A federal he will 鈥済et to the bottom鈥 of whether President administration defied his order blocking .
Chief Judge James Boasberg is examining the administration鈥檚 use of an 18th-century wartime law to . He鈥檚 trying to determine if the government ignored his turnaround order last weekend when at least two planeloads of immigrants were still in flight.
Here's the Latest:
Homeland Security revokes temporary status for 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans
The Department of Homeland Security says it will revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in about a month.
The order applies to about 532,000 people from the four countries who came to the United States since October 2022. They arrived with financial sponsors and were given two-year permits to live and work in the U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says they will lose their legal status April 24, or 30 days after the publication of the notice in the Federal Register.
鈻 Read more about
Trump administration cuts legal help for migrant children traveling alone
The administration is ending a key program providing legal help to migrant children entering the country by themselves, raising concerns they鈥檒l be forced to navigate the complex legal system alone.
The Acacia Center for Justice said they were informed Friday that Health and Human Services was terminating nearly all the legal work the center does, including paying for lawyers for roughly 26,000 children in immigration court proceedings.
They鈥檙e still contracted to hold legal orientation clinics for migrant children in federal government shelters.
A spokesperson for the department said in an emailed statement that the department 鈥渃ontinues to meet the legal requirements established鈥 under key guidance that oversees how children in immigration settings are treated.
鈻 Read more about
Researchers say US government tried to erase sexual orientation from their findings
Two California researchers say a U.S. government health publication instructed them to remove data on sexual orientation from a scientific manuscript that had been accepted for publication. The researchers also say they were told to remove the words 鈥済ender,鈥 鈥渃isgender鈥 and 鈥渆quitable.鈥
The reason given for the changes was to comply with an executive order from Trump.
Researchers Tamar Antin and Rachelle Annechino said Friday in a blog post they withdrew their paper from Public Health Reports, the official journal of the U.S. Surgeon General.
The researchers plan to publish their findings elsewhere, Antin told The Associated Press.
鈻 Read more about
Trump is en route to his New Jersey golf club
This will be the first weekend he鈥檚 spent at his Bedminster golf club since becoming president for the second time. He has spent the bulk of his weekends at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
Trump told reporters he was on his way to New Jersey to do 鈥渨ork,鈥 then previewed his plans to visit the NCAA in Philadelphia this weekend.
鈥淚鈥檝e always supported the wrestlers,鈥 Trump said.
The president added that after the championships he would either return to Washington or to the 鈥渟outhern White House鈥 鈥 a reference to his Palm Beach club, although Florida had not been listed among weekend plans.
Legal experts say Trump official broke law by saying 鈥楤uy Tesla鈥 stock. But don鈥檛 expect a crackdown
A Trump Cabinet secretary violated the law when he told TV viewers this week to buy Tesla stock, but it鈥檚 not clear that anything will be done about it.
That鈥檚 a worry for key ethics law experts.
The comment from U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick came a week after Trump turned the White House lawn into a Tesla infomercial for Elon Musk鈥檚 cars.
Normally public officials endorsing products draws calls for investigations from the government鈥檚 top ethics lawyer.
But Trump has fired that person, along with other key ethics officials. Laments one former White House lawyer: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if people care.鈥
鈻 Read more about the controversy over
Under threat from Trump, Columbia University agrees to policy changes
Columbia University has agreed to implement a suite of policy changes, including overhauling its rules for protests and conducting an immediate review of its Middle Eastern studies department.
The announcement Friday came one week after the Trump administration ordered the Ivy League school to comply with a range of orders in order to continue receiving federal funding. The ultimatum was widely seen in academia as a stunning attack on academic freedom.
In a letter, the university鈥檚 interim president vowed to appoint a senior vice provost to review the Middle East studies department and to ban the wearing of face masks to conceal one鈥檚 identity on campus.
鈻 Read more about
Timeline of events surrounding Trump鈥檚 invocation of the Alien Enemies Act
Trump鈥檚 invocation of an 18th-century wartime law to deport hundreds of immigrants, most of them Venezuelans, to a prison in El Salvador has led to a showdown with the judiciary.
It has involved a series of legal filings, White House announcements, court hearings, deportation flights and a mocking social media post from a Central American leader.
鈻 Read more about the
Judge vows to determine if Trump administration ignored order blocking deportation flights
A federal judge examining the Trump administration鈥檚 use of an 18th-century wartime law to has vowed to 鈥済et to the bottom鈥 of whether the government defied his order to turn the planes around.
Chief Judge James Boasberg is trying to determine if the administration ignored his turnaround order last weekend when at least two planeloads of immigrants were still in flight.
鈥淚 will get to the bottom of whether they violated my order, who ordered this and what the consequences will be,鈥 Boasberg said during a hearing for a lawsuit challenging the deportations.
鈻 Read more about
State Democracy Defenders Action leader criticizes executive order expanding OPM鈥檚 power
Norm Eisen, founder of State Democracy Defenders Action, said Congress has not given the Office of Personnel Management the authority 鈥渢o willy-nilly fire federal employees across the government, and the president cannot change that simply by signing an executive order.鈥
Eisen, speaking in a statement, called the attempt to expand OPM鈥檚 power illegal and 鈥渁n admission of what courts in Maryland and California have already made clear to President Trump: gutting federal agencies created by Congress won鈥檛 be tolerated.鈥
Eisen said the actions, led by Elon Musk and DOGE, are harming the nation鈥檚 citizens.
鈥淭his latest EO is an illegal attempt to grant themselves even more unchecked power,鈥 he said.
US imposes travel ban on former Argentine president and planning minister over corruption charges
The State Department has banned former Cristina Fern谩ndez de Kirchner, her planning minister Julio Miguel De Vido and their families from entering the United States, accusing them of involvement in 鈥渟ignificant corruption鈥 while they were in office.
Kirchner and De Vido 鈥渁bused their positions by orchestrating and financially benefiting from multiple bribery schemes involving public works contracts, resulting in millions of dollars stolen from the Argentine government,鈥 Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement released on Friday.
He noted that multiple courts had convicted the pair on corruption charges.
鈥淭he United States will continue to promote accountability for those who abuse public power for personal gain,鈥 Rubio said. 鈥淭hese designations reaffirm our commitment to counter global corruption, including at the highest levels of government.鈥
EU delays retaliatory trade action to mid-April to work out the impact of Trump鈥檚 tariffs
Trump has said he鈥檒l impose on April 2.
The European Union had intended to respond by on goods from the United States worth some 26 billion euros ($28 billion) in two phases, on April 1 and April 13. The European tariffs would but also American beef, poultry, bourbon, motorcycles, peanut butter and jeans.
European Commission President said that by delaying phase 1, the commission鈥檚 goal is 鈥渢o get the balance of products right, reflecting the interests of our producers, our exporters, our consumers, and of course, minimize the potential negative impact on our economy.鈥
鈻 Read more about
Johnson & Johnson to invest more than $55 billion in four new US factories in the next 4 years
Johnson & Johnson is the latest company to highlight U.S. investments, a focus of Trump administration.
J&J鈥檚 Friday announcement said it should add more than $100 billion a year to the U.S. economy. J&J rival Eli Lilly and Co. also announced four new U.S. factories last month, and both pharmaceutical corporations cited Trump鈥檚 2017 tax cuts as one reason.
Chip giant announced another $100 billion in planned U.S. investments, on top of $65 billion announced previously. And said it would invest than $500 billion in the U.S. during Trump鈥檚 second term, hiring 20,000 people and building a new server factory in Texas.
鈻 Read more
A group funded by Musk is offering Wisconsin voters $100 to oppose 鈥榓ctivist judges鈥
less than two weeks before the state鈥檚 and after the group made a last year in battleground states.
The campaign for , the Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, said Musk鈥檚 America PAC is trying to buy votes ahead of the April 1 election that will determine ideological control of the court.
The offer was made two days after in the hotly contested race between Crawford and , the preferred candidate of Musk and Republicans.
Musk鈥檚 PAC used ahead of the November presidential election, $1 million a day to voters in Wisconsin and six other battleground states.
鈻 Read more
Weekslong lockups fuel anxieties about tourist travel to US
At least four international travelers tell The Associated Press they were detained at U.S. borders and held for extended periods behind bars, even though they did not violate their visa terms or commit any crimes.
The U.S. government did not comment on why they were detained and not simply denied entry. The incidents are as the Trump administration prepares for a from some countries.
鈥淣obody is safe there anymore to come to America as a tourist,鈥 said Lucas Sielaff, a German who had a 90-day U.S. tourist permit to travel with his U.S. citizen fiancee. He spent 16 days locked up in a crowded detention center before he was allowed to go home to Germany.
鈻 Read more on
Rep. Dan Crenshaw tells constituents: 鈥楾here鈥檚 been some babies thrown out with the bath water鈥
The Texas Republican was pressed Friday during a town hall in his district to see about getting jobs back for veterans laid off amid wide-ranging federal job cuts.
鈥淛ust because you鈥檙e a veteran doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e good at it,鈥 said Crenshaw, a former Navy Seal. 鈥淏ut if you鈥檙e doing a job that we need you to do, and you鈥檙e doing it well, we鈥檝e got to fight for you.鈥
According to an internal memo obtained earlier this month by The Associated Press, the Department of Veterans Affairs is planning to from the sprawling agency that .
Trump says he鈥檒l pay astronauts who were stranded overtime
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spent 278 extra days on the International Space Station after their spacecraft malfunctioned, but aren鈥檛 eligible for overtime pay.
But the president says not to worry 鈥 he鈥檒l make them square for their lost time in space.
鈥淚f I have to, I鈥檒l pay it out of my own pocket,鈥 the billionaire real estate developer told reporters.
Small Business Administration to cut its workforce by 43%
which was established in 1953 to support companies that represent 99% of all U.S. businesses, employ 46% of American workers and generate 43% of GDP.
The SBA said loan guarantee and disaster assistance programs, as well as its field and veteran operations, won鈥檛 be affected. But Trump just announced a major new SBA responsibility, taking on student loans as the Education Department is eliminated.
The SBA distributed aid that kept businesses operating during the pandemic. Trump鈥檚 SBA Administrator says the reorganization should return staffing to pre-pandemic levels and cut some programs started during the Biden administration.
Trump raises Musk鈥檚 potential conflicts of interests regarding China
Trump rejected reports that Musk was getting briefed on plans for a potential war with China while he was at the Pentagon on Friday.
The president said Musk was there to help address costs, part of his goals at the Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump suggested that he wouldn鈥檛 want to share war plans with an entrepreneur like Musk because of his financial interests.
鈥淓lon has businesses in China,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd he would be susceptible, perhaps, to that.鈥
Trump defends exposure of social security numbers in unredacted JFK files
鈥淲e have nothing to hide,鈥 Trump said Friday. 鈥淲e even released social security numbers. I didn鈥檛 want anything deleted.鈥
It was Trump who directed this week鈥檚 release, without redactions, of tens of thousands of pages of records relating to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
After that releasing their personally identifiable information exposes them to identity theft, the White House offered credit monitoring and help getting new social security numbers.
The release has , but Trump said 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 anything that鈥檚 earth shattering鈥 in the files.
Trump says other federal agencies will assume some Education Department responsibilities
Trump said student loans would be handled by the Small Business Administration, saying 鈥渋t will be serviced much better than it has in the past.鈥
And he said programs involving special needs and nutrition would shift to the Department of Health and Human Services, adding that 鈥淚 think that will work out very well.鈥
Trump announced the changes at the beginning of an Oval Office event focused on developing a next-generation fighter jet. His executive order pushing for the dismantling of the Education Department meets a longtime Republican goal.
Eyeing China threat, Trump announces that Boeing will build Air Force鈥檚 secretive future fighter jet
The Pentagon says the new jet fleet will have stealth and penetration capabilities that far exceed its current fleet and is essential in a potential conflict with China.
Known as Next Generation Air Dominance, or NGAD, the manned jet will serve as a quarterback to a fleet of future drone aircraft that would be able to penetrate China鈥檚 air defenses. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the future fleet 鈥渟ends a very clear, direct message to our allies that we鈥檙e not going anywhere.鈥
But critics have questioned the cost and necessity of the program. The Pentagon is still struggling to fully produce its most advanced jet and its future stealth bomber will have many of the same advanced technologies.
鈻 Read more on
Senate Democrats say explanations for USAID document-shredding don鈥檛 hold up
They鈥檙e asking the Trump administration to better account for its burning and shredding of records at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Sens. Gary Peters, the ranking Democrat on a governmental affairs committee, and Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the foreign relations committee, wrote Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday asking for all communications on the destruction of documents as the Trump administration gutted USAID.
The destruction became public when to help in 鈥渃learing our classified safes and personnel documents.鈥
Two last week after government lawyers said the shredding and burning was limited or had stopped.
Billionaire SpaceX founder and DOGE liaison visits Pentagon
Elon Musk completed a morning meeting at the U.S. military headquarters Friday, telling Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth he鈥檚 ready to do 鈥渁nything that could be helpful,鈥 according to CNN video of the pair exiting their meeting.
Musk refused to answer questions as to whether he received a classified briefing on China as part of the visit.
The Pentagon is working to identify personnel and programs it can cut to save between 5% and 8% of its budget, but lawmakers and government watchdogs have questioned whether Musk should have any role in decisions at the Pentagon, where his SpaceX company receives billions of dollars in federal contracts.
Education Secretary says she鈥檒l 鈥榰nwind鈥 regulations
Linda McMahon said she is preparing to relocate the Education Department鈥檚 core operations to other agencies and roll back federal regulations.
She sketched out a road map for executing Trump鈥檚 in an opinion piece published Friday by Fox News.
McMahon said abolishing 鈥渨ill not happen tomorrow,鈥 but she plans to pave the way.
鈥淲e will systematically unwind unnecessary regulations and prepare to reassign the department鈥檚 other functions to the states or other agencies,鈥 McMahon wrote.
Another Republican lawmaker tries to calm fears over Social Security
Speaking to his constituents on a tele-town hall on Friday morning, Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis defended DOGE鈥檚 efforts to fire federal workers and dismantle federal agencies, saying the push has faced a 鈥済ross overreaction in the media.鈥
鈥淚t looks radical, but it鈥檚 not. I call it stewardship, in my opinion,鈥 the Republican said. 鈥淚 think they鈥檙e doing right by the American taxpayer.鈥
Bilirakis sought to calm the older adults and veterans who complained about efforts to slash even the agencies that have bipartisan support.
鈥淓lon Musk will not touch Social Security,鈥 he said.
Musk has described Social Security and other federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, suggesting they鈥檒l be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending.
Some members of Congress face tough crowds at town halls
House Speaker Mike Johnson warned them against facing protesters, but GOP Reps. Celeste Maloy and Mike Kennedy of Utah did so anyway in liberal Salt Lake City, and got earfuls from the boisterous audience.
Many urged Maloy to denounce Trump鈥檚 sweeping federal budget cuts, but she said getting the country out of its financial situation will require 鈥渁ll of us feeling some pain.鈥
To jeers from the crowd Thursday, Kennedy defended Trump鈥檚 actions. Many questions focused on how federal cuts might impact Utah鈥檚 vast public lands. Both lawmakers said they had little power to influence Trump鈥檚 decisions.
鈻 Read more about
Detained Columbia University student activist appears before immigration judge in Louisiana
a legal U.S. resident with no criminal record, sat alone next to an empty chair inside the detention center. His lawyer participated by video conference. The brief session dealt only with scheduling 鈥 the judge set a fuller hearing for April 8 鈥 as his lawyers try to free him.
Khalil briefly smiled at two supporters who attended, but he otherwise showed no expression.
Born in Syria to a Palestinian family and married to a U.S. citizen, Khalil for Columbia students demonstrating against Israel鈥檚 military campaign in Gaza last year. He was in a crackdown on what Trump calls antisemitic and 鈥渁nti-American鈥 campus protests.
Khalil in a statement Tuesday that his detention reflects 鈥渁nti-Palestinian racism鈥 in the U.S.
鈻 Read more about
Trump administration is debating invoking a 鈥榮tate secrets privilege鈥 around deportation flights
That鈥檚 according to a court filing Friday by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in response to U.S. District Judge James Boasberg鈥檚 demand for details about flights carrying Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador.
Blanche said 鈥渙ngoing Cabinet-level discussions鈥 continue on whether to provide the details or make a formal claim that revealing them would harm 鈥渟tate secrets.鈥
The administration has called the judge鈥檚 request an 鈥渦nnecessary judicial fishing鈥 expedition, while Boasberg called its previous response 鈥渨oefully insufficient,鈥 increasing the possibility he may hold administration officials in contempt.
The judge temporarily blocked deportations under . He is scheduled to hear arguments in the case on Friday afternoon.
After job cuts, National Weather Service says its eliminating or reducing weather balloon launches
Weather balloon launches will be eliminated in Omaha, Nebraska; and Rapid City, South Dakota; 鈥渄ue to a lack of Weather Forecast Office (WFO) staffing,鈥 the weather service said in a notice. It鈥檚 also cutting from twice daily to once daily balloon launches in Aberdeen, South Dakota; Grand Junction, Colorado; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Gaylord, Michigan; North Platte, Nebraska; and Riverton, Wyoming.
Earlier this month, the Weather Service had announced weather balloon cuts in Albany, New York; and Gray, Maine.
Until hundreds, perhaps more than 1,000 cuts at NOAA were imposed by the Trump administration, the weather agency had been launching weather balloon twice a day in 100 locations in the United States, Caribbean and Pacific Basin. The weather balloons have devices attached that measure temperature, dew point, humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction.
鈻 Read more about
Trump鈥檚 call to dismantle Education Department shows Republican rightward lurch and his grip on GOP
A little more than 23 years ago, Republican President George W. Bush sat at a desk at a high school in Hamilton, Ohio, and signed a law that would vastly expand the role of the and .
On Thursday, Trump signed a very different document 鈥 this one an executive order .
For years, as right-wing activists called for eliminating the agency, many Republicans paid lip service to the cause but still voted to fund it. Now Trump, emboldened and unapologetic in his drastic remaking of the federal government, has brushed aside concerns that deterred his predecessors.
鈻 Read more about
Democrats鈥 new internet strategy tops trending charts but also draws mockery from allies and foes
For weeks, Democratic lawmakers have met with and mimicked figures they believe may offer them a path back to power in Washington: online influencers and content creators.
Hours before Trump鈥檚 to Congress this month, Senate Democrats huddled with a dozen online progressive personalities who have millions of followers. House Democrats were introduced, without staff, to 40 content creators who Democratic leaders said could help them grow their audience online.
An earlier tutorial session in February featured online personalities like the YouTube commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
The result has been a burst of Democratic online content, including direct-to-camera explainers in parked cars, scripted vertical videos, podcast appearances and livestreams 鈥 some topping trending charts online, others drawing mockery from liberal allies and Republicans in Congress.
鈻 Read more about
Judge calls Trump administration鈥檚 latest response on deportation flights 鈥榳oefully insufficient鈥
U.S. District Judge Jeb Boasberg demanded answers from the Trump administration after flights carrying Venezuelan immigrants alleged by landed in El Salvador after the judge temporarily blocked deportations under .
Boasberg had given the administration until noon Thursday to either provide more details about the flights or make a claim that it must be withheld because it would harm 鈥渟tate secrets.鈥 The administration resisted the judge鈥檚 request, calling it an 鈥渦nnecessary judicial fishing鈥 expedition.
In a written order, Boasberg called Trump officials鈥 latest response 鈥渨oefully insufficient.鈥 The judge said the administration 鈥渁gain evaded its obligations鈥 by merely repeating 鈥渢he same general information about the flights.鈥 And he ordered the administration to 鈥渟how cause,鈥 as to why it didn鈥檛 violate his court order to turn around the planes, increasing the prospect that he may consider holding administration officials in contempt of court.
鈻 Read more
Maine found in violation of Title IX over transgender athletes after Trump clashed with governor
Maine鈥檚 education office is being ordered to from girls鈥 and women鈥檚 sports or face federal prosecution.
The Education Department on Wednesday said an investigation concluded Maine鈥檚 education office violated the antidiscrimination law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls鈥 sports teams and use girls鈥 facilities. It鈥檚 giving Maine 10 days to comply with a list of demands or face Justice Department prosecution.
The federal investigation into Maine鈥檚 Department of Education was opened Feb. 21, just hours after Trump and the state鈥檚 Democratic governor, Janet Mills, at a meeting of governors at the White House. During the heated exchange, Mills told the Republican president, 鈥淲e鈥檒l see you in court.鈥
鈻 Read more
Facing anti-DEI investigations, colleges cut ties with nonprofit targeted by conservatives
Last week, the Education Department said it was investigating dozens of universities for , citing ties to the nonprofit organization. That followed a warning a month earlier that schools over 鈥渞ace-based preferences鈥 in admissions, scholarships or any aspect of student life.
The investigations left some school leaders startled and confused, wondering what prompted the inquiries. Many scrambled to distance themselves from The PhD Project, which has aimed to help diversify the business world and higher education faculty.
The rollout of the investigations highlights the climate of fear and uncertainty in higher education, which the Trump administration for policies that run afoul of his agenda even as he moves to .
鈻 Read more
Trump鈥檚 plan to dismantle the Education Department will keep some of its core functions
Trump has derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. However, completing its dismantling is most likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979. Republicans said they will introduce legislation to achieve that, while Democrats have quickly lined up to oppose the idea.
Trump鈥檚 order says the education secretary will, 鈥渢o the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.鈥
It offers no detail on how that work will be carried out or where it will be targeted, though the White House said the agency will retain certain critical functions.
Trump said his administration will close the department beyond its 鈥渃ore necessities,鈥 preserving its responsibilities for Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell grants and money for children with disabilities.
鈻 Read more
The Associated Press
