House Republican to introduce bill blocking student visas for Chinese nationals
A Republican member of Congress is set to introduce a bill that bars Chinese citizens from obtaining student or research visas, citing concerns that they could spy for Beijing.
Rep. Riley Moore, a first-term congressman from West Virginia, is the bill's only confirmed sponsor so far.
“Every year, we allow nearly 300,000 Chinese nationals to come to the U.S. on student visas. We’ve literally invited the CCP to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security,” Moore said in a statement, according to Fox News, referring to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
China is the second-biggest source of foreign students in the U.S. after India, accounting for more than 24% in the 2023-24 academic year, according to a survey sponsored by the State Department. Many U.S. schools, especially public universities, have become heavily dependent on the higher tuition paid by international students from China and elsewhere.
Democrats criticized the bill as xenophobic and excessive.
“These visa restrictions are overly broad and damaging to the many Chinese students who hope to study at the best universities in the world,” Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., the ranking Democrat on the House select committee on China, was quoted as saying by The South China Morning Post.
He added that security in academic research “must be achieved with a scalpel, not a bludgeon.”
Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is selling his Tesla, saying it was 'built and designed by an a--hole'
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said in a post on X that he has decided to sell his Tesla because he “doesn’t want to drive a car built and designed by an a--hole.”
“When I bought this thing, I didn’t think it was going to become a political issue,” Kelly said in a video posted on X. "Every time I get in this car, for the last 60 days or so, it reminds me of how much damage Elon Musk and Donald Trump are doing to our country.”
NBC News asked Kelly earlier this week if he was considering selling his car after Elon Musk called him a “traitor” for visiting Ukraine. Kelly said on Tuesday that he was “looking into it,” noting that he thinks the interior is “a little janky” but that he loves the performance.
Kelly said in Friday's post that his “new ride” is coming soon.
Trump says he has a great relationship with leader of 'nuclear power' North Korea
Trump touted his “great relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he once again called the U.N.-sanctioned state a “nuclear power.”
“I have a great relationship with Kim Jong Un, and we’ll see what happens, but certainly he’s a nuclear power,” Trump, who had three in-person meetings with Kim during his first term in office, said yesterday from the Oval Office.
Trump referred to North Korea as a nuclear power on his first day back in office, drawing a rebuke from South Korea. U.S. officials have long refrained from using the phrase as it could signal recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.
At the time, South Korea said the North “can never be recognized as a nuclear-armed state,” stressing that denuclearization remains a “consistent” principle upheld by the international community.
A White House official later told NBC News that “President Trump will pursue the complete denuclearization of North Korea, just as he did in his first term.”
More than 50 universities face federal investigations as part of Trump’s anti-DEI campaign
More than 50 universities are being investigated for alleged racial discrimination as part of President Donald Trump’s campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs that his officials say exclude white and Asian American students.
The Education Department announced the new investigations Friday, one month after issuing a memo warning America’s schools and colleges that they could lose federal money over “race-based preferences” in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life.
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “We will not yield on this commitment.”
Most of the new inquiries are focused on colleges’ partnerships with the PhD Project, a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups get degrees in business with the goal of diversifying the business world.
Department officials said that the group limits eligibility based on race and that colleges that partner with it are “engaging in race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs.”
DOGE working with the U.S. Postal Service
A U.S. Postal Service spokesperson confirms to NBC News that, on March 12, the independent agency signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and the General Services Administration to help it continue efforts to find efficiencies beyond what USPS has already executed over the last four years as part of its rehabilitation plan.
The Postmaster General revealed the information in a letter to Congress on Thursday, updating members on the progress of the USPS rehabilitation plan created in 2021.
The spokesperson also confirmed that USPS projects 10,000 workers will take the agency’s voluntary retirement incentive by the end of April.
The incentive is not related to DOGE's efforts to downsize the federal government. This particular workforce reduction program is part of the agency’s efficiency efforts announced before Trump took office in January.
Senate to vote on advancing GOP funding bill to avert government shutdown
WASHINGTON — With Democrats divided and pointing fingers, the GOP-controlled Senate will press forward Friday afternoon with a key procedural vote to advance a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown before a midnight deadline.
If enough Democrats join Republicans to cross the 60-vote threshold, the Senate will move to a final vote on the six-month funding extension, where a simple majority is needed for passage. The bill cleared the House on a party-line vote earlier this week.
Under pressure from his left flank and House Democrats to block the GOP funding package, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., had kept his cards close to the vest about his shutdown strategy throughout the week.
But on Thursday, Schumer said he would vote to advance the funding bill, giving cover to other Democrats to do the same and significantly lowering the threat of a catastrophic shutdown amid broader economic uncertainty.
Republican congressman faces extended boos and jeers at rowdy town hall
Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., faced a rowdy crowd at a town hall with constituents last evening, the latest such event to go viral on social media as Republicans face backlash over Trump’s mass layoffs of federal workers and budget cuts.
In video captured by NBC News affiliate WYFF, Edwards spoke in front of a packed auditorium in Asheville, North Carolina — until he was drowned out by the jeers of attendees.
“I was proud to vote recently for the House budget resolution, which provides the framework” — Edwards told the crowd before cutting himself off as boos washed over him, while other attendees raised their hands to give him a thumbs-down.
Afterward, Edwards was greeted outside by protesters holding Ukrainian and Palestinian flags and signs that read “Fire Elon,” referring to Trump adviser Elon Musk, who has led the Department of Government Efficiency’s effort to fire thousands of federal workers in recent weeks.
Edwards represents North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, a solidly Republican area that includes Asheville and surrounding rural communities. The congressman won it by more than 13 percentage points in 2024.
U.S. Marshals sued for information on Elon Musk security deputizations and Jan. 6 cases
The U.S. Marshals Service was sued today by a group seeking information about the deputization of Elon Musk's private security detail and reports that a marshal visited the chambers of federal judges to ask about the release of Jan. 6 defendants pardoned by Trump on his first day in office.
The suit, filed by Democracy Forward in federal court in Washington today, seeks records regarding reports that U.S. Marshals Service officials "had communicated inappropriately with federal judges regarding their actions on pending cases related to January 6th," that individuals "associated with the U.S. DOGE Service (“DOGE”) have repeatedly invoked threats to engage USMS when seeking questionable access to agency buildings and information," and that "DOGE leader Elon Musk’s private security guards have been deputized by USMS."
Skye Perryman, the president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said that the Marshals Service "plays a critical role in enforcing court orders, which couldn’t be more important as the courts continue to serve as a bulwark against the Trump administration’s abuses of power."
"The American people deserve for the USMS to fulfill its role protecting their interests, not for it to act as the personal security force in DOGE and Elon Musk’s campaign of government overreach," Perryman said.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s nominee to lead the Social Security Administration, testified about his past health advocacy and qualifications during his opening statement at his Senate confirmation hearing.
Gabbard opens investigation into intelligence community leaks and internal chatrooms
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says she has ordered an investigation into “politically motivated leaks” from inside the intelligence community and is also probing internal chat rooms for any misconduct or unprofessional behavior by employees.
“Politically motivated leaks undermine our national security and the trust of the American people and will not be tolerated,” Gabbard said in a statement. “Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no investigation or accountability. That ends now. We know of and are aggressively pursuing recent leakers from within the Intelligence Community and will hold them accountable.”
Gabbard has said she planned to restore trust in the intelligence agencies, arguing that the spy services were misused as political weapons against Trump.