By Jade Walker

Some cast members from the touring production of “Les Misérables” will not appear in the show next month at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center. At least 10 to 12 members of the cast and ensemble have reportedly decided to boycott the performance the night Trump will be in the audience. The move highlights the friction between the arts community and the Trump administration that was sparked in February when 18 Kennedy Center board members were purged from the DC-based performing arts complex, only to be replaced by allies of President Donald Trump. 

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Undocumented immigrants are loaded onto a deportation flight in Arizona in January. Senior Airman Devlin Bishop/AP

Immigration

The judicial branch continued to hammer the Trump administration over its immigration actions, particularly when it comes to due process. On Wednesday, a federal judge concluded that deporting migrants to Libya or Saudi Arabia would violate his previous order, which barred sending migrants to countries other than their own without providing written notice and an opportunity to contest ahead of time. In Minnesota, a federal district court judge ordered the release of an international student who entered the US on a valid F-1 visa and was arrested in March after that visa was revoked. Mohammed Hoque, a Bangladeshi national, argued that he was targeted for his political speech and not for any immigration violations or criminal activity. A federal appeals court also upheld a lower court’s decision to transfer Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national and PhD student at Tufts University, from a Louisiana immigration detention center back to custody in Vermont. In an opinion released Wednesday, the three-judge panel said the US had failed to prove it could suffer harm over the transfer.

Medicaid

The House Republican conference is reportedly fractured and the battle lines are becoming more pronounced. One of the biggest sticking points: Medicaid and the related Children’s Health Insurance Program, which nearly 80 million children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, parents and adults without dependents rely on for critical care. Speaker Mike Johnson wants to quickly pass President Trump’s “big beautiful bill” of tax and spending cuts — preferably before Memorial Day — but members of his party can’t seem to reach a consensus on how much to cut. GOP hardliners want to slash Medicaid spending, while more moderate Republicans refuse to back any changes that could hurt Americans who rely on the program. “I don’t want to be mean,” Rep. Andrew Garbarino, a Republican from a New York swing district, told CNN. “And I think any time it looks like we’re actually hurting people, that’s gonna piss off the American population. And if you piss them off, they’re probably not going to vote for you.”

Auto tariffs

President Trump’s global trade war is starting to take a toll on automakers. Since April 3, imported vehicles have faced a tariff of up to 25%. In response, Ford announced on Wednesday that it was hiking the sticker prices for the three US models it imports from Mexico — the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Maverick and the Bronco Sport — by up to $2,000 each. This increase comes just days after executives said that they didn’t expect a significant increase in car prices this year. And earlier today, Toyota forecast a 21% profit decline for the current financial year due to Trump’s tariffs and the negative impact of a stronger yen. As the world’s top-selling automaker, Toyota will have to deal with both the impact of tariffs on its US-bound vehicles and the potential for a downturn in consumer sentiment when car prices rise.

Surgeon general

The White House announced yesterday that it had pulled its nomination for Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be the surgeon general. The news came one day before Nesheiwat’s Senate confirmation hearing was supposed to begin. Nesheiwat — a family physician, former Fox News medical contributor and the sister-in-law of UN ambassador nominee Mike Waltz — has been replaced by Dr. Casey Means. Although Means graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine, she dropped out during her residency. An author, wellness influencer and the sister of White House health adviser Calley Means, Casey Means is now a holistic medicine doctor whose medical license has been inactive since 2024. 

Tyre Nichols

It took the jury just 8 1/2 hours to find three former Memphis officers not guilty of all state charges in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols. In 2023, Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, fled a traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers, who are also Black, caught up with him and punched, kicked and hit him with a police baton while trying to handcuff him. Afterward, video showed the officers talking and laughing as Nichols struggled with his injuries. He died three days later. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Nichols’ family, expressed his outrage at the outcome of the trial. “Today’s verdicts are a devastating miscarriage of justice,” Crump stated. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith still face the prospect of years in prison for the federal charges they were convicted of last year. Two other former officers previously pleaded guilty in both state and federal court.

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Accused Aniston gate-crasher charged
The man who allegedly drove a car through the front gate of a Bel Air mansion that reportedly belongs to Emmy-winning actress Jennifer Aniston has been charged with stalking and vandalism. He is accused of “repeatedly harassing the victim” by “sending her unwanted social media, voicemail and email messages."

3 Doors Down singer reveals cancer diagnosis
Brad Arnold took to Instagram on Wednesday to share the news that doctors have diagnosed him with a form of kidney cancer. Due to his health, the band has canceled its upcoming tour.

Globes expand award categories
The Golden Globes are adding a new category for 2026: best podcast of the year. Only the “top 25 podcasts” will qualify for the award. “As the world of entertainment continues to evolve, we are excited to recognize new forms of storytelling,” Golden Globes president Helen Hoehne said.

Regal portrait unveiled in London
In a tradition dating back more than 400 years, the official coronation portrait of Britain’s King Charles was made public this week. Created by English figurative painter Peter Kuhfeld, the king’s portrait will join one of his wife, Queen Camilla, at the National Gallery for one month. It will then be moved to Buckingham Palace.

Like father, like son
The eldest son of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has earned his first call-up for the Portugal Under-15 national squad. The 14-year-old Ronaldo Jr. has also taken to mimicking his dad’s famous “Siu” goal celebration, a practice that has gone viral on social media.

1,002

That’s how many measles cases have been reported in the US this year. The vast majority of these cases – more than 800 – are associated with an outbreak centered in West Texas that has expanded to New Mexico, Oklahoma and possibly Kansas.

“I’ve never asked for a meeting with any president and I never will. I wouldn’t do that. There’s never a reason for me to ask for a meeting. It’s always been the other way.”

— Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, during a post-meeting press conference Wednesday, after the central bank announced its decision to hold interest rates steady. President Trump has repeatedly berated and threatened to fire Powell if he doesn’t lower rates.

A pat on the back for everyone
Police in Tampa, Florida, saved the life of a toddler who was choking on a tomato.

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