
Airlines look to remove consumer protections for travelers who use wheelchairs
CBSN
The nation's largest airlines are looking to rescind new consumer protection rules for travelers with disabilities, arguing in court filings that the U.S. Department of Transportation had exceeded its authority in enacting them.
In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, the trade group Airlines for America and five carriers — American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United — argue that the mandate put in place last year by the Biden administration is unlawful. The 2024 rule made mishandling wheelchairs a violation of the federal Air Carrier Access Act.
American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United declined to comment, referring requests to Airlines for America, which issued a statement calling the new requirements unnecessary and an overreach.

Washington — A federal judge on Thursday allowed President Trump's efforts to shrink the federal workforce to continue moving forward while legal proceedings continue, declining a request from a group of labor unions to temporarily block his firing of federal employees and other actions targeting government workers.

President Trump on Wednesday said he's considering using 20% of the savings from Elon Musk's cost-cutting task force, the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to provide direct payments to taxpayers. But economists and policy experts across the political spectrum expressed skepticism about the feasibility of such a "DOGE dividend."

How Clinton's "reinventing government" compares to DOGE's approach: "We cut fat and they cut muscle"
As President Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency push to slash spending, Republican allies have pointed to a White House program from 30 years ago as akin to DOGE's efforts.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Pentagon to come up with plans to cut 8% from the defense budget in each of the next five years, according to sources familiar with his plans. The Defense Departmen expects to redirect those fund to other programs in the department that would be prioritized by President Trump.