A federal judge told the Trump administration Friday that its explanation for invoking the state secrets privilege in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case is inadequate, describing the government’s reasoning for withholding information as “take my word for it.”

Trump administration attorneys have argued that releasing details in open court — or even to the judge in private – about returning Abrego Garcia to the United States would jeopardize national security. For example, they said it would reveal sensitive and confidential negotiations with foreign countries.

But U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland said she was at a loss for how she can independently determine the nature of the government’s concerns with the information it provided.

“There’s simply no details,” she said. “This is basically ‘take my word for it.’”

Jonathan Guynn, a Justice Department attorney, disagreed that the explanation was inadequate.

“We think we’ve provided significant information,” he said.

The focus of Friday’s hearing was primarily on the Trump administration’s desire to invoke the state secrets privilege, a legal doctrine that is more often used in cases involving the military and spy agencies. But how Xinis rules could impact the central question looming over the case: Has the Trump administration followed her order to bring back Abrego Garcia?

Trump seeks restart of workforce cutting

President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to allow him to resume his downsizing of the federal workforce, while a lawsuit filed by labor unions and cities proceeds.

The Justice Department is challenging an order issued last week by a federal judge in San Francisco that temporarily halted Trump’s efforts to shrink a federal government he calls bloated and expensive.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston’s temporary restraining order questioned whether Trump’s Republican administration was acting lawfully in trying to pare the federal workforce.

Illston, an appointee of Democratic President Bill Clinton, directed numerous federal agencies to stop acting on Trump’s workforce executive order signed in February and a subsequent memo issued by the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Personnel Management.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the court to quickly put the ruling on hold, telling the justices that Illston overstepped her authority.

Illston’s order expires next week, unless extended.

Judge halts ending public health grants

A federal judge Friday indefinitely prohibited the Department of Health and Human Services from terminating $11 billion in public health grants set aside for states.

The order extends an earlier, more temporary ruling in April by Judge Mary McElroy of U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. In that earlier ruling, she found that the government could not abruptly wipe out a pandemic-era funding stream that many state and local health departments relied upon.

In the opinion McElroy issued Friday, she wrote: “The health care funding terminations would constrain the States’ infectious disease research, thwart treatment efforts to those struggling with mental health and addiction, and impact the availability of vaccines to children, the elderly, and those living in rural communities. Not to mention that the terminations were effective immediately, ignoring the States’ reliance on the funds.”

Trump’s military parade could cost $45 million

A military parade planned for next month could cost up to $45 million and is expected to include up to two dozen M1 Abrams tanks rolling through the streets of Washington, two defense officials said Thursday.

The parade, according to the Army’s website, will take place June 14, which is both the date of the Army’s 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.

The officials who spoke about the costs said that the estimate, previously reported by Reuters, did not include the cleanup or repairs from damage to Washington’s roads from the tank traffic. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning

The Army has said the parade will include 150 vehicles, 50 warplanes and the participation of more than 6,600 soldiers.

The thousands of visiting soldiers in Washington for the parade will stay in unused government buildings and sleep on cots, according to the Army. They will be provided three daily meals and a stipend, the Pentagon has said.

DHS ponders TV show offering citizenship

The Department of Homeland Security is considering taking part in a television show that would have immigrants go through a series of challenges to get U.S. citizenship, officials said on Friday.

The challenges would be based on various U.S. traditions and customs, said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the agency.

She said the department was still reviewing the idea, which was pitched by a producer named Rob Worsoff.

“The pitch generally was a celebration of being an American and what a privilege it is to be able to be a citizen of the United States of America,” McLaughlin said. “It’s important to revive civic duty.”

She said the agency was happy to review “out-of-the-box pitches,” particularly those that celebrate “what it means to be an American.”

Worsoff, a 49-year-old Canadian American, known for his work on Duck Dynasty, said he first thought of the idea during his naturalization process.

Secret Service meets with Comey over post

The Secret Service questioned James Comey, the former FBI director, Friday about a social media post he made that Trump’s Cabinet officials and allies claimed amounted to a call for Trump’s assassination, according to a law enforcement official.

The Secret Service sought the interview after Comey posted a photo Thursday of seashells on a beach forming the numbers “86 47,” a phrase used by Trump’s critics at protests and on signs and clothing. “Eighty-six,” according to Merriam-Webster, is an old slang term meaning to dismiss or remove.

The interview is said to have taken place at a Secret Service office in Washington. Comey is said to have voluntarily consented to the interview, the official said.

Comey deleted the Instagram post after it generated heated criticism, saying, “I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

— News service reports