The Department of Education has appealed a June court ruling that blocked its plan to narrow eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years of qualifying payments.
The administration's rule, set to take effect July 1, would have excluded employers deemed inconsistent with its definition of "public service" — including those providing gender-affirming care or supporting illegal immigration. District Judge Amir Ali blocked it, ruling Congress had not granted the education secretary that authority. No immediate changes to PSLF are in effect while the appeal proceeds.
🇷🇺 CIA Chief Warned Moscow: Russia Losing Ground, Putin May Not Know
CIA Director John Ratcliffe secretly traveled to Moscow and briefed senior Russian intelligence officials that Russia's military and economic position is deteriorating — and that President Putin may not be receiving an accurate picture of the war, the New York Times reports.
Ratcliffe reportedly passed the FSB director unfavorable intelligence about Russia's real battlefield situation and urged Russian officials to agree to a peace deal before conditions worsen further.
U.S. intelligence has reportedly questioned whether Putin is being given an accurate assessment of the war by his own advisers.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, will face a U.S. military court beginning June 5, 2028, a Guantanamo Bay spokesman confirmed Thursday.
Mohammed, known as "KSM," was captured in Pakistan in March 2003 and has been held at Guantanamo ever since. He was considered one of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants. Three other alleged 9/11 conspirators are also set for trial in 2028.
The proceedings mark a potential resolution to one of the longest-running military tribunal cases in U.S. history, more than two decades after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
🇺🇸 Trump Threatens To Report NBC Anchor to FCC Over Coverage
President Donald Trump threatened to report NBC's "Meet the Press" anchor Kristen Welker to the Federal Communications Commission, saying he was unhappy with her coverage of his administration.
First Amendment advocates and media freedom groups warned the threat crosses a constitutional line — a president cannot use federal regulatory power against a journalist over unfavorable coverage. The FCC licenses broadcast stations, not individual journalists, and has no authority to discipline reporters.
The episode renews scrutiny of Trump's use of executive power against critical media outlets.
💵 G20 Finance Chiefs Meet as US Presses Iran Sanctions, Tariffs
Finance ministers and central bank governors from the G20 opened talks Monday in Asheville, North Carolina, with the Trump administration pushing allies to intensify economic pressure on Iran while simultaneously imposing tariffs on several of those same partners.
The two-day gathering runs through Tuesday in the Blue Ridge Mountains city. The meetings are overshadowed by a renewed exchange of fire between the U.S. and Iran — the first such attacks in a month — as leaders convened Monday morning.
The dual agenda — seeking allied cooperation on Iran sanctions while maintaining tariff pressure on those allies — highlights the tensions the U.S. faces in building a unified economic front among G20 partners.
🇮🇷 U.S. Strikes Iranian Island in Strait of Hormuz
The U.S. military has carried out its first strike against Iran in roughly a month, targeting rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz used to deploy sea mines into the critical waterway.
The Pentagon said the strike was conducted to prevent further mining of international shipping routes. U.S. forces had completed clearing sea mines from those routes in the week prior to the strike.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most vital shipping corridors for global oil and energy exports.