U.S. State Department revokes 6,000 student visas
On Monday, Aug. 18, the Trump administration released a report stating it had revoked more than 6,000 student visas for international students, saying they had “broken the law.” The report said the vast majority were revoked due to crimes of assault, DUI charges or burglary.
Nearly 300 revocations were because of alleged acts of terrorism. The administration said it has targeted students who participated in protests in support of Gaza, equating it to antisemitism.
In a press release in June, the State Department told embassies they must check students for “hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles,” as well as “limited access to, or visibility of, online presence could be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity.”
Read more: BBC News
Trump and Zelensky’s meeting with European leaders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with President Trump last Monday, joined by several European leaders, to discuss the potential end of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The war has been ongoing since February 2022. They spoke with Trump regarding Ukraine’s need for peace and aid. Afterward, reports stated that Trump and Putin spoke again and that Trump sounded hopeful.
Read more: ABC News
California and Texas begin redistricting before the 2026 midterm elections
Recently, a few states have considered their congressional maps and have decided to redraw their populations into new districts. Reports stated this is allegedly done in hopes of benefiting their party–a practice known as gerrymandering.
The state of Texas drew a map giving Republicans five safe seats. As a result, this new map cut seats for Democrats. California followed Texas by redrawing its congressional map, netting five Democratic seats.
Some reports speculate that Republicans hope to change their state maps to have a favorable midterm next year.
Read more: NBC Washington
Student loan relief potentially blocked for some public service workers
The Department of Education proposed a new rule that could change how student loans are forgiven. The proposal aims to stop illegal activities. However, this raised questions of who and what the changes would affect.
“The regulatory changes outlined in this rule are designed to preserve the integrity of the PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) program by ensuring that only borrowers employed by organizations engaged in lawful public service remain eligible for forgiveness,” the administration said.
Some are concerned about what criteria are being used to define “lawful public service.”
Read more: Government Executive
The National Guard deployed in Washington with firearms
The Trump administration announced that it would crack down on “crime, homelessness and illegal immigration” in the nation’s capital. National Guard troops now patrol the streets of Washington, D.C. Efforts were amplified when additional armed troops were deployed.
The move followed months of confrontation in Los Angeles as protests escalated there. Trump said he is considering declaring a national emergency in D.C. and sending troops to New York and Chicago.
Read more: Associated Press
