask shelters in Texas and Arizona to house people even after the March 11 letter, putting them in the awkward position of doing something FEMA appeared to say might be illegal. Both agencies are part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Iran and US conclude their fifth round of nuclear negotiations in Rome with enrichment a key issue — 11:20 a.m.
By the Associated Press
That’s according to Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, who made the comment on the messaging app Telegram, posting a picture of him talking with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who mediated the discussions.
There was no immediate acknowledgment from the American side. Iran said US Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff left early to catch a flight while others stayed behind for technical talks.
Vance: Trump administration won’t be launching any more ‘undefined missions’ — 11:14 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Addressing graduation at the US Naval Academy, the vice president said the alternative will be quicker-hit military actions.
As an example, he pointed to the bombing Trump recently ordered — then paused — against Houthis rebels in Yemen.
“That’s how military power should be used. Decisively with a clear objective,” he said.
Vance added, “When we throw a punch, we throw a punch hard, and we do it decisively. And that’s exactly what we may ask you to do.”
Vance also criticized a Biden administration effort to build a pier in Gaza to accept aid amid Israel’s war with Hamas there which he suggested never worked.
DOGE targets Census Bureau, worrying data users about health of US data infrastructure — 11:02 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The group launched by Elon Musk to cut federal spending in the second Trump administration is targeting some US Census Bureau surveys it claims are “wasteful,” worrying users of federal data who are already concerned about the health of the nation’s statistical infrastructure.
The Department of Government Efficiency said on social media this week that five surveys costing $16.5 million that are conducted by the statistical agency for other federal agencies have been “terminated.” It didn’t specify which ones. The DOGE post said some of the questions on the eliminated surveys asked about alcohol consumption and the frequency of home internet use.
Other surveys are being reviewed “one-by-one,” said Tuesday’s post on DOGE’s X account. The Census Bureau didn’t respond this week to an inquiry seeking comment.
Trump’s team is divided on how to tackle the president’s vow to ease sanctions on Syria — 10:54 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Since Trump announced his intent to end a half-century of US sanctions on Syria, a tug-of-war has developed in his administration over how quickly and thoroughly that should happen.
At risk could be the future of a transitional government run by those who drove Syrian leader Bashar Assad from power late last year and hopes that it can stabilize the country after a devastating 13-year civil war that has left millions dead or displaced, the economy in ruins and thousands of foreign fighters still on Syrian soil.
US presidents have piled up penalties over the years on the autocratic family that previously controlled Syria, and those could be quickly lifted or waived through executive action. But Congress imposed some of the strictest measures and would have to permanently remove them.
Trump hosts top crypto investors as some industry leaders fear he’s putting personal profits first — 10:23 a.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump rewarded top investors in one of his cryptocurrency projects with a swanky dinner Thursday night, an event that showed the ascendance of an emerging financial industry — and also the president’s willingness to mix public office with personal profit.
Some 220 of the biggest investors in the $TRUMP meme coin were invited to Trump’s luxury golf club in Northern Virginia, where they dined on filet mignon and halibut. According to participants’ posts on social media, Trump spoke for about half an hour before dancing to the song “YMCA.”
Despite the White House insisting Trump would be attending the event “in his personal time,” he stood behind a lectern with the presidential seal as he touted an industry that’s generating profits for his family business.
After feeling unfairly targeted under President Joe Biden, the crypto industry has quickly become a powerful political force, donating huge sums to help Trump and friendly lawmakers. The US Senate is advancing key pro-crypto legislation while bitcoin prices soar.
Belgian princess left in doubt about her Harvard future following Trump’s foreign student ban — 10:05 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Belgium’s Royal Palace said Friday that Princess Elisabeth, who’s first in line to the throne, is waiting to find out whether she can return to Harvard for her second year after Trump announced a ban on foreign students at the university.
The Trump administration on Thursday revoked Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students in its escalating battle with the Ivy League school, saying thousands of students must transfer to other schools or leave the country.
“We are looking into the situation, to see what kind of impact this decision might have on the princess, or not. It’s too early to say right now,” said the palace’s communications head, Xavier Baert.
Baert said Princess Elisabeth, aged 23, has completed her first year of a graduate school program at Harvard and would spend the summer back in Belgium. “And we’ll have to see what happens next year,” he said.
Vice President JD Vance will address graduates at the US Naval Academy on Friday — 9:48 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The president and vice president traditionally speak at one of the military service academies every year. Trump is scheduled Saturday to speak at West Point’s commencement.
Vance, who served in the Marines, was the first veteran to serve on a major party presidential ticket since John McCain in 2008 when he became Trump’s running mate last year. Former President George W. Bush, who left office in 2009, was the last sitting president who had served in the military.
Trump tariff threats on Europe and Apple send markets lower — 9:44 a.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump is sending stocks lower again, this time after threatening 50% tariffs on the European Union that could begin in a little more than a week.
The S&P 500 was down 1.1% in early trading Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 408 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite was down 1.6%.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that trade talks with the European Union “were going nowhere” and that the “straight 50%” tariffs would go into effect on June 1. Apple sank after Trump threatened to put a 25% tariff on its products unless the company moves iPhone manufacturing to the US.
Trump administration says Columbia violated civil rights of Jewish students — 9:00 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The Trump administration is accusing Columbia University of violating the civil rights of Jewish students by “acting with deliberate indifference” toward what it describes as rampant antisemitism on campus.
The finding was announced late Thursday by the Health and Human Services Department, marking the latest blow for an Ivy League school already shaken by federal cutbacks and sustained government pressure to crack down on student speech.
It comes hours after the Department of Homeland Security said it would revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration’s monthslong attack on higher education.
Harvard sues Trump administration over foreign students ban — 8:24 a.m.
By Mike Damiano, Globe Staff
Harvard University sued the Trump administration Friday morning arguing that the government’s decision to ban the school from enrolling foreign students is illegal and unconstitutional.
Harvard president Alan Garber said in an open letter the university will also seek a temporary restraining order to immediately reverse the Trump administration’s action.
The legal challenge comes the day after Security of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that Harvard’s certification to enroll student visa holders was revoked “effective immediately.”
Trump’s Friday schedule, according to the White House — 8:24 a.m.
By the Associated Press
- 1:00 p.m. - Trump will sign executive orders
- 3:00 p.m. - Trump will travel to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey
Trump said he wants to impose 50% tariffs on EU in June because of stalled trade talks — 8:20 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Trump fired off another post on his social media network on Friday in which he said the European Union has been “very difficult to deal with” in trade talks.
“Our discussions with them are going nowhere!” the president said and added that he is “recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025.”
Trump’s Harvard visa threat could wipe out several of the school’s sports teams — 8:18 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Some of Harvard’s sports teams would be virtually wiped out by a Trump administration decision announced on Thursday that would make the Ivy League school with the nation’s largest athletic program ineligible for international student visas.
Harvard’s 42 varsity sports teams are the most in the nation, and Sportico reported last month that 21% of the players on the school’s rosters for the 2024-25 seasons — or 196 out of 919 athletes — had international hometowns. The site noted that some could be US citizens or green card holders who wouldn’t need one of the international visas at issue in an escalating fight premised by the administration’s assertions that the school failed to protect Jewish students from antisemitism.
Trump threatens 25% import tax on Apple unless iPhones are made in the US — 7:58 a.m.
By the Associated Press
President Trump on Friday threatened to put a 25% tariff on Apple products unless iPhones are manufactured in the United States.
The threat delivered over social media could dramatically increase the price of iPhones, potentially hurting sales and the profits of one of America’s leading technology companies. The company now joins Amazon, Walmart and other major companies as being in the White House’s crosshairs as they try to respond to the uncertainty and inflationary pressures unleashed by the import taxes being imposed by Trump.
China criticizes US ban on Harvard’s international students — 5:50 a.m.
By the Associated Press
The Chinese government said Friday that the Trump administration’s move to ban international students from Harvard would harm America’s international standing, and one university in Hong Kong looked to capitalize on the uncertainty by promising to take them in.
Chinese students make up a large part of Harvard University’s international student population. The university enrolled 6,703 international students across all of its schools in 2024, according to the school’s data, with 1,203 of those coming from China.
The Trump administration’s move, announced Thursday, was a hot topic on Chinese social media. State broadcaster CCTV questioned whether the US would remain a top destination for foreign students, noting Harvard was already suing the US government in court.
Judge extends order blocking Trump’s planned mass layoffs — 1:52 a.m.
By the Associated Press
A judge handed workers across a broad swath of the federal government a reprieve on Thursday night, extending her pause on President Trump’s plans for vast layoffs until a case challenging them is resolved.
The order, issued by Judge Susan Illston of the US District Court for the Northern District of California, affects tens of thousands of employees at 22 agencies, including the departments of Housing and Urban Development, State, Treasury and Veterans Affairs. She also ordered the administration not to shut down offices and programs in those agencies, or move them between agencies, as Trump officials have sometimes done in their efforts to dismantle parts of the government.
Workers at those agencies have been bracing for announcements of layoffs for weeks, expecting them to come any day. The planned reorganization is a major component of Trump’s goal to reshape the federal government.
‘Investment, not tariffs,’ says Ishiba after telephone call with Trump before third round of talks — 1:35 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that he held telephone talks with President Trump and agreed to hold “productive” discussions at an upcoming tariff talks between the two sides.
“Investment, not tariffs,” Ishiba told reporters after the talks. He said Japan’s position to keep pushing Washington to drop all recent tariff measures is unchanged and that he stands by plans to push for Japanese investment to create more jobs in the US in exchange.
The two leaders held talks just after Economic Revitalization Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, headed to Washington for a third round of talks with his US counterparts. In the earlier rounds of talks, the US had not agreed to the Japanese requests.
Iran and the US holding a fifth round of nuclear negotiations in Rome with enrichment a key issue — 1:20 a.m.
By the Associated Press
Iran and the United States prepared for a fifth round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program Friday in Rome, with enrichment emerging as the key issue.
US officials from President Trump’s administration insist Iran cannot continue to enrich uranium at all in any deal that could see sanctions lifted on Tehran’s struggling economy. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi early Friday insisted online that no enrichment would mean “we do NOT have a deal.”
Columbia University violated Jewish students’ civil rights, Trump administration finds — 12:30 a.m.
By The New York Times
Columbia University violated civil rights law by “acting with deliberate indifference” toward harassment against Jewish students, the Health and Human Services Department said Thursday night, the Trump administration’s latest accusation of antisemitism against the school.
No new action against Columbia, one of the nation’s most prominent universities, was included in Thursday’s finding. In March, federal agencies suspended more than $400 million in grants and contracts for the university. Columbia said at the time that it would make changes to its campus protest and security policies as well as to its Middle Eastern studies department to comply with the Trump administration’s demands.