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Live from NPR news in Washington, I'm Corva Coleman. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has stunned colleagues. He's changed his mind and he'll now support a Republican-backed stopgap spending bill. If it passes, the government will avoid a partial shutdown

late tonight. Schumer describes the GOP spending bill as awful, but he says a shutdown would give

President Trump the chance to wipe out much of the federal government, perhaps for good.

Under a shutdown, the Trump administration would have full authority to deem whole

agencies, programs, and personnel non-essential, furlowing staff with no promise they would ever be rehired.

Some Democrats are pointing to President Trump's moves to close the education department

and fire half of its staff. Yesterday, two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to rehire

thousands of federal employees who had been fired. Last night, a federal judge in Maryland ruled

that most federal employees who are on probation must be reinstated by early Monday afternoon.

U.S. District Judge James Bredar says he'll consider further action. Meanwhile, NPR's Chris Arnold

reports that hours earlier, a separate federal judge in California also ordered the Trump

administration to immediately bring back thousands of probationary workers.

It was a contentious hearing. U.S. District Judge William Alsup said workers were lied to about why they were fired.

He said, quote, it is a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance.

When they know good and well, that is a lie.

He also said it wasn't legal that a single office in the administration ordered a host of other

agencies to fireworkers. The judge said in the hearing that the administration can do a downsizing,

but it has to follow the law. Chris Arnold and PR News. The Trump administration says it will

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