Prominent Chinese Americans condemn bill to ban Chinese student visas
A group of distinguished Chinese Americans, known as the Committee of 100, condemned a bill that would block all Chinese nationals from obtaining U.S. student visas, saying it would hamper U.S. innovation and fuel discrimination, including against Chinese Americans in the U.S.
The Stop CCP Visa Act was introduced last week by Rep. Riley Moore, a first-term Republican congressman from West Virginia, who cited concerns about espionage and intellectual property theft. It would deny student visas to all Chinese nationals regardless of their field or academic level.
“Shutting the door on Chinese students doesn’t just betray our values — it weakens our leadership in science, technology, and innovation,” said Gary Locke, chair of the Committee of 100 and the U.S. ambassador to China from 2011 to 2014.
“The Stop CCP Visas Act is not just exclusionary but self-defeating,” he said in a statement. “We must stand for opportunity, not fear, and ensure that talent and progress continue to flourish in our nation.”
U.S. Institute of Peace sues to block DOGE ‘takeover by force’
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP), an independent non-profit established by Congress 40 years ago, is asking a federal judge to immediately block the Department of Government Efficiency’s attempted forced shutdown of the organization after what its lawsuit portrayed as a “takeover by force” of their headquarters building that took place with the assistance of the FBI, the Justice Department, and local D.C. police.
The lawsuit — which was brought by the Institute of Peace and member of the board and names Assistant to the Administrator for Management and Resources for USAID Kenneth Jackson, DOGE, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump, among others — contends that the Trump administration attempted to unlawfully fire USIP President George Moose after moving to fire board members and replace them with Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Vice Admiral Peter A. Garvin.
Former Senators Manchin and Romney to join Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget board
Former Sens. Mitt Romney, of Utah, and Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, have joined the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's board of directors. The board is tasked with steering the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan, nonprofit fiscal policy group that aims to reduce the national deficit and educate Americans about its implications.
Romney, a Republican who retired after one term late last year, used his farewell address to sound alarm bells over the nation’s mounting debt, which is expected to reach $37 trillion by July. Romney often cited partisan politics as a bulwark to reducing the deficit.
Manchin, who was elected as a Democrat in 2010 but left the party to register as an independent last year, often advocated for fiscal policy that would slash the national debt and co-sponsored bipartisan bills with Romney that sought to establish independent commissions to study federal government spending.
“Both former senators have been staunch advocates for responsible budgeting, but more than that, they have not shied away from working across the aisle to find solutions that can bridge the ideological divide and get America pointed in the right direction,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, in a statement.
Policy experts on the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget have previously warned Trump's proposed tax cuts, one of his key second-term fiscal policy priorities, could add trillions of dollars to the nation's 10-year deficit.
Trump says he had a 'very good telephone call' with Zelenskyy this morning
Trump said in a post on Truth Social this morning that he just concluded a "very good telephone call" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin told Trump he would agree to a partial ceasefire in Ukraine.
"It lasted approximately one hour," Trump said of the call. "Much of the discussion was based on the call made yesterday with President Putin in order to align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs."
He added, "We are very much on track, and I will ask Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, to give an accurate description of the points discussed. That Statement will be put out shortly."
Despite Russia claiming it would halt strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and Zelenskyy originally agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire, both countries accused the other of continued strikes overnight on civilian targets and infrastructure.
Elon Musk continues to push for impeaching judges who rule against Trump
Elon Musk is continuing to push for judges who rule against the Trump administration to face impeachment, posting about judicial impeachment 17 times within the past 24 hours.
His posts come even as Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has pushed against Trump's call for a judge's impeachment. Roberts said in a statement yesterday that "impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision."
Musk said in a post that "there has never such extreme abuse of the legal system by activists pretending to be judges," without providing evidence.
"Impeach them," he added.
Separately, he falsely referred to a judge ruling against Trump as "a judicial coup."
Hong Kong’s leader questions Panama Canal port sale that Trump hailed as victory
Hong Kong’s top leader said “serious attention” should be paid to concerns about the sale of two Panama Canal ports by a conglomerate based in the Chinese territory, as Beijing signals dissatisfaction over the deal.
The company, CK Hutchison, agreed this month to sell its stake in the ports at either end of the Panama Canal to a consortium including the U.S. asset manager BlackRock. The deal was touted as a victory by Trump, who had threatened to “take back” the U.S.-built canal over what he said was undue Chinese influence over the strategic waterway.
John Lee, Hong Kong’s chief executive handpicked by Beijing, refrained from criticizing CK Hutchison directly but said concerns over the deal deserved “serious attention” and that all transactions must comply with local law.
Without naming the U.S., Lee urged foreign governments to provide a “fair and just environment” for companies from Hong Kong.
“We oppose the abusive use of coercion, of bullying tactics in international economic and trade relations,” Lee told reporters yesterday.
In a sign of the Chinese government’s unhappiness with the deal, pro-Beijing media in Hong Kong have repeatedly criticized it in editorials reposted by Chinese government offices. The editorials called the deal an act of U.S. “hegemony” achieved through “despicable means.”
Both China and Panama deny there is any foreign interference in the canal, which the U.S. handed to Panama in 1999 and whose neutrality is enshrined in Panama’s Constitution. Hutchison Ports won the rights to manage the two ports in 1997 in a process that was described as fair by U.S. officials at the time.
Though CK Hutchison is a private company based in Hong Kong, Trump administration officials had argued that it was subject to control by Beijing, which has been tightening its grip on the city.
Fired workers are reinstated at NOAA, creating confusion on the heels of severe storms
Workers at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration this week experienced a kind of whiplash as the federal government tried to reinstate probationary employees who had been fired.
More than 600 NOAA workers were laid off more than two weeks ago, including some in public safety roles, such as scientists who issue tsunami alerts, hurricane-hunting flight directors and meteorologists in local forecast offices.
Former Justice Breyer says chief justice's statement was appropriate
Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said in a CNN interview that he believed Chief Justice John Roberts' statement yesterday was appropriate.
Roberts said that impeachment is "not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision," responding to Trump's calls for impeaching judges who ruled against him.
"He’s trying to explain to the people of this country how the legal system works and how it doesn’t work," Breyer told CNN. "It doesn’t work by impeaching a judge because you don’t like his decision."
Breyer said that Roberts' statement was "informative and educational." When he was asked whether he thought it was appropriate, Breyer responded, "I do."
Trump's intelligence officials slated to testify before the Senate next week
The Trump administration's top intelligence officials are slated to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee in a public hearing next Tuesday. The hearing, which is held by the committee on a yearly basis to broadly discuss global security threats facing the United States, will mark the first congressional testimony from Trump's recently-confirmed heads of U.S. intelligence.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Kash Patel will appear on the witness panel.
They will be joined by General Timothy D. Haugh, director of the National Security Agency, and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey A. Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Trump says he would rather work with a Liberal leader of Canada
Trump said it would be “easier” to work with a Liberal prime minister of Canada, which is preparing for a federal election amid a trade war Trump started with the long-standing U.S. ally.
“I think it’s easier to deal actually with a Liberal,” Trump said in an interview on Fox News yesterday, referring to Canada’s center-left governing party. “And maybe they’re going to win, but I don’t really care. It doesn’t matter to me at all.”
On Friday, newly elected Liberal Party leader Mark Carney took office as the new prime minister of Canada. His predecessor and fellow Liberal, the highly unpopular Justin Trudeau, stepped down after almost a decade in power amid criticism over his response to 25% tariffs that Trump has imposed on Canadian imports.
Trump also criticized Canadian politician Pierre Poilievre, whose Conservative Party is more aligned with his policies and looked set to win this year’s election by a landslide until Trump’s tariff policies and calls to make Canada the “51st state” sent support for the Liberals surging.
“The Conservative that’s running is, stupidly, no friend of mine,” Trump said. “I don’t know, but he said negative things. So when he says negative things, I couldn’t care less.”