The Trump administration has continued its crackdown on American universities by ordering US embassies worldwide to immediately stop scheduling visa interviews for foreign students.
The directive comes as the government prepares to implement comprehensive social media screening for all international applicants and after the president’s assault on Harvard that followed pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations last year.
Trump has repeatedly described top American universities as havens for “Marxist maniacs and lunatics” and on Monday mused that he would redirect their federal funding to trade schools.
Here are the key stories at a glance:
Trump orders US embassies to stop student visa interviews
A Tuesday state department cable instructs consular sections to pause adding “any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued”.
The directive, first reported by Politico and now confirmed by the Guardian, could severely delay visa processing and hurt universities – many of which Donald Trump accuses of having far-left ideologies – that rely heavily on foreign students for revenue.
Trump orders agencies to cut all federal ties with Harvard
The Trump administration is set to order federal agencies to cancel all government contracts with Harvard University worth an estimated $100m, dramatically escalating the president’s assault against America’s most prestigious university.
RFK Jr drops Covid boosters for some groups
The US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, announced that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would remove Covid-19 booster shots from its recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women.
Trump warns Putin he is ‘playing with fire’
Donald Trump has warned Vladimir Putin that he is “playing with fire”, launching a fresh broadside at his Russian counterpart over stalled Ukraine peace efforts.
NPR sues Trump administration over funding cuts
National Public Radio, the US public broadcaster that provides news and cultural programming to more than 1,000 local stations, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging an executive order that cuts federal funding to the public broadcaster as an unconstitutional attack on press freedom.
Trump’s company to spend $2.5bn on bitcoin
Donald Trump’s media company said that institutional investors will buy $2.5bn worth of its stock, with the proceeds going to build up a bitcoin reserve.
Trump to pardon reality TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley
The White House said on Tuesday that Donald Trump is set to pardon reality TV stars Julie and Todd Chrisley, the couple famous for Chrisley Knows Best, which followed their tightly knit family and extravagant lifestyle.
What else happened today:
Argentina ratified its decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization during Robert F Kennedy’s visit to Buenos Aires.
Trump issued an unconditional pardon to a former Virginia sheriff who was convicted on federal fraud and bribery charges.
Trump wants to “dictate” policies like those of far-right regimes in the 1930s, a leading billionaire investor has warned.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on 26 May 2025.
