Elect a Clown, Expect the Circus

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"Presidents might rightfully defy court orders in “extreme cases,” President Trump’s Solicitor General nominee D. John Sauer and former personal lawyer told the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday during a confirmation hearing. Aaron Reitz, selected to lead the Office of Legal Policy, said that there is “no hard and fast rule about whether, in every instance a public official is bound by a court decision.” Erica Orden reports for POLITICO; Devlin Barrett reports for the New York Times.

Military leaders involved in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan are “going to be largely gone,” President Trump said yesterday, in a sign of further incoming removals of top military officers. Paul McLeary reports for POLITICO. 

The White House yesterday denied access to Trump’s first Cabinet meeting to Reuters, Associated Press, HuffPost, and Der Tagesspiegel, a German newspaper. Reuters, AP, and Bloomberg, traditionally the permanent members of the White House press pool, released a joint statement condemning the move. James Oliphant reports for Reuters.

Transgender service members will be separated from the U.S. Army unless they receive an exemption, according to a memo Pentagon lawyers filed in court yesterday. The move would essentially ban transgender troops from joining or serving in the military. Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart report for Reuters.

Federal agency leaders are to prepare plans for additional “large-scale reductions” in the federal workforce in March and April, according to a memo circulated to government leaders by Office of Management and Budget (OPM) Director Russell T. Vought and the OPM’s acting head, Charles Ezell. Chris Cameron reports for the New York Times.

Trump is expected to name his former top environmental attorney, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, to lead the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, sources say. Clark is facing the potential loss of his law licence over allegations he tried to overturn the 2020 election results. Robin Bravender reports for E&E News.

The Food and Drug Administration this week cancelled the meeting of a panel of scientific experts scheduled to discuss next year’s flu vaccines, a senior official said. Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Christina Jewett report for the New York Times.

The Trump administration is preparing to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to speed up its deportations of undocumented immigrants, according to multiple sources. Priscilla Alvarez and Alayna Treene report for CNN.

DOGE engineers are working on updating software that could automate the firing of federal workers across the government, sources say. Makena Kelly reports for WIRED.

The Justice Department is ending federal civil rights lawsuits accusing police and fire departments of discrimination based on tests given to applicants for jobs or promotions, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced yesterday, citing the Trump administration’s move away from recruitment based on “DEI quotas.” Josh Gerstein reports for POLITICO.

The Trump administration is planning to eliminate more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) foreign aid contracts and cut $60 billion in U.S. assistance around the world, according to an internal memo reviewed by AP News. Ellen Knickermeyer, Matthew Lee, and Mark Sherman report.  

The Trump administration is giving thousands of USAID workers 15 minutes to clear out their desks across today and tomorrow, according to a notice posted on USAID’s website. Gary Fields reports for AP News."

"The Defense Department yesterday ordered Pentagon leaders to set up procedures to identify troops diagnosed with or being treated for gender dysphoria by March 26 and begin firing them by late April. Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor report for AP News.

The FBI has begun investigating the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Biden-era grant program for climate and clean-energy projects and the DOJ in recent weeks advanced its own investigation, with interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin submitting a warrant request in the face of career prosecutors’ refusal and searching for prosecutors in other offices who would take part in the case, sources say. The seizure warrant application was rejected by a D.C. judge over lack of proof a crime occurred, the sources added. Spencer S. Hsu, Maxine Joselow, and Nicolás Rivero report for the Washington Post.

The Justice Department is recruiting new attorneys to help defend President Trump’s policies, public job postings, department officials, and legal experts suggest. Perry Stein reports for the Washington Post.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has urged the White House to strike down the scientific finding that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health underpinning the federal government’s climate change regulations since 2009, sources say. Environmental groups said they would challenge any moves to remove the finding in court. Maxine Joselow reports for the Washington Post.

The Office of Personnel Management on Wednesday instructed federal agencies to create lists of divisions that should be consolidated or cut entirely by March 13 and outline proposals for relocating their D.C. offices to areas with lower cost of living by April 14. Eileen Sullivan reports for the New York Times.

The Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people, with the overall planned workforce reductions potentially reaching 50% of staffers, sources say. Fatima Hussein reports for AP News.

The EPA is planning to reduce its budget by 65%, a White House spokesperson said yesterday following Trump’s earlier comments suggesting that the figure referred to planned reductions in staffing levels. Separately, sources say the Trump administration has fired 800 employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with more firings expected today. Zack Budryk reports for the Hill; Ella Nilson and Tami Luhby report for CNN.

Private prison company CoreCivic yesterday said it expanded its contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to increase detention capacity for immigrants at four of its prisons. Russeall Contreras reports for Axios."

Interim U.S. Attorney for D.C. Ed Martin demoted several senior top federal prosecutors in the fraud, public corruption and civil rights section of the D.C. Justice Department office to entry-level positions, according to sources. Some of those demoted prosecuted the far-right Oath Keepers and former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro, the sources added. Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward report for Reuters.

Trump on Friday transported boxes of documents the FBI had seized at his Mar-a-Lago property in August 2022 back to Florida. The documents, which allegedly included classified files, formed the subject of an investigation into Trump’s mishandling of presidential documents. Kit Maher and Donald Judd report for CNN.

The Trump administration forced U.S. Army’s Lt. Gen. Telita Crosland to retire last Friday, officials say. Crosland was the head of the Defense Health Agency and one of the most senior Black female officers in the Army. Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart report for Reuters.

Federal employees across multiple agencies again received mass emails asking them to detail what they did over the past week from the Trump administration on Friday, in what the messages said would be a weekly requirement. Defense and Homeland Security Department employees received emails instructing them to reply to provide similar lists in internal emails to the DOD and DHS leaders, according to emails seen by CNN. Tami Luhby, Rene Marsh, and Nick Valencia report.

State Department and National Aviation and Space Agency leaders instructed their employees to ignore the second “what did you do last week” email, messages reviewed by the Washington Post show. Evan Halper, Dan Lamothe, and Hannah Natanson report.

Trump yesterday signed an executive order making English the official language of the United States, rescinding a policy that required government agencies and federally-funded organizations to provide language assistance to non-English speakers. Maia Davies reports for BBC News.

The Pentagon is sending approximately 3,000 more active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. officials said Saturday. Lolita C. Baldor reports for AP News.

Homeland Security Department officials are pushing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to turn over the addresses of roughly 700,000 undocumented immigrants the DHS is seeking to deport, with the IRS resisting over taxpayer privacy law concerns, sources say. Andrew Duehren reports for the New York Times."

"The head of the FBI’s New York field office, James Dennehy, yesterday told the office’s staffers that he was ordered to resign from his position, sources say. According to the email announcing his resignation, Dennehy, who last month urged his employees to “dig in” amid the Trump administration’s efforts to remake the Bureau, was not given a reason for being ordered to quit. Ken Dilanian, Jonathan Dienst, Ryan J. Reilly, and Tom Winter report for NBC News.

The Treasury Department on Sunday announced it qould no longer enforce a beneficial ownership information database for small businesses, created by the Biden administration to curb money laundering and shell company formation. Fatima Hussein reports for AP News.

The Trump administration is firing dozens of General Services Administration technology specialists, who worked on a broad portfolio including the passport services and the IRS’s tax filing software, according to an email from the GSA’s Technology Transformation Services director seen by the New York Times. Karoun Demirjian and Madeleine Ngo report.

Health and Human Services Department employees can apply for early retirement over the next 10 days and must respond to DOGE’s “what did you do last week” email, the health agency’s leaders told staffers in an email yesterday. Patrick Wingrove and Dan Levine report for Reuters.

Georgia’s Fort Moore will revert back to its old Fort Benning name, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced. The fort, previously named for Brig. Gen. Henry L. Benning, a Confederate officer during the American Civil War, will now be named in honor of World War I soldier Cpl. Fred G. Benning, a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, the Pentagon said. Lolita C. Baldor reports for AP News."

The Defense Department is moving to dismantle initiatives aimed at reducing civilian harm and collateral damage in U.S. military operations, according to three defense officials. The move is part of a Trump administration shift that prioritizes “lethality” in military strikes over civilian protection. Alex Horton, Meg Kelly, and Dan Lamothe report for the Washington Post.

The Trump administration has effectively shut down a long-running global air quality monitoring program “due to budget constraints,” the State Department said, bringing to a close reporting from 80 international embassies and consulates. Lisa Friedman and Brad Plumer report for the New York Times.

Hundreds of key federally owned properties are now available for sale, including the headquarters of the Justice Department, Labor Department, and U.S. Census Bureau, the Trump administration announced yesterday, in its bid to reduce the size of the federal government. Aaron Weiner, Joe Heim, and Rachel Weiner report for the Washington Post.

The Internal Revenue Service is preparing to slash as much as 50 percent of its staff, sources say. Andrew Duehren reports for the New York Times.

Trump yesterday announced the capture of a top leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Afghanistan and Pakistan who assisted in planning the 2021 attack on the Kabul airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghans. Julian E. Barnes and Zia ur-Rehman report for the New York Times.

The United States yesterday re-designated Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, reversing a decision made by former President Biden in 2021. Dan Lamothe and Missy Ryan report for the Washington Post.

The State Department is unfreezing $95 million in military assistance to the Lebanese armed forces, two U.S. officials told Axios. Barak Ravid reports. 

Trump could announce a trade deal with Mexico and Canada as soon as today, just one day after Washington imposed punitive tariffs on both nations which sparked countermeasures, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. Bryan Mena, Elijah Shama, and Vanessa Yurkevich report for CNN. "

"The Justice Department has transferred at least three top officials in the National Security Division, a move that sources say amounts to a complete overhaul of the Division’s leadership. On Friday, the DOJ also removed a top ethics official, a pardon attorney, and a head public records officer, the sources added. Perry Stein and Salvador Rizzo report for the Washington Post.

Two New York federal prosecutors who worked on the case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams have been escorted out of their workplace by federal law enforcement officials after being placed on leave by the Justice Department on Friday, according to law enforcement sources. At least one other DOJ attorney was also placed on leave, apparently over social media comments about the interim U.S. attorney for D.C., Ed Martin, the sources added. Ryan J. Reilly and Tom Winter report for NBC News.

Trump has instructed officials to exclude non-profit organizations that engage in activities that have a “substantial illegal purpose” from a student loan forgiveness program in an executive order published Friday. The move appears to target groups supporting undocumented immigrants, diversity initiatives, or gender-affirming care for children. Stacy Cowley reports for the New York Times.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem yesterday announced that Todd Lyons, ICE’s former assistant director of field operations, will serve as the agency’s new acting Director. Noem also pledged to step up polygraph testing of employees to identify personnel leaking information to the media. Christine Fernando reports for AP News.

The Trump administration has told the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to prepare to lose another 1,000 workers, raising concerns among scientists that NOAA’s lifesaving forecasts might be hindered as the hurricane season approaches. Raymond Zhong, Austyn Gaffney, and Christopher Flavelle report for the New York Times.

The Homeland Security Department on Friday said it would end its collective bargaining agreement with Transportation Security Administration workers, claiming the union contract was imperilling the safety of travellers. Tim Balk reports for the New York Times."

"The Trump administration is significantly downsizing its Public Integrity Section, an unit that oversees prosecutions of public officials accused of corruption, sources say. Ryan J. Reilly, Sarah Fitzpatrick, and David Rohde report for NBC News.

The Education Department will cut nearly 50% of its workforce, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement yesterday. Separately, the Education Department told staff that its offices would be closed today for “security reasons.” Sunlen Serfaty, Kaanita Iyer, Rene Marsh, Alayna Treene, and Kevin Liptak report for CNN; Lexi Lonas Cochran reports for the Hill.

The plan to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is still on,an employee tasked with firing hundreds of staffers at the agency testified yesterday, contradicting the picture painted by a witness for the administration. Tierney Sneed reports for CNN.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is cutting another 1,000 employees, sources say. Separately, the National Weather Service has cancelled training preparing meteorologists to forecast during disasters amid “short staffing” and travel spending reductions. Seth Borenstein reports for AP News; Rachel Frazin reports for the Hill.

Environment Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin yesterday said he had terminated $20 billion in climate change grants issued under the Inflation Reduction Act, citing “substantial concerns” about the program's “integrity.” Alex Guillen and Zack Colman report for POLITICO.

The U.S. Agriculture Department has halted more than $1 billion in funding for local food banks and schools by terminating two programs that aid local government food purchases. Ashleigh Fields reports for the Hill.

President Trump yesterday hinted he might be open to labelling individuals who target Tesla dealerships as “domestic terrorists,” following a string of protests at the Musk-owned company’s showrooms. Alex Gangitano and Miranda Nazarro report for the Hill.

A senior U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) official yesterday instructed a number of the agency’s remaining staffers to convene for an “all day” effort to destroy documents stored at USAID's former headquarters, according to an email seen by POLITICO. Materials earmarked for destruction include classified and personnel files, the email indicated. Phelim Kine and Nahal Toosi report. 

The United States will begin enforcing a law requiring Canadians visiting the country for 30 days or more to register with the U.S. authorities, according to a notice obtained by ABC News. Luke Barr reports.

Trump’s sweeping tariffs on steel and aluminium imports entering the United States from any country in the world went into effect today, with the EU announcing tariffs on up to $28 billion worth of U.S. goods in response. Ana Swanson and Jeanna Smialek report for the New York Times."

DEVELOPING: “A federal judge on Thursday ordered federal agencies to rehire tens of thousands of probationary employees who were fired amid President Donald Trump’s turbulent effort to drastically shrink the federal bureaucracy,” POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. “U.S. District Judge William Alsup described the mass firings as a ‘sham’ strategy by the government’s central human resources office to sidestep legal requirements for reducing the federal workforce.”

Probationary employees across DOD, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture and the VA must be brought back on “immediately,” according to Alsup’s ruling: “The Office of Personnel Management, the judge said, had made an ‘unlawful’ decision to terminate them. … Alsup also lashed out at the Justice Department over its handling of the case, saying he believes that Trump administration lawyers were hiding the facts about who directed the mass firings.”

But but but: This may only be a temporary victory for the federal employees who lost their jobs, since the ruling “is almost certain to be appealed,” Josh and Kyle write."