The 7 Tracking Trump: Pete Hegseth’s fractured inner circle; NPR sues Trump; RFK’s new coronavirus vaccine recommendations; and more
The 7 follows President Donald Trump’s second term. Today at 5:56 p.m. EDT By Matt Clough
(Katty Huertas / The Washington Post)
There’s an enduring rift in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s inner circleWhat’s going on? At the Pentagon, personality conflicts, inexperience and key vacancies are fueling instability and driving internal speculation about Hegseth’s viability in the job.
Outside appearances: Hegseth has purged several political appointees and tried to portray a sense of unity, even as controversies drive an internal sense of paranoia and isolation.
2
The Senate is taking up Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
It faces headwinds: After narrowly passing the House, the bill can lose only three GOP votes in the Senate. More than three Republicans have expressed concerns — here are 7 reasons.
What’s the timeline? Republicans are rushing to pass the bill by July 4, but the true deadline may be later this summer. Here’s why the bill may pose a risk for Republicans.
3
The health secretary is scaling back coronavirus vaccine recommendations. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has targeted the coronavirus shot in recent years, falsely calling it the “deadliest vaccine ever made.” (Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post)
What’s happening: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his agency will stop recommending the vaccine for pregnant women and healthy children, bypassing the CDC.
Zooming out: Currently the vaccine is recommended for people over 6 months. Already the FDA plans to limit coronavirus vaccines, and the U.S. was left out of a World Health Organization pandemic response treaty.
4
Several judges disagree with the Justice Department on Jan. 6 pardons.
At issue: Whether crimes Jan. 6 defendants allegedly committed unrelated to storming the Capitol are included in Trump’s pardon. Some judges say no, so at least 10 cases will continue.
The Justice Department’s opinion: When Trump pardoned participants in the Capitol riot, he also cleared them of secondary charges.
5
Trump told federal agencies to cancel or redirect contracts with Harvard.
What that includes: About 30 total contracts between the government and the university, worth about $100 million. We took a look at how Trump’s attacks on Harvard have accelerated.
Also: The administration tried to ban international enrollment at Harvard last week, but a judge blocked that effort. More than 1 million foreign students attend U.S. schools.
6
NPR sued the Trump administration over an order targeting its funding.
What NPR claims: Trump’s order violates its First Amendment rights and seeks to punish the news organization for its content. Trump sought to end federal funding to NPR and PBS.
More Trump cuts: More than 32,000 AmeriCorps members were abruptly laid off last month amid DOGE budget cuts, imperiling a swath of industries from health care to nutrition.
7
Vice President JD Vance is headlining a Trump fundraiser in Las Vegas. The exclusive fundraiser is taking place the night before Vance is scheduled to speak at the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas, a massive gathering of cryptocurrency investors. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
What’s it cost? Attending requires a $1 million donation for a Trump PAC. That’s not out of line with what some crypto investors paid to attend a dinner with Trump last week — at least one spent upward of $20 million.
In other news: Trump’s border czar recently earned consulting fees from a detention center company that’s expected to benefit financially from immigration crackdowns.
