5 things to know for May 8: Immigration, Medicaid, Auto tariffs, Surgeon general, Tyre Nichols

CNN’s 5 Things AM brings you the news you need to know every morning.

Some cast members from the touring production of “Les Misérables” will not appear in the show next month at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center. At least 10 to 12 members of the cast and ensemble have reportedly decided to boycott the high-dollar fundraiser and performance. The move highlights the friction between the arts community and the Trump administration that was sparked in February when 18 Kennedy Center board members were purged from the DC-based performing arts complex, only to be replaced by allies of President Donald Trump. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. The judicial branch continued to hammer the Trump administration over its immigration actions, particularly when it comes to due process. On Wednesday, a federal judge concluded that deporting migrants to Libya or Saudi Arabia would violate his previous order, which barred sending migrants to countries other than their own without providing written notice and an opportunity to contest ahead of time. In Minnesota, a federal district court judge ordered the release of an international student who entered the US on a valid F-1 visa and was arrested in March after that visa was revoked. Mohammed Hoque, a Bangladeshi national, argued that he was targeted for his political speech and not for any immigration violations or criminal activity. A federal appeals court also upheld a lower court’s decision to transfer Rümeysa Öztürk, a Turkish national and PhD student at Tufts University, from a Louisiana immigration detention center back to custody in Vermont. In an opinion released Wednesday, the three-judge panel said the US had failed to prove it could suffer harm over the transfer. The House Republican conference is reportedly fractured and the battle lines are becoming more pronounced. One of the biggest sticking points: Medicaid and the related Children’s Health Insurance Program, which nearly 80 million children, senior citizens, people with disabilities, parents and adults without dependents rely on for critical care. Speaker Mike Johnson wants to quickly pass President Trump’s “big beautiful bill” of tax and spending cuts — preferably before Memorial Day — but members of his party can’t seem to reach a consensus on how much to cut. GOP hardliners want to slash Medicaid spending, while more moderate Republicans refuse to back any changes that could hurt Americans who rely on the program. “I don’t want to be mean,” Rep. Andrew Garbarino, a Republican from a New York swing district, told CNN. “And I think any time it looks like we’re actually hurting people, that’s gonna piss off the American population. And if you piss them off, they’re probably not going to vote for you.” President Trump’s global trade war is starting to take a toll on automakers. Since April 3, imported vehicles have faced a tariff of up to 25%. In response, Ford announced on Wednesday that it was hiking the sticker prices for the three US models it imports from Mexico — the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Maverick and the Bronco Sport — by up to $2,000 each. This increase comes just days after executives said that they didn’t expect a significant increase in car prices this year. And earlier today, Toyota forecast a 21% profit decline for the current financial year due to Trump’s tariffs and the negative impact of a stronger yen. As the world’s top-selling automaker, Toyota will have to deal with both the impact of tariffs on its US-bound vehicles and the potential for a downturn in consumer sentiment when car prices rise. The White House announced yesterday that it had pulled its nomination for Dr. Janette Nesheiwat to be the surgeon general. The news came just one day before Nesheiwat’s Senate confirmation hearing was supposed to begin. Nesheiwat — a family physician, former Fox News medical contributor and the sister-in-law of UN ambassador nominee Mike Waltz — has been replaced by Dr. Casey Means. Although Means graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine, she dropped out during her residency. An author, wellness influencer and the sister of White House health adviser Calley Means, Casey Means is now a holistic medicine doctor whose medical license has been inactive since 2024.