PRESS DIGEST-New York Times business news - December 31

Dec 31 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a claim by President Donald Trump's administration that it is legally barred from securing funding for the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, noting that a court order already bars the administration from shutting the agency down.

- The Health and Human Services Department said on Tuesday that it had paused its child care payments to Minnesota, days after the posting of a widely circulated video that added new accusations to a fraud scandal in the state’s social services programs and led conservatives to call for a government crackdown.

- The crew of an oil tanker fleeing U.S. forces in the Atlantic Ocean recently painted a Russian flag on the side of the vessel, in an apparent attempt to claim Russian protection, two American officials said on Tuesday.

- A federal judge on Tuesdayblocked plans by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to end temporary protections from deportation that had been granted to hundreds of South Sudanese nationals living in the United States.