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ABC News

Trump admin updates: White House asks court to stay order to ground deportation flights

PHOTO: Alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua who were deported by the U.S. government, are detained at the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador in a photo obtained Mar. 16, 2025.
4:07
Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia via Reuters
Trump, at Justice Department, decries 'weaponization' after prosecutions dismissed
By Kevin Shalvey, Alexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, William Mansell
Last Updated: March 15, 2025, 12:50 AM

The White House has asked a federal circuit court to stay a district court's temporary restraining orderthat blocked President Donald Trump from using the Alien Enemies act to deport noncitizens, including alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Meanwhile, the fallout over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats voting with Republicans to avert a government shutdown continued, with some in Schumer's party calling for new leadership while others defended him, but said the party needed to use new tactics and new messaging.

And Trump signed an executive order on Saturday that rescinded 19 executive actions issued by former President Joe Biden's administration on gender, labor policies and industry regulations, bringing the number of Biden's actions reversed by Trump to nearly 100.

Latest headlines:

  • White House asks court to stay temporary block on deportation flights
  • Did Venezuelans’ deportation flights violate a judge’s order
  • Democrats reject questions about new leadership
  • Bessent says he can’t guarantee there will be no recession
  • Judge blocks Trump from deporting citizens using Alien Enemies Act
Here's how the news is developing:

Mar 15, 2025 12:50 AM

GSA probationary workers temporarily reinstated -- then placed on leave

Some probationary federal workers at the General Services Administration who had been terminated received notices on Friday that their employment had been temporarily reinstated and that they were being placed on administrative leave, according to sources familiar with the matter.

In an email sent Friday afternoon, terminated probationary GSA employees were told that they would be reinstated effective March 17 through "at least March 27" and that their "accrued leave and benefits will be reinstated," according to multiple emails obtained by ABC News.

The email states that the temporary reinstatement was issued to comply with a March 13 temporary restraining order from U.S. District Judge James Bredar in a lawsuit filed by 19 states and the District of Columbia against the Trump administration’s mass firing of probationary federal employees.

On Thursday, the judge ruled that the administration had failed to provide the legally required 60-day notice before attempting the mass layoffs. He also barred the administration from carrying out further mass terminations without proper notice.

-ABC News' Soo Rin Kim, Will Steakin, Cheyenne Haslett and Ben Siegel


Mar 14, 2025 8:07 PM

Trump, DOJ allies decry alleged 'weaponization' of agency in ceremony

President Donald Trump visited the Department of Justice headquarters Friday with Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI director Kash Patel and repeated his now familiar accusation that the Justice Department was "weaponized" to attack him.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, Mar. 14, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, Mar. 14, 2025.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

"We must be honest about the lies and abuses that have occurred within these walls. Unfortunately, in recent years, a corrupt group of hacks and radicals within the ranks of the American government obliterated that trust and goodwill built up over generations," he said.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, Mar. 14, 2025.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, Mar. 14, 2025.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The event, which mirrored his campaign rallies, included props such as bags of drugs and boxes labeled "DEA EVIDENCE" in large font.

Read more .

-ABC News' Alexander Mallin


Mar 14, 2025 6:17 PM

Jeffries dodges questions about Schumer's leadership

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was asked about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer twice during a news conference Friday, once if it was time for new leadership in the Senate and another time when he was asked about his confidence in Schumer.

PHOTO: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks alongside Reps. Pete Aguilar and Katherine Clark during a press conference on Capitol Hill March 14, 2025.
Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks alongside Reps. Pete Aguilar and Katherine Clark during a press conference on Capitol Hill March 14, 2025.
Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP

"Next question," Jeffries replied both times.



Mar 14, 2025 5:56 PM

DC officials warn of 'devastating' budget cuts if bill to avert shutdown passes

School closures, emergency services furloughs, and disruptions of metro service are among the crises D.C. officials are now warning of if this temporary government funding measure passes, a city council member told ABC News.

“It would be devastating,” Zachary Parker, Ward 5 Councilmember, said. “It would mean cuts to Metro that services the entire DMV region. It means closing and shuttering schools and programs. It means having to furlough police officers at a time where we're continuing to drive down violent crime in the district.”

The stopgap funding measure House Republicans passed and the Senate will take up Friday doesn’t just avert a shutdown, it strips Washington, D.C., of $1 billion.

PHOTO: A US flag flies near the dome of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, February 25, 2025.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
A US flag flies near the dome of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, February 25, 2025.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Now, D.C. leaders are in the awkward political position of advocating for a government shutdown to protect many of the city’s vital services.

“I'm advocating for Senate Democrats to meet this moment. If that means a shutdown, then that is what we are asking them to do,” Parker said.

--ABC News' Jay O'Brien, Beatrice Peaterson


Mar 12, 2025 11:58 PM

Judge orders DOGE to hand over key records

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered the Department of Government Efficiency to hand over key documents that may shed light on the group’s attempt to reduce the size of the federal government.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan – who previously oversaw President Donald Trump’s election interference case – ordered the government to turn over materials related to DOGE and Elon Musk’s efforts to reduce the size of federal agencies, freeze federal contracts, access sensitive databases and terminate federal employees.

PHOTO: White House Senior Advisor Elon Musk walks to the White House after landing in Marine One on the South Lawn with President Donald Trump, Mar. 9, 2025 in Washington.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
White House Senior Advisor Elon Musk walks to the White House after landing in Marine One on the South Lawn with President Donald Trump, Mar. 9, 2025 in Washington.
Samuel Corum/Getty Images

“The court concludes that granting expedited discovery is in the best interest of all parties,” Chutkan wrote.

The order comes after a group of 14 Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging Musk's role as head of DOGE, alleging his “sweeping authority" is in violation of the Constitution.

Chutkan denied their request for an emergency order last month in part because the plaintiffs lacked the evidence to show the irreparable harm of Musk’s agency; now, the attorneys general are hoping to use the discovery process to find the evidence they need.

However, the judge placed some limitations on the demand for evidence, finding that Trump himself is exempt from the order and excluding electronic communications like emails or texts.

Chutkan is also considering whether to issue an injunction blocking Musk from running DOGE.

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous


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