• Obama judge gives Harvard back $2.2 billion in taxpayer funds: The Trump administration thought that federal funds — taxpayer dollars — that were awarded to Harvard via grants could be cut off after the university allowed rampant anti-Semitism in recent years. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, an Obama appointee, has corrected the administration’s silly idea and ruled that the $2.2 billion in grants be restored to the school. Burroughs ruled that the funding cut had little to do with anti-Semitism, which she admits Harvard allowed, and that it endangers decades of research. The Trump administration’s attempt to force change in staffing, hiring practices, and admissions apparently has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. Burroughs evidently forgot it was the staff at Harvard that allowed the anti-Semitism. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision.

• Temporary immigration judges: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is ready to help the Justice Department with its massive backlog of 3.5 million immigration cases, which has grown out of control in recent years. Hegseth has authorized groups of 150 military and civilian lawyers to be sent to the Justice Department to act as temporary immigration judges. The first group of 150 is expected to be identified and tasked as soon as next week. The Department of Defense may send as many as four groups, totaling 600 temporary judges. Firings and resignations have contributed to the dearth of immigration judges, but Hegseth’s action should begin to mitigate the problem and hopefully reduce the backlog to a manageable size.

• Are Virginia Democrats digging their own grave again? Virginia is a “purple state” that could elect a Democrat or a Republican as governor, but GOP victories sometimes rely on Democrats shooting themselves in the foot. Glenn Youngkin triumphed over former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2021 due to the latter doubling down on his statement that “parents [don’t] have the right to tell schools what they should teach.” History may be repeating itself after a supporter of Democrat gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger held up a racist sign in a protest against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. The sign read: “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom then blacks can’t share my water fountain.” Spanberger has denounced the sign, but polling shows her lead diminishing. BET cofounder Robert Johnson donated $500,000 to Winsome’s campaign after the sign circulated on social media. In a narrow race, one sign may end up determining the outcome.

• EPA climate grant cancellations upheld: A three-judge panel of the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the Trump administration on Tuesday, lifting a lower court’s injunction against the EPA’s cancellation of nearly $20 billion in Biden-era grants related to climate change. The appeals court found that U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan lacked the legal authority to issue her injunction, as the case was not within her jurisdiction. The court agreed with the Trump administration’s contention that this case’s “jurisdiction lies exclusively in the Court of Federal Claims.” Judge Neomi Rao also noted, “The equities strongly favor the government, which on behalf of the public must ensure the proper oversight and management of this multi-billion-dollar fund.”

• Senate GOP looks to vote on Trump nominees en bloc: Senate Democrats aren’t giving Republicans any help in advancing President Trump’s nominees. Republicans are considering changing some rules to allow less politically divisive nominees to be voted on “en bloc” in groups of 10. Democrat Amy Klobuchar proposed a similar rule change in the previous Congress that would exclude positions like Supreme Court justices, circuit court judges, and Cabinet secretaries. Republicans say their change would follow the same route, focusing on getting ambassadors and sub-Cabinet nominees through the Senate. Mike Rounds commented that Republicans are seeking to avoid any rule change votes along party lines, but Eric Schmitt was doubtful that Democrats would come to their senses.

• TX lawmakers green-light citizens suing abortion pill providers: Texas may soon become the first state to give citizens the right to sue abortion pill providers after the state Senate passed a GOP-introduced bill on Wednesday. The legislation was designed to combat the problem of entities outside the state circumventing Texas’s abortion restrictions by making abortion pills available via mail delivery. Should Gov. Greg Abbott sign the bill into law, it will permit Texas residents to sue for up to $100,000 those who manufacture, transport, or provide abortion pills to anyone in the state. Those entitled to receive the full payout would be limited to the pregnant woman, the father, or a close relative. Others who sue could only receive a maximum payout of $10,000, with the remainder going to charity. The focus of the bill is to save the lives of preborn children.

• House releases 33,000 Epstein docs: The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday released over 30,000 documents related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which it had received from the Justice Department. Dubbed the “Epstein Files,” the Committee subpoenaed the DOJ for these documents, which it received last month. According to Democrat Rep. Robert Garcia, the “overwhelming majority” of the documents received were already in the public domain. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) are pursuing legislation that would require the disclosure of more Epstein-related material that the DOJ may have. Meanwhile, several women who claim to be victims of Epstein’s sex trafficking have come together to compile a secret list of wealthy men involved in Epstein’s crimes. However, there is a massive catch: they plan to never make the list public in order to protect themselves from lawsuits or other retribution.

• CBS to buy The Free Press: Bari Weiss is the former New York Times opinion page editor who famously left the Leftmedia outlet in 2020 after accusing it of “unlawful discrimination, hostile work environment” and catering its reporting to its leftist readers rather than simply reporting the news. She went on to start her own successful media outlet, The Free Press. On Wednesday, it was learned that Weiss will be selling The Free Press to Paramount, which owns CBS News, for as much as $200 million. Even more interesting is that, as part of the deal, Weiss will assume the role of senior editor at CBS News. Given the quality operation and balanced news reporting Weiss created with The Free Press, this move could prove to be a seismic shift within the legacy media landscape. While Weiss is no conservative, she is a genuine journalist who adheres to the old-school standard that reporting should be about informing readers rather than seeking to influence their views.

Headlines

• Trump asks Supreme Court for urgent ruling on tariff powers (Fox News)

• Trump-backed redistricting push turns Missouri into next political battleground (Fox News)

• American Eagle shares jump 25% after retailer touts success of Sydney Sweeney campaign (Fox Business)

• Texas bans lab-grown meat (Townhall)

• Viral story of Gaza child “gunned down” by Israel officially debunked (Daily Wire)

• Xi, Putin, and the Russian gas deal to resist Trump and the West (Newsweek)

• Newsmax files antitrust lawsuit against Fox News (WSJ)

• Humor: Hunter Biden tells dad he’s going to need a new boat (Babylon Bee)

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