America in Brief

Harvard sues U.S. over blocking of student enrolment; Trump announces Golden Dome defence system; and U.S. House passes Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

The Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 15, 2025. Faith Ninivaggi/File Photo/Reuters

Harvard Sues US Government Over Blocking Foreign Student Enrolment

Harvard University is suing the U.S. government after it blocked the university’s ability to enrol foreign students, calling it a “blatant violation” of law.

The Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard’s access to international student enrolment, claiming the prestigious Ivy League university hadn’t done enough to combat anti-Semitism.

Harvard, among other U.S. universities, has been criticised over the student protests in 2024 over Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles looks on from behind a chart on the Golden Dome missile defence system as President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, on May 12, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Announces ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Defence System

President Donald Trump on May 20 unveiled a new $175 billion plan to build a Golden Dome defence system, aimed at deterring “next generation” threats, to be completed by the end of his term.

Designed by Lockheed Martin, it is modelled as an upgrade to Israel’s Iron Dome defence system, following threats that continue to “expand in scale and sophistication.”

The company described it as the world’s most powerful missile defence network capable of intercepting threats from around the world and even from space.

Canada has also been in discussions with the United States in the hope of joining the project.

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks to the media after the House narrowly passed a bill forwarding President Donald Trump's agenda at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 22, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

US House Passes Trump’s Agenda Bill

The U.S. House has passed President Donald Trump’s long-disputed, broad-reaching tax and spending agenda bill.

After a long debate, the bill that had been back and forth for months passed on a tight 215–214 vote.

Dubbed Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” It now heads to the Senate for revisions before finally Trump’s desk, where he will sign it into action.

The megabill covers a range of criteria implementing Trump’s agenda, ranging from health care to border control.

President Donald Trump speaks as Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. looks on during a MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) Commission Event in the White House in Washington, on May 22, 2025. Jim Watson/AFP

Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again Releases 1st Report

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has released the Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again’s first report, identifying a number of factors behind the childhood chronic disease crisis.

Among those are poor diet, exposure to hazardous environmental chemicals including pesticides, a lack of physical activity partially because of excessive screen use, and over-medicalisation.

The report points to the American diet’s shift towards ultra-processed foods, which are high in sugar and other chemicals, and away from fruit consumption.

President Donald Trump had initiated an executive order on Feb. 13 establishing the Make America Healthy Again Commission, giving it 100 days to produce a report, then 180 days to submit a strategy.