Feb 27, 2025
The Democrats taking on Trump and Musk — and winning Politico
The country’s 23 Democratic state attorneys general log on to Microsoft Teams every day at 4pm ET for a 30-minute confidential video chat to coordinate their plans for pushing back against the Trump administration. They share updates on the seven cases they have moving through federal courts. These include opposing Trump moves to revoke birthright citizenship, freeze federal funding and cut off money for medical research.
Feb 26, 2025
Federal employment board pauses firing of six probationary staffers The Hill
A federal agency temporarily blocked the firing of six probationary federal workers today — but President Trump is trying to fire the agency director.
The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) returned the six federal workers to their jobs for 45 days while the federal Office of the Special Counsel investigates whether the firings were illegal. Even though the employees are probationary, they still have some rights under federal law.
This case could potentially affect the many thousands of probationary workers who have been fired in the Musk/Trump push to shrink the federal workforce. However the directors of both MSPB and the Office of Special Counsel are currently in their positions only because of temporary court orders. Trump is trying to exert control over all independent federal agencies. The Supreme Court will eventually decide.
Chief Justice Allows U.S. to Continue Freeze on Foreign Aid Payments NY Times
In a victory for the Trump administration, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts overruled a lower court order that the administration must restart foreign aid payments that the government has already committed to by contracts or other legally binding agreements.
US District Court Judge Amir H. Ali had given the government until 11:59PM Wednesday to start making the payments, but Roberts said Ali had overstepped his authority and interfered with the president’s obligations to “make appropriate judgments about foreign aid.” He gave the groups seeking payment until Friday to make their arguments to the Supreme Court.
With a conservative majority on the court, Roberts’ support would probably be essential to getting the government to make good on its obligations.
Meanwhile, Trump officials said they had reviewed all USAID contracts and decided to cut 90 percent of them.
Feb 25, 2025
Judge orders Trump administration to pay millions in USAID funds Washington Post
A federal judge ordered the government to immediately start paying recipients of foreign aid the money they are owed after hearing testimony that the funds are still blocked despite his earlier order. U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali gave the government until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday to fulfill its contractual obligations and restart payments to contractors whose work in impoverished parts of the world had been largely stopped. Administration officials must also provide examples of communication sent to partners on the ground about resuming assistance, Ali ruled.
At a hearing today, a government lawyer said he was “not in a position to answer” whether the government was obeying Ali’s earlier order to release the funds. The lawyer said the government would have more to say on Wednesday.
“I don’t know why I can’t get a straight answer from you,” Ali responded. “We are now 12 days in. You can’t answer me whether any of the funds … covered by the court’s order have been unfrozen?”
White House seizes control of press pool, will decide which outlets cover events with president Politico
The White House announced Tuesday that it will hand-pick the reporters who are allowed to cover the President in certain situations, ending a tradition that the White House Correspondents’ Association chooses pool reporters.
The new rule involves situations in which the President is in a location where there’s limited space, like the Oval Office or Air Force One. In the past, the White House Correspondents’ Association has chosen a rotating pool of reporters who relay their coverage to other reporters. Going forward, the White House will choose the pool.
“This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States,” said Eugene Daniels, the president of WHCA’s board and a POLITICO correspondent. “In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps.”
The White House had earlier barred Associated Press reporters from the Oval Office and Air Force One because the news agency continues to refer to the “Gulf of Mexico” instead of the President’s new name, “Gulf of America.”
Judge indefinitely blocks Trump’s plan to freeze federal aid The Hill
US District Court Judge Loren AliKhan on Tuesday barred the Trump administration from “implementing, giving effect to, or reinstating under a different name” its decree stopping all federal grants. She had previously issued a temporary ruling to that effect but on Tuesday she made it indefinite. The administration has found other ways to plug up the funding stream, and it is unclear whether her new ruling will be more effective.
Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE AP
Twenty-one engineers, data scientists, designers, and product managers who work for Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) signed a joint resignation letter Tuesday saying, “We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution … However, it has become clear that we can no longer honor those commitments.”
(President Trump created DOGE by renaming the United States Digital Service (USDS), so the employees who resigned may not be among those newly hired by Elon Musk.)
Feb 24, 2025
“They’re Scared Shitless”: The Threat of Political Violence Informing Trump’s Grip on Congress Vanity Fair
How death threats get Republicans to fall in line behind Trump VOX
The current attempted coup in the United States is unusual in that it has not yet involved violence. But, it is important to note that the threat of violence underpins many of the actions of the Trump administration, particularly as they relate to ensuring that Congress does not stand in the way of his unconstitutional and illegal actions. The previous coup attempt by Trump on January 6, 2021 was violent. The people who used violence in their attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power were freed from prison on Trump's first day in office, effectively endorsing violence both generally and specifically by those who participated in the last coup. They have become Trump's shock troops, providing a credible threat to anyone who attempts to stop this coup.
New reporting by Vanity Fair shows that violent threats have been used at key points to ensure that Congress does not stand in the way of Trump's power grab. According to Vanity Fair, before Senator Thom Tillis provided the crucial vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, he received credible death threats.
DOGE will use AI to assess the responses of federal workers who were told to justify their jobs via email NBC News
Elon Musk’s latest attack on federal workers has caused deep splits and confusion within the Trump administration. Posting on X last Saturday, Musk gave all workers a deadline of Monday night at midnight to email a list detailing what they got done last week. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,” he wrote.
But on Monday, the Justice Department said they had been informed that workers were not required to respond. Trump-appointed leaders of some government agencies told workers not to comply. Leaders of other agencies told workers they did have to comply. And still others left it up to employees.
The issue seems to be, who will federal workers be accountable to, the people Trump chose to lead their departments, or Elon Musk? Musk, late Monday, said workers might be given a second chance, but “failure to respond a second time will result in termination.”
President Trump weighed in on Monday, telling reporters, "There was a lot of genius in sending it. If people don’t respond, it’s very possible that there is no such person or they’re not working.”
Meanwhile, NBC News reported that the responses will be fed into an AI program to see whether the lists sent in by employees describe work that really needed to be done.
Feb 22, 2025
How Federal Employees Are Fighting Back Against Elon Musk NY Times
From documenting abuses to refusing unlawful orders, federal workers are standing up for the Constitution despite the professional and personal risks.
“The unknown was not as scary as being complicit and not speaking up. I can exist on cornflakes and community at the end of the day if it means that my soul is intact.”
– Karen Ortiz, an administrative judge in the New York office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Feb 21, 2025
Judge largely blocks Trump’s executive orders ending federal support for DEI programs Associated Press
U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore granted a preliminary injunction blocking the administration from terminating or changing federal contracts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He said the orders likely violate the constitution, including its guarantee of free speech.
Trump Administration Stalls Scientific Research Despite Court Ruling New York Times
Trump officials are blocking new National Institute of Health grants supporting medical research despite a federal court order. NIH grants go through two review panels, and the panel meetings must be posted in The Federal Register. Trump officials in the Department of Health and Human Services, now headed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have barred NIH from posting those notices. That means the meetings can’t be held, the grants can’t be funded, and potentially life-saving research is stalled.
Feb 20, 2025
Trump comes close to the red line of openly defying judges, experts say Washington Post
The Trump administration is finding ways to block the funding of programs that the President doesn’t like even when federal courts order him to stop. Trump officials are claiming new reasons not to approve the funding, reasons that they didn’t mention before and which, therefore, are a way to work around court orders.
In Rhode Island, a federal judge said the administration violated the “plain text” of his order lifting the administration’s freeze on trillions of dollars of federal grants and loans. But the judge has not – yet – taken further action.
Health organizations say the continued blockage of funds is stopping efforts to combat diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria and has caused deaths and “irreparable harm” for millions around the world.
Feb 18, 2025
Senior DOJ prosecutor quit after being told to investigate Biden climate spending CNN
Senior federal prosecutor Denise Cheung was forced to resign on Feb 18 after resisting what she called an improper demand by Trump's administration to launch a criminal probe of an EPA contract. Trump's administration is attempting to use criminal probes like this to freeze funding for programs it does not have the legal authority to halt.
Trump signs order to claim power over independent agencies Politico
President Trump’s new executive order gives the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) power to “establish performance standards and management objectives” for the heads of independent agencies and “report periodically to the President on their performance and efficiency in attaining such standards and objectives.” The director of OMB reports to the President.
The order affects a wide range of agencies that Congress intended to have some independence from presidential control, including the Security and Exchange Commission, the National Labor Relations Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, and many others.
This move is an extension of the principle Trump has asserted in firing directors of independent agencies. The first court case challenging his right to do so reached the Supreme Court this week. Trump’s Justice Department asked the Court to reverse a lower court ruling reinstating the director of the Office of Special Counsel, whose job is to protect government whistleblowers.
“What we’re trying to do is identify the pockets of independence and seize them.”
–Russell Voight, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Jul 19, 2023.
Judge declines to block Musk and DOGE from accessing federal data or laying off workers AP
President Trump and Elon Musk won a round when federal District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan refused to issue a temporary restraining order stopping the “Department of Government Efficiency” from accessing government data systems and taking part in firing federal employees.
Attorneys general from 14 Democratic states had asked for the restraining order, saying Musk had no legal authority to issue orders to government departments without having been confirmed in office by the Senate. Judge Chutkan didn’t decide that question but said there wasn’t evidence of the grave legal harm that would justify a temporary restraining order.
Feb 16, 2025
First Test of Trump’s Power to Fire Officials Reaches Supreme Court New York Times
The first court case challenging President Trump’s firing of federal officials has reached the Supreme Court. The case involves Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel. It is Dellinger’s job to protect government whistleblowers. He was appointed by former President Biden and confirmed in 2024 for a five-year term. In creating the position, Congress specified that the Special Counsel could only be fired for “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.” Trump fired him without giving a reason and a federal judge temporarily reinstated him. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court Sunday to overrule the judge, saying the president must have complete power over the executive branch.
In 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt tried to fire a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission because of policy disagreements. But under the law, a commissioner could only be fired for “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.” The Supreme Court at the time ruled unanimously against Roosevelt. But in 2020, the court ruled the other way by a five to four vote. That case involved the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, whose job was protected by the same legal language. The 2020 Supreme Court said that was an unconstitutional limit on presidential authority.
The Supreme Court is unlikely to rule against the President in this case, a setback for the constitutional separation of powers.
This Is What the Courts Can Do if Trump Defies Them New York Times
Richard Nixon claimed the president is above the law, but he complied with a court order that was likely to mean the end of his presidency. Will Donald Trump ignore a Supreme Court order? This column by two New York University law professors sketches out some ways such a confrontation could develop.
Feb 15, 2025
Trump Suggests No Laws Are Broken if He’s ‘Saving His Country’ New York Times
The president says no law can constrain his moves to reshape the American government.
“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”– Donald Trump on social media
Explainer: Are Trump's mass firings of federal workers legal?Reuters
The Trump Administration continues to find ways to fire and put on leave thousands of Federal workers, most without cause or explanation. These workers have broad protections, and while workers who have been on the job less than two years have fewer protections, they cannot be fired at will. Federal agencies can reduce the number of workers they employ, but that process is governed by rules and regulations that the current administration is ignoring.
Trump administration wants to un-fire nuclear safety workers but can’t figure out how to reach them NBC News
In an email to workers still employed by the National Nuclear Security Administration, officials wrote, “The termination letters for some NNSA probationary employees are being rescinded, but we do not have a good way to get in touch with those personnel.” The former employees no longer have their work emails, and officials don’t have their personal emails, so they asked employees to pass on the news to their former colleagues.
Federal workers express shock, anger over mass layoffs: "It's devastating” CBS News
“You have not demonstrated that your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest,” says the layoff notice a Veterans Affairs Administration worker received.