California judge blocks Trump administration’s mass firings of federal workers – as it happened

n The measure raced through the legislative process after first being introduced last week. The state Senate was first to approve the bill on Thursday, on party lines, followed by the House less than an hour later. Five House Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it.

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fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that would strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity, Thursday, 27 February 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa.”,”caption”:”Protesters fill the Iowa state Capitol to denounce a bill that would strip the state civil rights code of protections based on gender identity, Thursday, 27 February 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa. “,”credit”:”Photograph: Charlie Neibergall/AP”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The bill would remove gender identity as a protected class from the state’s civil rights law and explicitly define female and male, as well as gender, which would be considered a synonym for sex and “shall not be considered a synonym or shorthand expression for gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.”

n The measure would be the first legislative action in the US to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, said Logan Casey, director of policy research at the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights thinktank.

n The bill now goes to Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, who signed earlier policies banning sports participation and public bathroom access for transgender students. A spokesperson for Reynolds declined to tell the Associated Press whether she would sign the bill. If she does, it will go into effect on 1 July.

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US Postal Service employees should ignore rumors and reports that President Donald Trump could unilaterally seize control of the agency, Post Office Operator General Louis DeJoy said in a video seen by Reuters on Thursday.

n DeJoy told the Postal Service’s 640,000 employees that the agency was created by a federal law.

n “Laws can be changed – the president and the members of Congress and designated officials work together to decide whether any change is required in the structure of our organization within the federal government,” DeJoy said.

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of US Postal Service workers rally against Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) actions against the institution in Washington on 24 February 2025. Trump has mused publicly about privatizing the Postal Service, and his current plan to take control of the agency and make it part of the Department of Commerce could be a step in that direction.”,”caption”:”Hundreds of US Postal Service workers rally against Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) actions against the institution in Washington on 24 February 2025. Trump has mused publicly about privatizing the Postal Service, and his current plan to take control of the agency and make it part of the Department of Commerce could be a step in that direction. “,”credit”:”Photograph: Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/REX/Shutterstock”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I’m asking you to stay focused on the job at hand. Don’t get distracted by news articles or speculation or rumors.”

n On Friday, Trump said he was considering merging the Postal Service with the US Commerce Department, a move Democrats said would violate federal law. Trump has mused publicly about privatising the Postal Service.

n Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News this week the Postal Service could help shrink costs at the Commerce Department by providing workers to conduct the US census, which takes place every 10 years and costs around $40bn, and handle tasks performed by 20,000 Social Security employees.

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Refugee aid groups said in a federal court filing Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be trying to circumvent a ruling this week that blocked his efforts to suspend the nation’s refugee admissions program, the Associated Press reports.

n US District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle had determined on Tuesday that while the president has broad authority over who comes into the country, he cannot nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the US Refugee Admissions Program.

n Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, said Trump’s actions amounted to an “effective nullification of congressional will,” and from the bench, he granted the aid groups’ request for a preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program. He promised a written ruling in the next few days.

n But Wednesday, aid groups, including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS, received notifications that their “cooperative agreements” with the state department had been canceled.

n The groups on Thursday asked Whitehead for an emergency hearing to discuss the impact of the termination notices, or to make clear that his ruling also applies to those newly issued notices. The groups called the administration’s actions a “flagrant attempt” to evade the court’s ruling.

n “Defendants are continuing to implement their defunding of the USRAP, and an emergency hearing is necessary to ensure that Defendants are not permitted to evade this Court’s bench ruling and the forthcoming written order with antics designed to confuse the state of play,” the motion said.

n Whitehead set a hearing for Monday.

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The Guardian’s Dharna Noor and Gabrielle Canon report:

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The Trump administration has fired hundreds of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), the US’s pre-eminent climate research agency housed within the Department of Commerce, the Guardian has learned.

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On Thursday afternoon, the commerce department sent emails to employees saying their jobs would be cut off at the end of the day. Other government agencies have also seen huge staffing cuts in recent days.

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The firings specifically affected probationary employees, a categorization that applies to new hires or those moved or promoted into new positions, and which makes up roughly 10% of the agency’s workforce.

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“The majority of probationary employees in my office have been with the agency for 10+ years and just got new positions,” said one worker who still had their job, and who spoke to the Guardian under the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “If we lose them, we’re losing not just the world-class work they do day to day but also decades of expertise and institutional knowledge.”

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Another anonymous staffer called the laid-off workers “dedicated, hard-working civil servants who came to Noaa to help protect lives and keep our blue planet healthy”.

“,”elementId”:”793b7908-56d9-4fa0-afcb-b5250ad0310b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“These indiscriminate cuts are cruel and thoughtless,” the second worker said.

“,”elementId”:”615f455a-558b-43f8-bb10-79fa57b989a7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”‘Cruel and thoughtless’: Trump fires hundreds at US climate agency Noaa”,”elementId”:”5ac0b23a-0457-4847-b7a9-9336177c8f5a”,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/27/trump-noaa-cuts-climate”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1740704464000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”20.01 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1740704850000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”20.07 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1740704508000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”20.01 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”20.01″,”title”:”Trump fires hundreds at US climate agency Noaa”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 27 Feb 2025 21.31 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 27 Feb 2025 04.43 EST”},{“id”:”67c1002e8f08824e5d8ca98e”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The US justice department has released additional files related to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“,”elementId”:”076c3956-a695-4f1d-a779-546b5f4a8e06″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The justice department gave a statement on Thursday evening, saying the release largely contained documents that had been “previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the US government”.

“,”elementId”:”2b18e605-a8d7-4505-b1df-633b6fd03879″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,” said the US attorney general, Pam Bondi.

“,”elementId”:”05dbb59b-4a82-427e-9c6a-f1fc8b66997b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In recent weeks, Bondi had indicated that the justice department would release files related to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

“,”elementId”:”a804fe1a-ab90-4194-84b4-b0348695b82e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement”,”prefix”:”Related: “,”text”:”Jeffrey Epstein: more files released related to late sex offender and financier”,”elementId”:”44393fc1-1b99-461b-82b8-aae3d9d1e062″,”role”:”thumbnail”,”url”:”https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/27/jeffrey-epstein-files-released”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1740701742000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”19.15 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1740703947000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”19.52 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1740702061000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”19.21 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”19.21″,”title”:”Jeffrey Epstein: more files released related to late sex offender and financier”,”contributors”:[{“name”:”Anna Betts”}],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 27 Feb 2025 21.31 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 27 Feb 2025 04.43 EST”},{“id”:”67c0fc7d8f08824e5d8ca973″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

That’s all from me, Coral Murphy Marcos. I’ll be handing the blog over to my colleague Maanvi Singh. Here’s where things stand:

“,”elementId”:”c8dfc54a-914a-4349-9a96-cd5f94e48be5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

n
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  A federal judge in California has ruled that the office of personnel management must rescind memos directing agencies to carry out mass terminations of probationary employees, stating that the agency exceeded its legal authority. OPM is also required to inform other federal agencies that it had no power to issue such a directive.

n

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  The Donald Trump administration has taken down the online application form for several popular student debt repayment plans, causing confusion among borrowers and likely creating complications for millions of Americans with outstanding loans.

n

• n

  The Social Security Administration is expected to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, the Associated Press reported. The workforce reduction could be as high as 50%, according to a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Those seeking payment plans are unable to access the applications for income-driven repayment plans (IDRs), which cap what borrowers must pay each month at a percent of their earnings, as well as the online application to consolidate their loans on the US Department of Education website.

n

• n

  Donald Trump suggested Vladimir Putin can be trusted in the peace talks with Ukraine because “we had to go through the Russian hoax together”. “I’ve known him for a long time now, and I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word,” Trump said during his Oval Office meeting with Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister. For more updates from Trump’s press conference with Starmer, follow the UK politics live blog.

n

• n

  Trump announced he would move forward with imposing 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada next week, after he initially delayed that policy by one month. In a post on Truth Social, Trump blamed Mexico and Canada for allowing illegal drugs to flow into the US, writing: “We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled.”

n

• n

  The top Democrat on the Senate finance committee warned that Trump’s tariffs threats are “driving the US economy straight into a wall”. “Slapping tariffs on everything Americans buy from Canada, Mexico, and China will mean higher prices on groceries, gas and cars, with fewer jobs and lower pay when our closest trading partners respond to Trump’s trade war by buying fewer American products,” senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat of Oregon, said in a statement.

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• n

  Democrats on the Senate foreign relations committee slammed the Trump administration over a decision to eliminate as much as 90% of USAid’s foreign aid contracts. “It is clear that the Trump Administration’s foreign assistance ‘review’ was not a serious effort or attempt at reform but rather a pretext to dismantle decades of US investment that makes America safer, stronger and more prosperous,” the Democrats said in a joint statement.

n

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A federal judge in California has ruled that the Office of Personnel Management must rescind memos directing agencies to carry out mass terminations of probationary employees, stating that the agency exceeded its legal authority.

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OPM is also required to inform other federal agencies that it had no power to issue such a directive.

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While the ruling does not prevent individual agencies from terminating probationary employees at their discretion, the judge emphasized that OPM cannot mandate such actions.

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Five former secretaries of defense are urging Congress to hold immediate hearings on Donald Trump’s recent firings of the chair of the joint chiefs of staff and other senior military leaders, the Associated Press reported.

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The bipartisan group, which served under both Republican and Democratic administrations over the past three decades, described the dismissals as deeply concerning. They warned that the moves raised “troubling questions about the administration’s desire to politicize the military” and stripped away legal checks on the president’s authority.

“,”elementId”:”faff81dc-8fd8-4cf2-93d4-a4501aa6e23e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Late last week, Trump dismissed the air force general CQ Brown Jr as chair of the joint chiefs. Shortly after, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, removed admiral Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations; the general Jim Slife, vice-chief of the air force; and the judge advocates general for the military branches.

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Several Republican senators have raised concerns over the Trump administration’s freeze on foreign aid and cuts to USAid, joining Democratic lawmakers, the Washington Post reported.

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GOP senators Lindsey Graham, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, the chair of the Senate appropriations committee, joined their Democratic colleagues in writing a letter earlier this month to the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, arguing that the state department has failed to comply with legal requirements to notify and consult Congress during the process.

“,”elementId”:”3373dbb6-bed4-495d-aa6f-65f86b6eced7″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Although they acknowledged the secretary of state’s authority to review federal programs and eliminate waste, lawmakers are concerned that neither Rubio nor the state department had followed legal requirements to notify and consult with Congress while slashing USAid funding and canceling aid programs.

“,”elementId”:”c634c569-b9ef-4516-8ca4-1a445690e793″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1740695142000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”17.25 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1740697269000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”18.01 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1740695246000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.27 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.27″,”title”:”Republican senators raise concerns over Trump’s freeze on foreign aid and cuts to USAid”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thu 27 Feb 2025 21.31 EST”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Thu 27 Feb 2025 04.43 EST”},{“id”:”67c0e2628f08824e5d8ca89f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Donald Trump administration has taken down the online application form for several popular student debt repayment plans, causing confusion among borrowers and likely creating complications for millions of Americans with outstanding loans.

“,”elementId”:”5fa293d0-4262-408e-b50e-ce521ea8293e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Those seeking payment plans are unable to access the applications for income-driven repayment plans (IDRs), which cap what borrowers must pay each month at a percent of their earnings, as well as the online application to consolidate their loans on the US Department of Education website.

“,”elementId”:”ebe62965-397d-4152-a8bc-f701931bb60b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The quiet removal came after a federal appeals court decision earlier this week that continued a pause on Joe Biden’s Save program, an income-driven plan for loan forgiveness that would have forgiven debts after as few as 10 years of payments.

“,”elementId”:”9a0a26ab-7635-421f-be4e-6d484aadc571″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Biden’s Save program has been on hold since last summer after a group of Republican state attorneys general brought forward a lawsuit against the forgiveness features. As a result, about 8 million borrowers who enrolled in Save before it was halted currently have their loans in limbo as the litigation is ongoing.

“,”elementId”:”15433e79-9da4-4883-b4dd-956259ddbb78″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

It is currently unclear how borrowers who were already enrolled in income-driven plans are supposed to submit their annual paperwork to certify their incomes. It is also uncertain when or if the payment plan applications will be back up on the website.

“,”elementId”:”3e960e7b-b3ef-4862-a33b-f9f73d209721″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The continued setbacks on the path towards student loan forgiveness have caused concern among those with debt, and loan-forgiveness activists. Critics also point out that removing payment plan options was not a part of the previous litigation.

“,”elementId”:”b287d078-7747-44a2-9151-892e5b2555a4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Read Marina Dunbar’s full report:

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The Social Security Administration is expected to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, the Associated Press reported.

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The workforce reduction could be as high as 50%, according to a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

n It’s unclear how the layoffs will directly impact benefits of the 72.5 million Social Security beneficiaries, which include retirees and children who receive retirement and disability benefits.

“,”elementId”:”28e295eb-b363-46db-8757-e2ad104031e9″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Advocates and Democratic lawmakers warn that layoffs will reduce the agency’s ability to serve recipients in a timely manner.

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Here’s where the day stands so far:

“,”elementId”:”c33e6b59-3bcf-4a7a-9383-b27c9d9e233b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

n
• n

  Donald Trump suggested Vladimir Putin can be trusted in the peace talks with Ukraine because “we had to go through the Russian hoax together”. “I’ve known him for a long time now, and I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word,” Trump said during his Oval Office meeting with Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister. For more updates from Trump’s press conference with Starmer, follow the UK politics live blog.

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• n

  Trump announced he would move forward with imposing 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada next week, after he initially delayed that policy by one month. In a post on Truth Social, Trump blamed Mexico and Canada for allowing illegal drugs to flow into the US, writing: “We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled.”

n

• n

  The top Democrat on the Senate finance committee warned that Trump’s tariffs threats are “driving the US economy straight into a wall”. “Slapping tariffs on everything Americans buy from Canada, Mexico, and China will mean higher prices on groceries, gas and cars, with fewer jobs and lower pay when our closest trading partners respond to Trump’s trade war by buying fewer American products,” senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat of Oregon, said in a statement.

n

• n

  Democrats on the Senate foreign relations committee slammed the Trump administration over a decision to eliminate as much as 90% of USAid’s foreign aid contracts. “It is clear that the Trump Administration’s foreign assistance ‘review’ was not a serious effort or attempt at reform but rather a pretext to dismantle decades of US investment that makes America safer, stronger and more prosperous,” the Democrats said in a joint statement.

n

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The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.

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Donald Trump made some eyebrow-raising comments about Russia during his Oval Office meeting with Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, just a few moments ago.

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Trump suggested that Vladimir Putin could be trusted to follow through on the terms of any peace agreement signed with Ukraine, saying he expected the Russian leader to “keep his word”.

“,”elementId”:”4e68402a-6633-44c2-b2ae-9765f943b751″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I’ve spoken to him. I’ve known him for a long time now,” Trump said.

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“You know we had to go through the Russian hoax together [the claim that Russia colluded with Trump to rig the 2016 election]. That was not a good thing …

“,”elementId”:”b74fcd32-7dfc-4c0c-b24b-4a223996aaf4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I’ve known him for a long time now, and I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word.”

“,”elementId”:”14c550f9-ca1a-43cf-8e9d-af3f749f1212″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

For more updates and analysis from Trump’s press conference with Starmer, which is expected to get underway soon, follow the Guardian’s UK politics live blog:

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The Guardian’s Maya Yang is at New York’s Barnard University, where students wearing keffiyehs in solidarity with Palestine are gathered outside on the campus, chanting a series of anti-war slogans amid a heavy New York police department (NYPD) presence.

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“Free, free Palestine!” the students chant as well as some hold up handwritten signs that read: “No more Zionist occupation”‘and “Amnesty now.”

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Around 100 or so students appear gathered outside the gated campus of Barnard, where only students and faculty with ID cards are allowed in.

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Around eight student counter-protestors have gathered across from the Barnard and Columbia students protesting against Israel’s war on Gaza.

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One student, with a shirt that says “Fuck Hamas, I stand with Israel” started playing Israeli music with others waving an Israeli and an IDF flag. Another student wore a white hoodie with the words: “Columbia University students supporting Israel.”

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Since Hamas’s 7 October attacks which killed 1,200 Israelis and took over 200 survivors hostage, Israeli forces have waged a deadly war on Gaza, killing over 48,000 Palestinians while forcibly displacing nearly 2 million survivors amid severe shortages in food, fuel and medical supplies due to Israeli aid restrictions.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is at the White House on a major mission to try to persuade Trump to provide security guarantee for European peacekeepers in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.

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Our UK live blog will cover every twist and turn of the meeting. Follow along here.

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Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat of Oregon and the ranking member of the Senate finance committee, excoriated Donald Trump over his announcement that he would move forward with his planned tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada.

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“Trump is driving the U.S. economy straight into a wall and expecting American families to serve as human crash test dummies,” Wyden said in a statement.

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“Slapping tariffs on everything Americans buy from Canada, Mexico, and China will mean higher prices on groceries, gas and cars, with fewer jobs and lower pay when our closest trading partners respond to Trump’s trade war by buying fewer American products.”

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Wyden described Trump’s expected tariffs as a betrayal of the voters who carried him to the White House, predicting that the policy would have a chilling effect on all US alliances.

n “Anyone who voted for Donald Trump because they wanted lower prices and a fairer economy has a right to feel betrayed by his economic sabotage,” Wyden said. “And it is hard to see why any foreign leader would make a deal with someone who changes his mind daily and can’t stick to agreements from month to month.”

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Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations committee have slammed the Trump administration over a decision to eliminate as much as 90% of USAid’s foreign aid contracts and $60bn in overall US assistance around the world.

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“It is clear that the Trump Administration’s foreign assistance ‘review’ was not a serious effort or attempt at reform but rather a pretext to dismantle decades of U.S. investment that makes America safer, stronger and more prosperous,” the Democrats said in a joint statement, that included ranking member, New Hampshire senator Jeanne Shaheen.

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The Democrats accused secretary of state, Marco Rubio, of failing to conduct a “program-by-program review of the more than 9,000 awards” or to consider the national security implications of slashing these efforts. They called for Rubio to come before the committee and defend the decision.

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“Ending programs first and asking questions later only jeopardizes millions of lives and creates a power vacuum for our adversaries like China and Russia to fill,” they said, noting that the cuts would not only be felt abroad but also by Americans at home.

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“The impact will be felt by American farmers who will no longer get top dollar for their crops to feed the hungry, churches who will no longer have the support of the US government in their missions, American families who fall sick when diseases like Zika, Ebola and Malaria once again reach our shores and US biotech companies who will no longer sell their drugs to treat the vulnerable overseas.”

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Donald Trump said his administration would move forward with imposing tariffs on Mexico and Canada next week, a policy that could cause prices to rise in the US.

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In a post on Truth Social, Trump blamed Mexico and Canada for allowing illegal drugs to flow into the US and confirmed that the delayed tariffs would go into effect next Tuesday.

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“We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

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He added, “China will likewise be charged an additional 10% Tariff on that date. The April Second Reciprocal Tariff date will remain in full force and effect.”

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Trump had previously called for imposing 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, but he delayed the policy by one month after speaking to the leaders of the two nations.

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As the AP reports: “The prospect of escalating tariffs has already thrown the global economy into turmoil — with consumers expressing fears about inflation worsening and the auto sector possibly suffering if America’s two largest trading partners in Canada and Mexico are slapped with taxes.”

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Donald Trump will decide on tariff policies after a study comes out on 1 April, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told CNBC in an interview on Thursday, Reuters reports.

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Voters in Canada’s most populous province head to the polls on Thursday to elect a new premier who may have to face the task of preserving Ontario’s economy in the face of punishing US trade tariffs.

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Doug Ford, the Progressive Conservative party leader who has been the province’s premier since 2018, called the snap election last month, arguing that he needs a “strong mandate” to steer the province through any trade war with the US.

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Ford’s opponents have argued the vote is a cynical move to distract attention from an ongoing criminal probe into how his government handled a now-rescinded plan to develop on protected lands.

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Lydia Miljan, a political science professor at the University of Windsor in Ontario, said Ford had likely already been planning an election for several months.

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Read the full report here:

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incidents encapsulate Trump’s transactional and corrupt approach to governing – and the ways wealthy autocrats including Prince Mohammed will be able to exploit the president.’”,”caption”:”‘These incidents encapsulate Trump’s transactional and corrupt approach to governing – and the ways wealthy autocrats including Prince Mohammed will be able to exploit the president.’”,”credit”:”Photograph: Cristóbal Herrera/EPA”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In his first month in office, Donald Trump destroyed federal agencies, fired thousands of government workers and unleashed dozens of executive orders. The US president also found time to try to broker an agreement between two rival golf tournaments, the US-based PGA Tour and the LIV Golf league, funded by Saudi Arabia.

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If concluded, the deal would directly benefit Trump’s family business, which owns and manages golf courses around the world. And it would be the latest example of Trump using the presidency to advance his personal interests.

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On 20 February, Trump hosted a meeting at the White House between Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner, and Yasir al-Rumayyan, chair of LIV Golf and head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, along with the golf star Tiger Woods. It was the second meeting convened by Trump at the White House this month with PGA Tour officials involved in negotiating with the Saudi wealth fund.

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A day before his latest attempt at high-level golf diplomacy, Trump travelled to Miami to speak at a conference organized by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which is managed by Al-Rumayyan but ultimately controlled by the kingdom’s de facto ruler and crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

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Trump’s sports diplomacy in the Oval Office and cozying up to Saudi investors in Miami did not get much attention compared with his whirlwind of executive orders and new policies. But these incidents encapsulate Trump’s transactional and corrupt approach to governing – and the ways that wealthy autocrats including Prince Mohammed will be able to exploit the US president. While Trump will often boast he is making good deals for the US, his relationship with Saudi Arabia and its crown prince is largely built on benefits for Trump’s family and its extensive business interests.

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You can read the full report here:

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Vladimir Putin told the FSB security service on Thursday that initial contacts with the administration of Donald Trump gave grounds for hope, Reuters is reporting.

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The Russian president said in televised comments that Russia and the United States were ready to establish cooperation but some Western elites would seek to undermine the dialogue between them.

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As Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk work zealously to slash tens of billions in federal spending by axing thousands of jobs and gutting some government agencies, Musk faces mounting claims he has conflicts of interest and no oversight, legal and ethics experts say.

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Trump’s largest campaign donor and the world’s wealthiest man, Musk was tapped by the president to lead the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) in a radical and opaque cost-cutting drive that allows him to keep control of SpaceX, Tesla and other huge companies with billions of dollars in federal contracts.

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Critics note that Doge, which Musk touted broadly to Trump in August as he was writing seven figure checks to help him win, is gutting agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which has investigated complaints about the car company’s debt collection and loan policies.

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Meanwhile, Tesla, SpaceX and other Musk businesses have been investigated or fined by about a dozen regulatory agencies including the CFPB, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration, which suggest how Doge’s work at these agencies and others could benefit Musk financially, say critics.

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Read the full report here:

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Trump at the White House earlier this week.”,”caption”:”Donald Trump at the White House earlier this week.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Al Drago/EPA”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Republicans on Capitol Hill are shying away from criticising Donald Trump’s policies over fears for their physical safety and that of their families, a Democratic member of Congress has said.

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Eric Swalwell, a Democratic representative from California, said his Republican colleagues were “terrified” of crossing Trump not only because of the negative impact on their political careers, but also from anxiety that it might provoke physical threats that could cause personal upheaval and require them to hire round-the-clock security as protection.

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Swalwell’s comments came in a webinar chaired by the journalist Sidney Blumenthal in response to a question on whether Republicans might be driven to rebel against or even impeach Trump.

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“I have a lot of friends who are Republicans,” he said. “They are terrified of being the tallest poppy in the field, and it’s not as simple as being afraid of being primaried and losing their job. They know that that can happen.

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“It’s more more personal. It’s their personal safety that they’re afraid of, and they have spouses and family members saying, ‘Do not do this, it’s not worth it, it will change our lives forever. We will have to hire around-the-clock security.’ Life can be very uncomfortable for your children.

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“That is real, because when [Elon] Musk [Trump’s most powerful ally] tweets at somebody, or Trump tweets at somebody, or calls somebody out, their lives are turned upside down.

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You can read the full report here:

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UK prime minister Keir Starmer is in Washington where later today where he will have his first meeting with President Trump since the inauguration.

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With Trump aligning with Moscow even more explicitly than he did during his first administration, and threatening to wind down the Nato guarantees that have underpinned the security of western Europe since the second world war, the stakes could not be higher.

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Starmer, despite leading a party whose activists mostly loathe Trump and everything he represents, has managed to establish a warm relationship with the president and today will give some clues as to what extent he can sustain that, and protect the UK from the tariff warfare that Trump is threatening to unleash on the EU.

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But Starmer is one of three European leaders in Washington this week (Emmanuel Macron was there on Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is there tomorrow) and today’s meeting is also part of a wider story about the fracturing of the US/Europe alliance. It is definitely in trouble; but what is not yet clear is whether after four years of Trump it will still be functioning effectively.

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Starmer spoke to reporters on his flight to the US on Wednesday. Pippa Crerar, the Guardian’s UK political editor, was on the plane and, as she reports, Starmer said he wants Trump to agree that, in the event of a peace settlement in Ukraine, the US will offer security guarantees that will make it durable. He has already said that Britain would contribute troops to a European so-called “tripwire” peace-keeping force, there to defend Ukraine and deter Russia. But European soldiers would need US air and logistical support to be effective, and Starmer is looking for assurances on this topic.

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You can follow all the latest from Starmer’s DC visit in our dedicated live blog:

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Welcome to the Guardian’s rolling coverage of US politics and the second Donald Trump administration. Here are the headlines …

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  Thousands of US Agency for International Development (USAid) workers who have been fired or placed on leave as part of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the agency are being given a brief window Thursday and Friday to clear out their workspaces.

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  The Trump administration said it is eliminating more than 90% of USAid contracts and $60bn in overall US assistance around the world. The supreme court hasbriefly paused a lower court’s ruling ordering the administration to pay for $1.5bn of work already carried out.

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  Trump used the first full cabinet meeting of his second term to emphasize his administration’s focus on drastically reducing the size of the federal government, and signed an executive order expanding the power of Elon Musk’s Doge “agency”.

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  Trump may be pursuing a mineral rights deal with Vladimir Putin and Russia as well as with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukraine, a top Senate Democrat has warned.

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  Transgender service members will be separated from the US military unless they receive an exemption, according to a Pentagon memo filed in court on Wednesday.

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  UK prime minister Keir Starmer is due to visit the White House to discuss Trump’s efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine directly with Russia.

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  Diplomats from Russia and the US will meet in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss the operation of their respective embassies in Moscow and Washington.

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The US supreme court has backed the Trump administration in an action over payments due by the US Agency for International Development (USAid), with chief justice John Roberts issuing an “administrative stay” that means the $1.5bn worth of payments can still be delayed.

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Donald Trump had ordered the payments to be stopped, but a federal judge had set a deadline for the agencies to release funds for work already carried out. Roberts responded to an emergency appeal by the administration by allowing the payments freeze to continue.

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Workers at the agency have described Trump’s proposed cuts as a “catastrophic blow” which will lead to “shuttering life-saving and important programs forever.”

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Associated Press reports that after USAid placed 4,080 staffers who work across the globe on leave Monday some have been told they are being given a brief window Thursday and Friday to clear out their workspaces. Each worker is being given just 15 minutes at their former workstation.

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Virginia Democratic Rep Gerald Connolly said in a statement that the attack on USAid employees was “unwarranted and unprecedented”.

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Key events

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This live coverage is ending now, thanks for following along.

Here are today’s key developments:

• The Trump administration fired hundreds of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), the US’s pre-eminent climate research agency housed within the Department of Commerce, the Guardian learned. On Thursday afternoon, the commerce department sent emails to employees saying their jobs would be cut off at the end of the day. Other government agencies have also seen huge staffing cuts in recent days.

• A federal judge in California has ruled that the office of personnel management must rescind memos directing agencies to carry out mass terminations of probationary employees, stating that the agency exceeded its legal authority. OPM is also required to inform other federal agencies that it had no power to issue such a directive.

• The Donald Trump administration has taken down the online application form for several popular student debt repayment plans, causing confusion among borrowers and likely creating complications for millions of Americans with outstanding loans.

• The Social Security Administration is expected to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, the Associated Press reported. The workforce reduction could be as high as 50%, according to a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Those seeking payment plans are unable to access the applications for income-driven repayment plans (IDRs), which cap what borrowers must pay each month at a percent of their earnings, as well as the online application to consolidate their loans on the US Department of Education website.

• Donald Trump suggested Vladimir Putin can be trusted in the peace talks with Ukraine because “we had to go through the Russian hoax together”. “I’ve known him for a long time now, and I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word,” Trump said during his Oval Office meeting with Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister. For more updates from Trump’s press conference with Starmer, follow the UK politics live blog.

• Trump announced he would move forward with imposing 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada next week, after he initially delayed that policy by one month. In a post on Truth Social, Trump blamed Mexico and Canada for allowing illegal drugs to flow into the US, writing: “We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled.”

• The top Democrat on the Senate finance committee warned that Trump’s tariffs threats are “driving the US economy straight into a wall”. “Slapping tariffs on everything Americans buy from Canada, Mexico, and China will mean higher prices on groceries, gas and cars, with fewer jobs and lower pay when our closest trading partners respond to Trump’s trade war by buying fewer American products,” senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat of Oregon, said in a statement.

• Democrats on the Senate foreign relations committee slammed the Trump administration over a decision to eliminate as much as 90% of USAid’s foreign aid contracts. “It is clear that the Trump Administration’s foreign assistance ‘review’ was not a serious effort or attempt at reform but rather a pretext to dismantle decades of US investment that makes America safer, stronger and more prosperous,” the Democrats said in a joint statement.

• The US justice department released additional files related to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The justice department gave a statement on Thursday evening, saying the release largely contained documents that had been “previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the US government”.

• Refugee aid groups said in a federal court filing Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be trying to circumvent a ruling this week that blocked his efforts to suspend the nation’s refugee admissions program, the Associated Press reports.

• US Postal Service employees should ignore rumors and reports that Trump could unilaterally seize control of the agency, Post Office Operator General Louis DeJoy said in a video seen by Reuters on Thursday.

• Iowa lawmakers became the first in the nation to approve legislation removing gender identity protections from the state’s civil rights code Thursday, despite massive protests by opponents who say it could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life.

Iowa lawmakers approve legislation removing gender identity protections

Iowa lawmakers became the first in the nation to approve legislation removing gender identity protections from the state’s civil rights code Thursday, despite massive protests by opponents who say it could expose transgender people to discrimination in numerous areas of life.

The measure raced through the legislative process after first being introduced last week. The state Senate was first to approve the bill on Thursday, on party lines, followed by the House less than an hour later. Five House Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it.

The bill would remove gender identity as a protected class from the state’s civil rights law and explicitly define female and male, as well as gender, which would be considered a synonym for sex and “shall not be considered a synonym or shorthand expression for gender identity, experienced gender, gender expression, or gender role.”

The measure would be the first legislative action in the US to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, said Logan Casey, director of policy research at the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights thinktank.

The bill now goes to Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, who signed earlier policies banning sports participation and public bathroom access for transgender students. A spokesperson for Reynolds declined to tell the Associated Press whether she would sign the bill. If she does, it will go into effect on 1 July.

Delegates from across the world have cheered a last-gasp deal to map out funding to protect nature, breaking a deadlock at UN talks seen as a test for international cooperation in the face of geopolitical tensions.

Rich and developing countries on Thursday hammered out a delicate compromise on raising and delivering the billions of dollars needed to protect species, overcoming stark divisions that had scuttled their previous Cop16 meeting in Cali, Colombia last year.

The Cop16 agreement on Thursday is seen as crucial to giving impetus to that deal. The talks were also seen as a bellwether for international cooperation more generally.

The meeting comes as countries face a range of challenges, from trade disputes and debt worries to the slashing of overseas aid – particularly by the Trump administration.

Washington, which has not signed up to the UN’s convention on biological diversity, did not send representatives to the meeting.

US postal chief says employss should ignore reports Trump could seize control of agency

US Postal Service employees should ignore rumors and reports that President Donald Trump could unilaterally seize control of the agency, Post Office Operator General Louis DeJoy said in a video seen by Reuters on Thursday.

DeJoy told the Postal Service’s 640,000 employees that the agency was created by a federal law.

“Laws can be changed – the president and the members of Congress and designated officials work together to decide whether any change is required in the structure of our organization within the federal government,” DeJoy said.

“I’m asking you to stay focused on the job at hand. Don’t get distracted by news articles or speculation or rumors.”

On Friday, Trump said he was considering merging the Postal Service with the US Commerce Department, a move Democrats said would violate federal law. Trump has mused publicly about privatising the Postal Service.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News this week the Postal Service could help shrink costs at the Commerce Department by providing workers to conduct the US census, which takes place every 10 years and costs around $40bn, and handle tasks performed by 20,000 Social Security employees.

Negotiations between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire began Thursday, Egypt says, averting a collapse ahead of Saturday’s expiration of the agreement’s first phase.

US President Donald Trump’s Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff, was expected in the region in the coming days.

Officials from Israel, Qatar and the United States started “intensive discussions” on the ceasefire’s second phase in Cairo, Egypt’s state information service said.

“The mediators are also discussing ways to enhance the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, as part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population and support stability in the region,” its statement said.

Phase 2 talks are meant to negotiate an end to the war, including the return of all remaining hostages in Gaza who are alive, and the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from the territory. Return of remaining deceased hostages would happen in phase 3.

Refugee aid groups say Trump administration trying to circumvent court ruling

Refugee aid groups said in a federal court filing Thursday that President Donald Trump’s administration appears to be trying to circumvent a ruling this week that blocked his efforts to suspend the nation’s refugee admissions program, the Associated Press reports.

US District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle had determined on Tuesday that while the president has broad authority over who comes into the country, he cannot nullify the law passed by Congress establishing the US Refugee Admissions Program.

Whitehead, a 2023 appointee of former President Joe Biden, said Trump’s actions amounted to an “effective nullification of congressional will,” and from the bench, he granted the aid groups’ request for a preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s executive order suspending the refugee resettlement program. He promised a written ruling in the next few days.

But Wednesday, aid groups, including Church World Service and the Jewish refugee resettlement organization HIAS, received notifications that their “cooperative agreements” with the state department had been canceled.

The groups on Thursday asked Whitehead for an emergency hearing to discuss the impact of the termination notices, or to make clear that his ruling also applies to those newly issued notices. The groups called the administration’s actions a “flagrant attempt” to evade the court’s ruling.

“Defendants are continuing to implement their defunding of the USRAP, and an emergency hearing is necessary to ensure that Defendants are not permitted to evade this Court’s bench ruling and the forthcoming written order with antics designed to confuse the state of play,” the motion said.

Whitehead set a hearing for Monday.

More on the firings at the US climate agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa).

“This will cost American lives,” said the congresswoman and ranking member of the House science, space and technology committee, Zoe Lofgren, in a written statement. Her comments were issued alongside Congressman Gabe Amo’s, the ranking member of the subcommittee on environment, after news of the firings broke.

“By firing essential staff who work tirelessly on behalf of the American people, President Trump and Elon Musk are playing politics with our national security and public safety,” Amo said. “Leaving Noaa understaffed will inevitably lead to additional chaos and confusion – I call on them to rehire these public servants immediately before preventable tragedy strikes.”

Following that news of hundreds being fired at Noaa, it is worth noting that Project 2025 outlines plans to “break up” the agency.

According to the document, a conservative blueprint released by a rightwing thinktank called the Heritage Foundation, suggested that a new administration should:

“Break Up NOAA,” and, “Ensure Appointees Agree with Administration Aims.”

Its justification for this was, in part, that, “Scientific agencies like NOAA are vulnerable to obstructionism of an Administration’s aims if political appointees are not wholly in sync with Administration policy. Particular attention must be paid to appointments in this area.”

This is Helen Sullivan taking over the Guardian’s live US politics coverage.

Trump fires hundreds at US climate agency Noaa

The Guardian’s Dharna Noor and Gabrielle Canon report:

The Trump administration has fired hundreds of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), the US’s pre-eminent climate research agency housed within the Department of Commerce, the Guardian has learned.

On Thursday afternoon, the commerce department sent emails to employees saying their jobs would be cut off at the end of the day. Other government agencies have also seen huge staffing cuts in recent days.

The firings specifically affected probationary employees, a categorization that applies to new hires or those moved or promoted into new positions, and which makes up roughly 10% of the agency’s workforce.

“The majority of probationary employees in my office have been with the agency for 10+ years and just got new positions,” said one worker who still had their job, and who spoke to the Guardian under the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “If we lose them, we’re losing not just the world-class work they do day to day but also decades of expertise and institutional knowledge.”

Another anonymous staffer called the laid-off workers “dedicated, hard-working civil servants who came to Noaa to help protect lives and keep our blue planet healthy”.

“These indiscriminate cuts are cruel and thoughtless,” the second worker said.

Jeffrey Epstein: more files released related to late sex offender and financier

Anna Betts

The US justice department has released additional files related to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The justice department gave a statement on Thursday evening, saying the release largely contained documents that had been “previously leaked but never released in a formal capacity by the US government”.

“This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,” said the US attorney general, Pam Bondi.

In recent weeks, Bondi had indicated that the justice department would release files related to Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.

Today so far

That’s all from me, Coral Murphy Marcos. I’ll be handing the blog over to my colleague Maanvi Singh. Here’s where things stand:

• A federal judge in California has ruled that the office of personnel management must rescind memos directing agencies to carry out mass terminations of probationary employees, stating that the agency exceeded its legal authority. OPM is also required to inform other federal agencies that it had no power to issue such a directive.

• The Donald Trump administration has taken down the online application form for several popular student debt repayment plans, causing confusion among borrowers and likely creating complications for millions of Americans with outstanding loans.

• The Social Security Administration is expected to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, the Associated Press reported. The workforce reduction could be as high as 50%, according to a person who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Those seeking payment plans are unable to access the applications for income-driven repayment plans (IDRs), which cap what borrowers must pay each month at a percent of their earnings, as well as the online application to consolidate their loans on the US Department of Education website.

• Donald Trump suggested Vladimir Putin can be trusted in the peace talks with Ukraine because “we had to go through the Russian hoax together”. “I’ve known him for a long time now, and I don’t believe he’s going to violate his word,” Trump said during his Oval Office meeting with Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister. For more updates from Trump’s press conference with Starmer, follow the UK politics live blog.

• Trump announced he would move forward with imposing 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada next week, after he initially delayed that policy by one month. In a post on Truth Social, Trump blamed Mexico and Canada for allowing illegal drugs to flow into the US, writing: “We cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the USA, and therefore, until it stops, or is seriously limited, the proposed TARIFFS scheduled to go into effect on MARCH FOURTH will, indeed, go into effect, as scheduled.”

• The top Democrat on the Senate finance committee warned that Trump’s tariffs threats are “driving the US economy straight into a wall”. “Slapping tariffs on everything Americans buy from Canada, Mexico, and China will mean higher prices on groceries, gas and cars, with fewer jobs and lower pay when our closest trading partners respond to Trump’s trade war by buying fewer American products,” senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat of Oregon, said in a statement.

• Democrats on the Senate foreign relations committee slammed the Trump administration over a decision to eliminate as much as 90% of USAid’s foreign aid contracts. “It is clear that the Trump Administration’s foreign assistance ‘review’ was not a serious effort or attempt at reform but rather a pretext to dismantle decades of US investment that makes America safer, stronger and more prosperous,” the Democrats said in a joint statement.

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