SCOTUS Pauses Foreign Aid Payment Deadline; Bodies of Final Four Hostages in Phase One Released

The Supreme Court temporarily paused a deadline on Wednesday, which would have required the Trump administration to resume $2 billion in foreign aid payments. Chief Justice John Roberts said the order will remain on hold until the Supreme Court weighs in more fully on the matter.

After a tense stalemate, Hamas has handed over the bodies of four hostages to Israel. They are the last four hostages who were to be released as part of the first phase of the ceasefire with Israel. In exchange, Israel has started releasing more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. Saturday marks the end of this truce. Ahead lies a vastly more complicated potential second phase, that could see the return of all remaining hostages and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

President Donald Trump held his first Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, with Elon Musk in the spotlight. He spoke on his priorities to slash the size of the federal government, reducing the U.S. deficit, and foreign policy moves on tariffs. Trump also defended the work that the Department of Government Efficiency was doing, and said that he won't be making any cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.