Trump Tariffs and Harvard Lawsuit – 5/23/25

The Trump administration’s proposed tariffs on Apple and EU goods have sparked market reactions and trade tensions, while Harvard faces legal battles over a ban on foreign student enrollment. Internationally, significant developments include a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia and a global police operation targeting a Russian-led cybercrime network.

United States

  • CNN’s Kaitlan Collins denies ever urging public to “trust the experts” during COVID, but skepticism persists among viewers
  • Scott Bessent reveals plans with Trump to impose taxes on Harvard’s endowments
  • President Trump demands Apple manufacture iPhones in the U.S. or face a 25% tariff, per Stocks To Earn
  • Trump warns of 25% tariffs on iPhones made abroad, causing Apple stock to dip in premarket trading, per Business Insider
  • HHS Secretary RFK Jr. urges Americans to question medical authorities and “do their own research,” per RFK Jr.
  • Republicans block plaque honoring Capitol police for Jan. 6 defense, leaving the “heroism will never be forgotten” memorial in the Capitol basement, per The Daily Beast
  • Federal judge halts Trump administration’s ban on Harvard enrolling foreign students, ruling it violates the First Amendment, per Semafor
  • Delaware officials recover over 10,000 abandoned chicks, turkeys, geese, quail, and chukars from a USPS truck, urgently seeking caretakers, per NBC News
  • ICE detention center officer allegedly choked a handcuffed migrant who was not resisting, per HuffPost
  • Billy Joel cancels all concerts due to normal pressure hydrocephalus causing “problems with hearing, vision and balance,” per The New York Times
  • Federal judge blocks Trump administration’s attempt to detain and deport international students, per NYTimes
  • Trump administration approves waivers to remove junk food from food stamp programs, a historic move, per FoxNews
  • Trump administration accused of targeting universities and students for exercising free speech, per ACLU Nationwide
  • Supreme Court rules 6-3 to allow Trump to fire heads of NLRB and Merit Systems Protection Board, per PerfectUnion
  • A mother can proceed with her lawsuit against an AI chatbot firm she blames for her son’s s-icide, per SkyNews
  • Kermit the Frog inspires University of Maryland’s 2025 graduates to pursue their dreams in commencement address, per RTENews
  • Study finds parks are among the least polarized public spaces in the U.S., per Fast Company
  • Universal’s new theme park features Donkey Kong Country, dragon drones, and a Ministry of Magic ride, per CNET
  • Elad Gil invests in a startup using AI to acquire and optimize companies, per The Information
  • A startup proposes producing internet-based TV series to engage online audiences and test concepts, per The Information
  • Anthropic CEO claims AI models are “hallucinating less than humans,” per TechCrunch
  • Most tech users surveyed have tried AI agents and report high satisfaction, per The Information
  • Google’s Veo 3 is generating deepfake versions of YouTube’s low-quality content, per Gizmodo
  • The FTC will no longer contest Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, per Engadget
  • Apple is reportedly set to launch smart glasses in 2026, per Engadget
  • The Enhanced Games, featuring performance-enhancing drugs, is scheduled for Las Vegas in 2026, per Gizmodo
  • The Information’s Future of Influence event on June 3 connects platform execs and creators, per The Information
  • Bluesky now allows users to apply for account verification, per Engadget
  • Elden Ring will be adapted into a film, per The Verge
  • PlayStation Plus offers three new games for the May 23-25 weekend, per Digital Trends
  • NOAA predicts a severe Atlantic hurricane season as Trump proposes cuts to the agency, per Gizmodo
  • A fire at a building leased by Elon Musk’s X near Portland was fueled by a room containing batteries, per Wired
  • Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy may reduce cancer risk in diabetic patients, study suggests, per APNews
  • Harvard University files lawsuit against Trump administration’s ban on foreign student enrollment, per AP News

Western States

  • Music executive Dave Shapiro, aged 42, tragically dies in a San Diego plane crash, per AP News
  • Police seek driver who hit and seriously injured a pedestrian on a central Phoenix sidewalk early Friday, per Arizona’s Family 3TV & CBS 5
  • Oracle residents ordered to evacuate as Cody Fire burns 1,218 acres with 5% containment, cause unknown, per FOX 10 Phoenix
  • Tractor-trailer hauling wood crashes into sound wall, overturns on 210 Freeway in Arcadia, trapping driver briefly, per KTLA 5
  • Man k-lled in north Phoenix hit-and-run; police search for driver who fled early Friday, per ABC15 Arizona
  • Three men hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle in east Phoenix early Friday, per Arizona’s Family 3TV & CBS 5
  • Two women arrested for allegedly stealing over $20,000 in merchandise from Orange County stores, including a Lululemon theft on May 22, per KTLA 5
  • Ventura County coach, 67, arrested for allegedly attempting to meet a 13-year-old for s-x after February investigation, per KTLA 5
  • Multiple arrests made after sh–ting at Mesa apartment complex near US 60 and Val Vista, leaving one dead, per FOX 10 Phoenix
  • Michael Woolbright sentenced to 5 years in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands from University of Arizona fraternity, per FOX 10 Phoenix
  • Arizona AG Kris Mayes plans execution warrant for Richard Djerf, who pleaded guilty to k-lling four family members in 1993, per FOX 10 Phoenix
  • Buckeye man, 26, arrested for alleged s-xual contact with high school students in a series of incidents, per ABC15 Arizona
  • Scottsdale hiker Hannah Moody, 31, found dead a day after going missing; no obvious trauma, investigation ongoing, per FOX 10 Phoenix
  • Peoria police rescue kitten from storm drain after residents heard strange noises, executing a “purr-fect” mission, per FOX 10 Phoenix

Mountain States

  • Motorcyclist k-lled after hitting deer and being run over by another biker in Duchesne County late Thursday, per KUTV2News
  • 23-year-old man arrested after forcing entry into a vehicle in Utah, demanding driver flee as he claimed people were trying to k-ll him, per KUTV2News
  • One person k-lled by police during armed robbery response in Midvale early Friday, per KUTV2News
  • Mayfield family claims Salt Lake County DA made promises if they avoided trial for Kolten Jess Rose, who held their daughter at knifepoint, per KUTV2News

International

  • Trump proposes a 50% tariff on EU goods effective June 1, per Watcher Guru
  • El Salvador’s President Bukele unveils plan to renovate “2 schools per day,” enhancing classrooms and facilities to transform education
  • VP Vance highlights Trump’s shift from nation-building to prioritizing national defense and alliances
  • Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa arrested for allegedly leading a terrorist plot, per Reuters
  • Global police operation dismantles Russian-led cybercrime network, with arrest warrants issued for 20 suspects, per The Guardian
  • Ukraine and Russia exchange 800 prisoners in the war’s largest swap, with Zelenskyy confirming 390 returned to Russia, per The Guardian
  • Major incident declared as firefighters battle a massive blaze at Northamptonshire’s Sanders Lodge industrial estate, per The Guardian
  • Thames Water CEO Chris Weston ordered to disclose if executives received bonuses from a £3bn loan, per The Guardian
  • GE Aerospace leads discussions on sustainable aviation and innovation as India gears up for the 81st IATA AGM, per NDTV
  • Zara feels “disheartened” by spectators treating the discovery of human remains at Michael Gaine’s farm as entertainment, per VirginMediaNewsIreland
  • UK backs Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ for schools; Ireland’s Education Minister considers classroom screenings, per RTENews
  • Verdict expected today in trial of ten men accused of robbing Kim Kardashian of $10 million in valuables during 2016 Paris Fashion Week, per VirginMediaNewsIreland
  • Chinese automaker BYD overtakes Tesla in European EV sales for the first time in April, per CGTN
  • Supreme Court rules no sentence for man convicted under POCSO Act, citing unique case circumstances, per NDTV
  • China and Pacific Island countries, including Fiji, discuss tourism cooperation in Nadi, per CGTN
  • Journalists from 14 Central and Eastern European countries tour Ningbo’s Lao Waitan, exploring China-CEEC cultural exchanges, per CGTN
  • Man’s body found in car amid southeast Australia floods, raising death toll to four, per NDTV
  • Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus considers resignation due to political discord, per NDTV
  • Astronomers discover a unique binary system with one star orbiting inside another, per Gizmodo
  • Sloth family tree analysis reveals three groups evolved to giant sizes due to cold, dry conditions, per New Scientist
  • Dozens mourn outside White House after deadly sh–ting of two Israeli embassy staffers near D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum, condemned as antisemitic terrorism, per KUTV2News
  • EPA administrator Lee Zeldin mourns Israeli Embassy staff member Sarah Milgrim, sh-t dead in Washington, DC, per FoxNews
  • Wisconsin home destroyed after lithium battery fire, per FOX5 Las Vegas
  • SteamOS now officially supports a second handheld gaming device, per Engadget