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
Trump admin guts USAID's humanitarian office, despite pledge to preserve its work
Dozens of officials in USAID's humanitarian aid bureau received termination letters over the weekend despite prior assurances from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to preserve the agency's "core lifesaving medicine, medical services, food, shelter and substance assistance."
Beginning late Friday night, several now-former employees at the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance received termination letters from personnel officers at USAID, according to copies of those letters obtained by ABC News.
BHA is the government's lead federal agency for international emergency disaster relief, working closely with the military to provide humanitarian aid in the wake of earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes and other global natural disasters.
-- ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman
Judge blocks DOE, OPM from sharing sensitive records with DOGE
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive personnel records maintained by the Office of Personnel Management and the Department of Education.
U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a temporary restraining order Monday morning that prohibits both the DOE and OPM from sharing the personally identifiable information of some federal employees with DOGE, as Elon Musk’s budget-slashing group attempts to begin identifying government employees based on their productivity.
-- ABC News' Peter Charalambous
France's Macron arrives at White House
President Donald Trump is hosting French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Monday.
They will start the day with a call with G7 leaders before a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office. The two are scheduled to hold a press conference in the East Room at 2 p.m. ET.
Macron's visit falls on the three-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Macron said last week France and its partners want a "lasting and solid peace in Ukraine" after an emergency meeting of European officials in Paris as the U.S. held talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia.
Who is calling the shots: Elon Musk or federal agencies?
Federal workers who aren't closely tracking Elon Musk on social media may be completely unaware there's an ultimatum on the table.
While the administration did ask federal employees to list their accomplishments -- the email did not state that those who failed to respond by the deadline would be fired.
That threat only comes from Musk on social media.
And he doubled down on Monday morning, writing: "Those who do not take this email seriously will soon be furthering their career elsewhere."
It raises the question: who is really calling the shots here? Elon Musk or the federal agencies telling their employees not to respond?
Are federal employees supposed to track Elon Musk on the social media platform he owns for guidance?
That's no easy task. For context, Musk posted more than 150 times on X this weekend alone.
Musk Monday morning is continuing to act as if he does have authority over the federal workforce, threatening employees with administrative leave if they do not return to work this week.
"Those who ignored President Trump's executive order to return to work have now received over a month's warning," Musk wrote this morning on X. "Starting this week, those who still fail to return to office will be placed on administrative leave."
-ABC News' Rachel Scott