A federal appeals court on Monday largely upheld a ruling that blocked a “sweeping and unprecedented” freeze on trillions of dollars in government financial assistance that President Donald Trump’s administration instituted early last year. A three-judge panel of the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Democratic attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia in finding that the White House’s budget office had directed federal agencies to implement a categorical freeze on funding that was likely improper. Chief U.S. Circuit Judge David Barron said the Office of Management and Budget “directed the agency defendants to freeze such funds without considering an obvious aspect of the problem — namely, the reliance interests of the recipients of the obligated federal funds that were to be frozen.” The judge, who like the other panel members was appointed by a Democratic president, pointed to a lower-court judge’s conclusion that the agencies failed in carrying out OMB’s directive to assess whether such payments were legally required or appropriate on a case-by-case basis. While the appeals court largely upheld Rhode Island-based U.S. District Judge John McConnell’s March 2025 injunction blocking the policy, it overturned part of it to the extent it required agencies to make payments to the states that sued. It did so citing a ruling last year by the U.S. Supreme Court in a different Trump-era case that indicated lawsuits seeking to recover money owed by the government under contracts and grants must be pursued in a different, specialist court. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The state attorneys general sued after the OMB in January 2025, shortly after Trump returned to the White House, issued a memo directing federal agencies to temporarily pause spending on federal financial assistance programs. That memo said the freeze was necessary while the administration reviewed grants and loans to ensure they are aligned with Trump’s executive orders, including ones ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs and directing a pause on spending on projects seeking to combat climate change. The freeze implicated up to $3 trillion in federal funding. OMB later withdrew that memo after it became the subject of two lawsuits, including the one before McConnell. But the states argued the memo’s withdrawal did not mean the end of the policy itself. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

The following is an edited transcript excerpt from The Michael Knowles Show. * * * A Honduran national, deported four times from the United States, reportedly pushed an elderly Air Force veteran onto the tracks of the New York City subway. You can read about it in the local news, however, you’re not going to see a lot about it in the national news. This guy was arrested last Tuesday for pushing two people: a 30-year-old man and an 83-year-old man onto the tracks. This was unprovoked. This guy is a serial criminal, a four-time deportee. According to the deputy assistant secretary of DHS, he should never have been able to walk our streets and harm innocent Americans. He’s probably going to get off the hook. Soon, he’ll be receiving various taxpayer subsidies and eating a dollar-a-slice pizza. He’s also probably living it up at the Roosevelt Hotel, where illegal aliens have been able to get better accommodations than most actual taxpaying New Yorkers for years now. The reason this story matters is not that it’s shocking or surprising. It’s not “man bites dog.” This has been happening for a long time. This is directly attributable to mayors and governors like Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul. Mamdani and Hochul and all the Democrat mayors and governors of sanctuary cities and states are aiding and abetting these crimes. They are actively encouraging these crimes because sanctuary cities and states refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, and they refuse to turn these criminals over to ICE. According to the current policy in New York City, this guy — if he is sent to prison — will be allowed to get out and run free in the city afterward. When ICE shows up and says we want to pick this guy up and deport him for the fifth time, New York will say, No. We will not hand him over to you. We will protect the guy who threw the 83-year-old Air Force veteran onto the subway tracks, the guy with a rap sheet a mile long who has broken our laws countless times. At this point, the only way to stop him from doing it again is probably capital punishment. Yes, right now he wouldn’t get back into the country because President Trump closed the border. But the next time you get a Democrat president, he or she will once again make the border wide open. And this guy will walk back in. These Democrat mayors and governors — Zohran Mamdani, Kathy Hochul, and the rest of them — are actively working with this guy. They have blood on their hands. Every woman these people light on fire in a subway car in New York, every throat these people slash, every crime these people commit is on their hands. And that’s not hyperbole. They are very practically, very literally protecting these people from federal immigration enforcement. They are keeping them in the country, holding them tight when federal immigration enforcement tries to enforce the law. Furthermore, we have to recognize something about illegal immigration: every single crime that illegal immigrants commit here is needless, gratuitous, and preventable. Every single one. The libs like to say, Actually illegal aliens commit much less crime than the native-born population. First of all, that isn’t true. Then they try to say illegal aliens commit less violent crime than the native-born population. You can make some arguments for that, but they’re pretty weak arguments — and it misses the point. We have to deal with the crime that native-born Americans commit. That’s baked in. We don’t have an option. We can’t strip them of citizenship. But every single illegal immigrant who commits a crime here — whether it’s rape and murder or jaywalking and tax evasion — every single one of those crimes is preventable. And therefore the people who fight tooth and nail to keep illegal immigrants in this country — even the convicted criminals, felons, and murderers — those people have blood on their hands. That is why immigration is not an abstract policy debate. It is a question of responsibility. And the American people should hold every single Democrat accountable for it.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent slammed reports that President Trump’s meeting with China would be delayed if Beijing did not agree to secure the Strait of Hormuz.  “There’s a false narrative out there,” said Bessent. “If the meetings are delayed it wouldn’t be delayed because the President has demanded that China police the Strait of Hormuz. If the meeting for some reason is rescheduled, it would be rescheduled because of logistics. The President wants to remain in D.C. to coordinate the war effort and traveling abroad at a time like this may not be optimal.”  Bessent traveled to Paris to begin trade talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday to set the stage for President Trump’s state visit to Beijing at the end of March. The Treasury Secretary added he had a successful meeting with Lifeng, discussing China’s purchase commitments to the United States and the new tariff regime.  Trump first announced his visit in late November after a phone call with China’s President Xi Jinping. Xi invited Trump to Beijing following their meeting in South Korea. Bessent’s assurance that any delay to Trump’s visit would be logistical follows Beijing’s rejection of Trump’s suggestion that China deploy warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage through which more than one-fifth of the world’s oil supply travels. When asked about the proposal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, “China’s position is clear. We once again call on all sides to immediately cease military actions, avoid further escalation, and prevent regional turbulence from having a major impact on global economic growth.” Along with not taking Trump up on his proposal, China has condemned the United States’s role in the attacks on Iran. However, George Chen partner at the Asia Group does not expect the issue to be a central topic during April’s talks. “U.S.-China relations are already complicated enough for President Trump and Xi to handle,” he said. Adding Iran to the mix “won’t be something that both sides are keen to do.” What will be central to the talks are tariffs. In response to the Supreme Court knocking down Trump’s sweeping tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the administration has turned to other trade authorities, including Section 122 tariffs and potential Section 301 tariffs led by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Section 122 allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 10 percent for 150 days without congressional approval. Section 301 tariffs, meanwhile, require a formal investigation conducted by the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. Before IEEPA was overturned, Trump could impose a levy as quick as posting to Truth Social. But stripped of the power of IEEPA, Bessent says 301 will not be imposed until July and he will need congressional action after 150 days for section 122.  “We assume there will be very little change in Tariff revenue,” said Bessent. “The ultimate purpose of tariffs is to reshore production. At the end of the day we want to reshore manufacturing in the US, especially strategic manufacturing.” Bessent said that goal also shaped the administration’s approach to trade talks with China. He added that the administration does not want to fully decouple from China, but does want to bring key strategic manufacturing back to the United States.  

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday establishing a new federal task force aimed at combating fraud in government benefit programs, with Vice President JD Vance set to lead the initiative. The new body, formally titled the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, will coordinate a government-wide effort to investigate and prevent fraud affecting programs administered jointly by federal, state, and local governments, including housing, food assistance, and health care benefits. According to administration officials, the task force will develop a national strategy to identify vulnerabilities in government benefit systems and implement stronger safeguards such as identity verification requirements, documentation standards, and audits designed to prevent abuse. “This is a very big thing that we’re doing… having to do with all of the fraud that’s taking place in our country.”@POTUS prepares to sign an Executive Order establishing a @VP-led task force to root out fraud, as outlined in his State of the Union address. pic.twitter.com/5tSg93E1Io — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 16, 2026 Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, will serve as vice chair of the task force, while White House adviser Stephen Miller will act as senior adviser. Cabinet-level officials will participate as needed depending on the programs under review. The effort is part of a broader “war on fraud” designed to root out large-scale scams that divert taxpayer money away from programs intended to assist vulnerable Americans. “In states across the country, fraudsters are depriving vulnerable citizens of basic social services, stealing billions of your tax dollars, and eroding America’s social fabric,” a spokesperson for Vance told the New York Post. “This fraud has happened on such a massive scale that it’s endangering the future viability of America’s entire social safety net.” The order comes amid heightened scrutiny of fraud in government-funded programs, including a major scandal in Minnesota involving fraudulent claims tied to nutrition and autism care services that has resulted in dozens of criminal indictments. Officials say the administration believes similar vulnerabilities may exist in states including California, Illinois, New York, Maine, and Colorado. The task force is also being launched as the administration moves to strengthen federal enforcement efforts. Trump recently nominated Colin Macdonald to serve as the Justice Department’s first assistant attorney general focused specifically on fraud enforcement. Earlier this year, Vance and Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, announced that $259.5 million in Medicaid reimbursements for Minnesota would be withheld amid fraud concerns, giving Gov. Tim Walz 60 days to submit a corrective action plan. Vance also announced a nationwide pause on certain companies seeking Medicare subsidies for durable medical equipment such as canes and walkers, while federal officials review the program for potential abuse. Outside watchdog groups praised the move as a necessary step to address waste and fraud in government programs. “The State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) salutes President Trump for ordering the creation of this task force and stands ready to support him and the Vice President as key allies already on the battlefield,” said OJ Oleka, CEO of SFOF. Oleka pointed to a recent report from the group showing that 40 conservative state treasurers, auditors, and comptrollers recovered roughly $28 billion in taxpayer funds from waste, fraud, and abuse in 2025 alone. “Our fiscal watchdogs are on the frontlines of this fight in the states,” Oleka said. “Their successful oversight should serve as a model for this task force as it works to expose and eradicate fraud nationwide.” The administration says the new task force will coordinate closely with state financial officials and federal agencies as it develops its national anti-fraud strategy, which Trump officials argue is critical to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring public benefit programs remain sustainable for future generations.

The family of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson is walking back endorsement claims in a heated Democratic primary for a United States Senate seat in Illinois. Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said that she was backed by Jackson, who died on Feb. 17, based on information she received regarding his potential decisions that had not been made public yet, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Out of respect for my father, we decided not to publicly release his intended selections given the process had not been finalized,” said Yusef Jackson, his son, according to the outlet on Monday afternoon. “Unfortunately, this weekend, a draft sample ballot that was in development was released without authorization. It is important to note that the Jackson Family does not issue political endorsements, nor do Rainbow PUSH or the Rainbow PUSH Coalition,” Jackson added. The primary includes Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi, with most polls showing either Stratton or Krishnamoorthi leading. “And I just got notice that he made final personal endorsements before he passed away, and in his personal endorsement he endorsed me for United States Senate,” Stratton told MSNOW on Saturday while at the Rainbow/PUSH office in Chicago. “That’s the kind of fight we need, someone who’s really gonna put the people at the center, I learned that from Rev. Jackson, and now I look forward to continuing to fighting for the people of Illinois when I get to the Senate,” she added. In an X post promoting the MSNOW hit, she added that she “will work day and night to carry on his legacy for the people of Illinois when I get to the United States Senate.” The Stratton campaign told The Daily Wire in a statement that “Juliana spoke on Saturday at Rainbow PUSH for a Women’s History Month event and officials told her she received the endorsements.” “Organizers shared the sample election ballot that was already being distributed and encouraged her to share the news,” the campaign added. “Juliana is spending the final hours of this campaign talking to voters and making sure every Illinoisan hears how she plans to take on Donald Trump and bring their voices to Washington.” The primary election is on Tuesday, and the November general election is ranked as “Solid Democrat.” Whoever wins will be replacing retiring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). The Daily Wire reached out to the other two Democratic campaigns, but neither were immediately available for comment. “You know, I’ve talked to a couple of his kids. They don’t know anything about it, so I don’t know. It is what it is,” Kelly told Politico on Sunday when asked about the endorsement. Kelly was reportedly contacted by Jackson’s widow to apologize for the mix-up, according to NBC 5 Chicago. Jackson’s funeral was on March 6 in Chicago, and it featured remarks from former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton, as well as former Vice President Kamala Harris. Jackson himself ran for president unsuccessfully in 1984 and 1988, and he was the shadow senator for Washington, D.C., from 1991 to 1997.