Trump to World’s Best Students: GTFO 5.22.25 Ally Sammarco May 23 Happy Thursday evening and welcome back to Common Sense, your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. Supreme Court permits Trump firing of two labor board members appointed by Biden – but indicates he can’t fire fed reserve chair… Politico reports, “The Supreme Court is allowing President Donald Trump to fire two Biden-appointed members of U.S. labor boards even though federal law bars the president from dismissing the officials for political reasons. In a two-page unsigned order on Thursday, the high court declined to reinstate the fired members of the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board. All three of the court’s liberal justices dissented.” Politico also reports, “The Supreme Court on Thursday said the relationship between the president and the Federal Reserve is different from that of other independent agencies, signaling that Chair Jerome Powell is legally protected from being removed by President Donald Trump. The justices, in a ruling that blessed Trump’s decision to fire members of two independent U.S. labor boards, said they did not think the case had implications for whether the president was allowed to fire Fed board members or other officials on the central bank’s rate-setting committee. Court orders Trump Administration to stop revoking visas from international students… NBC News reports, “A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from terminating the legal statuses of international students at universities across the U.S. In the injunction, District Judge Jeffrey S. White in Oakland also prohibited the administration from arresting or detaining any foreign-born students on the basis of their immigration status while a case challenging previous terminations moves through the courts. In his decision, White said that the Trump administration has ‘wreaked havoc’ on the lives of the plaintiffs as well as other international students.” Common Sense with Ally Sammarco is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. MEANWHILE, Trump Administration stops Harvard from enrolling international students… NBC News reports, “The Trump administration on Thursday halted Harvard’s ability to enroll international students amid an ongoing standoff between the government and the Ivy League school. Harvard has refused to adhere to a set of demands issued by the Trump administration’s Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism that included sweeping reforms to whom the university can hire and admit, and subjecting the ideology of faculty members to an audit approved by the government. In response, the government cut over $2 billion in federal research funding, leading to a lawsuit by Harvard to recoup the money. The abrupt termination of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification is a major escalation in a dispute that could have severe financial consequences for Harvard, which enrolls nearly 6,800 international students out of a student body of 24,596. Current international students at Harvard will need to transfer or lose their legal status.” Suspect arraigned in murder of 2 Israeli embassy staff in Washington. CBS News reports, “The man accused of killing two Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, murder of foreign officials and other counts. The suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago. He is also charged with causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime and terrorism, and more charges could come, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Authorities have said the attack was targeted. ‘This is a horrific crime, and these crimes are not going to be tolerated by me and my office,’ Pirro said. Pirro said Rodriguez appeared in court Thursday and was advised by the judge that, if convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison. A preliminary hearing is set for June 18 and Rodriguez will remain in detention.” Today’s Furry Friend Multiple feline friends are saved by this professional tree climber, who asks for nothing in return… Today’s Buzz Law & Order SVU’s Mariska Hargitay reveals identity of biological father in bombshell Vanity Fair interview… Vanity Fair reports, “Three-year-old Mariska Hargitay was asleep in the back seat of a car when it rammed into a truck. The toddler survived, her limp little body lodged underneath the passenger seat. But her mother, Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield, died instantly. “I don’t remember the accident. I don’t even remember being told that my mother had died,” Hargitay tells me nearly 58 years after the crash. She is sitting in her New York City apartment, staring into the black hole where her early memories should be. ‘I look at photos, and I don’t really remember anything until I was five.’” Thank you for allowing us to help make sense of the chaos. Check back in tomorrow evening for the next edition of Common Sense.