A federal judge on Friday struck down a Trump administration policy that made it harder for immigrants from dozens of countries to enter and stay in America — things like asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship applications.
The judge said the policy threw countless immigrants' lives “into indeterminate legal limbo,” and accused the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of ignoring the law.
The Senate passed legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies early Friday morning, after weeks of delays and fierce backlash to an unrelated $1.776 billion settlement fund that threatened to derail the bill.
The American job market continues to show surprising strength, shrugging off the high costs of the Iran war. Employers added 172,000 jobs in May – roughly double what forecasters had expected – and the unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%.
Here's the latest:
Energy Department says an advanced nuclear reactor is the first to reach a crucial milestone
Energy Secretary Chris Wright says a microreactor being developed by Antares Nuclear Inc. at the Idaho National Lab reached “criticality” on Thursday. The milestone occurs when a nuclear reactor achieves a self-sustaining chain reaction capable of producing energy.
Antares is the first private company to bring an advanced reactor to criticality under a pilot program begun last year by the Trump administration. The program is meant to supercharge nuclear energy production in the U.S. The administration has set a goal of achieving criticality in at least three test reactors by July 4.
Skeptics warn that microreactors may not be safe or feasible and have not proved they can meet electricity demand for a reasonable price.
US stock market has its worst day since October
A sell-off in big technology companies weighed down the broader market. Bond yields surged as a strong jobs report boosted expectations that the Federal Reserve will be forced to hike interest rates at some point this year.
The S&P 500 slumped 2.6% Friday, finishing with its first losing week in the last 10. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 695 points, or 1.4%. The Nasdaq composite fell 4.2%.
Nvidia and Broadcom were among the heaviest weights on the market. Oil prices fell.
Trump calls for military to accelerate use of AI while protecting Americans
The president issued a memo Friday that calls for the U.S. military and national security agencies to accelerate their use of artificial intelligence, while protecting civil liberties and maintaining oversight of autonomous weapon systems.
The memo addressed much of the president’s Cabinet, including the secretaries of defense and homeland security as well as the attorney general and director of national intelligence.
Trump is requiring an updated directive on autonomous weapon systems “to ensure the deliberate adoption of AI systems that respect the chain of command and operational authorities.” The memo also restricts the use of AI to “censor free speech, embed ideological bias, or conduct unlawful surveillance against the American people.”
The memo comes at a time of growing anxiety over AI in American society, including helping the military identify targets on the battlefield.
Trump prosecutor says there are ‘multiple election fraud’ investigations in California
Bill Essayli, the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, gave no details about the investigations in a post on X, but said they involved the FBI.
His disclosure came a day after Trump announced that his Department of Justice was investigating California’s routinely drawn-out vote count following Tuesday’s primary there.
Essayli also noted the Trump administration is seeking California’s voter rolls, though it has lost every single court case in its bid for state records. Its latest appeal is currently before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
“My office will not look the other way,” Essayli wrote. “We will investigate and prosecute.”
US defends Israel-Lebanon agreement, again blames Hezbollah for pursuing a ‘pointless war’
The Trump administration is defending this week’s agreement to extend an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and create Hezbollah-free zones in southern Lebanon as the best chance for peace between the two countries in years.
A U.S. official said Friday that Wednesday’s agreement is the first step in a process that must end with the demilitarization of the Hezbollah militants, full security control south of the Litani River by the Lebanese Armed forces, and the restoration of complete sovereignty to the Lebanese government.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly, claimed that Iran had wanted to prolong the conflict and “claim credit for saving the day” by trying to undermine the talks but that the June 3 agreement had “exposed that cynical strategy.”
— By Matthew Lee
Trump says he’ll stay as Kennedy Center chairman, hints at a continued fight to overhaul the building
After a federal judge blocked Trump’s planned renovation of the arts center, Trump on Friday said he’s staying involved in efforts for a major restoration to the building.
“I’m the chairman, so we’ll just keep it going, somebody has to do it,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.
It’s a change in tone from the president, who last week said he was turning the center over to Congress even as he berated the judge, who also ordered Trump’s name stripped from the center.
Trump appeared more defiant on Friday after he said people “asked me in the strongest of language to stay involved.”
“I’m going to look at his ruling on that,” Trump said. “We have to bring it back.”
US boosts Ebola funding in Africa by $38 million
The Trump administration says it is contributing another $38 million toward efforts to end the growing Ebola virus outbreak in Africa, bringing its total contribution since last month to more than $200 million.
The State Department said Friday that the money, in addition to bilateral assistance already being provided to affected countries like the Congo and Uganda, would go to U.N. agencies like the International Organization for Migration, UNICEF, and the World Food Program, as well as to private relief groups like World Vision and the International Medical Corps.
The administration has been criticized for slashing foreign aid and dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development but officials have said the new process is more efficient and cost effective.
Trump, a former New Yorker, has a couple of favorite Knicks players
“Brunson is fantastic. Towns is fantastic,” Trump said of NBA All Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. “They just have a great team.”
Trump is expected to travel to New York on Monday to catch Game 3 between the Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
Trump says baseball should have adopted a salary cap ‘a long time ago’
Asked about major league baseball potentially imposing a salary cap after this season, Trump said, “You don’t have a salary cap, you don’t have a sport.”
“Because they can’t help themselves,” he said. “You know, in sports, they can’t help themselves.”
The president added, “I know so much about sports. they should have done it a long time ago.”
Baseball’s five-year collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1.
The sport’s owners last week made their first proposal of a salary cap since 1994, when a 7 1/2-month strike caused the cancellation of the World Series.
Trump says he’s exploring arrangements to give the federal government a financial stake in AI companies
The president said Friday that executives from leading AI companies will visit the White House “probably next week” to discuss the concept, which was pitched by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman last year.
Trump described it as a partnership “where the American people can benefit from the success of AI.”
“There’s something very interesting about it, where it almost becomes a partnership with the American public,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
It comes days after Trump signed an order on AI establishing a framework for the federal government to vet advanced AI systems for security risks before they’re made public.
Trump leaves open the possibility of calling Taiwan’s president
The president isn’t backing away from the possibility of speaking directly with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, a move that would be seen as provocative by Beijing.
Trump had first said in May that he intended to talk to Lai as he weighs whether to approve a $14 billion arms sale for Taipei that China is urging him to scrap.
Asked on Friday if a call is still planned, Trump responded, “I’ll always talk to him.”
Such a call would mark the first direct dialogue between sitting American and Taiwanese presidents in many decades. Trump raised China’s ire when he took a congratulatory call from Taiwan’s then-President Tsai Ing-wen after winning the 2016 presidential election but before taking office.
Roughly 1,000 US troops in limbo after canceled deployment
About 1,000 American troops who’ve been sent to Poland are in limbo after their deployment was canceled, said a U.S. military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
The troops are part of an armored brigade combat team of some 4,000 troops whose deployment to Poland was called off amid Trump’s shifting pronouncements on troops levels in Europe. They are still awaiting confirmation they’ll be sent back home, the official said.
The military also is still waiting for details from the Pentagon on how to satisfy Trump’s latest order to send 5,000 troops to Poland, that official said. The working assumption is that they will come from units already in Europe, rather than an additional deployment from the U.S., the official said.
— By Emma Burrows
Trump isn’t too sympathetic about fans who can’t afford high ticket prices for the NBA Finals
Asked what his message is to Americans who can’t afford to attend the NBA Finals because of high ticket prices, Trump responded, “They can watch it on television.”
He noted to reporters aboard Air Force One that watching the games on television was “semi-free” for many people, adding of high ticket costs, “That’s the way life is, you know.”
Trump plans to attend Game 3 between the Knicks and Spurs in New York – meaning he won’t have to follow his own advice about watching it on television. As president, however, he also doesn’t have to buy a ticket.
US military spent $32M to send gear ahead of nixed deployment, military says
The U.S. military spent $32 million to send equipment to Poland for a 4,000-soldier deployment that was canceled last month, according to U.S. Transportation Command, the military agency largely responsible for moving troops and gear across the globe.
A ship was chartered to take one unit of troops to Europe and bring another back, Transportation Command said. It’s hard to say how much money would have been saved if the deployment was canceled before the troops and equipment began to move.
However, a U.S. military official said the unscheduled move of personnel and equipment back from Europe is most likely not a cost the Pentagon budgeted for and would be an additional expense. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
— By Emma Burrows and Konstantin Toropin
Trump confirms he’ll be at NBA Finals in New York on Monday
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, Trump said he plans to be at Madison Square Garden to see the New York Knicks take on the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. He clarified his plans a day after saying he was going to a game, possibly on Monday.
A New York native, Trump has said he was invited by Knicks owner James Dolan. “They just have a great team,” Trump said of this year’s squad.
Asked about sky-high prices for tickets to the Finals, Trump said it’s a product of the Knicks’ success. “They can watch it on television,” he said of fans. “That’s the way life is, you know.”
Trump wants to see more cuts in the intelligence community
Trump said Friday that he wants Bill Pulte, his new acting director of national intelligence, to cut the office, which has already been significantly scaled back during the president’s second term.
Trump noted that the size of the office as been “way too high for way too long,” and that “if he cut, I wouldn’t mind.”
“Bill Pulte is very good, he’s very talented,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to Wisconsin. The president said in an earlier interview with the Wall Street Journal that he has asked Pulte to start the process of firing employees.
Trump’s zig zag on US troops in Europe is potentially costing millions, officials say
U.S. defense officials say Trump’s recent back-and-forth on troop levels in Europe is upending service members’ lives and potentially costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
Trump first said he would pull 5,000 troops from Germany after a spat with its chancellor. The Pentagon then cancelled an impending deployment of a similar number of troops to Poland. That was followed by Trump saying that he would be sending 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland.
The abrupt changes are forcing the military to “retroactively engineer” a policy in line with the president’s latest pronouncement, one of the officials said. Both officials were briefed on the decisions and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
— By Emma Burrows
Legal advocacy group reacts to the ruling on Trump immigration policies
The policies are part of a ongoing efforts by the administration to tighten U.S. entry standards for travel and immigration, in what critics say unfairly prevents travel for people from a broad range of countries.
“This ruling reaffirms a basic principle: the federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on where they come from,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which represented the plaintiffs in the case.
“These unlawful policies caused enormous harm to families, workers, asylum seekers, and communities across the country,” he said, “who were left in limbo, unable to work, access protections, or move forward with their lives.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Who did these Trump immigration policies affect?
The halted policies apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which approves applications for immigrants to work and become citizens.
The agency, which resides in the Homeland Security Department, often grants asylum but only for those already in the United States when they apply.
Immigration judges grant asylum for those who are stopped at the border; the ruling does not affect them and neither did the policies that sparked the lawsuit.
Judge blocks a Trump policy that made it harder for immigrants to stay and enter the country
The policies enacted after the National Guard shooting last year meant that immigrants from 39 African, Asian, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries have been “categorically barred” from receiving final decisions on, among other things, their asylum, work permit, green card, and citizenship applications.
In Friday’s ruling harshly criticizing the administration, U.S. District Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. said the policy “threw the lives of countless immigrants living in the United States into indeterminate legal limbo,” and he accused the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of ignoring the law.
Rubio meets top Philippine diplomat over the South China Sea and other issues
Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed the strength of the two countries’ alliance to Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro during Friday’s meeting in Washington.
A State Department statement said their discussion included economic priorities and the South China Sea, where Beijing has been aggressive in its territorial claims over disputed islands and atolls.
The South China Sea is a vital global trade route with rich undersea deposits of gas and oil.
In particular, Beijing and Manila have clashed over Scarborough Shoal, which China prefers to call Huangyan Dao.
On Sunday, the Chinese naval and air forces conducted “readiness patrols” near the shoal, after Philippine and U.S. forces conducted a five-day drill in the same waters.
Treasury warns banks of ‘red flags’ tied to customers in the US illegally
The Treasury Department’s financial crimes arm wants banks to help identify payroll schemes tied to people living in the country illegally, as part of the Trump administration’s latest measure to clamp down on immigration.
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network — also known as FinCEN — issued an advisory Friday to banks that tells them to watch out for identity theft, payroll tax fraud, and money laundering schemes tied to hiring unauthorized workers.
This comes after President Trump in May signed an executive order that requires banks to take a closer look at the citizenship of their customers.
The order directs bank regulators and government departments to look for signs that people without legal status are opening accounts or obtaining loans or credit cards. However, the order is less aggressive than banks had previously expected, as earlier reports suggested the White House was drafting an order that would make collecting customers’ citizenship information mandatory.
Democratic Wisconsin senator says Trump’s stop in the swing state shows he’s nervous
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin says President Trump’s visit to a rural swing district in Wisconsin shows he knows Republicans are in trouble in the midterms.
The stop on Friday for a farmer-focused round table in Chippewa Falls marks the first time Trump has visited Wisconsin in his second term. It comes just four days after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. toured a dairy farm in the congressional district held by Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden.
“They know they’re in trouble,” Baldwin said of Republicans. “They know across the country they’re in trouble.”
Baldwin says Trump’s visit is “not going to do the job in convincing our farmers they are doing better than they’re doing. They know the reality.”
Trump is scheduled to be joined by Van Orden, one of his most vocal supporters. Democrats have targeted that district this year.
US boards an oil tanker linked to Iran in the Indian Ocean
American forces have boarded a sanctioned oil tanker linked to Iran in the Indian Ocean, the U.S. military said Friday as the U.S. pushes to prevent the Islamic Republic from profiting off its oil and other goods.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command posted on X that the U.S. forces boarded the MT Davina. The post lacked further details, but U.S. forces around the world have been directed to stop ships tied to Tehran or those suspected of carrying supplies that could help its government.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy is enforcing a blockade of Iran’s ports as part of an effort to force Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz and accept a deal to extend a tenuous ceasefire in the war.
US set to hold latest oil and gas lease sale for Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Trump administration’s push to expand oil and gas development in Alaska faces a new test Friday, with the latest lease sale set for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Opponents of drilling in the refuge’s coastal plain have pointed to a lack of industry interest in the prior two sales held there and ongoing changes in Alaska’s Arctic region due to climate change as proof the region should be off-limits to drilling. But supporters of drilling see the coastal plain, which is roughly the size of Delaware, as a potential untapped resource that could boost U.S. oil production and generate new revenue and jobs.
A coalition of conservation groups this spring sent a letter to leaders of 11 petroleum companies including major ConocoPhillips and Hilcorp, both major players in Alaska, urging them to not participate in the sale. The letter cited ongoing litigation over the leasing program, dating to President Trump’s first term, and warned of “financial, operational and reputational risks.”
Trump looms large over upcoming primary elections in Washington, DC
The last time Washington, D.C., residents chose a new delegate to Congress and a new mayor in the same election, gas was $1.33 a gallon and George H.W. Bush was president.
This fall they’ll do it again — under starkly different circumstances.
As the city heads toward pivotal primaries this month to pick candidates for those roles, President Trump’s influence on the nation’s capital is shaping up as a major campaign issue. The fresh slate of candidates is weighing how best to approach Trump’s Republican administration and congressional control over the heavily Democratic city’s affairs.
“It’s going to be a big sea change in city politics, no matter how the elections shake out,” said Amanda Huron, a professor at the University of the District of Columbia who teaches courses on D.C. history and politics. But Washington’s lack of full autonomy brings “all sorts of peculiarities around the city’s governance.”
Trump says he will attend NBA Finals game in New York to root for his hometown Knicks
Trump, a longtime New York Knicks fan, said he plans to attend an NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden next week at the invitation of the team’s owner.
Describing himself as a “big fan” of the team and owner James Dolan, Trump said Thursday that he will be in the arena for at least one game next week. The NBA believes it would make him the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.
“The answer is yes — he’s invited me, I’m going,” Trump said of Dolan’s invitation. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he was eyeing Game 3 on Monday but didn’t rule out Game 4 on Wednesday. “Maybe I’ll do both.”
Trump, who is simultaneously contending with a war in Iran, strife in Congress and looming midterm elections, said he made sure to catch some of Game 1 on Wednesday as the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Water begins refilling Reflecting Pool after Trump’s renovation to repaint it ‘American flag blue’
Water began refilling the recently renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Thursday, Trump announced from the Oval Office.
Trump showed a video during an unrelated event with water bubbling into the freshly painted basin at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial.
“That’s clean, beautiful water,” the president said.
Live video showed water accumulating in the center of the basin, with workers and trucks still inside the pool.
Trump noted the work to paint the shallow basin a deep shade, which he calls “American flag blue,” was completed Wednesday. The administration said in a court filing that it was set to be filled with water no later than Sunday.
Trump also announced a plan to build a “promenade” that would allow pedestrians to walk from the back of the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River.
Trump says Pulte won’t be his nominee for director of national intelligence
Trump said Thursday that federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, his pick for acting director of national intelligence, would not be his “permanent” choice for the critical security post.
The Republican president’s disclosure that he was ruling out installing Pulte in the position full-time came after bipartisan pushback on Capitol Hill in recent days over Pulte’s lack of national security experience. The position requires Senate confirmation, something that lawmakers indicated was unlikely if Pulte were the nominee.
“He’s not going to be permanent because, you know, I don’t think he’d want to be permanent,” Trump said while taking questions in the Oval Office after an event on coal. He called Pulte a “very smart guy” and said he may look at past elections that Trump claims, without credible evidence, were “rigged” against him.
Senate OKs $70B immigration bill after rejecting efforts to permanently ban Trump’s settlement fund
The Senate passed legislation to fund Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies early Friday, after weeks of delays and fierce backlash to an unrelated $1.776 billion settlement fund that threatened to derail the bill.
Senators voted 52-47 to pass the $70 billion legislation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for the next three years, through the end of Trump’s term, after Democrats had blocked the money for months. The bill will now head to the House, which is expected to take it up next week.
The final vote came just before 5 a.m., after Republicans narrowly defeated multiple attempts by members of both parties to add language to the bill that would permanently ban Trump’s settlement fund for allies who believe they’ve been politically persecuted.
