After a whirlwind week dominated by news of President Donald Trump’s tariff plans, you may have taken the start of your weekend off from the news.
If you’re getting up to speed this morning, we have some good reads to start with.
Click on the links below to see more:
• The Loomer effect: White House advisers kept far-right activist Laura Loomer at bay for months. Then Trump invited her for an Oval Office sitdown — an extraordinary meeting that preceded a shake-up of his national security leadership, two sources told CNN.
• DOJ lawyer put on leave: The Justice Department placed on administrative leave a government immigration lawyer who expressed frustration in court at not being able to answer key questions from a judge over a mistaken deportation case, sources told CNN.
• University protest crackdown: CNN interviewed more than a dozen students and faculty at Columbia University, who expressed optimism that a new wave of activism may be building in response to the atmosphere of fear created by the president’s crackdown on protests and dissent.
• Barriers for military voters: Military families deployed far from their homes will see their process for voting become more complex, risking their possible disenfranchisement, under Trump’s efforts to make certain election policies more stringent.
• GOP turnout in Trump-less elections: In the era of Trump, Republicans worry their base has shifted to include low propensity voters who turn out for him but are not as motivated as Democrats to show up when he’s not on the ballot. A trio of election results this week deepened that concern.
• DOGE targets Homeland Security next: Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is expected to seek major staffing cuts at DHS in the coming days, including to the US Secret Service, multiple sources say.
• CDC cuts put miners and firefighters at risk: The administration’s sweeping cuts across federal health agencies include about two-thirds of staff at a small but mighty agency that ensures the safety of essential workers who use respirators.