To fully appreciate President Trump’s mesmerizing control over Republicans, consider their scant public dissent over ideas many of them privately disdain: Support for Vladimir Putin. Support for on-again, off-again tariffs, and a worsening economy. Support Elon Musk’s haphazard budget-cutting. Making Canada the 51st state. Pardoning most Jan. 6 defendants. Why it matters: It’s the worst-kept … Read more
Federal immigration authorities detained a Georgetown University graduate student from India who was teaching at the D.C. institution on a student visa, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday evening. Why it matters: The detention of Badar Khan Suri comes after President Trump said the arrest by immigration authorities of the green card-holding Columbia University alumnus and … Read more
The FBI is investigating attacks targeting Tesla vehicles and dealerships of the EV company and related swatting incidents, Bureau deputy director Dan Bongino said Wednesday night. Why it matters: There’s been a spate of such incidents that President Trump and other administration officials have denounced as acts of “domestic terrorism” amid #TeslaTakedown protests at the … Read more
President Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday aimed at shutting down the Education Department, according to two administration officials familiar with the matter. Why it matters: The unprecedented order that USA Today first reported on, if acted upon, could have widespread ramifications for state and local governments and students and families across the … Read more
Data: U.S. court filings; Table: Jacque Schrag/Axios All over the country, fired federal workers got a bit of good news this week — they’re getting their jobs back. For now, anyway. Why it matters: The recently rehired could soon become the newly re-fired, and the productivity of the entire federal workforce is taking another hit. Where … Read more
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is suing the Trump administration, Kari Lake, the U.S. Agency for Global Media and USAGM acting CEO Victor Morales over moves to terminate the news organization’s federal funding. The big picture: The lawsuit that was filed Tuesday says “Congress has appropriated funds specifically for RFE/RL” and “expressly directed” the USAGM to … Read more
Chief Justice John Roberts said impeaching federal judges is “not an appropriate response” to disagreeing with their rulings in a rare statement Tuesday. Why it matters: Roberts’ extraordinary comments come as a rebuke to President Trump‘s Tuesday post saying the federal judge who ordered flights deporting alleged Venezuelan gang members to turn around “should be … Read more
A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to ban transgender people from serving in the military. The big picture: “The Military Ban is soaked in animus and dripping with pretext,” wrote U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in a scathing ruling that found the restrictions that were due to take effect this … Read more
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore returned to Earth on Tuesday after spending some nine months in space. The big picture: The astronauts traveled to the International Space Station in June 2024 as part of the Boeing Starliner’s first crewed test flight. They drew global attention after technical issues and safety concerns delayed … Read more
Just eight months after President Trump picked JD Vance to be his vice president, Vance is already positioned to be MAGA’s heir apparent for 2028. “I think it’s inevitable at this point that Vance will be the [GOP] nominee in 2028,” Sen. Jim Banks (R-Indiana), a close Trump ally, tells Axios. “He’s the future of … Read more