The Latest: Judge temporarily blocks Trump plan offering incentives for federal workers to resign

A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to push out federal employees by offering them financial incentives.

The ruling came hours before the midnight deadline for workers to apply for the deferred resignation program, which has been commonly described as a buyout. Trump’s press secretary then accused some federal workers of wanting to “ rip the American people off.”

Here's the latest:

Groups representing federal workers file suit to stop Trump’s shutdown of USAID

Federal workers associations have filed suit asking a federal court to stop the Trump administration’s “effective dismantling” of the lead U.S. aid agency.

The lawsuit by the American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees comes as the new Trump administration and ally Elon Musk are targeting the U.S. Agency for International Development for eradication, freezing its funds and placing almost all of its workers on leave or furlough.

The lawsuit says Trump lacks the authority to shut down an agency enshrined in congressional legislation. It asks the federal court in Washington to compel the reopening of USAID’s buildings, return its staffers to work and restore funding.

Over turkey-bacon sandwiches at White House, Republicans take relationship with Trump to the next level

If the House Republicans’ initial meeting with Trump at the White House last month was a good first date, this one was “whether we want kids or not,” says Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan.

“This was a very different meeting,” McClain, the chair of the House GOP Conference, told reporters.

“It was it was still positive, optimistic. But it was getting down to business,” she added.

Trump popped in and out of the nearly five-hour meeting as the Republicans, who have struggled to agree, hammered out their differences in the Cabinet Room. They ended up staying so long they were served turkey-bacon sandwiches for lunch.

But McClain said Trump’s message was to get it done. “The heat was on medium the whole time.”

Federal Election Commission chair says Trump wants her gone but she’s staying put

Ellen Weintraub shared on social media a copy of a letter from Trump dated Jan. 31 that says she’s “hereby removed as a Member of the Federal Election Commission, effective immediately.”

Weintraub said, “there’s a legal way to replace FEC commissioners-this isn’t it.”

She said she’s been lucky to serve the American people and “stir up some good trouble along the way. That’s not changing anytime soon.”

Vought confirmed as White House budget director

The Senate has confirmed Russell Vought as White House budget director, putting an official who has planned the zealous expansion of Trump’s power into one of the most influential positions in the federal government.

Vought was confirmed on a party-line vote of 53-47. With the Senate chamber full, Democrats repeatedly tried to speak as they cast their “no” votes to give their reasons for voting against Vought, but they were gaveled down by Sen. Ashley Moody, a Florida Republican who was presiding over the chamber. She cited Senate rules that ban debate during votes.

Vought has already played an influential role in Trump’s effort to remake the federal government as one of the architects of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term.

▶ Read more about Vought’s confirmation

US ‘border czar’ blames leaks for hindering immigration raids in Colorado suburb spotlighted by Trump

Donald Trump’s “border czar” on Thursday blamed news media leaks for hindering a large-scale operation in a Denver suburb the president has held up in his efforts to link violent crime with immigration.

More than 100 members of the Tren de Aragua gang were targeted Wednesday at apartment buildings and other sites in Denver and neighboring Aurora, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It was unclear how many people were arrested. Fox News, which was embedded with the operation, said 30 people were arrested, including at least one member of the Venezuelan gang. But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said more than 100 members of Tren de Aragua were deported from Colorado on Wednesday.

▶ Read more about the Thursday operation in Aurora

Johnson says he and Netanyahu will now meet on Friday

House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the new date after he missed a scheduled meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Capitol on Thursday.

That’s because the House speaker and other congressional Republicans were at the White House in a meeting with Trump and other officials that stretched well into the late afternoon.

Trump announces new picks for US diplomatic posts, Marshals Service

The president announced his choices to fill ambassador posts in Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Norway and Poland.

The pick for Poland, Thomas Rose, is a former publisher and CEO of the Jerusalem Post who hosted a radio show on Sirius XM for nearly a decade.

Melinda Hildebrand, the candidate for Costa Rica, is a businesswoman and philanthropist who also owns a doughnut shop in Houston.

Michael Kavoukjian and Nicholas Merrick are Trump’s choices for the posts in Norway and the Czech Republic, respectively.

All four must win approval from the Senate.

Trump also named Gadyaces “Gady” Serralta, a career law enforcement officer, to be the new director for the U.S. Marshals Service.

Former EPA official says Trump administration is ‘turning its back’ on those suffering from pollution

Matthew Tejada, former deputy assistant administrator for environmental justice at the Environmental Protection Agency, said the Trump administration is “turning its back” on communities that suffer from too much pollution. These places are often home to many Black, Latino and low-income people.

On Thursday, the agency put 168 staffers focused on environmental justice on administrative leave.

“All of our environmental statutes mandate that everyone in the country is protected. That everyone should have clean air. Everyone should have clean water. Everyone should have clean land. But we know many communities do not,” said Tejada, who is now with the environmental nonprofit NRDC.

Trump administration plans to slash many USAID jobs, officials say

The Trump administration has presented a plan to dramatically cut staffing worldwide for U.S. aid projects as part of its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Two current USAID employees and one former senior USAID official told The Associated Press of the administration’s plan, presented to remaining senior officials of the agency Thursday. They spoke on condition of anonymity amid a Trump administration order barring USAID staffers from talking to anyone outside their agency.

The plan would leave fewer than 300 staffers on the job out of what are currently 8,000 direct-hires and contractors. They, along with an unknown number of 5,000 locally hired international staffers abroad, would run the few life-saving programs that the administration says it intends to keep going for the time being.