Trump issues stunning new visa ban for foreign officials who censor Americans on social media: Live updates

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday new visa restrictions for travel to the U.S. by foreign nationals who censor or restrict Americans’ freedom of speech.

This includes countries, government and foreign entities and individuals who censor American companies or punish U.S. citizens engaging in protected speech.

Rubio notes the restrictions could apply to family members of violtors as he wrote in a Wednesday statement on the action:

In some instances, foreign officials have taken flagrant censorship actions against U.S. tech companies and U.S. citizens and residents when they have no authority to do so.

It is unacceptable for foreign officials to issue or threaten arrest warrants on U.S. citizens or U.S. residents for social media posts on American platforms while physically present on U.S. soil.

It is similarly unacceptable for foreign officials to demand that American tech platforms adopt global content moderation policies or engage in censorship activity that reaches beyond their authority and into the United States. We will not tolerate encroachments upon American sovereignty, especially when such encroachments undermine the exercise of our fundamental right to free speech.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) urged the Senate to commit to ‘pre-pandemic’ spending levels.

The senator wants his Republican colleagues to pass a version of the President Trump-backed Big Beautiful Bill that would codify into law spending and workforce cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency.

‘We have to take a business approach—DOGE has shown us how—go line by line through the $7,000 billion budget to expose the grotesque waste, fraud, and abuse,’ Johnson wrote on X.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Trump said on Tuesday he would commute the sentences and wipe clean the charges against reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley.

The couple was sentenced in 2022 for submitting false documents in a conspiracy to defraud banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans.

The president took his new pardon attorney Ed Martin’s recommendation to pardon them this week.

The Kremlin has hit back again after President Donald Trump warned Vladimir Putin was ‘playing with fire’ by refusing to engage in ceasefire talks with Ukraine.

Asked about Trump’s comments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was clear the Trump administration is making ‘considerable efforts towards a peaceful settlement’ and that Russia was “grateful for the mediation efforts of President Trump personally.’

But Peskov said there were still ‘a lot of nuances’ that needed to be worked through before a peace deal could be reached.

Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin foreign policy aide, told a state TV reporter that Trump’s ‘playing with fire’ comment suggested that he is not well-briefed on the realities of the war. He claimed:

We come to the conclusion that Trump is not sufficiently informed about what is really happening in the context of the Ukrainian-Russian confrontation. In particular, he is not informed about the increased frequency of massive terrorist attacks carried out by Ukraine against peaceful Russian cities. Trump only knows what retaliatory measures we are taking.

By Katelyn Caralle, Senior U.S. Political Reporter

Donald Trump’s new pardon chief Ed Martin personally reviewed a pardon application for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes.

He is considering wiping clean the record of this controversial figure as he takes on recommending pardons and clemencies to the president.

Rhodes was convicted of seditious conspiracy and was sentenced top 18 years in prison in connection to actions surrounding the January 6, 20212 Capitol riot.

Peter Ticktin, a lawyer and former classmate of Trump’s at the New York Military Academy, delivered 11 pardon applications to Martin last Thursday – including the one for Rhodes.

Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes attends CPAC in National Harbor, Maryland on February 20, 2025

Donald Trump’s former ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk tore into the president for backing a bill that he claims undermines the work that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is doing to reduce federal spending.

Musk’s bromance is on the fritz after leaving the administration.

The tech billionaire said during a press conference ahead of Tuesday night’s SpaceX Starship launch that the $3.8 trillion tax and spending bill ‘undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.’

President Donald Trump issued an eleventh-hour pardon on Monday for former Virginia sheriff Scott Jenkins.

It was the first action Trump issued at the recommendation of his new Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin.

Jenkins was convicted last year of federal bribery charges and was set to report to begin his prison sentence this week.

Trump wrote on social media on Monday:

Sheriff Scott Jenkins, his wife Patricia, and their family have been dragged through HELL. He will NOT be going to jail tomorrow, but instead will have a wonderful and productive life.

President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon reality television stars Todd and Julie Chrisley has sparked backlash from critics who blasted his use of clemency to benefit celebrities and wealthy donors.

The former stars of ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ were convicted in 2022 for orchestrating a $30 million bank fraud and tax evasion scheme and have been serving multi-year prison terms.

Julie was sentenced to serve in Kentucky until 2028, and Todd in Florida until 2032.

But on Tuesday, Trump took his new pardon chief Ed Martin’s reccommendation and personally called their daughter from the Oval Office to inform her of his bombshell decision.