Of all the lawsuits challenging President Trump’s vision to dramatically scale back the form and function of the federal government, the one now paused by a federal judge in California is poised to have the broadest effect yet.Credit...Haiyun Jiang for The New York TimesWhere Things Stand
Mass layoffs: A federal judge in California called for a two-week pause in the Trump administration’s mass layoff plans, barring two dozen agencies from moving forward with the largest phase of the president’s downsizing efforts, which the judge said was illegal without Congress’s authorization. Read more ›
Immigration: A top aide to President Trump, Stephen Miller, told reporters that the administration was considering whether to suspend the right of migrants to challenge their detentions in court. “The Constitution is clear,” he said outside the White House, arguing that the right, known as a writ of habeas corpus, “could be suspended in time of invasion.” Read more ›
Safety board firings: Mr. Trump has moved to fire three Democratic members of the agency that monitors the safety of products like cribs, toys and electronics. The members of the agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, assert that their removals are illegal, and similar firings at independent agencies established by Congress are being fought in the courts. Read more ›
Trade war: Ahead of trade talks with China this weekend, Mr. Trump said he was open to lowering his tariffs on goods from China to 80 percent, from 145 percent. He also told reporters he would not be disappointed if a deal is not reached right away, arguing that not doing business is also a good deal for the United States. Read more ›