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Trump admin live updates: Trump strikes deals with law firms totaling $600M

The agreements were with five law firms for pro bono work.

Last Updated: April 13, 2025, 11:58 PM EDT

President Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting with his top officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as Elon Musk, on Thursday.

It follows Trump on Wednesday changing course on his tariff policy, instituting a 90-day pause in higher taxes for most countries while ramping up the rate against China to 145%.

On Capitol Hill, Republican leaders pushed through a budget blueprint to fund Trump's domestic agenda despite some GOP hard-liner opposition.

Apr 11, 2025, 3:34 PM EDT

Judge allows for migrants without legal status to have to register with federal government

A federal judge on Thursday allowed for the Trump administration to mandate that every migrant in the country without legal status must register with the federal government.

Immigration groups sued the administration over the rule.

Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that the advocates would not have the legal standing to succeed, thus the rule, which was scheduled to take effect on Friday, can take place.

"Plaintiffs have failed to show that they have a substantial likelihood of standing," ruled McFadden, a Trump appointee. "As organizations, many of their harms are too speculative, and they have failed to show that the Rule will erode their core missions."

Advocate organizations have contended the rule is "confusingly written and implementing it will cause chaos."

-ABC News' Luke Barr

Apr 11, 2025, 1:44 PM EDT

Trump strikes deals with 5 law firms to avoid targeting

President Donald Trump on Friday announced agreements with five law firms for $600 million in pro bono work. Four of the agreements Trump revealed were with Kirkland & Ellis, Allen Overy Shearman Sterling US, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Latham & Watkins.

He also announced that Cadwalader, Wickersham &Taft agreed to a commitment of $100 million in pro bono services. Cadwalader was the law firm of Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, before he represented Trump. Blanche left Cadwalader to represent Trump as his lead attorney.

President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on April 10, 2025, in Washington, DC.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

In this deal, the law firm "voiced their strong commitment to ending the Weaponization of the Justice System and the Legal Profession," per a statement from the White House that Trump posted.

The other four law firms agreed to commitments of $125 million each and to remove diversity, equity and inclusion considerations from hiring and said they wouldn't deny representation to clients based on political views.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Michelle Stoddart

Apr 11, 2025, 10:43 AM EDT

Senate confirms new chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff

Overnight, the Senate confirmed retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan "Razin" Caine to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Caine was nominated to the post after the sudden firing of his predecessor Gen. CQ Brown who had been in the job for a little under a year and a half of what was supposed to be a four-year term.

Lt. General Dan Caine testifies at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's top military officer, on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 1, 2025.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The Senate confirmed Caine 60-25.

To be the chairman, Caine is now called back to active duty and will receive a fourth star.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Apr 11, 2025, 10:08 AM EDT

Trump calls for lawmakers to end daylight saving time

Amid the ongoing trade war, President Donald Trump called for lawmakers in Congress to "push hard for more Daylight at the end of a day" in a new post on Truth Social on Friday.

President Donald J. Trump listens to remarks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, April 10, 2025.
Shawn Thew/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

"Very popular and, most importantly, no more changing of the clocks, a big inconvenience and, for our government, A VERY COSTLY EVENT!!!," Trump said in the post.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

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