Trump asks the Supreme Court to clear the way for federal downsizing plans

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration has renewed its request for the Supreme Court to clear the way for plans to downsize the federal workforce, while a lawsuit filed by labor unions and cities proceeds. The high court filing Monday came after an appeals court refused to freeze a California-based judge’s order halting the cuts, which have been led by the Department of Government Efficiency. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled last month that Trump’s administration needed congressional approval to make sizable cuts to the federal workforce. The administration initially asked the justices to step in last month, but withdrew its appeal for technical, legal reasons. The latest filing is one in a series emergency appeals arguing federal judges had overstepped their authority.

Stabbing attack at Oregon homeless shelter sends 11 people to hospital, man in custody

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Police say a stabbing attack at a homeless shelter in Salem, Oregon sent 11 people to a hospital, and a man is in custody. Officers were called Sunday night to the Union Gospel Mission, which provides shelter to as many as 150 men each night. A police spokesperson says five victims were still in the hospital Monday midday. The mission’s executive director told NBC News that a man being checked into the shelter had a knife in a bag that he would have had to hand over to the staff. He said that at least one staffer working the check-in desk is among the injured.

ICE chief defends agents’ use of masks, decries sanctuary jurisdictions

BOSTON (AP) — Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons on Monday defended the use of masks by his agents and expressed frustration at sanctuary jurisdictions that he said are hindering the detainment of immigrants who are in the country illegally. Lyons said his agents wear masks because they and their families have been doxxed and “targeted” with death threats. “I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I’m not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don’t like what immigration enforcement is,” he said.

New study says 50-50 chance of Milky Way colliding with galaxy billions of years from now

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — It turns out that looming collision between our Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies might not happen after all. Astronomers reported Monday that the probability of the two spiral galaxies colliding is less than previously thought, with a 50-50 chance within the next 10 billion years. That’s essentially a coin flip, but still better odds than previous estimates and farther out in time. “As it stands, proclamations of the impending demise of our galaxy seem greatly exaggerated,” the Finnish-led team wrote in a study appearing in Nature Astronomy. While good news for the Milky Way galaxy, the latest forecast may be moot for humanity. “We likely won’t live to see the benefit,” lead author Till Sawala of the University of Helsinki said in an email.