- The feud between United States President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk continues to simmer, with a White House official telling reporters there are no plans for a call between the two men.
- The tensions surfaced in a high-profile way on Thursday, with Trump threatening to yank government contracts from Musk’s companies and Musk suggesting the president be impeached.
- The latest report from the Labor Department shows the US job market holding steady, with approximately 139,000 jobs added in May, despite economic turbulence from Trump’s tariff campaign.
- US military veterans are rallying in Washington, DC, to mark the anniversary of the D-Day offensive during World War II – and to show opposition to any cuts to their benefits.
Trump petitions Supreme Court for dismantling of Education Department
One of President Trump’s priorities in his second term has been to overhaul the US education system, including through the dismantling of the Department of Education.
But his efforts hit a roadblock this week, when US District Judge Myong Joun issued a temporary injunction stopping the Trump administration from moving forward with that goal. The judge also called for recently laid-off employees to be returned to their posts.
The Education Department does not set curricula or exercise control over schools: That power is already with state and local governments. Instead, the department ensures adherence to civil rights laws, conducts research into educational achievement, and distributes federal education funds.
Critics have called Trump’s efforts to shutter the Education Department illegal, given that Congress has allocated funds and responsibilities to the department.
The Trump administration has, nevertheless, forged ahead. On Friday, Trump’s Justice Department filed an emergency appeal with the US Supreme Court to lift Judge Joun’s injunction.
Trump v Musk: ‘Leverage moves on both sides’
Ramesh Srinivasan, professor of information studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, says both Trump and Musk have ways to hurt one another.
Srinivasan explained that many of Musk’s companies are tied to government contracts that Trump could influence, while the billionaire investor could use his social media platform X to shape public opinion and news coverage against the US president.
“Musk is essentially saying he is the one – the world’s wealthiest man is the one – who delivered Trump’s victory in what is supposed to be a democracy,” the professor told Al Jazeera.
“So remember, there is leverage moves on both sides. These are two very powerful men, that’s why they’re getting all our attention. But remember also that we, American citizens, feel like we are pawns in this game.”
Trump ‘not thinking of Elon’
It seems that a lot of people are really fascinated by the sort of tabloid nature of this story.
And I can tell you that the Democrats, the political opposition of the Republican Party that Donald Trump is a part of, are also relishing in this, given the fact that Elon Musk has been a bit of a lightning rod for a lot of their anger and frustrations with Trump’s policies.
So they’re delighted to see this happening. But at the same time, it does have serious implications, not just for the potential impact on policy, but also on national security.
We know that Elon Musk walked back his threat of halting those SpaceX Dragon missions that would allow for astronauts, NASA astronauts, to get to the International Space Station.
But it just underscores what many national security experts are saying: the threat that someone as powerful as Elon Musk, as knowledgeable as he is with some of the inner workings of the government, how easily that can be weaponised when someone like that becomes angry. It really can hurt the United States and have national security impacts.
Donald Trump is said to have told friends that he’s not thinking of Elon.
However, he is apparently considering getting rid of his Tesla.
Trump’s awkward exchange with Germany’s leader on D-Day
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was largely spared the confrontational scenes that some of his global counterparts faced while visiting Trump at the White House.
Still, there was one awkward exchange during the two leaders’ chat with the press on Thursday.
When Merz mentioned the D-Day anniversary, when Allied troops landed in Normandy to liberate Western Europe from Nazi Germany, Trump said, “That was not a pleasant day for you? This is not a great day.”
Merz responded, “This was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship.”
‘Future prospects are ruined here’: Iranians weigh Trump travel ban
Getting a US visa and travelling to the country has always been challenging for Iranians, especially after the former US embassy was closed following the takeover of 1979 and the diplomatic cut-off between Iran and Washington.
Now, it’s getting even harder, after President Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation banning the citizens of 12 countries, including Iran, from entry to the United States.
“Visas may not be granted to Iranians,” said Hannaneh Ghasemi, a travel agent in Tehran.
“During the previous travel ban, clients at US embassies in neighbouring countries faced poor treatment. They were told, ‘Given the Trump order and your country being on the ban list, we won’t give you a visa.’”
The travel ban decision has prompted criticism, with many viewing it as an additional barrier for Iranians seeking opportunities abroad, whether for education, work or family reunification.
“A lot of future prospects are ruined here,” said Hossein Hamdieh, an Iranian scholar.
“We have people who studied a lot, for instance. As you know, for an academic application, a lot of efforts are involved: doing exams like the GRE and IELTS or what have you. And then, all of a sudden, it’s all gone. They are not sure if they can apply any more.”
While Tehran and Washington are engaged in talks over Iran’s nuclear programme and the lifting of sanctions, the new policies on travel could have a certain negative impact on the already deteriorated ties between Iran and the US.
Trump calls for interest rates cuts — again
Trump has reiterated his call for the US’s central bank, the Federal Reserve, to cut interest rates.
In his Friday morning social media post, Trump also attacked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, calling him by the nickname “Too Late”.
“If ‘Too Late’ at the Fed would CUT, we would greatly reduce interest rates, long and short, on debt that is coming due,” Trump wrote.
“Biden went mostly short term. There is virtually no inflation (anymore), but if it should come back, RAISE ‘RATE’ TO COUNTER. Very Simple!!! He is costing our Country a fortune. Borrowing costs should be MUCH LOWER!!!”
The central bank, an independent federal entity, spiked interest rates after the COVID-19 pandemic to curb inflation.
But it has been slow to undo the hikes, citing economic uncertainty, sparked partly by Trump’s trade policies.
Mexico’s Sheinbaum projects steep drop in cross-border fentanyl smuggling
In her morning news conference or “mananera”, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum estimated that fentanyl trafficking from her country into the US had dropped by about 40 percent.
Trump had cited fentanyl smuggling as one of the reasons he put tariffs on the US’s two immediate neighbours, Mexico and Canada.
“The extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl, constitutes a national emergency,” the Trump White House wrote in a fact sheet in February, announcing 25-percent tariffs on US imports from both countries.
Goods covered under the US-Mexico-Canada free-trade agreement (USMCA) are meant to be exempted from the cross-border tariffs, though officials in Canada and Mexico have criticised the US for violating the pact.
Trump speaks with South Korea’s newly inaugurated President Lee
Earlier this week, South Korea swore in a new president, Lee Jae-myung, from the left-leaning Democratic Party.
On Friday, Lee’s office confirmed he had spoken with his US counterpart Donald Trump, as his country seeks to avoid steep tariffs.
In April, Trump unveiled a blanket tariff of 10 percent on nearly all US trading partners, but South Korea was one of the countries subject to an additional “reciprocal” tariff.
Though Trump quickly paused those additional tariffs for 90 days, the threat of an extra 25 percent tax on South Korean exports to the US lingers. Trump has sought to use the tariffs as a negotiating tactic, to push for more policies more favourable to the US.
The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Trump invited Lee to the US for a summit in Friday’s call.
Mexico’s economy minister meets with US trade representative
President Trump’s decision to double tariffs on steel and aluminium has once again roiled US trading partners like Mexico, with his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum saying earlier this week that she was weighing countermeasures.
Trade talks between the two neighbours continued on Friday, with Mexico’s Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard posting an image of himself shaking hands with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Ebrard wrote in Spanish that their conversation had been “cordial”.
Photos: Defense Secretary Hegseth tours Normandy Beach for D-Day ceremony
The US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is currently abroad on a trip through Belgium and France, where he stopped to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion.
D-Day marks the moment when Allied forces landed on Normandy Beach in France, in a military offensive that would turn the tide of World War II.
Hegseth toured a cemetery where US soldiers were laid to rest after the offensive, and he met with veterans and French leaders who attended a ceremony at a seaside monument for fallen soldiers. Check out some of the images from his appearance below.
Judge blocks latest Trump attempt to restrict Harvard’s international students
On Wednesday, President Trump issued an executive order that would have barred international students from entering the US to attend Harvard University, one of the country’s most prestigious schools.
He argued that their arrival in the US would be “detrimental” to the country’s “national interests”.
It was Trump’s latest attempt to stop Harvard from enrolling international students, who make up about a quarter of its overall student body.
But late on Thursday, US District Judge Allison Burroughs of Massachusetts expanding an existing restraining order to block this new action, ruling that it would have otherwise caused immediate and irreparable harm to the school and its students.
Trump and Harvard have been embroiled in an ongoing feud over the antiwar protests that erupted on the university’s campus last year – and whether the school has done enough to protect Jewish students from harassment.
Harvard’s President Alan Garber, however, has argued that the Trump administration seeks to exert control over the private university, threatening its academic freedom.
Trump-Musk feud: What happened? And what comes next?
A disagreement over Trump’s huge budget bill has escalated over the past few days, with Musk going so far as to suggest that the US president should be impeached.
So how did the partnership between Musk and Trump collapse? And what may come next for the two men, often described as the world’s richest and the world’s most powerful, respectively?
Read more here about the feud and how it may affect the Trump presidency.
Muslim Americans mark Eid al-Adha amid Gaza war
In the US, celebrations of the Muslim holiday have been dampened by outrage over Israeli atrocities in Gaza and bombing of Beirut last night.
“As we mark this sacred day, let’s remember: Eid is a reminder of our resilience, unity, and duty to stand for justice,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement.
Donald Trump’s travel ban: Why? And why now?
Trump’s travel ban is the latest instalment in the US president’s anti-immigration push, which plays to his right-wing base, advocates say, stressing that the order is not about public safety.
The decree, released late on Wednesday, bars and restricts travellers from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
“The latest travel ban is absolutely part and parcel of the administration’s agenda to weaponise immigration laws to target people who are racial and religious minorities and people with whom they disagree,” said Laurie Ball Cooper, vice president for US legal programmes at the International Refugee Assistance Project.
Read more here about the order and its implications.
US veterans set to rally on D-Day anniversary
Military veterans will hold protests in Washington, DC, and across the country to mark the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy – and to reject cuts to the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department.
Organisers are expecting thousands to gather in the US capital on Friday.
“We are coming together to defend the benefits, jobs, and dignity that every generation of veterans has earned through sacrifice,” they said in a statement.
“Veteran jobs, healthcare, and essential VA services are under attack. We will not stand by.”
The Trump administration has cut thousands of VA jobs in a move that advocates say will affect benefits for veterans.
US job market shows steady growth
The US added 139,000 jobs last month, “similar to the average monthly gain” of the past year, a report by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics says.
The number represents steady growth in the job market despite Trump’s trade wars and the political tumult in Washington.
Unemployment also remained the same at 4.2 percent, according to the report.
Trump ‘not interested’ in talking to Musk, official says
Trump is signalling that he will not dwell on his public feud with Musk.
An unidentified White House official told NBC News that the US president is “not interested” in holding a call with the billionaire investor.
And Trump told CNN he is not “even thinking about Elon”.
“He’s got a problem. The poor guy’s got a problem,” the US president said.
Here’s what has been happening this week
Trump has fallen out with his former adviser Elon Musk, with the billionaire bashing the president’s tax bill and suggesting that he should be impeached.
On Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions on International Criminal Court judges over their investigations of possible war crimes by Israel and US troops.
And on Wednesday, Trump imposed a ban on travellers from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and restrictions on seven others.
Also this week, the US president spoke to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as the two countries agreed to resume trade talks.
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