Trump admin live updates: White House drops NASA nominee with Musk ties

A federal judge in Boston has ordered President Donald Trump's administration to resume processing immigration benefits for migrants paroled under several humanitarian parole programs that the Department of Homeland Security attempted to halt.

Judge Indira Talwani's decision is the latest ruling in a wide-ranging lawsuit that is challenging the Trump administration’s decision to halt processing applications from migrants who are already under these programs or are hoping to be.

It essentially means that beneficiaries of: Uniting for Ukraine, Operation Allies Welcome (Afghanistan), Central American Minors Parole, Family Reunification Parole, Military Parole-in-Place, and CHNV (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans) can continue applying for other types of relief.

Judge Talwani also ordered the administration to accept initial and re-parole applications for people under the Military Parole in Place Program (MPIP). That program allows some current and former members of the military and their relatives to apply for parole if they lack legal status.

-ABC News' Armando Tonatiuh Torres-García

Elon Musk is set to depart the Trump administration and leave his role as a special government employee, a White House official told ABC News.

The White House will begin Musk's off-boarding Wednesday evening, the official said.

Musk was named as a Special Government Employee by Trump, and was hired for 130 days to provide expertise that the administration didn't have internally. His 130-day period is set to expire on Friday.

Musk shared the update on X Wednesday night, thanking President Donald Trump and saying his Department of Government Efficiency team will continue to work throughout the government.

"As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," Musk wrote.

"The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," he added.

-ABC News' Will Steakin

Moderna was notified its funding to research and license vaccines set to protect against future flu pandemics -- including bird flu -- ​has been terminated by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The funding was originally signed with the Biden administration and consisted of an initial contract of over $150 million and a second contract of nearly $600 million.

It comes while Moderna announced positive results from their early trial of an mRNA bird flu vaccine.

Antibody titers, a sign of immune protection, increased nearly 45-fold in those vaccinated. A total of 300 adults participated in the trial.

At least 70 people in the U.S. have been infected with bird flu after the virus was found in cows for the first time early last year. One person has died since. Health officials say the current risk of the virus is low, but are monitoring for further spread or any mutations that would change that assessment.

Moderna noted they would "explore alternatives for late-stage development and manufacturing" of their bird flu vaccine program.

-ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud

In addition to reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, President Donald Trump issued a slew of pardons on Wednesday.

• Michael Grimm: Grimm served in Congress from 2011 to 2015 but pleaded guilty in December 2014 to aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return. He served seven months in jail, a month of House arrest and 200 hours of community service. Last September, Grimm was paralyzed after being thrown off a horse during a polo tournament.

• Former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland: In 2009, Rowland devised a scheme to work for the campaign of a candidate seeking election to the House from Connecticut's 5th Congressional District and to conceal from the Federal Election Commission and the public that he would be paid to perform that work. To make the illegal arrangement appear legitimate, Rowland drafted a sham consulting contract pursuant to which he would purportedly perform work for a separate corporate entity owned by the candidate.

• Kentrell Gaulden "NBA YoungBoy": In December 2024, the Louisiana rapper received a nearly two-year jail sentence on gun-related charges after he acknowledged possessing weapons despite being a convicted felon. He reached an agreement that resolved Utah state charges against him and settled two sets of federal charges against him. One carries a 23-month sentence, and the other orders five years of probation and a $200,000 fine. He was released from prison earlier this year.

• Mark C. Bashaw: The lieutenant was convicted in 2022 by a special court martial for violating COVID-19 orders. The judge sentenced him to no punishment.

• Tanner Mansell and John Moore: The shark divers were both convicted in 2022 of stealing fishing gear in federal waters.

• James and Marlene Kernan: The New York couple pleaded guilty to willfully employing a convicted felon at their business. They were placed on probation.

• Michael Harris: Harris was pardoned after Trump granted him clemency in 2021 after serving 33 years in jail for drug charges. Harris, one of the founders of the hip-hop label Death Row Records, endorsed Trump in the 2024 election.

• Kevin Eric Baisden

Trump also commuted the sentence of Larry Hoover, an infamous Chicago gang founder who is serving multiple life sentences. Hoover has sought to shorten his sentence repeatedly in the last decade. He still faces essentially life in prison on a state murder conviction.

-ABC News' Hannah Demissie