Harvard is at the center of the Trump administration's higher education pressure campaign — and has emerged as the example of what happens when a university pushes back against the government's demands.

The big picture: By freezing billions in federal funds, derailing international students' futures and levying allegations of antisemitism and discrimination, the administration has squeezed the institution on various fronts as the school becomes the litmus test of how far President Trump will go.

The latest: Harvard on Friday sued the Trump administration (again) over what the school alleges is "clear retaliation" against exercising its First Amendment rights after the administration nixed the Ivy League institution's ability to host international students.

• A federal judge on Friday swiftly blocked the administration's decision.
• Harvard University President Alan Garber said in a statement that the move was yet another step "against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government's illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body."

Yes, but: As the administration batters the university with investigations and grant terminations, its shields and refusal to capitulate persist.

• But there has still been damage, with researchers trimming expenses as federal grants are reduced or cut entirely.
• And as Axios' Dan Primack notes, Harvard's loss may be the U.S. economy's as well: Targeting international students, a population that has played a critical role in founding and co-founding startups, could mean setting back the country's innovation engine.

Read below for the ways the Trump administration has targeted Harvard:

Administration lists its demands

In an April 11 letter signed by administration officials, Harvard was presented a series of demands to "maintain" its "financial relationship with the federal government."

• The list outlined Trump's vision for the university's institutional priorities. The administration has used federal funding as leverage to ensure that those aims are implemented.

Funds frozen

In a strongly worded letter to Garber, Education Secretary Linda McMahon on May 5 announced the end of new grant funding to the university.

• On top of that, some $2.7 billion in federal funding to Harvard has been halted, per CNN's estimate.
• That includes the freezing of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts announced in April and some $450 million in terminations announced in May.
• The Department of Health and Human Services also said in mid-May it was terminating several multi-year grant awards totaling nearly $60 million to Harvard, citing antisemitism.

As Axios' Steph Solis puts it, the blows have the university bracing for death by a thousand grant cuts.

Investigations launched

The administration's antisemitism task force, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Education Department, among various other agencies, have probed Harvard in recent months.

Catch up quick: In March, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights alerted 60 higher education institutions, including Harvard, that they could face enforcement action if they didn't protect Jewish students.

• The Education Department and HHS are also investigating allegations that the Harvard Law Review made article selection decisions based on race.
• DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, threatening last month to withdraw Harvard's certification to host international students, requested records about student visa holders, alleging the university had created a "hostile learning environment" for Jewish students.
• The Justice Department in May announced it would use the False Claims Act to investigate recipients of federal funds that violate civil rights laws. Per the New York Times, the DOJ is using that avenue to probe Harvard's admissions process.

Threats to Harvard's tax-exempt status

The administration also reportedly asked the Internal Revenue Service to rescind Harvard's tax-exempt status, which Trump said is "totally contingent on acting in the public interest."

• The legally dubious threat could cost the university hundreds of millions a year.
• Garber said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal in May that if the government went through with the plan, it would be "highly illegal." He added it would be "destructive" to Harvard and send a "very dire" message to the educational community.

Go deeper: Trump's funding ax throws colleges into an existential crisis

In a shocking moment during President Trump's meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday, Trump requested that videos be displayed purporting to show evidence of violence against white people in the country.

The big picture: Trump, who cut all foreign assistance to South Africa, has embraced the false accusations of genocide against white South Africans as justification for granting them refugee status in the U.S.

• A South African court in February dismissed claims of a "white genocide" as not real.

Driving the news: In a stunning scene reminiscent of the Oval Office showdown with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump asked for the lights to be dimmed before playing the videos.

• While Trump watched the video, Ramaphosa looked away, appearing uncomfortable.
• At one point, speaking over the video, Trump said the screen was displaying "burial sites." Ramaphosa inquired where the scene was located, adding, "This I've never seen."
• Later on, Trump paged through articles from the "last few days" while repeating, "death, death, death."

Catch up quick: In the question that preceded the video display, a reporter asked Trump what it would take for him to be convinced there was no genocide in South Africa — an inquiry Ramaphosa answered.

• "It will take President Trump listening to the voices of South Africans," Ramaphosa said.
• Trump jumped in, saying there were "thousands of stories" and "documentaries."
• "It has to be responded to," he said before the footage began.

Context: The video played in the Oval Office featured the voice of Julius Malema, a firebrand politician and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, who was ejected from Parliament.

• Ramaphosa clarified that the utterances in the footage were not "government policy," saying, "We have a multiparty democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves."
• South Africa's Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen — who is white — reiterated Ramaphosa's point, emphasizing that the two people in the video are opposition leaders. He said his party, the Democratic Alliance, chose to join forces with Ramaphosa's "to keep those people out of power."

Trump interjected, "You do allow them to take land ... and then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer, and when they kill the white farmer, nothing happens to them."

• South Africa recently passed the Expropriation Act, which allows the government to take some land and redistribute it as part of a long-running effort to lessen the racial and economic disparities created by apartheid.
• White people make up 7.3% of South Africa's population and own 72% of the farmland.

Ramaphosa acknowledged there is "criminality" in the country — but said the majority of people killed have been Black people.

• Trump claimed the "farmers are not Black" and said, without evidence, that people were being killed "in large numbers" and were decapitated. He repeatedly lashed out at reporters, saying, "The fake news in this country doesn't talk about that."

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Elon Musk will attend Wednesday's meeting between President Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, according to South Africa's presidency.

The big picture: Musk, who has led an upheaval of the federal government under Trump, was born in South Africa and has been an open critic of its government.

Context: Trump slashed foreign assistance to South Africa and has echoed false allegations that white South Africans, whom he has granted refugee status in the U.S., are being subjected to genocide.

• The president's comments mirror statements made by Musk, who has promoted the claim that the country is conducting a genocide against white people.
• A South African court in February dismissed claims of a "white genocide" as not real.

Zoom out: Social media users noticed last week that the AI chatbot integrated into X, Grok, began to respond to unrelated queries with misleading claims about violence against white people in South Africa.

• xAI blamed "an unauthorized modification" for the chatbot's off-topic responses.

Catch up quick: The Trump administration welcomed Afrikaners, the country's white ethnic minority that dominated politics during apartheid, while denying protections for other groups, like Afghan refugees.

• The State Department, confirming the first group of Afrikaners had arrived to the U.S., said that their admission addresses Trump's "call to prioritize U.S. refugee resettlement of this vulnerable group facing unjust racial discrimination in South Africa."
• South Africa's Expropriation Act, signed into law earlier this year, allows the government to take and redistribute some land as part of a push to lessen disparities created by apartheid.
• Despite representing a minority of the population, white people still own a vast majority of farmland in South Africa.

Zoom in: Ramaphosa's office said in a press release that the leaders would discuss "bilateral, regional and global issues of interest" and that the visit offers a platform to "reset the strategic relationship between the two countries."

• But the high tensions between the two nations have stirred concern that the closely watched meeting could turn contentious, prompting flashbacks to the Oval Office showdown with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.

What we're watching: The U.S. delegation, according to the South African office, also will include Vice President Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, among others.

• On South Africa's side, public officials will be joined by two professional golfers and businessman Johann Rupert.

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Vice President JD Vance characterized Chief Justice John Roberts' recent statement that the judiciary can "check the excesses" of the executive as a "profoundly wrong sentiment" in a New York Times interview published Wednesday.

Why it matters: His comments add to the heaps of criticism the administration has levied against the judiciary as district court judges have issued injunctions and orders to halt some of the president's sweeping federal actions.

• Roberts, in a rare statement in March, rebuked GOP calls to impeach a federal judge who ordered deportation flights carrying alleged Venezuelan gang members to turn around.
• And earlier this month, he defended the courts' independence before a New York audience, saying the job of the judiciary is to "obviously decide cases but in the course of that to check the excesses of Congress or the executive."

Driving the news: "I saw an interview with Chief Justice Roberts recently where he said the role of the court is to check the excesses of the executive," Vance said on the NYT's "Interesting Times" podcast. "I thought that was a profoundly wrong sentiment."

• To Vance, checking the power of the executive is "one-half of" Roberts' job.
• "The other half of his job is to check the excesses of his own branch," the vice president said.
• "You cannot have a country where the American people keep on electing immigration enforcement and the courts tell the American people they're not allowed to have what they voted for," he continued.

What he's saying: Vance said the courts were making an effort to "quite literally overturn the will of the American people."

• However, he noted, "it's not most courts," before offering his critique of Roberts' comments.

Context: Federal courts have blocked Trump's orders at a particularly high rate.

• And since the beginning of the Obama administration, Axios' Sam Baker reports, there has been a rise in judges ordering nationwide injunctions.
• But blatantly defying orders — even if they go against what a president says his supporters voted for — would undermine the nation's system of checks and balances. Critics say that's already happening in some cases.

Catch up quick: Vance has previously advocated for the power of the executive branch if legal hurdles from the judiciary stand in the way of exercising presidential authority.

• In February, he wrote that "[j]udges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power."

The bottom line: It is the role of the Supreme Court to interpret the law — and, when necessary, declare it unconstitutional if it poses a violation.

• Judicial review, established in the case of Marbury v. Madison in 1803, allows the court to determine a legislative or executive act in violation of the Constitution.

What's next: Vance told the Times' Ross Douthat that the administration would "keep working it through the immigration court process, through the Supreme Court as much as possible."

• The high court last week heard oral arguments on whether to let Trump proceed with a plan to redefine birthright citizenship — a case that could also have implications for lower courts' abilities to freeze federal policy.
• The Supreme Court's decision is expected by late June.

Go deeper: Supreme Court weighs judges' power over Trump

MAGA ally Elon Musk said on Tuesday that he plans to spend "a lot less" on political donations moving forward after funneling millions into Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

The big picture: The comment from the richest man in the world could come as a disappointment for Republicans in 2026.

• Musk spent more than $250 million in a push to return Trump to the White House.

Driving the news: When asked at the Qatar Economic Forum if he would continue spending at such high levels in future elections, he said he thinks that "in terms of political spending, I'm going to do a lot less in the future."

• Pressed on why, Musk replied, "I think I've done enough."

Yes, but: The Tesla CEO, who appeared virtually for the conversation, said if he sees "a reason" to spend, he will. However, he added, "I do not currently see a reason."

Zoom out: Musk endorsed Trump last year after the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt and later became a key — yet highly controversial — GOP megadonor.

• Musk's lottery offering $1 million prizes to registered voters in swing states was scrutinized as legally questionable during the 2024 race, and the eyebrow-raising giveaways made a comeback during the closely watched Wisconsin Supreme Court race earlier this year.
• Musk poured millions into the election, only to see the conservative-backed candidate defeated in the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history.

Catch up quick: Musk has led a DOGE-driven crusade against so-called government "waste," directing a massive upheaval of the federal government during Trump's second term that's seen thousands of workers ousted from their jobs and carved out massive spending cuts.

• The chaos has left him with a wounded reputation and prompted brand blowback, Axios' Zachary Basu reports.
• That's triggered protests and, in some cases, vandalism involving Tesla cars and showrooms. Musk on Tuesday said, "[w]e are coming for those who organized the violence & death threats against Tesla."

Go deeper: Tesla, SpaceX reputations crater in new Axios Harris Poll 100

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional context throughout.

National Institutes of Health budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration and staff layoffs at the largest funder of cancer research threaten to stall innovation, doctors and researchers said.

The big picture: Cancer remains the second-leading cause of death in the U.S. As former President Biden said Monday after announcing he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the disease "touches us all."

• For many common cancers, rates continue to rise, especially for women. And recent studies have found diagnoses for several cancers have increased among people under the age of 50, including colorectal cancer.

Yes, but: Now, potentially life-saving research faces an uncertain future, researchers say.

Zoom out: For researchers already hit hard by DOGE-driven cuts and NIH grant cancellations, the president's 2026 budget proposal with nearly $18 billion in proposed cuts posed another blow.

• The American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network said in a May 2024 fact sheet that "[i]ncreased and sustained investment" at the NIH and its National Cancer Institute has been key to reducing the nation's cancer mortality rate, which the NCI says continues to decline.
• A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson told Axios it "remains committed to advancing cancer research and other serious health conditions."

What they're saying: However, "[t]hese are the most difficult times that we have ever experienced," Steven Rosenberg from the National Cancer Institute told PBS when asked about layoffs and budget cuts.

What is the NIH, and how does it contribute to cancer research?

The NIH describes itself as the nation's medical research agency and as the largest public funder of biomedical and behavioral research in the world.

• It falls under the Department of Health and Human Services and is made up of 27 institutes and centers, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Flashback: The NCI was established through the National Cancer Act of 1937, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

• Since President Nixon's declaration of a "war on cancer" in the early 1970s, research enjoyed increasing shares of federal biomedical research funding with strong bipartisan support.
• The Trump administration has upended the once-bipartisan consensus on funding cancer research.

Zoom in: The NCI is the government's principal agency for cancer research and training with a team of around 3,500, according to its website.

• The NCI received a total of $7.22 billion in fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

What has happened to the NIH under the Trump administration?

The potential impacts of NIH cuts are in flux and far-reaching.

• In February, the NIH said it would make dramatic cuts to the rate it pays for institutions' administration and overhead costs, saying it would cap the indirect cost rate on new and current grants at 15% of the total cost.
• That announcement sent shockwaves through the academic research world, with some institutions receiving reimbursements of more than 50%.

Friction point: Nearly two dozen states sued in response to the administration's overhead cost cap, alleging the billions of dollars in cuts could lead to layoffs, disrupt medical trials and close labs.

• A federal judge granted a temporary freeze then later made it permanent — teeing up the administration's appeal.

Beyond that, the NIH has cut funding for research and institutions that it says do not support the agency's mission, Axios' Carrie Shepherd reported, which includes some diversity, equity and inclusion studies.

• Some of the terminations follow the president's anti-DEI executive orders, while other grants addressed topics like vaccination and LGBTQ+ health, KFF Health News reported in April.

A Senate committee report released last week by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) documenting what he called "Trump's war on science" found the NIH has committed $2.7 billion less to researchers through March, compared to the same timeframe last year.

• The Democratic staff's analysis also reported a 31% decline in cancer research grant funding in the first three months of 2025, compared to the same timeframe in the previous year.
• "[T]he Trump administration's funding freeze did not just affect new research," the report read. "Renewals of existing grants also plummeted, disrupting studies that had already gone through peer review, some of which had already started to produce results."

Yes, but: The Department of Health and Human Services, which is overseen by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., slammed the report as a "politically motivated distortion," and called Sanders' characterization of a "war on science" "unequivocally false."

What are doctors and researchers saying about the state of cancer research?

Jalal Baig, an oncologist and writer, said in a recent MSNBC op-ed that because "no two cancer centers" are alike in their "indirect" costs, "a uniform, fixed cap would disrupt or halt operations for many."

• While that plan is blocked by a judge's injunction, he said job cuts have had "palpable effects," pointing to reports of treatment delays for patients using an experimental therapy fighting gastrointestinal cancers.

Kimryn Rathmell, the former director of the National Cancer Institute, told the Associated Press that "discoveries are going to be delayed, if they ever happen."

The bottom line: "Countless Americans depend on the continued progress of cancer research to save lives and improve cancer care," Baig wrote. "And without it, many potential insights and treatments needed to propel oncology forward will never be realized."

Go deeper: Trump budget targets NIH, CDC for cuts

Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Former President Joe Biden thanked his followers for their support in a Monday social media post after his office confirmed Sunday he has been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer.

The big picture: The news of Biden's cancer diagnosis was met with a bipartisan outpouring of support as his personal office said he and his family are "reviewing treatment options with his physicians."

• According to his office, the cancer is "characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5)," citing a grading system used for prostate cancer, "with metastasis to the bone."

Driving the news: Sharing a selfie with former first lady Jill Biden and their cat, Willow, the former president wrote, "Cancer touches us all."

• He continued, "Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support."

Zoom out: Biden was diagnosed on Friday after doctors discovered a "prostate nodule."

• In 2023, Biden had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was found to be cancerous, but it did not require further treatment.

Go deeper: What to know about Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot

Former President Biden was diagnosed on Friday with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his personal office.

The big picture: He was evaluated earlier this month after doctors found a "small nodule" in his prostate during a routine physical exam.

Driving the news: "Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms," according to the statement.

• "On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone," the statement read.
• Some types of cancer, like prostate and breast cancer, are particularly likely to spread to the bones, according to Mayo Clinic. Bone metastasis can cause pain and broken bones.

The cancer appears to be "hormone-sensitive," the statement read, "which allows for effective management."

• Biden and his family "are reviewing treatment options with his physicians," the statement continued.

Context: Gleason scores are a grading system used for prostate cancer, according to Cleveland Clinic.

• They range from six, which is considered low-grade cancer, to 10, which is high-grade.
• Prostate cancer is more likely to develop in older men, according to the American Cancer Society, and is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer.

Flashback: In 2023, Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest, but it did not require further treatment.

More from Axios:

• Trump, lawmakers wish Biden well after cancer diagnoses
• Key facts about prostate cancer following Biden's diagnosis

Pope Leo XIV presided over his inaugural Mass on Sunday before a crowd of some 200,000 people.

The big picture: Leo — with world leaders, religious delegations and faithful alike watching — evoked some messages reminiscent of his predecessor Pope Francis and called for love and unity.

• In the crowd were Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The papacy of Leo, who has defended migrant rights, comes amid the backdrop of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, which has been condemned by some religious leaders.
• Leo, the first U.S.-born pontiff who spent much of his career in Peru, is seen as uniquely positioned to ease divisions between white and Latino Catholics in the U.S., Axios' Russell Contreras reports.

The intrigue: After the Mass, Leo — who has called for a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine — met privately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

As he closed his homily, he emphasized, "brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love," according to the New York Times.

• He also called for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar.

Go deeper: Why the conclave elected Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV

Some Democrats on Sunday expressed a collective responsibility for the party's 2024 election loss amid concerns about former President Biden's mental fitness.

The big picture: Audio obtained by Axios from Biden's October 2023 interviews with special counsel Robert Hur, coupled with new reports that suggested lapses in the former president's memory, have become fodder as Democrats chart their course forward.

• Hur asserted last year that a jury would likely perceive Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," a characterization the then-president's legal counsel described as using "highly prejudicial language."
• Today, many Democrats agree Biden should not have pursued a second term.

Driving the news: "I think we all bear responsibility," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on NBC News' "Meet the Press" Sunday.

• He added, "In retrospect, you can't defend what the Democratic Party did because we are stuck with a madman, with a corrupt president in the Oval Office, and we should have given ourselves a better chance to win."
• Murphy reflected on his time working with the president throughout 2022 on bipartisan gun reform legislation and in 2023 on Middle East developments. At the time, he said, he saw "a president who was in control."
• But by 2024, Murphy said, the "American public had made up their mind ... that they wanted the Democratic Party to nominate somebody new, and it was absolutely a mistake for the party to not listen to those voters."

Zoom out: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) struck a similar tone in a Sunday interview on ABC News' "This Week," saying, "The Democratic Party needs to be honest."

• Khanna continued, "In light of what has come out, it is painfully obvious President Biden should not have run." He said his party "played too much deference to party leaders, to the old guard, to the advisers" and needed to be "more independent."
• But the California Democrat also emphasized that Biden has led a "remarkable life" and still has "a lot to be proud of in his record," citing the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act and the nation's COVID-19 recovery.
• However, he added, "That doesn't mean, though, that he made the right decision to seek a second term."

Yes, but: Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who was seen as a critical Biden ally during the 2020 campaign, said on CNN's "State of the Union" that he "never saw anything" that made him think "that Joe Biden was not able to do the job."

• He did say that Biden's panic-inducing performance in last year's debate against Trump made him concerned, but he also pointed to Biden's "taxing" schedule and preparation ahead of the showdown.

Flashback: Biden dropped out of the 2024 race in July, handing the baton to then-Vice President Kamala Harris for a sprint to November. That decision, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said Sunday, was "very difficult."

• "It's hard to convince somebody to give up their car keys," Kaine said on "Fox News Sunday." "Joe Biden made the decision to give up the office of the presidency, the most powerful office in the world."
• But he contended his constituents are asking him about "economic chaos," President Trump's tariffs and protecting Medicaid — not to "rethink" what Biden did in 2024.

The bottom line: As Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said on CBS News' "Face the Nation," "hindsight is 20/20."

Go deeper: Scoop: Democrats' oldest lawmakers are mostly running again

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said in a Sunday interview that the pending transfer of a Qatari luxury jet "detracts from" what he saw as President Trump's "largely successful" Middle East trip and "gives the appearance of a conflict of interest."

Why it matters: Paul, who has already cautioned against the possible gift to Trump, is one of a group of Republicans who have raised legal, ethical and national security concerns over the prospect of the administration accepting a jet worth roughly $400 million to potentially serve as Air Force One.

• Trump has contended it would be "stupid" not to accept the jet. He characterized the situation as the Department of Defense "getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE."
• White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has emphasized that gifts from foreign governments are "always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws."

Driving the news: Paul said on ABC's "This Week" that there is "probably a perfectly legal way" the plane could be accepted, but added that he thinks the discussion has "raised more questions than I think it's worth."

• Paul, who said he has in the past pushed to block arms sales to Qatar and Saudi Arabia over alleged human rights abuses, contended, "Could it color the perception of the administration if they have a $400 million plane to be more in favor of these things? Perhaps."
• Paul continued, "It at least gives the appearance of a conflict of interest. I don't think it's worth the headache."

Yes, but: White House envoy Steve Witkoff said on "This Week" the transaction is "perfectly legal," pointing to White House and DOJ assessments.

• "It is a perfectly legal government-to-government, Department of Defense to Department of Defense transaction," he said.
• "They decided to donate something because of all the wonderful things that we've done for them in the past."

Context: Beyond constitutional questions, scholars told Axios, the gift poses possible ethical dilemmas.

• The Trump family company's business interests in the region — including the development of a Trump-named golf club in Qatar — were scrutinized while the president toured the Gulf last week.

The bottom line: The jet, if accepted, would smash presidential gift records.

Go deeper: Scoop: Dem seeks probe into reports Qatar plans to gift plane to Trump

A Mexican Navy ship struck New York's Brooklyn Bridge Saturday, killing a sailor and a naval cadet and injuring others.

The big picture: Two people died following the crash, NTSB member Michael Graham said during a news conference on Monday, citing local authorities.

• Nineteen were injured, two of whom were in critical condition as of Sunday, NYC Mayor Eric Adams previously said.
• The ship had a crew of 277.

The latest: Inspections to the Brooklyn Bridge were ongoing, but there were no signs of structural damage as of Monday afternoon, per the NYC Department of Transportation.

• The ship's speed suddenly increased before the crash, Brian Young, National Transportation Safety Board investigator, said during a news conference on Monday. The ship was meant to sail south down the East River but went backward toward the bridge.
• A radio call requested assistance from tugboats in the Brooklyn Bridge area. Two requests followed before the masts hit the bridge.
• An engine failure may have caused the strike, Young said, but the investigation is still ongoing.

What's next: The NTSB will interview the tugboat pilot, the harbor pilot, the captain of the ship and other crew members, Graham said.

Zoom in: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters Sunday that a cadet and a sailor died following the accident.

• Rocío Nahle, the governor of Veracruz, identified one of the victims as cadet América Yamilet Sánchez in a social media post.

Driving the news: The Cuauhtémoc was on a goodwill tour heading to Iceland, according to officials.

• The iconic bridge sustained no damage when the ship lost power and slammed into it, Adams said.

What they're saying: NYPD Special Operations Chief Wilson Aramboles said the ship had recently departed a Manhattan pier and was supposed to be heading out to sea when it drifted toward the bridge.

• The New York City Fire Department was alerted that the crash had occurred around 8:20pm ET Saturday, the department said in a statement.

The masts, where a "couple of sailors" were positioned, struck the bridge, Wilson said at a press briefing. Those sailors were injured.

• The Mexican Navy said in a statement shared on X that the crash will prevent the training ship's cruise for the time being.
• The steel-hulled three-masted barque is nearly 300 feet long with almost 160-foot-tall masts.

No one on the bridge was reported injured, according to the Associated Press.

Catch up quick: Eyewitness video shared by ABC News showed the moment the ship, apparently moving backward, struck the bridge and continued to float down the East River.

• Video of the moment captured traffic on the bridge as the masts snapped against it.

Go deeper: Misinformation runs rampant after Baltimore bridge collapse

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional information.

The Pentagon's forced ouster of transgender service members could impact thousands of people and devastate careers, military members and veterans say.

The big picture: While the Trump administration claims its restrictive policies will promote military "readiness," trans soldiers and veterans say the administration's ban is driven by animus rather than evidence — and will mark a substantial loss to the armed services.

Catch up quick: The Pentagon announced earlier this month it would begin removing some 1,000 openly transgender service members and give other active-duty service members 30 days and reservists 60 days to leave or be forced out.

• While there is no exact count of the number of transgender people serving, officials have said 4,240 service members have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria.
• The policy comes amid years of whiplash. But for nearly two decades, "don't ask, don't tell," which banned gay, lesbian and bisexual people from serving openly, was the military's policy.

What they're saying: Alaina Kupec, a former Naval intelligence officer, told Axios she thinks "this is a path toward don't ask, don't tell again — and it starts with the transgender community."

• "If we use the logic of the president and the secretary of defense, they can make a decision on who is best to serve based on what they think, not what's based on fact," she said.

Zoom out: Commander Emily Shilling, a naval aviator and the president of SPARTA Pride, came out as transgender in 2019, when she knew telling the Navy would mean leaving the service.

• That was until former President Biden's 2020 win offered hope. He reversed the ban from President Trump's first term and again accepted transgender people into the military.
• Shilling went through "every physical test ... every psychological test" to regain her flight clearance post-transition — setting precedent that it was possible.
• "I view myself as living proof that we are high performers capable of doing some of the toughest jobs in the military," Shilling said.

Yes, but: After about two decades of service, Shilling is doing her out-processing to depart the U.S. military.

• Shilling said she's being kicked out, despite her most recent evaluation describing her as an "inspiring leader" with "boundless energy."

Context: Shilling is the lead plaintiff in a challenge to the Pentagon's ban. While lower court judges blocked the policy, the Supreme Court cleared the road for the administration to enforce it as litigation continues.

• A Defense Department official told Axios that waivers will be considered "provided there is a compelling government interest in retaining the Service member that directly supports warfighting capabilities."

But, but, but: The criteria laid out by the DoD say the service member must demonstrate "36 consecutive months of stability" in their sex "without clinically significant distress" and that they "never attempted to transition to any sex other than their sex" to be exempt.

• "How is a trans person who's affected by this policy supposed to ever apply for a waiver?" Shilling asked.
• GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement provided to Axios that allowing the ban to take place is "out of step with the views of the American people, compromises military readiness, and will make America less safe."

Some three decades ago, Kupec faced a conundrum as she grappled with her gender identity. While she started to find clarity, the feeling was also crippling — and it meant departing from the service.

• Kupec said she "came to that breaking point where it was either choose to move forward and live or a darker alternative." She left the Navy and began her public transition several years later.

The bottom line: Trump's claim that being transgender is "not consistent with the humility and selflessness required of a service member" is "complete gaslighting," Kupec said.

• "When we go into conflict, when bullets fly, when missiles are in the air, you want somebody who's there to do the job and to execute the mission — and that's what is first and foremost," she said.

Go deeper: All of the anti-trans executive orders Trump has signed

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during Wednesday testimony before a House panel that he would "probably" vaccinate his child for measles, if he had one today.

The big picture: As measles cases continue to spread throughout the U.S., critics have highlighted Kennedy's history of vaccine skepticism.

• While Kennedy has recently advocated for the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, he has in the past elevated vaccine misinformation.

Driving the news: Asked by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) during Wednesday's budget hearing if he'd vaccinate his kids today for measles, Kennedy paused before saying, "probably, for measles."

• Kennedy contended his opinions on vaccines "are irrelevant." He continued, "I don't think people should be taking ... medical advice from me."
• Pressed by Pocan, Kennedy said he thought if he answered the question "directly" that it would "seem like I'm giving advice to other people, and I don't want to be doing that."
• Pocan replied, "That's kind of your jurisdiction because CDC does give advice." To that, Kennedy said his team would "lay out the pros and cons."

Zoom out: Asked if he'd vaccinate his children for chickenpox, Kennedy said he did not want to "give advice" but added that "In Europe, they don't use the chickenpox vaccine."

• On polio, he again replied, "I don't want to be giving advice."

State of play: In a separate hearing before a Senate panel Wednesday, Kennedy clashed with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on whether he recommended people get the measles vaccine.

• Kennedy said, "I am not going to just tell people everything is safe and effective if I know that there's issues."

Go deeper: RFK Jr.'s latest vaccine plan threatens future of shots, experts say

Editor's note: This story has been updated with details from a separate hearing.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was pressed on mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services, billions in cuts to the agencies he oversees and the ongoing measles outbreak during testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

Why it matters: Kennedy's appearances before a House panel and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee marks his first time testifying before Congress since he was sworn in earlier this year.

• The administration has made massive changes to the health bureaucracy on his watch, including cutting thousands of jobs and consolidating operations.
• Critics and public health experts have warned the changes and funding cuts put the department's core functions at risk.

Driving the news: Kennedy, in his opening remarks of Wednesday's House budget hearing, said the solution to health crises in the U.S. is not "throwing more money at it."

• He said the administration's budget request outlines several priorities for his department, including consolidating programs to address mental health, addressing nutrition and "healthy lifestyles," eliminating DEI funding and ending research "based on radical gender ideology."
• In one breakout moment, Kennedy dodged questions from Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) over whether he would vaccinate his children today. He said he would "probably" vaccinate them for measles but said his opinions on vaccines "are irrelevant."
• Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said she was "horrified" that Kennedy would not encourage families to vaccinate their children against measles, chickenpox or polio.

Context: Kennedy for years has pushed the debunked link between childhood vaccines and autism, going so far as to reject the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's own findings.

• "Vaccine safety experts, including experts at CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), agree that MMR vaccine is not responsible for recent increases in the number of children with autism," CDC says on its informational website about the measles shot.

State of play: DeLauro also slammed Kennedy over DOGE-driven cuts at the nation's health agencies.

• "I'm worried about a future public health crisis that emerges," she said.

In a fiery moment, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) asked Kennedy about the rationale behind eliminating LIHEAP, which assists poor people in paying for heat in the winter and cooling in the summer.

• Kennedy began to speak about his brother, to which Watson Coleman replied, "I don't care about your past."
• Kennedy responded, "My time has expired."
• She shot back,"Well, then so has your legitimacy."

Zoom in: Republican Rep. Mike Simpson (Idaho), a former dentist, raised concerns about Kennedy's push to remove fluoride from water, asking to see studies that suggest it is harmful.

• "We better put a lot more money into dental education, because we're going to need a whole lot more dentists," Simpson said.
• Kennedy defended his position, saying fluoride impacts kids' IQs.

What we're watching: Kennedy faced bipartisan questions about cuts to health agencies before the Senate HELP committee Wednesday.

• The hearing was interrupted early on by protesters criticizing Kennedy.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) clashed with Kennedy, arguing the secretary's initial hesitance to endorse the measles vaccine during the worst outbreak of the virus in years contracted his confirmation hearing testimony.

• Murphy said Kennedy had "consistently been undermining" the efficacy of the vaccine, pointing to Kennedy's comments that there is fetal debris in the vaccine and that it had never been fully tested for safety. Kennedy replied, "all true."
• "If I advise you to swim in a lake that I knew there to be alligators in, wouldn't you want me to tell you there were alligators in it?" Kennedy replied.
• After back-and-forth, Kennedy said, "I am not going to just tell people everything is safe and effective if I know that there's issues." He added that people have "lost faith" because they've been "lied to by public officials."
• While some vaccines are created using fetal stem cell lines, they do not contain material from aborted fetuses as Kennedy has repeatedly claimed.

Go deeper: HHS ushers in a new enforcement regime

Editor's note: This story was updated with information from the Senate hearing.

A "small nodule" was found in former President Biden's prostate during a routine physical exam, multiple outlets reported late Monday and early Tuesday.

Why it matters: A spokesperson said that the nodule required "further evaluation, according to the The New York Times, which was the first to report the discovery.

• The Times reported that the 82-year-old former president spent last Friday at a hospital in Philadelphia after the nodule was discovered.

The big picture: In 2023, Biden had a lesion removed from his chest that was found to be cancerous, but it did not require further treatment.

• The next year, then-White House physician Kevin O'Connor deemed the former president to be "fit for duty."
• However, questions about his health and mental fitness clouded the end of his presidency, and eventually led him to drop his 2024 re-election campaign.
• During a joint interview with former First Lady Jill Biden last week, Biden pushed back on reports of his declining mental acuity.

Go deeper... Exclusive: Biden aides discussed wheelchair use if he were re-elected, new book says

One of three Democratic lawmakers whom the Department of Homeland Security said could be arrested over a confrontation that erupted when they sought an oversight visit at a New Jersey ICE facility said Sunday that the agency's threats are creating "an environment of intimidation."

The big picture: New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez and LaMonica McIver say they visited the Delaney Hall detention center last week to do legal oversight when chaos erupted and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested for trespassing.

• But DHS has accused the lawmakers of assaulting law enforcement and said they "stormed" the facility, a claim the Democrats reject.
• Lawmakers have said DHS' actions are unjustified because of legal barriers that prohibit federal resources from being used to impede congressional oversight. Members of Congress are not required to give prior notice before an oversight visit, per ICE guidelines.
• Agency spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a CNN interview on Saturday that "there will likely be more arrests coming," and confirmed to Axios' Andrew Solender that the House Democrats may be among them.
• DHS did not respond to an additional request for comment on Sunday.

Driving the news: Asked about DHS' arrest threats, Watson Coleman said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, "we have no idea what they have in mind other than to create an environment of intimidation just by claiming that perhaps we might be subject to arrest."

• "But there's no reason for it," she said in the joint interview alongside Menendez and McIver. "Nothing happened other than the chaos that they created themselves."
• She added, "If anything, we were pushed and shoved."

State of play: Watson Coleman said that when the lawmakers visited the facility, ICE "delayed us, tried to dissuade us" and "disregarded us." She said the lawmakers arrived an hour and a half before Baraka, who has been trying to inspect the facility.

• Watson Coleman said Baraka complied with an order to leave the space he was standing but was arrested "for trespassing on public property, which is absurd."
• Interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said Friday that Baraka was arrested because he "committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings ... to remove himself."

Menendez said there were "a lot of opportunities for DHS, for ICE to deescalate the situation." But he said "over 20 armed ICE, HSI officers" engaged with the officials.

• McIver said after the confrontation, the lawmakers were given a tour of the facility and were "offered ... a soda."

The other side: When asked for comment, DHS directed Axios to a video the agency shared to its X account of the scrum outside the facility.

Friction point: Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said the threats to arrest members of Congress are "very drastic."

• He added, "I would only do that if they were complicit with a crime."
• McCaul continued, "If they were just visiting a detention center ... I have done that many times. If they are disrupting law enforcement, that's another question."

Zoom out: Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) suggested on "Fox News Sunday" that DHS tried to "set them up," arguing the agency's claims that the lawmakers stormed the facility are "a lie."

• "To be clear, one of those members is 80 years old," he emphasized, in reference to Watson Coleman.
• Moskowitz added: "If this continues to happen, where members of Congress are going to be attacked, physically attacked by the administration, this is going to have reverberations on whether the House can function."

Go deeper: House Dems clash with police at ICE facility, mayor arrested

Pope Leo XIV called for a ceasefire in Gaza, the return of all hostages and peace in Ukraine during his first Sunday noon blessing as the bishop of Rome.

The big picture: Leo's calls echo those of his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, who was an outspoken advocate for the besieged Palestinian population and denounced Russia's war in Ukraine.

Driving the news: "I too appeal to the powerful of the world by repeating these ever-relevant words: never again war!'" Leo said from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, according to Vatican News.

• Leo said he carries "in my heart the sufferings of the beloved Ukrainian people," calling for "genuine, just and lasting peace as soon as possible," for prisoners to be freed and for children to be returned to their families.
• He said there should be an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and called for humanitarian aid to be provided to the "exhausted civilian population" and for all hostages to be freed.
• Leo welcomed the news of a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, expressing hope for "a lasting agreement."

Zoom out: Leo, previously known as Robert Prevost, was seen as close to his predecessor — personally and in outlook, Axios' Dave Lawler reports. But he is also considered somewhat more moderate in temperament and on some ideological questions.

• He assumes the highly influential role at a time of persistent global conflicts — and one of deep division in his native U.S.

What they're saying: Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago, said in a Sunday interview on ABC's "This Week" after Leo's blessing that the new pontiff "picked up on" Francis' words that there is "a world war going on piecemeal."

• Cupich later said he hopes that Leo will have "a new platform to reintroduce what the church has always called for in terms of its social justice agenda."
• He added, "it'll give people another opportunity to take a second look at what Francis was saying, but now in the words and the voice of an American who speaks like an American."

Zoom in: Sunday's blessing marks the first time Leo addressed a crowd from the loggia since he was elected pope on Thursday.

• Leo continued the tradition of the pontiff offering a Sunday blessing at noon, per the AP. But while his predecessors spoke from the Apostolic Palace window, Leo chose to appear above the square.
• He opted to sing the Regina Caeli, or "Queen of Heaven," prayer, rather than just reciting it.

Go deeper: Meet Pope Leo XIV, the first American to serve as Bishop of Rome

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, 69, was elected as the 267th leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday, the second day of voting in the internationally watched papal conclave.

• He will be known to the world as Pope Leo XIV.

Why it matters: Leo is the first American pope and now heads a church with some 1.4 billion members worldwide. But his power will transcend the faith community as Leo assumes a role with vast diplomatic and social influence.

Driving the news: After the white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel to signal that a conclave winner had emerged Thursday evening, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti made the famous "Habemus Papam" ("We have a pope") announcement and introduced Leo to the world.

• Prevost was born in Chicago and was a priest at parishes in the city before serving in Peru and working alongside his predecessor, Pope Francis, in Rome. He's also the Catholic Church's first Augustinian pope.
• During his two decades in Peru, the New York Times reports, he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen. Francis appointed him as a cardinal in 2023.
• A mentee of his described him to the Times as a "dignified middle of the road."
• He's served as the president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.

The intrigue: Leo's views on some key topics remain unclear.

• An account by his name has retweeted and shared critical posts about the Trump administration, including one that read, "Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn't ask us to rank our love for others."
• In 2024, he said it was time to move "from words to action" on the deterioration of the environment, the official Vatican News site reported, adding that "dominion over nature" should not be "tyrannical."
• Leo told the Vatican News last year that "the bishop is not supposed to be a little prince sitting in his kingdom" and that a church leader is "called authentically to be humble, to be close to the people he serves, to walk with them, to suffer with them."
• In a 2023 interview, he said he still considers himself "a missionary."

Zoom in: The new pope said he does not believe in "clericalizing women" in the Catholic Church and strongly opposes abortion.

• He described in 2012 Western media "sympathy for beliefs and practices that are at odds with the Gospel," citing the "homosexual lifestyle" and "alternative families comprised of same-sex partners and their adopted children," per the Irish Times.

What they're saying: Michael Canaris, a scholar at Loyola University Chicago, said the new pope's connection to Peru forms a bridge from his predecessor Pope Francis.

• "Most heartening to me is his choice of name, which obviously contains an allusion to Leo XIII, and his famous text Rerum Novarum. This supported labor rights and unions in the church at the dawn of the contemporary world," Canaris told Axios' Carrie Shepherd.

State of play: Prevost received the required two-thirds majority of cardinal electors to become the next pope.

• He was chosen during either the fourth or fifth round of voting after one vote on Wednesday and two votes on Thursday morning yielded no consensus among the cardinals.

Between the lines: In papal betting markets that sought to predict the outcome of the often unpredictable, and highly secretive, conclave, he was not a top contender.

• Scholars previously believed it was unlikely the new pope would hail from America.

Context: The more than 130 cardinals participating in the conclave, which began Wednesday, took an oath of absolute secrecy before voting began in the Sistine Chapel.

Catch up quick: Francis' death last month set the conclave in motion, bringing Cardinals from around the world to the Vatican to usher in a new era of Catholic leadership.

• During his chapter of the church, Francis championed historically progressive stances, such as spreading climate change awareness and advocating for immigrants' rights and inclusivity toward LGBTQ+ people.

More from Axios:

• Why Asia, Africa loom large in deciding next pope
• Pope Francis' popemobile to serve as health clinic for Gaza children
• "Conclave" viewership spikes after Pope Francis' death

Carrie Shepherd contributed reporting.

Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

President Biden said Thursday during an interview on The View that he "wasn't surprised" his former vice president lost the 2024 campaign to President Trump, saying her critics took "the sexist route."

The big picture: In the wake of the Democrats' 2024 loss, there has been finger-pointing between the Biden and Harris camps. While Biden has dismissed suggestions he should have left the race sooner, he emphasized Thursday that his former No. 2 was "qualified" for the job.

Driving the news: Appearing on The View live on Thursday, Biden said he was "very disappointed" by Harris' loss but pointed the blame at Republicans' "sexist" attacks on her.

• "I've never seen quite as successful and a consistent campaign undercutting the notion that a woman couldn't lead the country and a woman of mixed race," he said.
• He added that the Democrats' loss was not an isolated event, saying that liberal democracies "all across the world" had suffered defeats.
• "I think we underestimate the phenomenal negative impact that COVID had and the pandemic had on people, on attitude, on optimism, on a whole range of things," Biden continued.

Zoom out: Trump has not shied away from making sexist remarks about his opposition, and Harris was no exception.

• As polls during the election suggested he was losing ground to Harris, Trump at one point shared a Truth Social post suggesting she had slept her way to the top.

Asked about allegations that his cognitive abilities had declined in his final year in office, Biden argued such sources "are wrong."

• "There's nothing to sustain that," he said.
• Former First Lady Jill Biden, who joined her husband for the couple's first joint interview since leaving office, jumped in, saying, "the people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us, and they didn't see how hard Joe worked every single day."
• The former president later added that the "only reason" he left the race "was because I didn't want to have a divided Democratic Party. "

What we're watching: Biden says he still speaks to Harris "frequently," and that she has "a difficult decision to make about what she's going to do."

• He added, "I hope she stays fully engaged."

Go deeper: Tensions rise between Harris and Biden teams as election nears