The Political Thread

[Chris]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/us/politics/trump-harvard-international-students.html

The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students, a major escalation in the administration’s efforts to pressure the college to fall in line with the president’s agenda.

The administration notified Harvard about the decision after a back-and-forth in recent days over the legality of a sprawling records request as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigation, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations.

“I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is revoked,” according to a letter sent to the university by Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary. A copy of the letter was obtained by The New York Times.

 

[Barry Poppins]

That's one way to kill education in the country, I guess.

 

[Chris]

Dunno if we have any hardcore penny loyalists here but I've been for this for ages since money has become more digital

https://www.wsj.com/finance/penny-coin-mint-ending-2026-b1717de0

The Treasury Department will stop putting new pennies into circulation by early next year. Afterward, there won’t be enough pennies to use in everyday cash transactions, and businesses will need to start rounding up or down to the nearest 5 cents, the Treasury said in a statement.

 

[CraigPelton]

Latest

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/21/politics/individuals-connected-to-israeli-embassy-shot-in-dc-sources-says

Two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot and killed by a gunman who later yelled “Free Palestine!” while being arrested in Washington, DC, Wednesday night, authorities said.

The slain staffers, who the Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs named as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were a couple who officials say were soon to be engaged.

The two were attending an event for young professionals at the Capital Jewish Museum hosted by the American Jewish Committee. At around 9 p.m. outside the museum, they were approached by a gunman who opened fire and killed them, officials said.

The suspect, whom DC police identified as 30-year-old Chicago native Elias Rodriguez, pretended to be a bystander after the shooting, an eyewitness told CNN.

Their social medias were exposed. They were zealously pro-IDF genocidal freaks just like most Israeli Jews. They had it coming 100%, though it is obviously not helpful for the Palestinian cause. Now our pro-Israel media who couldn't give a shit for Palestinians being massacred en masse will use these killings to portray Israelis as victims and paint a narrative about "Jews being unsafe". Personally, I think if you are an open supporter of the Israeli government, let alone working in an official capacity for the genocidal ethnosupremacist apartheid state of Israel, you should fear for your life. You are the modern equivalent of a Nazi.

 

[Chris]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/05/22/us/israel-embassy-shooting-dc

The suspect in the shooting deaths of two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington was charged with first-degree murder and other crimes on Thursday, according to an F.B.I. affidavit filed in federal court.

The defendant, Elias Rodriguez, told police officers, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” when he was taken into custody after the shooting on Wednesday night, according to the affidavit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

 

[Barry Poppins]

Dunno if we have any hardcore penny loyalists here but I've been for this for ages since money has become more digital

https://www.wsj.com/finance/penny-coin-mint-ending-2026-b1717de0

The Treasury Department will stop putting new pennies into circulation by early next year. Afterward, there won’t be enough pennies to use in everyday cash transactions, and businesses will need to start rounding up or down to the nearest 5 cents, the Treasury said in a statement.

This is classic Abraham Lincoln erasure, Trump can't stand the fact black people are free, after all.

 

[Tommy Shelby]

Keir Starmer announces U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts - BBC News

The move follows political pressure in recent weeks after Labour losses at England's local elections.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Tommy Shelby]

After last week's embarrassing defeat our leader is finally listening and he needs to change his ideas and get rid of Rachel Reeves as Chancellor and put Chancellor of Duchy of Lancaster in her place as it's effectively number two chancellor. Pat McFadden step up. You did well when we had the world wide economic crash 2008 under Gordon Brown.

 

[Chris]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/23/trump-recommends-50percent-tariff-on-european-union-starting-june-1.html

President Donald Trump on Friday said he is “recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union” after complaining that trade negotiations have stalled.

The steep new import duties would start on June 1, Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The EU “has been very difficult to deal with,” Trump wrote. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!”

Trump’s announcement came less than 30 minutes after he threatened to impose a tariff of at least 25% on Apple if the company does not start manufacturing iPhones in the United States.

Stock futures sank immediately following Trump’s posts, which showed the president once again wielding the threat of massive import taxes in response to economic activity he disfavors.

 

[Chris]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/22/us/harvard-university-trump-international-students

Harvard University is opening a new front in its legal battle against the Trump administration, filing suit in federal court Friday in response to the government’s move to revoke the school’s ability to enroll international students.

The complaint by the nation’s oldest and wealthiest institution of higher education argues the decision Thursday to drop the school from the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program violates the law.

“It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to control Harvard’s governance, curriculum, and the ‘ideology’ of its faculty and students,” according to a copy of the complaint provided by Harvard.

Harvard is asking a judge to immediately block the order by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

 

[Chris]

White House doubles down on stance on Harvard and calls university’s lawsuit ‘frivolous’ – live

Harvard’s president says school’s ‘refusal to surrender’ behind Trump administration’s ‘unlawful’ and ‘unwarranted’ latest action

www.theguardian.com

A US judge blocked the Trump administration from revoking Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students. US district judge Allison Burroughs issued the temporary restraining order on Friday.

In a complaint filed in Boston federal court filed earlier on Friday, Harvard called the revocation a “blatant violation” of the US constitution and other federal laws, and had an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders, Reuters reports.

“Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard,” the university said.

 

[Y2Jayne]

Another one

Twelve injured in knife attack at Hamburg train station

A suspect has been arrested and a major operation is under way, German police say.

www.bbc.com

 

[Comrade Khan]

DoJ removes reform deals made after deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor

The Justice Department on Wednesday moved to cancel agreements with police departments in two of the nation's most liberal cities just days before the 5th anniversary of George Floyd's death.

www.themirror.com

In today's hellscape the DOJ is taking away deals from breonna taylor and George Floyd. This comes a week after the gave Ashley Babbitt 5 million.

So cooked

 

[CraigPelton]

DoJ removes reform deals made after deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor

The Justice Department on Wednesday moved to cancel agreements with police departments in two of the nation's most liberal cities just days before the 5th anniversary of George Floyd's death.

www.themirror.com

In today's hellscape the DOJ is taking away deals from breonna taylor and George Floyd. This comes a week after the gave Ashley Babbitt 5 million.

So cooked

Wouldn't be surprised if they pardoned Derek Chauvin's federal conviction for violating George Floyd's rights at this point, though he'd still be in prison for the state murder charges. Scoring cheap culture wins in the name of white supremacy gets even the least cultish members of MAGA to look past all of Trump's disastrous decisions and blatant corruption.

 

[Barry Poppins]

If it ain't white, it ain't right.