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Defenders of the Social Security Administration on Friday blasted acting Commissioner Leland Dudeks' threat to shut down the agency in response to a federal judge cutting off the Department of Government Efficiency's access to SSA data.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander wrote Thursday that "the DOGE team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA." She issued a temporary restraining order targeting affiliates of the government-gutting entity created by Republican President Donald Trump and led by Big Tech CEO Elon Musk, the richest person on the planet.

President Donald Trump on Friday said that he would not want to show billionaire Elon Musk American plans for a potential war with China because he might be "susceptible" to influence from the Chinese government.

While addressing reporters, Trump was asked why he would be reluctant to share the plans with Musk, who has extensive business dealings with China.

A White House press conference went off the rails Friday as President Donald Trump was asked about a New York Times report — and he descended into a furious rant.

Trump was asked by Fox News’ Peter Doocy about the Times’ story, published late Thursday, that claimed Musk — an unelected immigrant — was to be briefed on top secret plans involving a potential war with China.

According to former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, senior Department of Justice officials who are taking part in stalling turning over information U.S. District Judge James Boasberg are at a legitimate risk of being prosecuted if the judge sees fit.

Speaking with MSNBC host Ana Cabrera, Vance suggested that what she is witnessing is "stonewalling," including a new filing made by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claiming there is a Cabinet-level discussion still ongoing over the reasoning for delaying turning over information.

"What this attestation from the Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, does is it's minimal compliance with the court's order," she told the host. "Todd Blanche has simply said, 'I'm aware and I've been involved in these conversations at the cabinet level.' Look, I think it's appropriate for the Cabinet to take its time to determine whether or not to invoke state secrets, which is a common law doctrine that prevents courts from inquiring into military secrets that could damage our national security. On the other hand, the government is flirting with violating the judge's order, and he has plenty of possibilities for contempt proceedings against the government if he finally loses his patience with them."

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Asked to elaborate, she added, "There's actually a provision in the federal rules of criminal procedure that lets the judge appoint a private prosecutor if the government isn't willing, which they almost certainly would not be willing in this situation. There's some precedent for that to happen. I've been involved in a matter in my district many years ago during the Bush administration, where a judge actually did that and permitted a prosecution for contempt to move forward in that case against a private party, not the government."

"But there's good indication from courts in the District of Columbia that you can make sanctions against the government, including jailing government officials or requiring them to pay damages personally if a contempt prosecution is successful," she added.

You can watch below or at the link.

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele on Friday warned Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that he's deluding himself if he thinks that he'll ever be able to work constructively with the Republican Party again.

Writing at MSNBC, Steele argued that the Republican Party that Schumer once knew was "never coming back" and he urged the New York Democrat to give up his fantasy that his Republican colleagues in the Senate would ever renounce President Donald Trump.

President Donald Trump's views on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are radically different from those of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden. While Biden championed NATO's expansion and viewed participation in the alliance as crucial to the United States from a national security/foreign policy standpoint, Trump is a vehement critic of NATO.

In Trump's view, NATO takes a lot more from the U.S. than it gives in return. And according to NBC News sources in the U.S. Department of Defense, the Trump-era Pentagon (led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth) is considering giving up the United States' longtime role as supreme commander of NATO in Europe.

During an appearance on MSNBC on Friday morning, journalist David Drucker of the conservative Dispatch made the case that Donald Trump gave his approval to Vice President J.D. Vance pulling double duty as a chief fundraiser for the Republican National Committee (RNC).

As he explained to the hosts of "Morning Joe," there is a general belief that the sitting president is allowing Vance to position himself as the heir apparent to the MAGA movement and, therefore, the 2028 GOP presidential nomination, but that got push-back from former Democratic political adviser Symone Sanders Townsend who was skeptical.

Gov. Tim Walz and his DFL colleagues in the state Legislature have touted a law passed in 2024 that “banned book bans.”

But school districts in Minnesota are still limiting students’ access to books.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, the judicial branch has served as something of a firewall against some of his attempts to subvert congressional authority and undermine long-established constitutional law, with federal judges blocking his orders to end birthright citizenship, cut foreign aid funding, and other parts of his agenda.

But as the rulings have been met with relief from rights advocates, the judges who have handed down the decisions have faced mounting threats from anonymous people or groups who appear to support Trump—with remarks from Republican lawmakers and the president himself only emboldening the threats of violence.

"Walk away or fight?"

That's what one program director at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. asked in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's bigoted attacks on racial, religious, and sexual minorities—and the artist literally bared all of himself while mulling the question.