Trump 2nd term updates: Trump excludes low-value shipments from looming tariffs
The amendment exempts imports valued at less than $800 from Canada and Mexico.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal government to his liking suffered a loss in court when a federal judge blocked his administration from firing the head of a federal watchdog agency without cause, likely triggering a lengthy appeal that could end at the Supreme Court.
U.S. District Justice Amy Berman Jackson determined the move was unlawful and issued a permanent injunction that reinstated special counsel Hampton Dellinger to his position.
Meanwhile, the Social Security Administration said it will cut 7,000 jobs and six of its 10 regional centers as part of the president’s downsizing of the federal workforce.
And Trump’s physician announced the president will have his annual physical next month, days after reporters raised questions about a bruise they saw on the back of his hand.
Latest headlines:
- White House excludes low-value shipments from looming Canada, Mexico tariffs
- Kennedy stops short of calling for vaccines amid measles outbreak
- Intel community has concerns Russia, China could target fired employees
- Trump's doctor says he'll have annual physical exam 'next month'
- White House backs Israel blocking aid to Gaza
Dept of Ed offering employees up to $25K if they retire by Monday: Source
Department of Education employees were sent an email Friday offering a lump sum payment of up to $25,000 to voluntarily separate or retire by 11:59 P.M. ET on Monday night, a source familiar with the message told ABC News.
The department sent what’s called a VSIP, or Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment, which authorizes agencies to give lump sum payments of up to $25,000 for employees to voluntarily separate, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
"It’s a one-time offer in advance of a significant Reduction in Force (RIF) for the US Department of Education," the memo stated.
The VSIP will take effect March 31.
The VSIP excludes people who received a loan discharge within the last three years, among other exclusions, according to a Department of Education employee who received the memo and spoke to ABC News on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation.
-ABC News' Arthur Jones II
Trump signs executive order designating English as the official language of the US
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that designated English as the official language of the U.S.
ABC News reported on Friday that the president was expected to sign the order.
The order rescinds a Clinton-era mandate that required agencies and recipients of federal funding to provide extensive language assistance to non-English speakers.
Agencies will have the flexibility to decide how and when to offer services in languages other than English, and they can keep current policies and provide documents and services in other languages, according to the order.
-ABC News Hannah Demissie
Murkowski slams Trump over Oval Office blow up with Zelenskyy
GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski took to X to share her disappointment with the Trump administration appearing to embrace Putin following Friday's meeting with Zelenskyy.
"This week started with administration officials refusing to acknowledge that Russia started the war in Ukraine. It ends with a tense, shocking conversation in the Oval Office and whispers from the White House that they may try to end all U.S. support for Ukraine," Murkowski wrote on X.
"I know foreign policy is not for the faint of heart, but right now, I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world," she added.
-ABC News' Hannah Demissie
ACLU sues administration over Guantanamo Bay transfer
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit Saturday against the Trump administration to prevent the transfer of 10 migrants to Guantanamo Bay.
The ACLU said the men hail from Venezuela, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and other countries and are not gang members or otherwise considered "high risk." It claimed the men are "at imminent risk of transfer" to Guantanamo Bay.
The ACLU argued that the men would be illegally detained in Guantanamo Bay because it believes the government does not have the statutory authority to detain people extraterritorially.
The ACLU also claimed these kinds of transfers violate the Administrative Procedure Act because the government has not provided enough reasons for why it needs to send migrants there.
-ABC News' Armando Garcia