Judge denies temporary restraining order that would have prevented destruction of USAID documents
Judge Carl Nichols today denied a temporary restraining order that would have stopped USAID from destroying vital documents. Nichols says, in his order, the documents that were being destroyed were either old, or existed somewhere else.
“USAID is only destroying duplicated, aged documents that are preserved either by other agencies or in an electronic format, in a manner that USAID represents is consistent with the Federal Records Act,” Nichols writes, citing a declaration from a USAID official. “Permitting that process to continue will not harm the PSCA or the public, but interfering with it could hinder the agency’s decommissioning process.”
USAID’s acting executive secretary, Erica Carr, earlier this week ordered staff to shred or burn classified and personnel documents remaining in USAID’s offices in the Ronald Reagan building.
Another group of plaintiffs who are already in USAID-related litigation also asked for a temporary restraining order to prevent the destruction of pertinent records. But those plaintiffs withdrew their motion yesterday, citing representations made by Carr.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is surprising a lot of Democrats with his move to vote for the Republican funding bill to avoid a looming government shutdown. Moderator of "Meet the Press" Kristen Welker joins "TODAY" to break down why he made this decision and the blowback from some in his own party.
Vance booed at the Kennedy Center last night
Vice President JD Vance was booed upon arriving at the Kennedy Center theater last night, according to a video captured and posted on X by a reporter from The Guardian.
"Shear Madness" was the only show on the theater's calendar last night.
Last month, Trump removed appointees from the center's board and installed allies, who elected him as chair.
Several events and shows at the Kennedy Center have since been canceled, including one that featured the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., and the National Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Broadway musical "Hamilton," which was set to come to the D.C. stage next year.
Newsmax reveals it agreed to pay Smartmatic $40M in settlement with the voting machine company
Newsmax agreed to pay Smartmatic $40 million as part of a settlement last year following the voting technology company’s election defamation lawsuit against the right-wing news outlet, according to a new regulatory filing.
The settlement, reached in September, included a cash payment and an option to purchase stock in Newsmax, the media company said in its filing. Newsmax said payments totaling $20 million have already been made, with the rest coming before July.
Judges order Trump to rehire thousands of fired federal workers
Two federal courts are ruling that the firings of probationary federal workers were improper and that tens of thousands of those employees must be immediately reinstated. The Trump administration is calling the ruling absurd and unconstitutional and is vowing to fight back. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for "TODAY."
Schumer says he won’t block Republican funding bill amid Democratic divisions over shutdown strategy
WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., indicated yesterday he would vote to advance Republicans’ six-month funding bill that passed the House to avert a government shutdown tonight.
The move is a major concession from Schumer, yielding to the GOP measure just one day after he vowed that Democrats wouldn’t allow it to pass. It means the bill is likely to find enough votes to clear the 60-vote threshold and eventually pass with a simple majority, even as a growing number of Senate Democrats came out in opposition to it yesterday.
“There are no winners in a government shutdown,” Schumer said in a floor speech. “It’s not really a decision; it’s a Hobson’s choice: Either proceed with the bill before us or risk Donald Trump throwing America into the chaos of a shutdown.
Farmers face steep losses in the middle of Trump’s trade war and funding cuts
Jennifer Gilkerson never imagined that her West Virginia farm’s freeze-dried fruits would get caught up in political fights in Washington, D.C.
But last Friday, she learned that funding for a U.S. Agriculture Department program that helps schools and food banks buy products from local farmers like her had been cut. Without those federal dollars, Gilkerson no longer expect local schools to be able to buy her freeze-dried fruits, which she has already spent thousands of dollars preparing to produce.
“We’re just in such a state of shock. We just don’t really even know how to respond to all this. We thought that this was sacred and really untouchable. So it’s just quite a shock and very devastating,” Gilkerson said. “Everyone thinks all farmers voted for this, but we did not vote for this.”
From funding cuts to tariffs, farmers have found themselves caught in the middle of Trump’s escalation of trade wars and efforts to slash billions of dollars in spending, leaving a growing number now struggling to find markets for their products and facing the risk of steep losses for the year ahead.
Democrats name Republican districts where they plan to host town halls
Democratic campaign committees and state parties are partnering to host a series of town halls in Republican-held districts after congressional Republicans were advised against holding more town hall-style events in person following tense interactions that went viral.
The list of districts where Democrats plan to hold events includes several that are held by GOP lawmakers who are expected to have close House races next year: Rep. Juan Ciscomani in Arizona's 6th District, Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado's 8th District, Rep. Zach Nunn in Iowa's 3rd District, Rep. John James in Michigan's 10th District, Rep. Don Bacon in Nebraska's 2nd District, and Reps. Ryan Mackenzie and Rob Bresnahan in Pennsylvania's 7th and 8th districts, respectively.
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that Republican lawmakers are "terrified to be in the same room as the people who sent them to Washington."
"If they won’t talk to their own voters, then Democrats will. That’s why we’ll be hosting People’s Town Halls in all 50 states across the country, starting now with vulnerable GOP-held target districts. Working families deserve to have their voices heard, even if Republicans want to ignore them," Martin added.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Susan DelBene, D-Wash., said in a statement that congressional Republicans "are failing to do the most basic aspect of their jobs: meeting with the people they represent."
The move from Democrats, who have been on their heels since the start of the Trump administration, comes after several GOP lawmakers were confronted at town halls in their districts.
In one instance, videos showed attendees booing Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., after he defended Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. In another instance, Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, was confronted with chants of "Vote you out," at one of his town halls.
Republicans have accused Democrats of organizing protesters to attend Republican-led town halls and disrupting them.