Trump news at a glance: judge puts a stop to ban on Harvard’s foreign students – for now

Court blocks ban on Harvard accepting international students

A federal judge on Friday blocked the government from revoking Harvard University’s ability to enrol foreign students just hours after the elite college sued the Trump administration over its abrupt ban the day before on enrolling foreign students.

US district judge Allison Burroughs in Boston issued the temporary restraining order late on Friday morning, freezing the policy that had been abruptly imposed on the university, based in nearby Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Thursday.

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US accused of trying to deport MS-13 leader as favour to El Salvador’s president

Donald Trump’s administration is attempting to dismiss criminal charges against a top MS-13 leader in order to deport him to El Salvador, according to newly unsealed court records – igniting accusations from critics and the defendant’s legal team that the US president is trying to do a favour for his Salvadorian counterpart, who struck a deal with the gang in 2019.

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Trump to make drastic cuts to National Security Council – report

A large restructuring of the US national security council (NSC) got under way on Friday as Donald Trump moved to reduce the size and scope of the once-powerful agency, five sources briefed on the matter said.

Staff dealing with a variety of major geopolitical issues were sent termination notices on Friday, said the sources, who requested anonymity as they were not permitted to speak to the media. The move comes just weeks after the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, took over from Mike Waltz as national security adviser. The NSC declined to comment.

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Trump says he is hitting EU with 50% tariff

The president has said he will impose a 50% tariff on all European Union imports to the US from 1 June after saying trade talks between the two trading blocs were “going nowhere”. In a surprise announcement, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that his long-running battle to secure concessions from the EU had run aground.

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President threatens 25% tariff on iPhones

Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on iPhones if they are not made in the US, as he steps up the pressure on Apple to build its signature product in America.

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Trump backs ‘partnership’ of US Steel with Nippon Steel

The president has thrown his weight behind a “partnership” between US Steel and Nippon Steel, months after insisting he was “totally against” a $14.9bn bid by the Japanese firm for its US rival.

While Trump stopped short of an all-out endorsement of the takeover, he announced a deal between the two businesses on social media on Friday.

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