Trump admin live updates: White House drops NASA nominee with Musk ties

The Senate was expected to vote on Jared Isaacman next week.

Last Updated: June 1, 2025, 5:37 PM EDT

President Donald Trump on Friday claimed China violated its trade agreement with the U.S. and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said talks between the world's two largest economies stalled.

This week, Trump's global tariff policy hit a major roadblock as two federal courts ruled he does not have the power to unilaterally impose some levies. The tariffs can stay in place, for now, as the court considers the administration's appeal.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk is leaving his role as a "special government employee" but is expected to remain an unofficial adviser to Trump.

May 28, 2025, 10:27 PM EDT

Rubio says Trump administration to 'aggressively revoke visas' for Chinese university students

The Trump administration will work to "aggressively revoke visas" for Chinese students at U.S. universities, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in "critical fields," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement Wednesday.

Rubio's statement said the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security would work on revoking visas.

"We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong," Rubio said.

The move is in step with the Trump administration's ongoing crackdown on student visas.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston

May 28, 2025, 9:48 PM EDT

Judge orders Trump admin to resume processing benefits for parole recipients

A federal judge in Boston has ordered President Donald Trump's administration to resume processing immigration benefits for migrants paroled under several humanitarian parole programs that the Department of Homeland Security attempted to halt.

Judge Indira Talwani's decision is the latest ruling in a wide-ranging lawsuit that is challenging the Trump administration’s decision to halt processing applications from migrants who are already under these programs or are hoping to be.

A Department of Homeland Security seal on a podium at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, Mar. 13, 2024.
Luke Barr/ABC News

It essentially means that beneficiaries of: Uniting for Ukraine, Operation Allies Welcome (Afghanistan), Central American Minors Parole, Family Reunification Parole, Military Parole-in-Place, and CHNV (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans) can continue applying for other types of relief.

Judge Talwani also ordered the administration to accept initial and re-parole applications for people under the Military Parole in Place Program (MPIP). That program allows some current and former members of the military and their relatives to apply for parole if they lack legal status.

-ABC News' Armando Tonatiuh Torres-García

May 28, 2025, 8:29 PM EDT

Elon Musk is set to depart the Trump administration

Elon Musk is set to depart the Trump administration and leave his role as a special government employee, a White House official told ABC News.

The White House will begin Musk's off-boarding Wednesday evening, the official said.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk speak before departing the White House on his way to his South Florida home in Mar-a-Lago in Florida, March 14, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images, Files

Musk was named as a Special Government Employee by Trump, and was hired for 130 days to provide expertise that the administration didn't have internally. His 130-day period is set to expire on Friday.

Musk shared the update on X Wednesday night, thanking President Donald Trump and saying his Department of Government Efficiency team will continue to work throughout the government.

"As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," Musk wrote.

"The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," he added.

-ABC News' Will Steakin

May 28, 2025, 7:25 PM EDT

HHS cancels over $700 million in funding for Moderna’s flu pandemic vaccines

Moderna was notified its funding to research and license vaccines set to protect against future flu pandemics -- including bird flu -- ​has been terminated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The funding was originally signed with the Biden administration and consisted of an initial contract of over $150 million and a second contract of nearly $600 million.

It comes while Moderna announced positive results from their early trial of an mRNA bird flu vaccine.

Antibody titers, a sign of immune protection, increased nearly 45-fold in those vaccinated. A total of 300 adults participated in the trial.

At least 70 people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu after the virus was found in cows for the first time early last year. One person has died since. Health officials say the current risk of the virus is low, but are monitoring for further spread or any mutations that would change that assessment.

Moderna noted they would "explore alternatives for late-stage development and manufacturing" of their bird flu vaccine program.

-ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud

Related Topics

Sponsored Content by Taboola