April 17, 2025 at 6:02 PM EDT
Scientists worried 'about the fate reserved for them' under Trump seek protection overseas

Scientists whose research has been under attack by President Donald Trump's administration are reportedly clamoring to escape to a place where their contributions will be welcomed and respected. The Guardian reported Thursday that France's Aix-Marseille University is now offering roughly 20 researchers a three-year position through a program dubbed "Safe Place for Science." The university was apparently inundated with hundreds of applications from scientists in multiple continents around the world for the small number of positions, which are expected to be filled in June.

April 17, 2025 at 4:26 PM EDT
'Internal knife fighting' between top Trump officials led to Pentagon shake-up: report

The Daily Beast reports "internal knife fighting" in President Donald Trump's inner circle likely led to the suspension of three top Pentagon aides. Far-right social media influencer Douglass Mackey posted on X that a widening rift in the administration triggered the cancellation of a planned Israeli attack on Iran and probably explains the abrupt departure of some officials on administrative leave.

April 17, 2025 at 4:17 PM EDT
'Shocking': Reagan-appointed judge condemns Trump's attacks on 'due process' and 'liberty'

President Donald Trump's administration was just handed another stinging loss in court. This time, his defeat came at the hands of a Republican-appointed judge who openly challenged the administration's regard for the Constitution. On Thursday, U.S. Circuit Court J. Harvie Wilkinson III -- who was appointed to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals by former President Ronald Reagan -- shot down an appeal by the administration to impose an emergency stay on an order pertaining to the wrongful deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia. The Trump Department of Justice sought to halt an order put in place by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis (a Barack Obama appointee) to "facilitate" the return of Abrego Garcia from the notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador where he has been incarcerated for more than a month without trial.

April 17, 2025 at 3:31 PM EDT
'Putting the body down in the tracks': Dems lean into fighting Trump's 'regime of fear'

One high-ranking House Democrat says the current political environment has voters hungry for fierce reaction. "There's a regime of fear that's been brought down on society," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told the New York Times. "People need to see leaders and organizers standing up and speaking with authority against what's happening."

April 17, 2025 at 2:57 PM EDT
'A monster': GOP lawmaker says he's 'truly scared' of Trump and 'his toadies'

White House columnist Brian Karem wrote in an article published in Salon Thursday that not even former President Donald Trump's closest supporters think he is doing a satisfactory job as president. "Many believe that Trump is one of his biggest fans, and while Trump fancies himself 'cool,' not even his closest supporters say that of him. The best I've heard regarding Trump is he says what he thinks," he wrote.

April 17, 2025 at 12:11 PM EDT
'Stunning admission': GOP senator says colleagues 'are all afraid' of 'retaliation'

A prominent Republican U.S. Senator delivered candid and heartfelt responses to leaders of nonprofit groups in her state expressing concern over the massive and sudden cuts to federal agencies, programs, and the federal workforce""along with President Donald Trump's tariffs, executive orders, and legal battles. "We are all afraid," said Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), apparently referring to both her colleagues in Congress and her constituents, before pausing in thought (video below). The Anchorage Daily News first reported her remarks.

April 17, 2025 at 10:31 AM EDT
'Tightly controlled': GOP consultant tells Obama to 'pack his bags and leave town'

Republican political consultant Keith Naughton said in an article published in The Hill Thursday that President Donald Trump was elected by "disaffected Obama voters." The author said it was hard to determine what the former president is really thinking, adding that he is "tightly controlled as ever" and only sits for "sycophantic interviews."

April 17, 2025 at 9:48 AM EDT
'Bullied into submission': Trump's 'naked economic incompetence' is now GOP's greatest liability

During the United States' 2024 presidential election, Democrats were frustrated whenever GOP nominee Donald Trump polled well on the economy. Democratic nominee and then-Vice President Kamala Harris attacked Trump's economic positions vigorously, warning that the steep tariffs he was proposing were a recipe for painful inflation and soaring prices. Regardless, Trump maintained his advantage on the economy on Election Day, narrowly defeating Harris by roughly 1 percent in the national popular vote.

April 17, 2025 at 8:56 AM EDT
Musk rewarding members of Congress for efforts to limit judges' power: report

A report published in The Washington Post on Thursday revealed tech billionaire Elon Musk funnelled substantial funds in late March to support Republican Congress members who backed legislation aimed at impeaching judges or limiting their authority. The report cites new filings, indicating this effort aligns with his campaign to penalize judges who make rulings unfavorable to the Trump administration. "The spending, which totaled $144,400 in support of nearly two dozen members of Congress, was disclosed Tuesday in filings to the Federal Election Commission. While the amount is a fraction of the millions he shelled out for Republican candidates before the November election, the spending so early in the 2026 midterm cycle further cements the billionaire's long-term involvement in GOP politics despite a decisive loss for his preferred candidate in this month's Wisconsin Supreme Court race," The Post reported.

April 17, 2025 at 8:43 AM EDT
'Delicate dance': This 'reliable' Trump 'ally' is 'quietly emerging as the Pentagon's unlikely foil'

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) is far from a Never Trumper, voting to confirm President Donald Trump's most controversial appointees -- including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard. Democrats were hoping that Wicker would resist putting Hegseth in charge of the Pentagon, but the only GOP senators who voted against him were Kentucky's Mitch McConnell, Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski.

April 17, 2025 at 6:08 AM EDT
'What's he waiting for?' Official struggles between his own supporters and a demanding Trump

After the Senate voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary, supporters of his "Make America Healthy Again" movement cheered at having a champion in the federal government. Now the grumbling has begun. Some of Kennedy's allies say he's become almost inaccessible since his confirmation and complain that he's made glacial progress advancing MAHA goals, such as halting mRNA-based covid shots and removing fluoride from drinking water.

April 17, 2025 at 5:59 AM EDT
'Doesn't make sense': Red states left unspared in Trump funding slash across the US

The National Institutes of Health's sweeping cuts of grants that fund scientific research are inflicting pain almost universally across the U.S., including in most states that backed President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. A KFF Health News analysis underscores that the terminations are sparing no part of the country, politically or geographically. About 40% of organizations whose grants the NIH cut in its first month of slashing, which started Feb. 28, are in states Trump won in November.