A federal judge on Friday ordered a temporary block on plans by the Trump administration to put 2,200 employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave.

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, also agreed to block an order that would have given just 30 days for the thousands of overseas USAID workers the administration wanted to place on abrupt administrative leave to move their families back to the U.S. at the government’s expense.

Both actions by the administration would have exposed the workers and their families to unnecessary risk and expense, according to the judge.

This comes as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency, seek to dismantle the agency.

Nichols noted that staffers living overseas have said the administration had cut some workers off from government emails and other communication systems required to reach the U.S. government in case of a health or safety emergency.

USAID contractors in various regions, including the Middle East, even reported that ‘panic button’ apps had been removed from their phones or disabled when the administration abruptly placed them on leave.

‘Administrative leave in Syria is not the same as administrative leave in Bethesda,’ the judge said.

The judge also pointed to workers stating difficulties that would arise from the 30-day timeline to return to the U.S., including that they had no home to return to in the U.S. after decades overseas and that they would be forced to pull children with special needs out of school in the middle of the school year.

Nichols ordered 500 USAID staffers who had already been placed on leave by the administration to be reinstated.

But the judge declined a request from two federal employee associations to grant a temporary block on an administration-imposed funding freeze that has shut down the agency and its work, pending more hearings on the workers’ lawsuit.

Nichols emphasized in the hearing earlier Friday that his order to pause the administration’s actions was not a decision on the employees’ request to block the administration’s efforts to quickly destroy the agency.

‘CLOSE IT DOWN,’ Trump said on Truth Social, referring to USAID, ahead of the judge’s ruling.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benajamin Netanyahu to the White House Tuesday, marking the first visit from a foreign leader during Trump’s second term. 

During Netanyahu’s visit, Trump also unveiled massive plans suggesting that the U.S. would ‘take over’ the Gaza Strip in a ‘long-term ownership position’ to deliver stability to the region. 

‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,’ Trump said Tuesday evening in a joint press conference with Netanyahu. ‘We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site.’

Even so, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president wouldn’t commit to placing U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza as part of the rebuilding effort. 

‘It’s been made very clear to the president that the United States needs to be involved in this rebuilding effort, to ensure stability in the region for all people,’ Leavitt told reporters Wednesday at a White House press briefing. ‘But that does not mean boots on the ground in Gaza. It does not mean American taxpayers will be funding this effort. It means Donald Trump, who is the best dealmaker on the planet, is going to strike a deal with our partners in the region.’

Leavitt said that Trump is an ‘outside-of-the-box thinker’ who is ‘a visionary leader who solves problems that many others, especially in this city, claim are unsolvable.’

The announcement sparked backlash though from Democratic lawmakers, to leaders of Palestinian militant group, Hamas. 

‘What President Trump stated about his intention to displace the residents of the Gaza Strip outside it and the United States’ control over the Strip by force is a crime against humanity,’ a senior Hamas official told Fox News on Wednesday.

Here are some other actions Trump took his second week in office: 

Maximum pressure on Iran 

Trump also reinstated his ‘maximum pressure’ campaign against Iran, instructing the Treasury Department to execute ‘maximum economic pressure’ upon Iran through a series of sanctions aimed at sinking Iran’s oil exports. 

Trump said Tuesday that he was ‘torn’ about signing the order and admitted he was ‘unhappy to do it,’ noting that the executive order was very tough on Iran. 

‘Hopefully, we’re not going to have to use it very much,’ Trump told reporters Tuesday. 

Trump later told reporters in a joint press conference with Netanyahu that he believes Iran is ‘close’ to developing a nuclear weapon, but that the U.S. would stop a ‘strong’ Tehran from obtaining one.

‘They’re very strong right now, and we’re not going to let them get a nuclear weapon,’ Trump said. 

His first administration also adopted a ‘maximum pressure’ initiative against Tehran, issuing greater sanctions and harsher enforcement for violations.

Strict sanctions were reimposed upon Iran after Trump withdrew from the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in May 2018. The 2015 agreement brokered under the Obama administration had lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on Iran’s nuclear program.

Sanctions against the International Criminal Court 

Trump also signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, in response to its May 2024 arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

The order — which was lauded by even some top Democrats — unveils financial sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC officials and their family members who support ICC investigations against U.S. citizens and allies. 

The White House also signed executive orders on Thursday instructing the Justice Department to establish a task force dedicated to weeding out ‘anti-Christian bias,’ and a review of all nongovernmental organizations that accept federal funds.

The ICC is an independent, international organization based in The Hague and established under the Rome Statute, an international treaty that took effect in 2002. The court oversees global issues including genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. 

The Trump White House claims that the U.S. and Israel are not subject to the jurisdiction of the ICC because the court poses threats to U.S. sovereignty and constitutional protections. Additionally, the White House has accused the ICC of politicization and said it has targeted Israel without holding regimes like Iran to the same standards. 

Sovereign Wealth Fund 

The U.S. Treasury and Commerce Departments will establish a sovereign wealth fund in accordance with a new executive order Trump signed on Monday. 

The sovereign wealth fund, a state-owned investment fund with various financial assets like stocks and bonds, could foot the bill for purchasing TikTok, according to Trump. 

‘We’re going to be doing something perhaps with TikTok, and perhaps not,’ Trump told reporters Monday. ‘If we make the right deal, we’ll do it. Otherwise, we won’t.’

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said the sovereign wealth fund would be created within the next 12 months. 

‘I think it’s going to create value and be of great strategic importance,’ Bessent told reporters Monday. 

Bessent and Commerce Secretary nominee Howard Lutnick are instructed to devise a plan in the next 90 days for the creation of the fund, according to the White House. The proposal will include recommendations on funding mechanisms, investment strategies, fund structure and a governance model. 

More details on the sovereign wealth fund were not immediately available, and it’s unclear whether Congress will sign off on it. 

Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report. 

Democratic attorneys general from 19 states have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) access to sensitive, personal data belonging to Americans at the Treasury Department. 

The lawsuit claims the Elon Musk-run agency illegally accessed the Treasury Department’s central payment system at the Trump administration’s behest. 

On Thursday, the Treasury agreed to limit the Musk team’s access to its payment systems while a judge hears arguments in a previous lawsuit filed by a group of employee unions and retirees. 

The lawsuit, filed Monday, claimed Musk’s team violated the law by being given ‘full access’ to the Treasury’s payment systems.

The payment systems have information about Americans’ Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, tax refund information and much more. 

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told FOX Business Wednesday the concerns are not valid. 

‘DOGE is not going to fail,’ he said. ‘They are moving a lot of people’s cheese here in the capital, and when you hear this squawking, then some status quo interest is not happy.

‘At the Treasury, our payment system is not being touched. We process 1.3 billion payments a year. There is a study being done — can we have more accountability, more accuracy, more traceability that the money is going where it is? But, in terms of payments being stopped, that is happening upstream at the department level.’

DOGE was launched to root out wasteful spending in the government, and it has already come close to closing the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

The lawsuit was filed in New York by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a vocal Trump critic. 

It includes attorneys general from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin.

‘President Trump does not have the power to give away Americans’ private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress,’ James said in a statement. ‘Musk and DOGE have no authority to access Americans’ private information and some of our country’s most sensitive data.’

Treasury officials on Wednesday denied violating privacy laws, saying only two members of the DOGE team had been given ‘read-only’ access to information in the payment systems. 

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday addressed events in Afghanistan, saying they created the perception of ‘American weakness.’

While speaking to the Department of Defense and Pentagon workforce during a town hall on Friday, Hegseth said America ‘deserves to take accountability for’ events in Afghanistan, the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and the war that was unleashed in Ukraine. 

‘Chaos happens when the perception of American strength is not complete,’ Hegseth said. ‘We aim to re-establish that deterrence.’

He discussed the three pillars he will focus on during his term – reviving the warrior ethos, restoring trust in the military and rebuilding it by matching threats to capabilities, and reestablishing deterrence by defending the homeland.

Hegseth also spoke about the broken windows theory in policing, explaining that disregarding the small things in the military can create large problems.

‘I think the same thing exists inside our services – making sure at every level, there [are] standards and accountability, and that we live it at the highest levels,’ he said.

That is why, Hegseth said, the U.S. will look back at what happened in Afghanistan.

He added the department will hold people accountable.

‘Not to be retrospective, not for retribution, but to understand what went wrong and why there was no accountability for it,’ Hegseth said.

Going forward, the military will find strength in unity, not diversity, according to Hegseth.

‘I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength,’’ he said. ‘Our strength is our shared purpose – regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender, regardless of our race. 

In the department, Hegseth said everyone will be treated equally.

‘We will treat everyone with fairness,’ he said. ‘We will treat everyone with respect.’

Service members and department civilian employees will be judged by their merit, commitment to the team, and the mission, according to Hegseth.

President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order cutting all foreign aid to South Africa, citing concerns about the country ‘seizing’ ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.

Trump alleged South Africa’s recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024 ‘dismantles equal opportunity in employment, education, and business.’

The order notes ‘hateful rhetoric’ and government actions have been ‘fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.’

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa previously released a statement arguing that no land was confiscated.

‘We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest,’ according to the statement. ‘We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters.’

The act permits the country to take land for a public purpose or in the public interest, while offering just and equitable compensation. 

However, Fox News Digital previously reported expropriation has yet to happen.

Elon Musk, leader of the DOGE team, publicly commented on the matter, accusing Ramaphosa of having ‘openly racist ownership laws.

The executive order also claims South Africa has taken ‘aggressive’ positions toward the U.S. by accusing Israel of genocide – instead of Hamas, and ‘reinvigorating’ its relationship with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.

Pointing to those concerns, the executive order states the U.S. cannot support the South African government’s alleged commission of rights violations.

In addition to eliminating aid and assistance, the order notes the U.S. will promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored, race-based discrimination -which includes racially discriminatory property confiscation.

The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security will prioritize humanitarian relief, including admission and resettlement through the United States Refugee Admissions Program, according to the order.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Tilsley contributed to this story.

President Donald Trump on Friday announced he is revoking former President Joe Biden’s security clearances and stopping his daily intelligence briefings.

‘There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,’ Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social Friday night.

The privileges will be revoked immediately, according to the president.

He added the precedent was set by Biden himself.

‘He set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents,’ Trump wrote. 

The president noted the Hur Report, which he claimed ‘revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and, even in his ‘prime,’ could not be trusted with sensitive information,’ according to the post.

Special Counsel Robert Hur submitted a report on Biden’s alleged improper retention of classified records, which confirmed the former president’s frequent memory lapses and contradicted his claims.

Hur also testified in March that he found evidence that ‘pride and money’ motivated Biden to retain classified documents.

However, he did not recommend criminal charges against Biden.

Trump wrote in the post that he will always protect National Security.

‘JOE, YOU’RE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,’ he wrote.