Live updates: Trump news on Harvard, student visas, GOP policy bill and tariffs

CNN

2 days ago

Update:
Date: 1 hr ago
Title: Johnson says House GOP "eager and ready" to enact DOGE cuts
Content:
Speaker Mike Johnson signaled today that House Republicans were 'eager and ready' to formalize the White House's so-called DOGE cuts as soon as President Donald Trump's team makes the official request to Congress.
'The House is eager and ready to act on DOGE's findings so we can deliver even more cuts to big government that President Trump wants and the American people demand,' Johnson posted on X.
Johnson's comments come hours after a video circulated of Elon Musk, the billionaire who led the Department of Government Efficiency, directly criticizing the White House and House Republicans for its pricey domestic megabill.
'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Musk told 'CBS Sunday Morning.'
The precise timing of the White House's proposed claw back of federal dollars is not yet clear. House Republicans expect to receive the White House's formal request 'very soon,' according to one GOP lawmaker familiar with the discussions.
It is expected to target programs like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a small chunk of the federal budget that provides some public funding for NPR and PBS. It is also expected to formalize DOGE cuts to foreign aid programs — an issue that has been dicey with GOP leaders in Congress who oversee the State Department.
Update:
Date: 53 min ago
Title: Trump suggests controversial Qatari plane is in the process of being retrofitted
Content:
President Donald Trump appeared to indicate that a luxury Boeing 747 airplane the administration accepted from Qatar is in the process of being retrofitted by the US military.
Asked when the plane would become a new Air Force One, Trump said efforts to transform it were already underway.
'Well, it's here already. It's in the country. It's being refitted for military standard,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump started touting the plane while heralding deals he made while on his trip to the Middle East earlier this month.
'By the way – got a beautiful, big, magnificent, free airplane for the United States Air Force. Okay? Very proud of that, too,' the president said.
He continued, 'They tried to say, 'Oh, it's Trump's airplane.' Oh, yeah, sure, it's too big. It's, frankly, it's too big, much too big.'
Trump has repeatedly cast the plane as a possible replacement for Air Force One, sparking controversy over ethical and security concerns, as well as legal questions about the details of the transaction.
Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth accepted the plane from Qatar, and a Defense Department spokesperson said it would be fitted with 'proper security measures and functional-mission requirements.'
Pressed Wednesday on how much it would cost to prepare the plane for presidential transport, Trump replied: 'Oh, I don't know, whatever it is, a lot – hell of a lot less than building a new one. We're waiting too long from Boeing. Boeing has got to get its act together.'
Update:
Date: 1 hr 1 min ago
Title: Vance casts Trump admin as savior of crypto, calling on Bitcoin conference to vote in 2026
Content:
Vice President JD Vance leaned into the politics of Bitcoin during remarks at a conference in Las Vegas, casting the Trump administration as a 'champion' and 'ally' of the cryptocurrency industry.
'I'm here today to say loud and clear with President Trump, crypto finally has a champion and an ally in the White House,' the vice president said.
Vance also used his remarks to implore cryptocurrency supporters to show up for the 2026 midterm elections, making an ask to the crowd to 'carry' their momentum 'forward.'
'The first piece of advice, the first thing that I'd ask you, is to take the momentum of your political involvement in 2024 and carry it forward to 2026 and beyond,' he said.
The vice president railed against the Biden administration's regulations of Bitcoin, saying the Trump White House would end the 'weaponization of federal regulations.'
The crypto industry, created as a rejection of traditional finance, has long complained about being unfairly 'debanked' as part of a coordinated federal effort. Banking regulators have disputed that narrative. Banks are required to ensure their clients comply with a maze of rules, and those lenders have to assess risk on a case-by-case basis. Crypto, in particular, raises red flags for traditional lenders because transactions are anonymous, making it especially useful for illicit transactions.
Vance also championed the firing of a Biden-era chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, who was openly hostile toward crypto. In one of his first speeches as chair, he described crypto as an asset class that is 'rife with fraud, scams, and abuse in certain applications.' His stern stance toward digital assets made him a frequent rhetorical punching bag for the crypto industry.
'Maybe the most important thing that we did for this community, we reject regulators and we fired Gary Gensler, and we're gonna fire everybody like him,' Vance said.
Update:
Date: 48 min ago
Title: Trump on pardoning the men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan governor: "I'm going to look at it"
Content:
When President Donald Trump was asked on Wednesday if he had plans to pardon the men convicted of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, he responded: 'I'm going to look at it.'
'It's been brought to my attention. I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job. I'll be honest with you, it looked to me like some people said some stupid things,' Trump said in the Oval Office.
He continued, 'You know, they were drinking, and I think they said stupid things, but I'll take a look at that. And a lot of people are asking me that question from both sides. Actually, a lot of people think they got railroaded. A lot of people think they got railroaded.'
Six men were originally charged with participating in the kidnapping plot. Two pleaded guilty, and two more were found guilty by a jury.
Trump had previously criticized Whitmer in 2020 for not thanking him after authorities announced they foiled a plot to kidnap her, while falsely claiming she called him a 'White Supremacist.'
'My Justice Department and Federal Law Enforcement announced today that they foiled a dangerous plot against the Governor of Michigan. Rather than say thank you, she calls me a White Supremacist,' Trump said in a social media post at the time.
The two have had a seemingly more amicable relationship in Trump's second administration; the president publicly complimented her during a recent trip to Michigan.
Update:
Date: 1 hr 27 min ago
Title: Trump says he cautioned Netanyahu against disrupting "very close" US-led Iran nuclear talks
Content:
President Donald Trump said that he urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to disrupt US-led nuclear talks with Iran, telling reporters Wednesday that he cautioned his counterpart that such a move would be 'inappropriate.'
Asked about reports that he warned Netanyahu against disrupting the talks during a phone call last week, Trump said, 'Well, I'd like to be honest. Yes I did.'
He added: 'It's not a warning – I said I don't think it's appropriate.'
Trump said that his team is having 'very good discussions' with Iran, which have taken place over the last several weeks led by special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and moderated by Oman.
'I said, I don't think it's appropriate right now, because if we can settle it with a very strong document, very strong with inspections. … I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we're very close to a solution,' he said.
Trump indicated that any agreement with Iran would be 'very strong,' saying, 'I want it very strong where we can go in with inspectors. We can take whatever we want, we can blow up whatever we want, but nobody getting killed. We can blow up a lab, but nobody's going to be in the lab, as opposed to everybody being in the lab and blowing it up.'
Trump offered a caveat that the situation 'could change at any moment – could change with a phone call.'
But, he added of Iran, 'Right now, I think they want to make a deal. And if we can make a deal, I'd save a lot of lives.'
Update:
Date: 1 min ago
Title: Trump suggests Harvard should have 15% cap on foreign students
Content:
President Donald Trump doubled down on his attacks against Harvard University, saying Wednesday that the Ivy League school should have a cap on the percentage of foreign students.
'I think they should have a cap of maybe around 15%, not 31%. We have people want to go to Harvard and other schools, they can't get in because we have foreign students there,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Harvard has said in court documents that full-time international students make up about a quarter of its student body.
Harvard has broadly refused many government demands, including that it hand over foreign students' entire conduct records and allow audits to confirm it has expanded 'viewpoint diversity.'
The Trump administration last week canceled Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students, a move that a federal judge put on hold. And The Trump administration on Tuesday directed federal agencies to cancel all remaining contracts with the university.
'Harvard has to show us their lists,' Trump said Wednesday. 'They have foreign students, about 31% of their students are foreign-based, almost 31%. We want to know where those students come… Are they troublemakers? What countries do they come (from)?'
Trump suggested, without evidence, that some of the international students included in Harvard's records will be 'very radical people.'
'They're taking people from areas of the world that are very radicalized, and we don't want them making trouble in our country,' Trump said.
CNN's Alayna Treene and Andy Rose contributed reporting to this post.
Update:
Date: 59 min ago
Title: Trump shrugs off Musk's criticism of his "big, beautiful bill"
Content:
President Donald Trump on Wednesday brushed off comments from Elon Musk that the 'big, beautiful bill' passed by the House did not contain enough cuts, saying he expected more changes to the legislation as it goes through the Senate.
'We have to get a lot of votes. We can't be cutting,' Trump said when asked to respond to statements Musk made in a CBS interview. 'We need to get a lot of support, and we have a lot of support.'
The president also said he's not happy with certain parts of the bill, and there will be negotiations on it.
'We will be negotiating that bill, and I'm not happy about certain aspects of it, but I'm thrilled by other aspects of it. That's the way they go, it's very big. It's the big, beautiful bill. But the beautiful is because of all of the things we have, the biggest thing being, I would say, the level of tax cutting that we're going to be doing,' Trump said.
Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency before stepping back, made the critical comments about the bill in an interview with CBS that aired Tuesday night.
'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Musk said.
Update:
Date: 43 min ago
Title: Trump downplays frustration with Netanyahu as Witkoff prepares new proposal to end Israel-Hamas conflict
Content:
President Donald Trump downplayed any frustration with Israel's handling of its war with Hamas as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu readies a new offensive in Gaza.
'No, we're dealing with the whole situation in Gaza. We're getting food to the people of Gaza. It's been a very nasty situation, very nasty fight. October 7 was a very nasty day, the worst that I think I've ever seen. It was a horrible day, and people aren't going to forget that either. So we'll see how that all works out,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the growing humanitarian crisis and Israel's plans.
Wednesday marks 600 days of Israel's war against Hamas following the deadly October 7, 2023, attacks. And Israel's military operations show no signs of abating despite rising international condemnation.
Steve Witkoff, the president's special envoy for the Middle East who has been a key negotiator, expressed some optimism as he previewed plans to send both sides a 'new term sheet' aimed at resolving the conflict, as a peace deal has remained elusive.
'I think that we are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today. The president is going to review it, and I have some very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution,' Witkoff said.
Update:
Date: 1 hr 37 min ago
Title: Trump says he'll give it two weeks to determine if Putin is serious about Ukraine peace
Content:
President Donald Trump said he'll know in a fortnight whether his Russian counterpart is 'tapping us along,' vowing a change in course if he determines Vladimir Putin is not serious about achieving peace in Ukraine.
But Trump declined to specify what actions he might consider to punish Russia, insisting instead his new harsh language toward Moscow should speak for itself. And he voiced concern that potential new sanctions on Russia could jeopardize a deal.
'The words speak pretty loud,' he said. 'We're not happy about that situation.'
Trump in recent days has grown increasingly frustrated at the state of the conflict, which he once vowed to end within 24 hours of taking office. On Wednesday, he laid out a near-term timeline for determining how to proceed.
'I'll let you know in about two weeks,' Trump said when questioned in the Oval Office whether Putin wants to end the war.
'We're going to find out whether or not he's tapping us along or not, and if he is, we'll respond a little bit differently,' Trump went on.
Trump's two-week timeline has been a recurring feature of his presidency when he is asked about pending decisions. He frequently uses the timeframe when questioned about actions he could take.
Trump said Wednesday he still believes Russia 'seem to want to do something,' but suggested uncertainty in how serious the country is about ending the war. And he appeared cautious about slapping new sanctions on Moscow amid ongoing talks.
'I think I'm close to getting a deal, I don't want to screw it up by doing that,' he said.
Update:
Date: 1 hr 41 min ago
Title: Jeanine Pirro ceremonially sworn in as acting US attorney in Oval Office
Content:
Attorney General Pam Bondi swore in Judge Jeanine Pirro as acting US attorney for Washington, DC, from the Oval Office today.
The swearing in was preceded by remarks from President Donald Trump about Pirro. Bondi previously swore in Pirro while Trump was in the Middle East.
After the ceremony, Pirro brought up the shooting that killed two Israeli embassy staffers last week outside a museum in Washington, DC.
Pirro outlined how she intends to approach the job, saying that 'we need to send a message that justice will be honored in the District of Columbia.'
'Just last week, here in our nation's capital, two people on the brink of beginning their life had hopes and dreams that were never realized, because a cold-blooded murderer made a decision to shoot them down on the streets on a cold, rainy night in our nation's capital,' Pirro said.
'My voice and should be heard loud and clear: no more. No more tolerance of hatred. No more mercy for criminals. Violence will be addressed directly with the appropriate punishment,' she added.
Pirro is a longtime Trump ally who was a regular presence at Mar-a-Lago even before he ran for president the first time.
This post has been updated with additional remarks from Pirro.
Update:
Date: 2 hr 7 min ago
Title: Outgoing Capitol Police chief says plaque honoring January 6 officers may be too "divisive" to solve
Content:
A plaque honoring officers who defended the US Capitol during the January 6, 2021 attack has become a 'very politically divisive issue,' the chief of the US Capitol told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an interview Wednesday.
When asked about the plaque – which was approved in 2022 and has not yet been hung by Republican leaders in the House – Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said he thought the issue was so divisive 'that I don't imagine there's any discussions even going on.'
Manger, who took up the role in the wake of the January 6 attack, will retire this week after nearly 50 years in law enforcement.
'I will tell you that my cops, many of them, were here on January 6,' Manger said Wednesday. 'They don't need anybody to tell them what happened or what it was, because they were here and they experienced it. They know the truth. They know what happened on January 6, and they know how bravely they responded.'
Update:
Date: 2 hr 46 min ago
Title: US will restrict visas over alleged censorship of Americans, Rubio says
Content:
The United States will restrict US visas from those who are responsible for alleged censorship of Americans, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced today.
'We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty, especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech,' Rubio said in a statement.
The policy comes as the Trump administration has been actively revoking visas from foreign nationals in the US who were involved in protests against the war in Gaza. They also detained a Tufts University student for writing an op-ed critical of the conflict. A federal judge ordered her immediate release earlier this month the case raised concerns about her First Amendment and due process rights.
In his statement, Rubio said 'it is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil.'
'It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States,' he added.
It is unclear how the policy will be applied and who will decide what amounts to 'censorship.' CNN has reached out to the State Department for further information.
Update:
Date: 2 hr 13 min ago
Title: Musk says Trump's sweeping tax bill "undermines" DOGE mission
Content:
Elon Musk raised concerns about President Donald Trump's sweeping tax and spending cuts package, saying in a video released Tuesday that he believes it would raise the US budget deficit and undercut efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency.
'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' the tech billionaire and Trump donor told 'CBS Sunday Morning.' 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both.'
Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' includes trillions of dollars in tax cuts and a big boost to the US military and to national security spending – largely paid for by overhauls to federal health and nutrition programs and cuts to energy programs. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would pile another $3.8 trillion to the deficit. It narrowly passed the House last week, and now heads to the Senate, where it will likely face many changes.
Musk's comments come amid a media tour ahead of a SpaceX test flight Tuesday evening. Musk is stepping away from full-time government work to focus on his companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, which have struggled in part as a result of Musk's alliance with the Trump administration.
He noted the move in an interview with Ars Technica on Tuesday, hours before SpaceX's Starship test flight.
'I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics, it's less than people would think, because the media is going to over-represent any political stuff, because political bones of contention get a lot of traction in the media,' he said when asked whether he feels his focus on politics over the past year has 'harmed' SpaceX. 'It's not like I left the companies. It was just relative time allocation that probably was a little too high on the government side, and I've reduced that significantly in recent weeks.
In an interview with "CBS Sunday Morning," Elon Musk raised concerns about President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" bill, warning it could increase the US budget deficit and undermine the Department of Government Efficiency. The bill narrowly passed the House last week and now heads to the Senate, where major changes are expected. Musk also announced he's stepping back from full-time government work to focus on his companies. #elonmusk #donaldtrump #bigbeautifulbill #doge #cnn #news
Update:
Date: 3 hr 22 min ago
Title: Trump will swear in Jeanine Pirro as acting US attorney today
Content:
The White House plans to officially swear in Jeanine Pirro today, after President Donald Trump named her interim US attorney for Washington, DC earlier this month.
The swearing-in ceremony for Pirro, who has been acting as the top federal prosecutor in Washington, is scheduled to take place in the Oval Office at noon. Attorney General Pam Bondi swore in Pirro earlier this month, while Trump was on a trip in the Middle East.
Prior to being named to the role, Pirro appeared on Fox News' 'The Five' program and previously on her own weekend evening show called 'Justice with Judge Jeanine.' She used her platform and her legal background to bellicosely defend Trump and deride his critics.
Update:
Date: 3 hr 19 min ago
Title: Trump plans to privatize mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Content:
President Donald Trump announced yesterday that he plans to release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government conservatorship — but he also said the two mortgage giants could still count on a government bailout in a crisis.
Such a move would end 17 years of federal government control over the two companies, which play a central role in America's housing finance system by providing liquidity to the mortgage market.
'Our great Mortgage Agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, provide a vital service to our Nation by helping hardworking Americans reach the American Dream — Home Ownership,' Trump wrote on Truth Social yesterday. 'I am working on TAKING THESE AMAZING COMPANIES PUBLIC, but I want to be clear, the U.S. Government will keep its implicit GUARANTEES, and I will stay strong in my position on overseeing them as President.'
'These Agencies are now doing very well, and will help us to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!' he added.
The announcement came less than a week after Trump said he was giving 'very serious consideration' to bringing Fannie and Freddie public.
Fannie and Freddie essentially grease the wheels of America's home lending market by buying mortgages from lenders and repackaging them for investors. The government conservatorship of the two companies was initiated in 2008 after Fannie and Freddie played a role in America's housing market crash. The conservatorship was never meant to be permanent, but untangling them from the government could be tricky.
Privatizing Fannie and Freddie could spook investors who buy up mortgage loans, leading them to demand a higher return for their investments and pushing up mortgage rates, experts warn.
Update:
Date: 3 hr 37 min ago
Title: Vance visits Israeli Embassy to honor couple killed outside Capital Jewish Museum
Content:
Vice President JD Vance visited the Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC, yesterday to honor Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were killed last week leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
The Israeli ambassador to the US posted photos on X and thanked the vice president for visiting.
'Thank you @VP Vance for coming to the Embassy to honor our dear colleagues and friends, Sarah and Yaron. The care and compassion you and the Trump administration have shown in the wake of this murderous attack are testaments to the enduring friendship between our two countries and peoples, and our mutual battle against terrorism,' Ambassador Yechiel Leiter wrote.
Vance is seen in one photo writing inside a book at the young couple's memorial table inside the embassy, where their picture is up on a posterboard next to a vase of flowers.
The ambassador previously said Lischinsky, 30, and Milgrim, 26, who worked at the embassy, were about to be engaged.
The Department of Justice is investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism and a hate crime.
Update:
Date: 3 hr 11 min ago
Title: Chaos erupts on first day of US-backed aid distribution in Gaza after weeks of hunger
Content:
Thousands of Palestinians overran a newly established aid site in southern Gaza yesterday that is part of a controversial new Israeli- and US-approved aid distribution mechanism that began after months of blockade.
Videos from the distribution site in Tel al-Sultan, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), showed large crowds storming the facilities, tearing down some of the fencing and appearing to climb over barriers designed to control the flow of the crowd.
Several residents trying to access the aid told CNN they were grateful for the food they received, but described walking long distances to reach the distribution center, hours-long lines and general confusion.
A diplomatic official called the chaos at the site 'a surprise to no one.'
The GHF acknowledged the pandemonium, saying 'the GHF team fell back to allow a small number of Gazans to take aid safely and dissipate. This was done in accordance with GHF protocol to avoid casualties.' A security source said American security contractors on the ground did not fire any shots and that operations would resume at the site on Wednesday.
The Israel Defense Forces said their troops fired warning shots in the area outside the compound and that the situation was brought under control. They denied carrying out aerial fire toward the site.
'It's a big failure that we warned against,' said Amjad al-Shawa, director of Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network.
Read more
Update:
Date: 3 hr 37 min ago
Title: US State Department orders embassies to pause new student visa appointments
Content:
The US State Department has instructed US embassies and consulates around the world to pause new student visa appointments as it moves to expand 'social media screening and vetting' to all applicants for student visas, according to a diplomatic cable seen by CNN.
It's the latest move from the Trump administration that could deter international students from studying at universities in the United States.
The cable signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio comes as the Trump administration has revoked scores of student visas and has attempted to stop foreign students from studying at Harvard University — a move that has been halted by a judge for the time being.
Read more