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Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday the Trump administration had finished its six-week purge of programs of the six-decade-old U.S. Agency for International Development, cutting 83% of them, and said he would move the remaining aid programs under the State Department. Hours later, a federal judge said President Donald Trump had overstepped his authority in shutting down most foreign assistance, saying the administration could no longer simply sit on the billions of dollars that Congress had provided for foreign aid. (Knickmeyer, 3/11)

A US judge ordered the Trump administration to undo some of its cuts to billions of dollars in foreign assistance programs through the US Agency for International Development, the latest turn in a legal fight that’s likely to end up at the US Supreme Court. In a ruling Monday, US District Judge Amir Ali in Washington issued a mixed ruling on a an effort by a group of nonprofits to block the spending cuts. The ruling requires USAID to follow through on payments obligations under contracts with groups that provide food and other essential services to people across the globe. (Larson, 3/10)

Elon Musk pushed debunked theories about Social Security on Monday while describing federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, suggesting they will be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending. The billionaire entrepreneur, who is advising President Donald Trump, suggested that $500 billion to $700 billion in waste needed to be cut. “Most of the federal spending is entitlements,” Musk told the Fox Business Network. “That’s the big one to eliminate.” (Megerian, 3/10)

�����鶹��ƷHealth News: Under Trump, Social Security Resumes What It Once Called 'Clawback Cruelty'
A year ago, a new head of Social Security set out to stop the agency from financially devastating many of the people it was meant to help. Overpayment OutrageSocial Security has been overpaying billions of dollars to people, many on disability — then demanding the money back, even if the government made mistakes, an investigation by �����鶹��ƷHealth News and Cox Media Group revealed. The reporting has triggered harsh criticism in Congress and led to an investigation by the agency. (Hilzenrath and Fleischer, 3/11)

�����鶹��ƷHealth News: Nursing Homes And The AMA, Once Medicaid Defenders, Hang Back As GOP Mulls Big Cuts
When congressional Republicans in 2017 pushed to repeal the Affordable Care Act and slash Medicaid, dozens of physician groups, patient advocates, hospitals, and others rallied to defend the law and the safety-net program. Eight years later, two industry groups have been notably restrained as GOP lawmakers consider sweeping new Medicaid cuts: the American Medical Association and the American Health Care Association, which represents nursing homes. (Levey, 3/11)

On veterans' health care —

For years, his morning routine was as therapeutic as the job he loved: Wake up at 4:30. Run or lift weights by 5 a.m. Then head to the veterans mental health facility where he works in California to help veterans who are struggling after leaving the military — just as he once had. But these days, he says he sleeps through his alarm and wakes up already exhausted, with a pulsing dread in his stomach. The first thing he does is check his email: Does his staff still all have jobs? Does he still have a job? Does his team still exist? (Kehrt, 3/7)

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against two veterans who argued that their disability claims were unfairly denied because they did not receive favorable decisions when the evidence presented in their cases was equal. In a 7-2 decision, the court ruled that the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims is not required to review the Department of Veterans Affairs' application of the "benefit-of-the-doubt" rule in most decisions. The standard requires the VA to approve veterans' claims when the supporting evidence, either for or against approval, is close. (Kime, 3/10)

Also —

The thoughts come quickly for Bianca Panelosa – make toilet paper and napkins from old rags, dilute juice and milk for cereal, ask the kids to eat less. The single mother of three, with a fourth on the way, waits in the cold predawn hours outside a food fair in north Houston, brainstorming ways to make ends meet so she can feed her children. “I’m just trying to work it out,” says Panelosa. “I’m still thinking.” Panelosa remembers how she beat the odds before: surviving domestic violence and escaping homelessness after a divorce – which forced her to move back in with her parents. This time, it’s tariff wars and rising prices at a time when she can’t work. (Flores and Harlan, 3/11)