Trade chief Maros Sefcovic said the EU is "ready to defend" its interests after Trump threatened 50% tariffs on the bloc.
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Today's Political News Compilation - Friday, May 23, 2025
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White House conducting massive overhaul of National Security Council, officials say
By MATTHEW LEE, AAMER MADHANI and SEUNG MIN KIMUpdated 5:56 PM CDT, May 23, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is ordering a massive overhaul of the National Security Council that will shrink its size and return many career appointees back to their home agencies, according to two U.S. officials and one person familiar with the reorganization.
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 nominated to serve as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.
The NSC has been in a continual state of tumult for much of the early going of Trump’s second go-around in the White House.
Waltz was ousted weeks after Trump said that he’d fired several NSC officials, just a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty.
The White House days into the administration sidelined about 160 NSC aides, sending them home while the administration reviewed staffing and tried to align it with Trump’s agenda. The aides were career government employees, commonly referred to as detailees.
READ THE FULL STORY - AP
Supreme Court pauses attempt to force DOGE to clarify its role | CNN Politics
Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday temporarily paused action in an emergency appeal over whether the Department of Government Efficiency must turn over public documents – like other government agencies – or whether it is shielded from such requests because it is part of the White House.
www.cnn.com
Trump threatens 50% tariffs on EU and 25% penalties on smart phones as his trade war intensifies
President Donald Trump is threatening a 50% tax on all imports from the European Union as well as a 25% tariff on smartphones unless the products are made in America.
apnews.com
Analysis: Trump takes new pages out of strongman’s playbook with Harvard crackdown and crypto gala | CNN Politics
There are things almost all autocrats do.
www.cnn.com
Judge strikes down Trump order targeting law firm Jenner & Block, calling parts of it a "screed"
President Trump's push to punish law firms faced another setback Friday, as a judge ruled his order targeting Jenner & Block is unconstitutional.
www.cbsnews.com
Trump says of foreign students at U.S. universities, ‘we don’t want troublemakers here’
Asked if he was going to expand restrictions on foreign students at other universities after a Harvard ban, President Donald Trump said, “we’re taking a look at a lot of things.”
apnews.com
US and Iran clash over uranium enrichment as nuclear talks resume in Rome
U.S. and Iran resume nuclear talks in Rome amid publicized demands. Khamenei criticizes U.S. stance on uranium enrichment, complicating potential deal.
www.foxnews.com
Trump threatens tariffs on Apple iPhones and EU products
EU says threats should not guide trade talks as Trump says he wants tariffs of 50% on European goods as soon as 1 June.
www.bbc.com
Trump says talks with E.U. are 'going nowhere,' threatens 50% tariff in June
Stocks fell while a top E.U. official responded by saying that trade "must be guided by mutual respect, not threats."
www.nbcnews.com
Judge extends order preventing Trump administration from laying offs of thousands of federal workers
President Trump has overseen a wide-ranging effort to restructure the federal government.
www.cbsnews.com
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from barring foreign student enrollment at Harvard
A federal judge has blocked a Trump administration decision to revoke Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students.
apnews.com
How Trump misrepresented images to support claims of "White genocide" in South Africa, including Congo video
President Trump has made allegations of persecution of White farmers in South Africa.
www.cbsnews.com
Boeing to pay $1.1 billion as part of deal to settle 737 Max crash cases with DOJ | CNN Politics
The US Department of Justice said Friday that it struck a deal with aircraft maker Boeing to avoid prosecution of the company over two fatal crashes of the 737 Max, a Friday court filing in the case said.
www.cnn.com
Trump relishes uttering the outlandish. Here's where some of his most showstopping comments stand
It may start as a casual aside, a wee-hours social media post or a much hyped announcement. Whatever the delivery mechanism, President Donald Trump loves to toss out startling ideas aimed at dropping jaws, commanding headlines and bolstering his political brand.
apnews.com
Illegal border crossings have plunged. DHS still says it needs billions to build a wall.
The Department of Homeland Security wants $45.6 billion to build more border wall.
www.usatoday.com
‘Killing for fun’: Israeli strikes kill 76, no aid yet for northern Gaza
UN secretary-general says Israel’s war on Gaza is intensifying ‘with atrocious levels of death and destruction’.
www.aljazeera.com
1-vote victory for Trump's big bill inflames Democratic clash over aging leaders
House vacancies caused by recent deaths, as well as angst over Joe Biden's decision to run again in 2024, are fueling the argument that older incumbents need to step aside.
www.nbcnews.com
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Continue reading...At the time, meteorologists couldn't forecast just how much of the region would be encased in ice.
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Continue reading...Trump administration plans to overhaul National Security Council, weeks after Waltz’s departure
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are spearheading plans to overhaul the National Security Council and shift its main functions to other agencies like the State and Defense departments.
The move is the latest effort to slim down a federal agency and comes weeks after Trump announced former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz would depart his post at the White House overseeing the agency.
Trump announced the same day that Waltz was nominated to serve as United Nations ambassador.
HEGSETH, SIGNAL QUESTIONS DOG WALTZ AS...
Continue reading...The move is the latest effort to slim down a federal agency and comes weeks after Trump announced former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz would depart his post at the White House overseeing the agency.
Trump announced the same day that Waltz was nominated to serve as United Nations ambassador.
HEGSETH, SIGNAL QUESTIONS DOG WALTZ AS...
Google chatbot slammed for ‘anti-American’ claims about ‘White Memorial Day’
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The Media Research Center (MRC) Free Speech America project, a conservative media watchdog, is calling out Google for alleged bias coded into its AI chatbot "Gemini" after the group found the bot said that Memorial Day is controversial for a range of reasons, including problems with "inclusivity and representation" from the Jim Crow era.
MRC said it asked Gemini the question "Is Memorial Day...
Continue reading...The Media Research Center (MRC) Free Speech America project, a conservative media watchdog, is calling out Google for alleged bias coded into its AI chatbot "Gemini" after the group found the bot said that Memorial Day is controversial for a range of reasons, including problems with "inclusivity and representation" from the Jim Crow era.
MRC said it asked Gemini the question "Is Memorial Day...
Trump DOJ moves to dissolve Flores decree which governs detention of unaccompanied minors in the U.S.
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The Flores decree has governed the detention and release of migrant children since 1997. The motion, filed by the DOJ and jointed by HHS and the Department of Homeland Security, asks a federal court in southern California to dissolve the decree.
BIDEN-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE KEEPS BLOCKING TRUMP ADMIN FROM NIXING FUNDING FOR...
Continue reading...The Flores decree has governed the detention and release of migrant children since 1997. The motion, filed by the DOJ and jointed by HHS and the Department of Homeland Security, asks a federal court in southern California to dissolve the decree.
BIDEN-APPOINTED FEDERAL JUDGE KEEPS BLOCKING TRUMP ADMIN FROM NIXING FUNDING FOR...
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Continue reading...Trump's National Security Council trimmed in restructuring, sources say
The White House is trimming and restructuring the National Security Council, sources told CBS News on Friday — weeks after President Trump replaced his national security adviser and gave Secretary of State Marco Rubio the powerful post.
Some former NSC staff are moving elsewhere inside the administration, but not all, the sources said. Aides were informed of some of the changes in a meeting at the White House on Friday afternoon.
Vice President JD Vance's national security adviser Andy Baker is taking a top role in the restructured NSC, two sources...
Continue reading...Some former NSC staff are moving elsewhere inside the administration, but not all, the sources said. Aides were informed of some of the changes in a meeting at the White House on Friday afternoon.
Vice President JD Vance's national security adviser Andy Baker is taking a top role in the restructured NSC, two sources...
Syria granted sanctions waiver by Trump administration to encourage rebuilding
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The Treasury Department said it will grant Syria a 180-day waiver, known as GL 25, to ease financial restrictions that target the country's former rulers in an effort to give its new leaders a chance to rebuild a nation still scarred by more than a decade of civil war.
It will facilitate the provision of electricity, energy, water, and sanitation, and enable a more effective humanitarian...
Continue reading...The Treasury Department said it will grant Syria a 180-day waiver, known as GL 25, to ease financial restrictions that target the country's former rulers in an effort to give its new leaders a chance to rebuild a nation still scarred by more than a decade of civil war.
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Under new...
Continue reading...The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned two high-ranking Cartel del Noreste (CDN) members, Mexican nationals Miguel Angel de Anda Ledezma and Ricardo Gonzalez Sauceda, Wednesday.
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Under new...