President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday “aimed at eliminating” the U.S. Education Department.
On immigration, a federal judge ordered the administration to provide more information about flights that took deportees to El Salvado r, or make a formal “state secrets“ claim. The Justice Department has resisted, accusing the judge of encroaching on the executive branch’s “absolute and unreviewable” authority relating to national security and foreign policy. Trump’s border czar has tallied 40,000 immigration-related arrests since Trump got into office.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has negotiated the release of an American hostage held for more than two years by the Taliban.
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Trump has signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department, advancing a campaign promise to take apart an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives.
Trump has long derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. However, completing its dismantling is most likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979.
The White House says the department would not close completely right now. It is to retain certain critical functions, like managing federal student loans and Pell grants.
▶ Read more about Trump’s plan to dismantle the Education Department
U.S. District Judge Jeb Boasberg demanded answers after weekend flights carrying Venezuelan immigrants landed in El Salvador after he temporarily blocked deportations under an 18th century wartime law.
Boasberg had directed the administration to return to the U.S. planes that were already in the air when he ordered the halt.
The administration has resisted the judge’s request to provide more details about the flights. It’s called his questions “grave encroachments on core aspects of absolute and unreviewable Executive Branch authority.”
A Justice Department spokesperson says that it “continues to believe that the court’s superfluous questioning of sensitive national security information is inappropriate judicial overreach.”
▶ Read more about the deportee flights
Thursday’s trading followed signals that the economy remains solid for the moment and fresh reminders of the looming impact of Trump’s unsettling policy changes.
Wall Street has been swinging for weeks on a roller-coaster ride, as stock prices veer on uncertainty about what Trump’s trade war will do to the economy. Stocks got a boost Wednesday after the head of the Federal Reserve said interest rates should stay unchanged for now.
And more data Thursday bolstered that view: Slightly fewer U.S. workers filed for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected, and both sales of previously occupied homes and regional manufacturing growth came in stronger than expected.
But Accenture fell sharply amid concerns about cuts in federal spending, which accounted for 17% of the consulting firm’s North American revenue last fiscal year.
▶ Read more about Thursday’s market action
Thursday’s decision from Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland also requires Elon Musk ’s Department of Government Efficiency team to delete any personally identifiable Social Security data it may have.
Labor unions and retirees asked for the emergency order, saying DOGE’s “nearly unlimited” access violates privacy laws and presents massive information security risks.
The Trump administration says seven people on the 10-member DOGE team inside the Social Security Administration have been granted read-only access to agency systems or personally identifiable information.
▶ Read more about the challenge to DOGE’s access to Social Security data
The administration has pushed back by 30 days a Friday deadline for New York to end a new $9 toll on most drivers entering Manhattan.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says on X that “discussions continue” on the administration’s demand.
Duffy rescinded the toll’s federal approval last month. The toll is meant to relieve traffic congestion while providing millions of dollars in revenue to New York City’s beleaguered transit system.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has filed a lawsuit challenging the order.
New York started charging the fee on Jan 5.
▶ Read more about Trump’s objections to the toll
NAACP President Derrick Johnson says the Trump administration’s move is part of a larger effort to dismantle the country’s democracy and that only Congress has the power to establish or get rid of an agency.
Johnson says attacks on public education conform to efforts to privatize essential services like education.
“Let’s be clear — this executive order is unconstitutional, but to Donald Trump, the rule of law doesn’t seem to matter,” Johnson says in a statement.
“This is a dark day for the millions of American children who depend on federal funding for a quality education, including those in poor and rural communities with parents who voted for Trump.”
Trump’s order is “dangerous and illegal” and will disproportionately hurt low-income students, students of color and those with disabilities, says Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The department “was founded in part to guarantee the enforcement of students’ civil rights,” Scott says.
Supporters of Trump’s vision for education welcome the order.
“No more bloated bureaucracy dictating what kids learn or stifling innovation with red tape,” Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, said on social media. “States, communities, and parents can take the reins — tailoring education to what actually works for their kids.”
Trump’s order is “dangerous and illegal” and will disproportionately hurt low-income students, students of color and those with disabilities, says Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The department “was founded in part to guarantee the enforcement of students’ civil rights,” Scott says.
Supporters of Trump’s vision for education welcome the order.
“No more bloated bureaucracy dictating what kids learn or stifling innovation with red tape,” Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, says on social media. “States, communities, and parents can take the reins — tailoring education to what actually works for their kids.”
▶ Read more about Trump’s Education Department order
Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Beyer represents the Virginia district where Badar Khan Suri was arrested by masked immigration agents, told his visa had been revoked and flown to a detention facility in Louisiana pending deportation.
Suri, who is married to a U.S. citizen, was accused of “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media,” a Homeland Security official tweeted.
“The ’justification’ given for these violations of Mr. Suri’s right to due process is another violation of the Constitution: a blatant attack on the First Amendment,” Beyer said in a statement.
A filing by Suri’s lawyer says federal authorities provided no evidence he’s committed any crimes.
“The Trump Administration has openly expressed its intention to weaponize immigration law to punish noncitizens whose views are deemed critical of U.S. policy as it relates to Israel,” attorney Hassan Ahmad wrote.
▶ Read more on the Georgetown scholar’s case
Some of the accused Venezuelan gang members suddenly deported last weekend and sent to a notorious El Salvadoran prison after Trump invoked a sweeping wartime law were targeted because of everyday tattoos, defense lawyers say in legal filings.
Among those tattoos: A crown over a soccer ball; an eyeball that the lawyers say “looked cool”; flowers.
U.S. officials have said agents did not rely on “tattoos alone” to identify gang members. But lawyers say tattoos were repeatedly used to argue the men belonged to the gang Tren de Aragua.
While tattoos are central to membership in some Central American gangs, experts say they’re not required by the Tren.
Sensitive personal information including Social Security numbers was unveiled in the newly unredacted John F. Kennedy assassination documents released this week.
White House officials say the administration will offer credit monitoring to those whose information was disclosed and will screen the records to identify all the Social Security numbers that were released. Officials also say new Social Security numbers will be issued to those affected.
The White House did not respond to questions about why the personal information was unredacted.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says “the National Archives and the Social Security Administration immediately put together an action plan to proactively help” those affected.
▶ Read more about personal information released in JFK files
William Lai Ching-te told the American Chamber of Commerce on Thursday that to face the rising threat from China, his self-governing island will buy more U.S. equipment and expand its military by offering higher pay and lengthening compulsory national service from four months to one year.
U.S. and Taiwanese critics have said Taiwan is not spending enough on its own defense. Taiwan currently spends about 2.45% of its GDP on its military, and relies on the U.S. for much of its cutting-edge weaponry.
Trump has demanded that Taiwan increase defense spending as high as 10% of GDP, a proportion well above what the U.S. spends, to deter China.
▶ Read more about the Taiwanese president’s speech.
Nowhere has the president’s spontaneity complicated his legal positions more than in challenges of Elon Musk’s efforts to downsize and overhaul the federal government.
The latest example came when a federal judge ruled that Musk likely violated the Constitution by dismantling USAID. Justice Department lawyers and White House officials insist that the billionaire is merely a presidential adviser, not DOGE’s actual leader.
But Trump has said otherwise — in speeches, interviews and public remarks — and Judge Theodore Chuang Chuang quoted him extensively in his decision.
▶ Read more on how Trump’s own words complicate his legal defenses
Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner is leaving his post at the nation’s passenger railroad.
The leadership change appeared to come down to Amtrak maintaining support from Trump. Gardner’s statement Wednesday said he’s stepping down “to ensure that Amtrak continues to enjoy the full faith and confidence of this administration.”
Billionaire Elon Musk floated the idea of privatizing Amtrak at a tech conference earlier this month. And, citing sources familiar with the matter, Reuters reported Wednesday that Gardner was asked to step down at Trump’s request.
The railroad declined to comment further when reached by the AP Thursday.
▶ Read more on the Amtrak CEO’s abrupt resignation
Stablecoins are an increasingly popular type of cryptocurrency because their value is tied to other assets such as traditional currencies or gold to reduce volatility.
Trump said in a virtual address to a blockchain forum on Thursday that “with the dollar-backed stablecoins, you’ll help expand the dominance of the U.S. dollar.”
“It’ll be at the top” for many, many years to come, the president added. “And that’s where we want to keep it.”
“The president made it very clear to Hamas that if they did not release all of the hostages there would be all hell to pay,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “And unfortunately Hamas chose to play games in the media with lives.”
“This situation, let’s not forget, is completely the fault of Hamas. When they launched that brutal attack on Israel on October 7th. And the president has made it very clear that he wants all of those hostages to come home. And he fully supports Israel and the IDF and the actions that they’ve taken in recent days.”
Israel resumed heavy bombardment of Gaza on Tuesday, shattering the ceasefire. Overnight airstrikes struck several homes and killed at least 85 Palestinians, according to local health officials.
▶ Read more on the latest Israeli bombardment across Gaza
So they tried to get ahead of a global trend toward autocracies.
The Global Philanthropy Project, a network of funders for LGBTQ+ people internationally, quietly launched a campaign called “Fund Our Futures” in 2024. By November they had secured more than $100 million.
But even those that anticipated Trump’s reelection didn’t expect the wholesale termination of most U.S. foreign aid.
And now, major funders of human rights work are worried their assets could get frozen, according to Kellea Miller, who directs the Human Rights Funders Network.
“The scale and rapidity of it is beyond what most of us had imagined,” Miller said.
▶ Read more about how LGBTQ and human rights groups tried to prepare for Trump
The man in charge of President Trump’s border policies says they’ve made about 40,000 immigration-related arrests since Trump got into office.
Tom Homan said the vast majority were “public safety threats and national security threats.”
Homan was speaking at a panel discussion in Florida with Gov. Ron DeSantis and Chad Wolfe, who was an acting head of Homeland Security during the first Trump administration.
Homan said Trump’s decision to invoke the Alien Enemies Act was the “right thing to do” even if his administration has been sued over it. He vowed that immigration arrests would continue.
The Treasury Department accused the China-based oil refinery Luqing Petrochemical and its CEO Wang Xueqing of buying from ships linked to the militant Houthi group and Iran’s military and refining hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude.
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed the sanctions on a total of 19 firms and ships that transport millions of barrels of Iranian oil.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. is committed to denying revenue that enables “Tehran’s continued financing of terrorism and development of its nuclear program.”
The Trump administration has promised maximum pressure to drive Iran’s oil exports, including to China, to zero.
Vice President JD Vance said “terrorism is not cheap” as he speculated that the continuing vandalism of Tesla automobiles is being coordinated.
He said Thursday during an interview on “The Vince Show” that the focus should be on “the guy at the top writing the checks,” not on the “foot soldiers” trashing the cars.
“My guess is that if we do get to the bottom of this, we’re going to find out that there are some very crazy, very deranged, but very wealthy left-wing people who are funding this stuff,” he said.
Tesla owner Elon Musk has become a target as he cuts federal spending and slashes the workforce at Trump’s behest.
The secretary of state’s statement says Glezmann is returning to the U.S. to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra.
“George’s release is a positive and constructive step,” Rubio said. “President Trump will continue his tireless work to free ALL Americans unjustly detained around the world.”
President Joe Biden had contemplated a proposal involving the release of Glezmann and other Americans for Muhammad Rahim, a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but told families during a call in January that the Taliban would have to release Afghan-American businessman Mahmood Habibi.
U.S. officials believe the Taliban is holding Habibi, but the Taliban has denied it.
A fact sheet says Trump’s executive order also directs Secretary Linda McMahon to “ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely” while facilitating the closure.
The department manages $1.6 trillion in federal student loans and billions of dollars in programs for colleges and school districts, from school meals to support for homeless students to civil rights enforcement.
It adds up to roughly 14% of public school budgets, often for supplemental programs for vulnerable students, across school systems that advocates say remain fundamentally unequal.
“This isn’t fixing education. It’s making sure millions of children never get a fair shot. And we’re not about to let that happen without a fight,” the National Parents Union said in a statement.
George Glezmann was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist.
His release was brokered by U.S. and Qatari negotiators, the State Department said Thursday.
The airline mechanic from Atlanta is the third American detainee to be released by the Taliban since January. He was seized by the Taliban’s intelligence services in December 2022.
He was being accompanied back to the U.S., through Qatar’s capital, Doha, by Adam Boehler, who has been handling hostage issues for President Donald Trump’s administration.
Most countries don’t recognize the Taliban’s rule. Glezmann’s release is part of what the Taliban has described as the “normalization” of ties following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
▶ Read more on the American hostage released by the Taliban
Trump in an interview with Breitbart News called India “one of the highest tariffing nations in the world.”
The president has developed a warm relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but has promised steep tariffs on friend and foes alike in an attempt to equalize what he says is an uneven economic playing field.
Trump is targeting April 2 — what he’s calling “Liberation Day” — to impose new tariffs on imports from around the globe.
He said India won’t be immune: “I believe they’re going to probably going to be lowering those tariffs substantially, but on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us.”
The equity goal of the Education Department, which was created by Congress in 1979, emerged partly from the anti-poverty and civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
But as the Trump administration moves to dismantle it, officials have suggested other agencies could take over its major responsibilities: civil rights enforcement to the Justice Department, perhaps; student loans to Treasury or Commerce; oversight of student disability rights to Health and Human Services.
Advocates are worried about what could happen with a more lofty part of the department’s mission — promoting equal access for students in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal. Without the department, they’re concerned that the federal government would not look out in the same way for poor students, those still learning English, disabled students and racial and ethnic minorities.
▶ Read more about the impact of this dismantling of the Education Department
Badar Khan Suri was determined to be deportable for “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said late Wednesday on X.
A Georgetown statement says the Indian national was “duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan” while studying at the university’s center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.
“We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention,” the school said. “We support our community members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable. We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly.”
▶ Read more on the Georgetown scholar’s detention
That’s according to the Labor Department’s latest tally of jobless claims filings, showing they rose by 2,000 last week to slightly less than the 224,000 new applications analysts forecast.
The total number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for the week of March 8 rose by 33,000 to 1.89 million.
Economists don’t expect the Trump administration’s federal workforce layoffs to appear until the March jobs report.
▶ Read more about unemployment and layoff numbers
Across wine country in France, Italy and Spain one number is top of mind: 200%.
That’s because last week Trump threatened a tariff of that amount on European wine, Champagne and other spirits if the European Union went ahead with retaliatory tariffs on some U.S. products. The top wine producers in Europe could face crippling costs that would hit smaller wineries especially hard.
Europe’s wine industry is the latest to find itself in the crosshairs of a possible trade spat with the U.S.
Italy, France and Spain are among the top five exporters of wine to the United States. Trump made his threat to Europe’s alcohol industry after the European Union announced a 50% tax on American whiskey expected to take effect on April 1. That duty was unveiled in response to the Trump administration’s tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum.
▶ Read more about the possible tax on foreign liquor
The White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity before the announcement, said Trump plans to sign the order on Thursday.
Finalizing the elimination of the Department of Education would require an act of Congress.
But a White House fact sheet said the order would direct Education Secretary Linda McMahon “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure (of) the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”
Associated Press reporter Chris Megerian contributed.
In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures — which will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency over the phone.
Beginning March 31st, people will no longer be able to verify their identity to the SSA over the phone and those who cannot properly verify their identity over the agency’s “my Social Security” online service, will be required to visit an agency field office in person to complete the verification process, agency leadership told reporters Tuesday.
The change will apply to new Social Security applicants and existing recipients who want to change their direct deposit information.
Retiree advocates warn that the change will negatively impact older Americans in rural areas, including those with disabilities, mobility limitations, those who live far from SSA offices and have limited internet access.
▶ Read more about changes being made to social security
Maine’s education office is being ordered to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports or face federal prosecution, an escalation in Trump’s threats to pull federal money from states and schools over transgender athletes.
The Education Department on Wednesday said an investigation concluded Maine’s education office violated the Title IX antidiscrimination law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls’ sports teams and use girls’ facilities. It’s giving Maine 10 days to comply with a list of demands or face Justice Department prosecution.
The federal investigation was opened Feb. 21, just hours after Trump and the state’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, clashed over the issue at a meeting of governors at the White House. During the heated exchange, Mills told the Republican president, “We’ll see you in court.”
▶ Read more about the investigation into Maine’s Department of Education
People gather to protest against Israel and President Donald Trump in front of a Trump-branded building Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
People rally at the University of California, Berkeley campus to protest the Trump administration Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Berkeley, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
