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The US Justice Department has established a $1.7 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they faced politically motivated investigations during the Biden administration, announcing this arrangement as President Trump agreed to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax returns. The fund, managed by a five-member commission, will allow pardoned Capitol riot participants and others alleging targeting by federal investigators to file claims for compensation, though Trump and his family will receive only an apology without monetary payment. Democrats have strongly condemned the settlement as an improper use of taxpayer funds that essentially creates a slush fund benefiting Trump associates, with over 90 House Democrats filing a motion to block it. The original lawsuit stemmed from a 2020 leak by former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn, who was subsequently convicted and imprisoned for stealing Trump's tax information that revealed he paid minimal or no federal income taxes for many years.

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary is departing after serving just over a year in the position, becoming another senior health official to leave under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership. The British-American surgeon, who previously worked at Johns Hopkins University and gained attention as a Make America Healthy Again advocate, faced mounting criticism from multiple directions during his tenure. His resistance to authorizing flavored vaping products and his agency's approval of a generic abortion pill drew particular scrutiny from the White House and anti-abortion groups respectively. President Trump announced Makary's exit while praising him as "a great doctor," with deputy commissioner Kyle Diamantas taking over on an acting basis until a permanent replacement is selected.

Student activists from across the University System of Maryland organized a "People's Tribunal" protest attended by roughly 100 people to challenge the Board of Regents over investment ties to weapons manufacturers. The coalition accused the 21-member governing board, appointed by Maryland's governor, of financial complicity in violence in Gaza through these investments and of suppressing campus activism on the issue. Before the tribunal event, protesters attended the Board's official meeting where they displayed symbolic red handprints and disrupted proceedings with chants demanding divestment. The demonstration highlighted student concerns about institutional policies they view as restricting free speech, including amplified sound bans and previous attempts to block student group activities that resulted in a lawsuit settlement. # Key Takeaways

President Donald Trump has nominated Rear Admiral Erica Schwartz, who previously served as his deputy surgeon general, to direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after months without permanent leadership. The position became vacant when Susan Monarez was removed in September following disagreements with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding vaccine policy and his controversial advisory panel appointments. Schwartz brings 24 years of experience in the US Public Health Service along with medical and law degrees, though she departed government service after the Biden administration passed her over for a different role. The CDC has undergone significant upheaval under Kennedy's oversight, including widespread staff terminations and organizational changes that critics say have compromised the agency's public health mission. # Key Takeaways

President Donald Trump signed an executive order attempting to end automatic birthright citizenship for children born in the US to parents who are in the country illegally or on temporary visas, a policy he has long advocated. The order challenges the 14th Amendment's citizenship clause, which has been interpreted since 1898 to grant citizenship to nearly all people born on US soil regardless of their parents' immigration status. Multiple federal courts have blocked the order, calling it unconstitutional, though Trump has appealed to the Supreme Court, which is scheduled to hear arguments on the case. Legal experts largely agree that changing birthright citizenship requires a constitutional amendment rather than executive action, but the conservative-majority Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether Trump's order can proceed. If birthright citizenship were eliminated, it could potentially create millions of additional unauthorized immigrants over time and establish a permanent underclass of people born in the US without full citizenship rights.

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the SAVE America Act, which mandates that voter registration applicants submit documentary evidence of citizenship such as passports or birth certificates, along with photo identification at polling places. The measure has sparked controversy, with Republicans arguing it prevents electoral fraud and Democrats contending it will prevent legitimate voters from participating, particularly affecting the estimated 21 million Americans without readily accessible citizenship documentation. The legislation cleared the House along partisan lines but faces significant obstacles in the Senate, where Majority Leader John Thune lacks the necessary 60 votes for passage and at least one Republican senator opposes it. President Trump has championed the bill as essential to election integrity, though his claims of widespread voter fraud remain unsupported by evidence.

Luigi Mangione, accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street in December 2024, will face a New York state trial on June 8, according to a judge's recent ruling. Mangione's defense attorneys strongly objected to this timeline, contending that his federal trial scheduled for September should proceed first to avoid double jeopardy concerns, with Mangione himself shouting his disagreement as officers escorted him from the courtroom. The 26-year-old defendant, who comes from a wealthy Maryland family and attended an Ivy League school, has entered not guilty pleas to both state and federal charges related to Thompson's shooting death outside a midtown hotel. Previously, federal firearms charges carrying potential death penalty consequences were dismissed, though prosecutors at both levels continue pursuing their respective cases against Mangione.

Luigi Mangione, a 27-year-old accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan last December, appeared in court for a pre-trial hearing where his defense team is challenging the legality of evidence obtained during his arrest at a Pennsylvania McDonald's. His attorneys argue that police violated his constitutional rights by searching his backpack without a warrant and questioning him before reading his Miranda rights, seeking to exclude crucial evidence including a 9mm handgun and a notebook allegedly containing his motives. While legal experts say the chances of successfully suppressing this evidence are extremely slim due to exceptions for manhunt situations, the hearing allows the defense to preview prosecution witness testimony and lock in their statements for potential inconsistencies at trial. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to both state and federal murder charges that could carry the death penalty, though terrorism-related state charges were previously dismissed.