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.

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.

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.)

“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.

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

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.