'Fishing expedition': Judges twice rebuke Trump administration: Live updates

On the same day President Donald Trump signed an executive order "to begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all,'' his administration was reprimanded twice by judges on unrelated matters Thursday.

Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of Washington, D.C., said the Department of Justice's response to his demand for more information about deportation flights of Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act was “woefully insufficient.”

Boasberg had waited since a Monday deadline for details of the flights that left Saturday, such as how many took off, how many passengers they carried and where they landed. DOJ officials have said providing that information could compromise foreign affairs. Boasberg is pondering whether the government defied his Saturday orders temporarily stopping the deportations.

Also Thursday, U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander of Maryland blocked Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing Social Security records in trying to find misspent federal funds, calling the effort a "fishing expedition."

Hollander's ruling said the Social Security Administration should not have given DOGE "unbridled access to the personal and private data of millions of Americans." She added that Musk's team was operating mostly on suspicion, not solid evidence, as it looked for rampant fraud in the federal government.

"It has launched a search for the proverbial needle in the haystack, without any concrete knowledge that the needle is actually in the haystack," Hollander said.

Later in the day, Trump urged on social media for the Supreme Court to limit federal judges' ability to issue injunctions blocking his administration’s moves.

Developments:

∎ In another court setback for Trump, a federal judge in Virginia said the administration could not immediately deport Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University researcher legally in the country and married to an American woman. The government has accused Suri of spreading Hamas propaganda and antisemitism on social media.

∎ The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which does weather forecasting and scientific research, is offering employees buyouts and early-retirement incentives as part of Trump's efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce.

∎ U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton of Washington was cleared of wrongdoing Thursday when a Philadelphia-based judicial council threw out two ethics complaints filed against him for denouncing in a media interview last March threats made against the judiciary and for responding to Trump comments.

∎ The U.S., engaged in a trade war with both of its neighboring countries, will deny for the first time a non-treaty request by Mexico for a special delivery channel for Colorado River water to be sent to the border city of Tijuana. U.S. officials said Mexico has repeatedly come up short in its deliveries of water under a 1944 treaty.

Trump signs off on plan to close Education Department

Trump delivered on a campaign promise Thursday by signing an executive order to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, a move that had been in the works for weeks.

Trump directed his education secretary, Linda McMahon, to take "all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return education authority to the States," according to a White House summary of the order.

The American Federation of Teachers vowed to sue if Trump shut down the agency, saying only Congress has the authority to do that.

− Joey Garrison and Zachary Schermele

Proposal calls for refocusing, renaming USAID

The Trump administration is considering a new, more narrowly tailored approach to the work done by the dismantled U.S. Agency for International Development, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

The plan calls for routing U.S. foreign aid − which totals in the billions of dollars annually − toward causes the administration believes are better aligned with American interests. Under the proposal, the agency would be renamed U.S. Agency for International Humanitarian Assistance.

"This blueprint proposes a re-imagined U.S. international assistance structure and set of operating principles that promises measurable returns to America while also projecting American soft power, enhancing our national security; and countering global competitors including China," the memo said.

Trump ordered that much of the USAID staff be put on leave and more than 80% of its grants be terminated, upending global humanitarian relief efforts and jeopardizing vaccination programs.

A federal judge said Tuesday that the attempts to abruptly shut down the agency are likely unconstitutional and he barred any more firings or termination of USAID contracts while he further reviews the case before making a final ruling.

EU delays retaliatory tariffs; official says it's US that will 'lose'

The European Union will delay retaliatory measures against U.S. tariffs until mid-April to allow time for talks aimed at a "mutually agreeable resolution" to the emerging trade war, the EU trade commissioner said Thursday.

Maroš Šefčovič said EU leaders plan on bringing back previously suspended tariffs and introducing new ones at the same time to "deliver a firm, proportionate, robust and well-calibrated response" to the tariffs Trump plans to roll out April 2.

"I am convinced that continued engagement and a positive approach is the best way forward," Šefčovič said at an international trade meeting in Brussels. But he added that the EU "will react firmly and proportionally if we are hit by unjustified measures."

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned Thursday that U.S. tariffs could lower EU growth by about 0.3 percentage points in the first year − and that Europe's retaliatory measures probably would lower growth even more. But she said the U.S. tariffs could hurt the U.S. more than the EU in the long term.

"The answer to the current shift in U.S. trade policies should be more, not less, trade integration, both with trade partners around the globe and within the EU," Lagarde said. "In such a scenario only countries engaging in isolationist policies stand to lose."

The Trump administration has already announced tariffs on steel and aluminum, and Trump has threatened duties of up to 200% on EU wine and spirits along with additional tariffs.

Audio shows tears, encouragement for fired workers

More than 400 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service employees were fired in a Valentine’s Day video conference call that left many of them in tears or otherwise heartbroken. That's despite efforts by agency higher-ups to break the news to them as gently as possible − and encouraging them not to give up on themselves or government service − during the call.

Audio from the meeting was obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat and USA TODAY NETWORK. The virtual meeting, between Fish & Wildlife human resources officials and probationary employees across the country, lasted almost 20 minutes and was recorded by a number of people on the line, including one worker who can be heard sobbing in the background.

An agency official identified by former employees as Rebekah Giddings said the agency had the option of “just emailing everyone” a letter and “calling it done.” “We just couldn’t do that,” said Giddings, the agency's chief of Human Capital. “We needed to make sure that we talked, and we at least reached out and let everyone know that we care. We know that you’re hurting deeply from this and that we feel the pain with you.” Read more here.

− Jeff Burlew, USA TODAY NETWORK

CEO at Amtrak resigns under White House pressure

Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner said he will step down immediately after more than four years as head of the U.S. passenger railroad, citing concerns about maintaining the carrier's support from Trump's administration. A White House official told Reuters that Gardner had been asked to step down.

"I am stepping down as CEO to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration," Gardner said in a statement.

Report: Park Service probationary workers at White House kept jobs

The hundreds of National Park Service probationary employees fired in February did not include those who help manage the White House, Public Domain and The Intercept reported, citing records. The records showed that at least three NPS probationary employees at the White House, including park guides, were exempted specifically because they worked at the White House, the media outlet said.

The National Park Service at the White House includes gardeners, guides and maintenance staff. The Park Service declined to comment, citing personnel matters.

Tariffs 101: Who pays for them?

Tariffs can apply to exports but are are primarily levied on imports, typically to protect industries in the country levying them. Tariffs make imports more expensive, thus making local goods cheaper by comparison. Tariffs also can provide income that can be used to support local industries, fund public programs or cover government expenditures.

And they can serve as bargaining tools to win concessions from trading partners.

"While tariffs may seem to penalize foreign producers by making their goods or services less competitive, the reality is that U.S. consumers and businesses ultimately bear the cost," the Wilson Center scholars Diego Marroquín Bitar and Valeria Moy write in a "Tariffs 101" analysis.

Contributing: Reuters