Trump’s 19th Week: Legal Battles, Vaccine Rollbacks, and Immigration Escalations
Week 19 brings lawsuits, visa restrictions, controversial pardons, and shifting public health policies.
Trump’s nineteenth week brought new escalations in immigration, public health, presidential pardons, and lawsuits facing the administration. This comes after Trump officials halted interviews for student visas as social media screenings are expanded. A previous report from The Introspective detailed the State Department scanning the social media activity of applicants who visited Palestine’s Gaza Strip since 2007. The Trump administration later announced that visas for international Chinese students would be revoked. Meanwhile, outrage sparked after a New York City high school student was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a scheduled court appearance, despite having no criminal record.
Following previous reports from The Introspective that detailed an executive order cutting funding for PBS and NPR, local radio stations in Colorado and NPR have sued the Trump administration, alleging that the executive action is unconstitutional. At the same time, as Trump’s trade war continues, a federal court blocked the president’s ability to enforce reciprocal tariffs against countries such as Mexico and Canada, stating that they “fail because they do not deal with the threats set forth in those orders.” President Trump later threatened to pull federal funding from California over a transgender athlete competing in women’s sports. A previous Introspective report highlighted an executive order seeking to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports.
In public health, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. removed COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women, raising implications as the decision was made without independent input. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) later canceled a $700 million contract with Moderna over the bird flu vaccine.
President Trump faced further backlash after issuing a pardon for reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who had been convicted of bank and tax fraud. He later said he would “take a look at” pardoning the individuals convicted in the attempted kidnapping plot of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020. Meanwhile, Elon Musk officially began the offboarding process to leave the second Trump administration.
Immigration Update
As anti-immigrant sentiment continues to escalate, the State Department ordered U.S. embassies to halt interviews for student visas as social media screenings are expanded.
“Effective immediately, in preparation for an expansion of required social media screening and vetting, consular sections should not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M, and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued, which we anticipate in the coming days,” read a memo obtained by Politico.
In that same report, members of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, an organization that advocates for international students, reacted to the decision.
“The idea that the embassies have the time, the capacity, and taxpayer dollars are being spent this way is very problematic,” said CEO Fanta Aw.
“International students are not a threat to this country. If anything, they’re an incredible asset to this country.”
In an interview with CBS News, a State Department official defended the decision, stating that every visa appointment is a “national security” decision.
“Prohibiting entry to the United States by those who might pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety is key to protecting U.S. citizens at home,” said the official.
Further backlash occurred Wednesday after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that visas for international Chinese students would be revoked, following a previous Introspective report that detailed the administration banning Harvard University from enrolling international students, before being blocked by a federal judge.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” said Rubio.
More than 1.1 million international students studied in the United States last year, often bringing essential revenue to many universities.
Meanwhile, New York City high school student Dylan Lopez Contreras became the first NYC public school student to be detained by ICE officers after a scheduled routine court hearing, despite not having a criminal record.
“The situation is just heartbreaking … went for a check-in and is now detained. Without due process. They can’t even find him,” said Brooklyn Councilmember Alexa Avilés to NBC News.
“I mean, it is horrifying, what is happening.”
In that same report, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) justified the arrest by stating that Contreras “illegally entered the U.S. more than a year ago. … ICE is now following the law and placing the illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been.”
Legal Battles and Trans Rights
Following a previous Introspective report that highlighted an executive order to cut funding to NPR and PBS, three Colorado radio stations, in addition to NPR, have sued the Trump administration, alleging that the executive order is unconstitutional.
“It is not always obvious when the government has acted with a retaliatory purpose in violation of the First Amendment. ‘But this wolf comes as a wolf,’” the lawsuit reads, referencing a quote from the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
“The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President’s view, their news and other content is not ‘fair, accurate, or unbiased.’”
The lawsuit claims the Trump administration is misusing Congress’ power to determine how and when federal money will be used and to pass laws.
In a statement, NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher called the executive order “a clear violation” of the Constitution and the First Amendment.
“Public media was established to inform the American public and uphold American democratic values,” Maher said.
“The President’s Executive Order is directly counter to Congress’s longstanding intent, as expressed in the Public Broadcasting Act, to foster vibrant institutions that achieve that mission, serving all Americans independent of political influence.”
While not a party to the lawsuit, PBS issued a statement in support.
“PBS is considering every option, including taking legal action, to allow our organization to continue to provide essential programming and services to member stations and all Americans,” the network said.
At the same time, the U.S. Court of International Trade blocked reciprocal tariffs that were imposed in April in an attempt to correct “trade imbalances.” This follows a previous Introspective report covering the president’s issuance of a baseline 10% tariff on all countries trading with the United States.
“The Worldwide and Retaliatory Tariff Orders exceed any authority granted to the President by IEEPA to regulate importation by means of tariffs,” wrote Judges Gary S. Katzmann, Timothy M. Reif, and Jane A. Restani. They also noted that tariffs on countries such as Canada, Mexico, and China related to drug trafficking “fail because they do not deal with the threats set forth in those orders.”
In response to the ruling, White House spokesperson Kush Desai said, “Foreign countries’ nonreciprocal treatment of the United States has fueled America’s historic and persistent trade deficits.
“These deficits have created a national emergency that has decimated American communities, left our workers behind, and weakened our defense industrial base – facts that the court did not dispute,” he added.
“It is not for unelected judges to decide how to properly address a national emergency.”
However, an appeals court has since paused the ruling, allowing Trump’s tariffs to remain in effect while legal proceedings continue.
Meanwhile, following a previous Introspective report detailing an executive order that banned transgender women from participating in women’s sports, Trump has threatened to cut federal funding to California due to a transgender athlete’s success.
“California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social, using transphobic language.
“Please be hereby advised that large-scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to.”
The threat comes as the president has already pulled funding from institutions such as Harvard University for not complying with his policies.
Public Health: COVID Vaccine and Bird Flu
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that COVID-19 vaccines would no longer be recommended for “healthy children and pregnant women.” This follows a previous decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to stop approving COVID vaccines for young adults.
“We're now one step closer to realizing President Trump's promise to Make America Healthy Again,” Kennedy said in a video posted to X.
In an interview with ABC News, Dr. Sean O’Leary, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, said there was no consultation before changing the guidelines.
“My biggest concern is about the process. This really ignores a long-established, evidence-based process that has been used to make vaccine recommendations in the U.S. It ignores the opinions of the medical experts who help make these recommendations, and it also ignores all of the liaison organizations that work with the [CDC's advisory panel] to craft these recommendations,” O’Leary said.
In the same report, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) stated it was “concerned” and “disappointed” by the announcement.
“Following this announcement, we are worried about our patients in the future, who may be less likely to choose vaccination during pregnancy despite the clear and definitive evidence demonstrating its benefit,” ACOG said.
“We are concerned about access implications and what this recommendation will mean for insurance coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine for those who do choose to get vaccinated during pregnancy.”
“And as ob-gyns, we are very concerned about the potential deterioration of vaccine confidence in the future,” the group added.
Meanwhile, as concerns about bird flu continue to grow, the Trump administration canceled a $700 million contract with Moderna for the development of a human bird flu vaccine.
“The cancellation means that the government is discarding what could be one of the most effective and rapid tools to combat an avian influenza outbreak,” said Amesh Adalja, a scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, in a Reuters report.
Moderna had been awarded the contract under the former Biden administration.
Pardons, Political Interventions, and Elon Musk
President Trump gained attention this week for issuing a pardon to former reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were convicted of fraud and tax evasion.
“Your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we’re going to do it by tomorrow,” Trump said to their daughter Savannah in a video posted to X.
“They were given pretty harsh treatment based on what I’m hearing.”
Deputy White House Press Secretary Harrison Fields later confirmed that Trump would pardon the Chrisleys, claiming their sentences were “far too harsh.”
“The president is always pleased to give well-deserving Americans a second chance, especially those who have been unfairly targeted and overly prosecuted by an unjust justice system,” Fields said in a statement obtained by The Washington Post.
Trump later said Wednesday that he is considering pardons for those convicted in the 2020 attempted kidnapping of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“I will look at it — take a look at it,” Trump said.
“It’s been brought to my attention. I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I’ll be honest with you. It looked to me like some people said some stupid things.”
“They were drinking, and I think they said stupid things. But I’ll take a look at that, and a lot of people are asking me that question — from both sides, actually.”
Trump’s comments come as he previously issued pardons for more than 1,000 people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, when armed Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk began the offboarding process to leave the Trump administration. Musk — who was temporarily head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — announced his departure in a post on X.
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote.
“The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”