Trump team pauses new student visa interviews as it weighs expanding social media vetting  —  It's the latest salvo against universities, many of whom rely heavily on foreign students for funds.  —  The Trump administration is weighing requiring all foreign students applying to study …

Back at SpaceX, Musk says in interview DOGE became D.C.'s ‘whipping boy’  —  Musk made his comments at an inflection point for SpaceX amid a string of failures of its Starship spacecraft in recent test flights.  —  STARBASE, Tex. — Elon Musk, returning to SpaceX on Tuesday for a test flight …

RFK Jr. says he may bar scientists from publishing in top medical journals  —  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim at reputed journals such as the Lancet and said the agency will create “in-house” publications instead.  —  Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr …

After struggling in the Senate, Alabama's Tommy Tuberville launches campaign for governor  —  If the senator makes it to the governor's office next year, it'll be a classic example of a politician failing up.  —  Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville's interest in Alabama's gubernatorial campaign has been anything but subtle.

Judge Strikes Down Trump Order Targeting WilmerHale Law Firm  —  A judge struck down an executive order targeting WilmerHale, in the latest victory for the handful of firms that have fought back against a Trump administration crackdown.  —  President Trump's campaign of retribution …

SpaceX Starship Loses Control on Test Flight 9 as Rocket Re-enters Earth  —  Much was riding on Flight 9 for Elon Musk's giant moon and Mars rocket after debris from January and March flights fell into the Atlantic Ocean, disrupting air travel.  —  The latest flight of SpaceX's Starship …

Trump's Tirades Aren't Swaying Putin  —  The president stamping his feet on social media will do nothing to quell Russia's aims.  —  Who could forget the riveting moment, during the high Cold War tensions of the early 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan strode to the White House podium …

Hawley stakes ground as chief GOP defender of Medicaid  —  Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is staking out his spot as a populist defender of Medicaid in opposition to the steep cuts contained in the House-passed megabill to fund President Trump's domestic agenda.  —  The senior senator from Missouri …

FEMA at ‘high risk’ of disrupting ‘life-saving’ disaster relief, per internal memo  —  If you want to support The Handbasket's 100% independent journalism, become a paid subscriber!  —  Video  —  Hurricane season in the United States kicks off this Sunday, June 1st, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is not prepared.

Marshals' Data Shows Spike in Threats Against Federal Judges  —  Data gathered by the law enforcement agency responsible for judicial security showed 162 judges faced threats between March 1 and April 14.  —  Threats against federal judges have risen drastically since President Trump took office …

Scoop: Stephen Miller, Noem tell ICE to supercharge immigrant arrests  —  In a tense meeting last week, top Trump aide Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that immigration agents seek to arrest 3,000 people a day, according to two sources familiar with the meeting.

Trade Crime Is Soaring, U.S. Firms Say, as Trump's Tariffs Incentivize Fraud  —  President Trump's steep global tariffs have supercharged efforts to evade them.  Some U.S. companies say the government is ill-equipped to keep up.  —  President Trump's steep global tariffs have supercharged efforts to evade them.

Trump to pardon reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley  —  The former stars of USA Network's “Chrisley Knows Best” were sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively, in 2022 for fraud and tax evasion.  —  President Donald Trump will soon pardon a reality television couple found guilty …

Wall Street Investors Mock Trump With A Brutal 4-Letter Code Word  —  Some investors are betting against Trump — and they've developed a tasty term for the move.  —  Wall Street investors have cooked up a new term for betting against President Donald Trump ― and some have used …

U.S. Will No Longer Recommend Covid Shots for Children and Pregnant Women  —  Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. upended decades of standard protocol in announcing that the vaccine would be dropped from the immunization schedule for healthy children.  —  The Covid vaccine will no longer …

Trump oversight picks include scandal-hit ex-lawmaker, antiabortion lawyer  —  Several nominees have clearly partisan backgrounds, including two with controversial histories and two with ties to the agency they would be investigating.  —  President Donald Trump's pick to investigate waste …

The two strongest points in NPR's lawsuit against the Trump administration  —  Does a president have the power to hobble media outlets based on his disagreement with their content?  Not according to the Constitution.  —  Donald Trump, as a private citizen, brought legal actions against traditional …

Playbook: The sound of silence  —  Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Bethany Irvine  —  Good Wednesday morning.  This is Jack Blanchard.  —  MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The Conversation with Dasha Burns arrives on Sunday, June 1 — and we're dropping a first look.

‘He Is Ohio’: DeWine Pitches an Alternative to Ramaswamy  —  Ex-Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel is mulling a challenge the Trump-endorsed entrepreneur in next year's governor's race.  —  CINCINNATI — The caper was great on paper.  —  Elon Musk, growing tired of Vivek Ramaswamy …

Trump Media to raise $2.5 billion to invest in bitcoin  —  Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT.O) will raise about $2.5 billion to invest in bitcoin, U.S. President Donald Trump's social media company said on Tuesday, as it looks to diversify its revenue.  —  The company is raising the funds …

ACOG Statement on HHS Recommendations Regarding the COVID Vaccine During Pregnancy  —  The following is a statement from Steven J. Fleischman, MD, FACOG, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG):  —  “ACOG is concerned about and extremely disappointed …

Behind the Curtain: A white-collar bloodbath  —  Dario Amodei — CEO of Anthropic, one of the world's most powerful creators of artificial intelligence — has a blunt, scary warning for the U.S. government and all of us:  — AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs …