🏛️ Capitol Reset: NSC Boots the Hawks
Also, Rubio revokes Chinese student visas


WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

🇨🇳 The State Department will “aggressively” revoke Chinese student visas. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that all Chinese students, including "those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” will have their visas pulled. While only around 800 American students are allowed to study in China, over 275,000 Chinese students are currently studying in the United States.
✂️ Trump will ask Congress to cut over $9 billion in DOGE-identified savings. While bills normally need to pass a Senate 60-vote filibuster, the rescissions process allows Congress to revoke spending with a simple majority. The cuts will come mostly from PBS, NPR, and USAID. Some Republicans, such as Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), have complained about the small size of the package. However, passage is not a sure thing: moderate Republicans may chafe at cutting USAID or PBS.
👨⚖️ Trump’s tariffs were temporarily reinstated by an appeals court. The decision to lift the lower court’s block of most of President Trump’s tariffs came after the administration threatened to go to the Supreme Court for an emergency stay, claiming that the block inhibited the administration’s ability to strike trade deals. Both sides will have until June 9 to argue whether the stay should continue pending appeal. No matter how the appeals court rules, it will likely ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
🐶 DOGE will continue on in Elon Musk’s absence. Although Musk has now formally departed the White House, DOGE plans to continue to look for ways to cut government, putting a focus on placing staff within government agencies to look for waste from within. The organization still wields considerable influence: one Interior agency official who sought to keep a DOGE official out was recently fired.
INSIDER RADAR
Sen. Ron Johnson’s big decision on the Big Beautiful Bill
Insiders behind the paywall: Ron Johnson, Ruben Gallego, Elon Musk, and JD Vance.
QUICK AND IMPORTANT
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Collins gave waivers to Indiana, Nebraska, and Iowa to restrict SNAP beneficiaries from using welfare on unhealthy foods; the waivers are the first of their kind.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. might ban government scientists from publishing in prominent medical journals.
President Trump nominated his former defense attorney, Emil Jove, to the Third Circuit Court, now having another ally in a federal court.
Trump will hold a rally in Pittsburgh later today to celebrate US Steel remaining in Pennsylvania.
Foreign policy hawks are out at the NSC

WHAT’S HAPPENING
President Donald Trump’s second administration began with a relative balance between realists who were somewhat more inclined toward foreign intervention, such as Mike Waltz, and those who were more skeptical of action abroad, like Vice President JD Vance.
But the last month has seen a sudden shift toward non-interventionists, as the hawks have been fired or moved to less-influential positions…
_JOIN THE DISCUSSION_
What do you think about the ideological change at the NSC towards non-interventionism?
Comments are for members only.
MEDIA BIAS SPOTTER
How left and right outlets frame Rubio revoking Chinese student visas
Mentioned behind the paywall: Vox, Bloomberg, The New York Post, and The Daily Wire.
THE DAILY DEBATE
📊 Amid Musk’s departure, how do you feel about DOGE’s accomplishments thus far?Results will be in tomorrow's newsletter |

POLL RESULTS FROM YESTERDAY
Do you think the GOP electoral surge will last after the Trump era?
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 👍 Yes (934)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 👎 No (150)
🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🤔 Unsure (289)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 💬 Other (22)
👍 Yes: “The Trump-Vance partnership is designed for success. Vance will continue Trump's legacy with the Rs backing him.” — H
👎 No: “No, we're a ‘pendulum’ country that swings back and forth depending on which segments of voters get animated and activated.” — Cory
🤔 Unsure: “A lot will depend on how the economy fares these next 3 1/2 years.” — KSC
💬 Other: “Depends on who leads the party, MAGA or old guard republicans.” — Howard
POP QUIZ
What new action did Agriculture Secretary Brooke Collins take? |
Today’s newsletter was written by Anthony Constantini, Brandon Goldman, and Ari David. We scoured 100s of sources to bring you stories and insights you won’t find in the mainstream media.

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