A New Jersey-based federal judge on Tuesday declined the Trump administration’s request to transfer pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil’s immigration detention challenge to Louisiana, where is he is being held.

U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ruled he has jurisdiction over Khalil’s case because the Columbia University graduate and legal permanent resident was detained in New Jersey when his lawyer filed the challenge.

Members of Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) reportedly gained access to a payroll system over the weekend that processes salaries for about 276,000 federal employees across various government agencies, despite warnings from senior staff about the potential risks.

According to two people familiar with the situation who spoke with the New York Times, Doge employees had spent about two weeks trying to obtain administrative access to the program, known as the Federal Personnel and Payroll System.

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from firing 19 staffers at the CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence who'd worked on initiatives for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which President Donald Trump had ordered terminated.

U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga in eastern Virginia rejected the request for a temporary block on Trump’s policy on Feb. 27, ruling the staffers could ask for reassignment.But the CIA said the staffers had no right of review over their firings.

Trenga shifted course Monday, deciding the intelligence staffers deserved the opportunity to appeal their firings and to be considered for other jobs.

Kevin Carroll, a lawyer representing the staffers and a former CIA caseworker, said ODNI "to their credit" had offered to consider two of the staffers for transfers but CIA refused.

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Brendan Carr, who was picked by President Trump to chair the Federal Communications Commission, said he's ordering an investigation into the Walt Disney Co. and its ABC television network over concerns that they are "promoting invidious forms of DEI discrimination," referring to diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

In a letter to Disney CEO Robert Iger, Carr said the FCC's Enforcement Bureau will review whether Disney or ABC have violated any FCC equal employment opportunity regulations. He added that the probe will apply to both past and current policies.

"Numerous reports indicate that Disney's leadership went all in on invidious forms of DEI discrimination a few years ago and apparently did so in a manner that infected many aspects of your company's decisions," Carr wrote on Thursday.

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