Sept. 29, 2025, 2:19 p.m. ETPaul Osadebe, left, and Palmer Heenan spoke out against changes at HUD that have prevented enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. On Monday, both were removed from their roles.Credit...Eric Lee for The New York TimesTwo civil rights lawyers who spoke out about the Trump administration’s efforts to limit enforcement of the Fair Housing Act were removed from their posts on Monday morning and said they were escorted out of the Housing and Urban Development Department by administration staff.Palmer Heenan, who has worked as a lawyer at the housing agency since October 2023, and Paul Osadebe, who has worked there as a lawyer since March 2021, were among six current and former employees of HUD’s fair housing office who told The New York Times last week that Trump political appointees had made it nearly impossible for them to do their jobs. Their roles enforcing the Fair Housing Act, a cornerstone of U.S. civil rights, involved investigating and prosecuting landlords, real estate agents, lenders and others accused of discriminating based on race, religion, gender, family status or disability. Since January, their office has faced drastic cuts and a series of new procedures that have stalled or stopped thousands of legal inquiries.Letters, memos and internal documents reviewed by The New York Times show that the Trump administration has repeatedly referred to civil rights work in housing as “not a priority of the administration”; that lawyers have been blocked from communicating with clients without approval from a Trump appointee, and had been barred from citing some past housing civil rights cases when researching legal precedent for new prosecutions.Last week, the lawyers also provided documentation and testimony to Senator Elizabeth Warren, the ranking Democrat on the Senate committee responsible for overseeing HUD.In a statement Monday in response to the dismissals, Senator Warren called out both Donald Trump and the HUD secretary, Scott Turner, accusing them of “turning their backs on the American people” and “silencing those who are speaking out.”On Monday, Mr. Heenan and Mr. Osadebe were both called in for unscheduled meetings. Mr. Heenan, whose two-year probationary employee status was set to be upgraded to full-time employee next month, was handed a letter that said he was fired.“You engaged in misconduct that included the disclosure of nonpublic information,” the letter read.Representatives from HUD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The dismissals come as Mr. Trump ramps up efforts to utilize his office to attack those who disagree with his policies. He and his administration are engaged in a full-steam-ahead crackdown on liberal groups, law firms and even late-night TV hosts who speak out against him and his allies.Mr. Osadebe, a full-time employee of four years, said he was handed a letter citing several news articles in which he had spoken out against changes at HUD, including in The New York Times, and then placed on paid administrative leave.Both men said they are now considering their legal options but plan to seek protections as whistle-blowers. They are also both members of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union of federal employees, and plan to mobilize it for support. A representative from AFGE was in the room with both Mr. Osadebe and Mr. Heenan during their dismissal meetings.“They are fully aware of the whistle-blowing,” Mr. Osadebe said of HUD. “You’re going to see the union speak out for the illegal retaliation against employees and the silencing of employees.”Sept. 29, 2025, 11:57 a.m. ETA coal mining operation in West Virginia.Credit...Adrees Latif/ReutersThe Trump administration on Monday outlined a coordinated plan to revive the mining and burning of coal, the largest contributor to climate change worldwide.Coal use has been declining sharply in the United States since 2005, displaced in many cases by cheaper and cleaner natural gas, wind and solar power.But in a series of steps aimed at improving the economics of coal, the Interior Department said it would open 13.1 million acres of federal land for coal mining and reduce the royalty rates that companies would need to pay to extract coal. The Energy Department said it would offer $625 million to upgrade existing coal plants around the country, which have been closing at a fast clip, in order to extend their life spans.The Environmental Protection Agency said it would repeal dozens of regulations set by the Biden administration to curb carbon dioxide, mercury and other pollutants from coal plants. The agency would also revise a regulation limiting wastewater pollution from power plants that the industry considers costly.In what has become a familiar tableau, miners in hard hats stood as a backdrop as administration officials gathered at the Interior Department and repeated a phrase that President Trump said he now expects of any employee who discusses the black, combustible rock: “Clean, beautiful coal.”The announcements came days after Mr. Trump told the United Nations General Assembly that the United States would “stand ready to provide any country with abundant, affordable energy supplies if you need them,” referring to liquefied natural gas, oil and coal. Mr. Trump has promoted the coal industry ever since campaigning frequently with coal miners 2016.While coal plants once generated nearly half of America’s electricity, they produced just 16 percent last year. Hundreds of coal plants have retired since the mid-2000s as utilities switched to natural gas, wind and solar power. Stricter regulations on air and water pollution have also made burning coal more expensive. Coal mining, which has been linked to significant air pollution and water contamination as well as black lung disease in coal miners, has also faced increased federal restrictions.Coal’s share of U.S. electricity generation has fallenSource: EmberNote: Renewables include wind, solar, hydroelectricity and bioenergy. Other fossil fuels are mostly natural gas.Harry Stevens/The New York Times“This is an industry that was under assault,” said Doug Burgum, the Interior secretary who along with Lee Zeldin, the E.P.A. administrator, blamed regulations on what they described as an ideological war on coal. Chris Wright, the Energy secretary, said Monday morning on Fox that coal was “out of fashion with the chardonnay set in San Francisco, Boulder, Colo., and New York City.”The phrase “climate change” was not mentioned during the hourlong coal event. Instead, the officials described coal as an economic necessity. “In addition to to drill, baby drill, we need to mine, baby, mine,” Mr. Burgum said.It is unclear how much the Trump administration can revitalize the industry. During Mr. Trump’s first term, roughly 100 coal plants shut down and the total number of miners employed in the United States continued to fall.The outlook for coal power has become somewhat less bleak in recent years. Growing interest in artificial intelligence and data centers has fueled a surge in electricity demand, and utilities have decided to keep more than 50 coal-burning units open past their scheduled closure dates, according to America’s Power, an industry trade group. As the Trump administration moves to loosen pollution limits on coal power, more plants could stay open longer or run more frequently.The Trump administration is also taking more drastic action to keep coal plants operating this time around. In June, the Energy Department issued an emergency order to prevent a coal plant in Michigan from closing as scheduled, although neither the grid operator nor the local utility had asked the agency to do so. The cost of that extension is expected to fall on consumers.Mr. Wright has hinted that more such orders could be on the way. All told, more than 100 plants have announced plans to retire by the end of Mr. Trump’s term.“I think this administration’s policy is going to be to stop the closure of coal plants, most of them cooperatively working with utilities,” Mr. Wright said during an onstage interview last week at The New York Times’s Climate Forward event.At Monday’s announcement, Wells Griffith, the under secretary for energy, said that a recent Energy Department study found that America’s grid faced a higher risk of blackout if too many coal plants retire. That study has been criticized by a number of clean-energy groups and Democratic-led states for being overly pessimistic about the ability of other fast-growing sources like wind, solar, batteries and natural gas to help fortify the nation’s power system.Holly Bender, the chief program officer at the Sierra Club, an environmental group, said the administration’s actions would increase air and water pollution and raise electricity bills. “The Trump administration’s reckless actions announced today will hurt the American people, all to prop up the aging and outdated coal industry,” she said.The Sierra Club in 2009 launched what would become a more than $150 million campaign called “Beyond Coal” that lobbies for the retirement of coal-fired power plants. Funded by Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, the campaign this year claimed its actions had contributed to the closure of two-thirds of coal-fired generators in the United States.While it champions fossil fuels, the administration has taken steps to restrict the use of wind and solar power nationwide, criticizing those sources as unreliable and too dependent on the weather.Coal power has been growing around the world in China and other countries. Last year, global coal demand reached a record high, according to the International Energy Agency, although the agency says it still expects coal demand to plateau in the coming years.Mr. Burgum cited that trend as a reason for the United States to invest in coal. “China is absolutely the number one user of coal and they are aggressively adding more power,” he said. “Our nation can lead in technology but if we don’t lead in electrical production, we’re going to lose the A.I. arms race.”Even as it burns more coal, China has also led the world in building wind and solar power. Last week the country announced for the first time plans to start reducing its planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.Sept. 29, 2025, 11:14 a.m. ETIf the government shuts down for more than a couple of days this week, there might not be a monthly jobs report on Friday. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will “suspend all operations,” including the release of economic data, during a lapse in funding, according to a Department of Labor contingency plan. The agency would also suspend data collection, which could affect the release of the next Consumer Price Index, set for Oct. 15.A lapse in economic data would come at an awkward moment: Policymakers at the Federal Reserve are trying to weigh the risks of a weakening labor market against the threat posed by stubborn inflation. Without reliable data, the chances will be greater that they will make an error in one direction or the other, allowing either unemployment or inflation to worsen.Sept. 29, 2025, 10:14 a.m. ETPresident Trump has repeated his threat to impose a 100 percent tariff on movies made outside of the United States, posting on social media that the move was necessary “to solve this long time, never ending problem.” Trump made a similar threat in May, saying he had authorized Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, to tax movies made abroad and calling them “a national security threat.” It remains unclear whether or when the administration intends to roll out such a policy.Sept. 29, 2025, 5:03 a.m. ETClockwise left to right: Senator Chuck Schumer; Speaker Mike Johnson; Representative Hakeem Jeffries; Senator John ThumePresident Trump, facing the threat of a government shutdown in two days, is expected to meet with the top congressional leaders in both parties at the White House on Monday afternoon as they clash over the terms of a deal to keep federal funds flowing.Should the group fail to strike an agreement to extend spending and enact it into law within hours, the bulk of federal operations would come to a halt on Wednesday at 12:01 a.m., with broad consequences for the country.Democrats have refused to agree to a stopgap measure offered by Republicans to extend federal funding into November, demanding that any spending legislation include additional money for health care programs to protect Americans from losing coverage. Without Democrats’ backing, Republicans, who have only a narrow majority in the Senate, cannot muster the 60 votes needed to push through an extension. But the G.O.P. has refused to agree to any concessions.With the two parties at an impasse, Mr. Trump last week rejected the idea of striking a deal to win bipartisan support and canceled a meeting he had scheduled with the two top congressional Democrats, Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York.Monday’s meeting will be the first time in this term that Mr. Trump has invited the Democratic leaders to the White House, and the first time that Mr. Jeffries has ever met with him. It will come as the Senate returns from a weeklong recess in which no progress appears to have been made toward reaching a deal.Leaders of both parties suggested on Sunday that they saw room to negotiate on their funding proposals, but they signaled skepticism that the meeting might result in a compromise.“We need a serious negotiation,” Mr. Schumer said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “Now, if the president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats and talk about all his alleged grievances and say this, that and the other thing, we won’t get anything done.”Republican leaders have put forward a temporary funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, that would largely keep federal spending levels flat through Nov. 21. Such measures have become routine on Capitol Hill to avoid shutdowns, and Republicans have pointed out that they agreed to such measures in the past under Democratic presidents.But Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries have conditioned Democratic support on providing funding to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act that are set to expire at the end of the year. They are also proposing to reverse cuts to Medicaid and other health programs that Republicans made over the summer as part of their marquee tax cut and domestic policy law.Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, has said that he is open to discussing extending the subsidies later in the year but has rejected the idea of tying them to a measure to keep the government open.“I’m very comfortable with the position that we have,” Mr. Thune said on “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “It’s to fund the government, finish the appropriations process and deal with the issues the Democrats want to deal with after we keep the government open.”This month, the Republican-led House passed the G.O.P.’s stopgap plan, which includes $88 million in emergency funding to bolster security for members of Congress, the executive branch and the Supreme Court.Democrats blocked it in the Senate, but Mr. Thune has said that he plans to bring it up for another vote when senators return to the Capitol. That vote is expected on Tuesday, just hours before the midnight shutdown deadline.Sept. 29, 2025, 5:02 a.m. ETIt’s difficult to know exactly which programs or services would immediately end if the government shuts down this week. Agencies have been slow to release their latest contingency plans.Credit...T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York TimesWith the federal government headed toward a potential shutdown this week, thousands of workers could be furloughed and operations could be disrupted at many agencies.But not all government programs would come to a halt. Some essential work, such as law enforcement and airport security screening, would continue. Federal benefits programs like Social Security would also continue payments.Here is how some government functions would be affected during a shutdown.Which federal benefits would continue?Social Security is considered mandatory, and funding for those programs is generally unaffected by a shutdown.Medicare benefits also continue uninterrupted. The federal government has enough money for Medicaid to fund the first quarter of the next fiscal year, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.There could be lapses for some services, though. The federal government might not be able to issue replacement Medicare cards, for instance.The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food benefits to roughly 42 million people, is not expected to be immediately disrupted. But payments could be affected later in the year, depending on how long a shutdown lasts and how much contingency funding remains.A spokesperson for the Agriculture Department, which administers SNAP, said in a statement that the “U.S.D.A. is prepared for all contingencies regarding department operations, including critical services and supports.” But the department did not provide more details on how much funding is available.Veterans would still be provided medical care and pension benefits. But some services within the Department of Veterans Affairs, such as career counseling, would not be provided.Which federal programs would end?It’s difficult to know exactly which programs or services would immediately end if the government shuts down this week, given that agencies have been slow to release their latest contingency plans. But agencies have warned about potential effects during similar episodes.Access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, could be affected. The program would not have enough funding left to accept new applicants starting Oct. 1, according to a White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal budget documents.In past shutdowns, inspections of chemical factories, power plants, oil refineries and water treatment plants were disrupted because the Environmental Protection Agency furloughed most of its employees in charge of monitoring pollution and compliance. Some routine food safety inspections also stopped.The Small Business Administration might continue to make loans for disaster preparedness and response. But it would most likely cease approvals for other loan programs for small businesses.Head Start, an early education program for low-income children, is not expected to have major impacts immediately. Tommy Sheridan, the deputy director of the National Head Start Association, said in an email that only eight programs out of roughly 1,600 total have a fiscal year that starts on Oct. 1, meaning that most programs would not see a lapse in funding this week. The eight programs serve about 7,500 children.“We have reached out to them and so far all the ones we’ve heard back believe they will be able to stay open for a period of time,” Mr. Sheridan said. “If a shutdown stretches longer though, especially into November, then a lot more programs would be impacted and some would likely have to close.”How would a shutdown affect airports?Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees would largely continue to work, meaning that airports would keep operating.But air travel could be disrupted if security agents stop showing up for work because they aren’t being paid for the duration of a shutdown. That happened during the 2018-9 shutdown, when travelers faced long lines and closed checkpoints.Would mail still be delivered?The Postal Service would continue to deliver mail and all post offices would be open as usual. The agency generally does not receive tax dollars for operating expenses and instead relies on revenue from its sales.Would national parks stay open?National Park Service workers closed the Lincoln Memorial in Washington because of the government shutdown in 2013.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York TimesIt’s unclear whether national parks would be open during a shutdown.In 2013, when the government shut down for 16 days, the Obama administration completely closed the national park system.When the government shut down for more than a month during the first Trump administration, many parks remained accessible to the public, even as most staff were furloughed. Services like restroom maintenance and trash collection were not offered at the time. That led to piled-up garbage and illegal driving of off-road vehicles at some parks.On Friday, more than 35 former park superintendents wrote a letter to the Trump administration urging them to close the national parks if the government shuts down, saying the lands could be damaged with limited staffing.Do Smithsonian museums remain open?Smithsonian museums have sometimes stayed open for a short period immediately after a shutdown. During the first Trump administration, those museums and the National Zoo were initially open after the shutdown began, but closed after more than a week. All zoo animals continue to be fed and cared for during a shutdown.Could I renew or get a new passport?In the past, visa and passport services have usually continued as long as there were sufficient fees to support operations. Services might not be offered at passport agencies inside government buildings, however.Tony Romm contributed reporting.Sept. 28, 2025, 9:43 p.m. ETChristopher A. Wray at a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington last year.Credit...Maansi Srivastava for The New York TimesPresident Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he believed it was possible that the Department of Justice could be investigating former F.B.I. Director Christopher A. Wray.The president’s statement came just days after the indictment of James B. Comey, another former F.B.I. director and perceived foe of Mr. Trump’s.In a phone interview, Mr. Trump accused Mr. Wray of “inappropriate” behavior and said he “would think” the Justice Department is investigating him.“I would imagine. I would certainly imagine. I would think they are doing that,” Mr. Trump told NBC. He added: “Don’t forget, we just found out about all of these F.B.I. agents being there.”Mr. Trump appeared to be referring to reports in conservative media that 274 plainclothes F.B.I. agents were at the Capitol during the pro-Trump riot on Jan. 6, 2021, leading Mr. Trump, Kari Lake and others to accuse the agency of being involved in an inside job aimed at inciting a riot and framing Trump supporters.Those claims are false.The Department’s inspector general has already found that there is no evidence that undercover agents were in the crowd when the riot broke out.F.B.I. Director Kash Patel tried to clarify the matter on Fox News, saying that agents had been sent to the Capitol for “crowd control” purposes after the riot was already underway. But he nevertheless accused Mr. Wray of lying to Congress.In 2023, Mr. Wray said in testimony to a House committee: “If you are asking if the violence at the Capitol was part of some operation orchestrated by F.B.I. sources or agents, the answer is no.”For years, Mr. Trump has sought to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, including seeking investigations into those who investigated him and his supporters. He pardoned all those involved in the mayhem, including those serving prison sentences for brutal attacks on police officers.Since winning a second term in office, Mr. Trump has carried out a campaign of retribution against those he views as his political enemies. He has made clear he believes he can order the Justice Department to go after those he targets.On Sept. 20, Mr. Trump posted a social media message to Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding action against Mr. Comey; Senator Adam B. Schiff, Democrat of California; and Letitia James, the New York attorney general.“Pam: I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that, essentially, ‘same old story as last time, all talk, no action.’ Nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, Leticia??? They’re all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done,” he wrote.Days later, Mr. Comey was indicted, accused of lying to Congress. He has maintained his innocence and has said he is the victim of a targeted prosecution.Sept. 28, 2025, 2:25 p.m. ETKilmar Armando Abrego Garcia at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore on Aug. 25. He was detained again that same day. Credit...Tierney L. Cross/The New York TimesKilmar Armando Abrego Garcia has been transferred to an immigration detention facility in Pennsylvania, according to a document filed by his lawyers in federal court.Mr. Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador and the ensuing tug of war between his lawyers and the federal government have become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, drawing condemnation and outrage from immigration advocates as federal officials continue to seek his expulsion from the United States.In March, the Trump administration said he had been sent to El Salvador because of an administrative error. But federal officials reversed course in April, claiming that Mr. Abrego Garcia was a criminal and gang member, and in June returned him to the United States to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee.He was briefly released from custody in late August, but was promptly detained again and sent to a facility in Virginia. His lawyers said they had trouble visiting him there in part because of its distance from New York City and Nashville, where his legal teams are based.His transfer to the Pennsylvania facility, the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, which his lawyers said they learned of on Friday, could make the problem worse, they argued. The move has made it “far more difficult” for the Nashville-based members of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s legal team to reach him, and travel to the processing center is “not appreciably easier” for the New York team, according to the court filing.Mr. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers also raised questions about “deeply concerning” conditions inside the Moshannon facility, citing “recent reports of assaults, inadequate medical care and insufficient food.” In August, a detainee, Chaofeng Ge, died by suicide there.Immigration officials have insisted that they will not allow Mr. Abrego Garcia to go free in the United States, and Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said in August that law enforcement officers were “processing” Mr. Abrego Garcia for deportation, though it is not clear where he would be deported to.A court order from 2019 prohibited him from being sent to El Salvador, the country he’d come from initially, because he could face threats or persecution. After deporting him there anyway this spring, the Trump administration is now challenging the order, arguing that a new asylum request recently filed by Mr. Abrego Garcia voided the earlier decision.The administration has also signaled that it was considering sending him to one of several countries to which he has no ties, including Uganda and the small African nation Eswatini, according to his lawyers.Mr. Abrego Garcia had been living in Maryland for years after entering the United States without permission near McAllen, Texas, in 2012. He had no criminal record in the United States, though he had come into contact with law enforcement before. In 2019, he was arrested while looking for work outside a Home Depot but was eventually released after the judge ruled that he could not be sent back to El Salvador.Now, prosecutors are alleging that Mr. Abrego Garcia earned money by helping people enter the United States illegally, citing an episode in 2022 during which Mr. Abrego Garcia was pulled over driving an S.U.V. that had “nine Hispanic males packed into” it. At the time, he was released with a warning for driving with an expired license. Federal authorities are also claiming that Mr. Abrego Garcia was affiliated with the gang MS-13, based on his clothing and information from a confidential informant, a charge that Mr. Abrego Garcia denies.A correction was made on Sept. 29, 2025: An earlier version of this article misstated the year Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia was pulled over by law enforcement while driving eight passengers. It was in 2022, not 2019.When we learn of a mistake, we acknowledge it with a correction. If you spot an error, please let us know at nytnews@nytimes.com.Learn more